Simple surgery may prevent strokes in heart patients

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Simple surgery may prevent strokes in heart patients

A simple surgery can save patients with heart arrhythmia from often-lethal strokes, a new study suggests.

The researchers, including Richard Whitlock from McMaster University, found that removing the left atrial appendage — an unused, finger-like tissue that can trap blood in the heart chamber and increase the risk of clots — cuts the risk of strokes by more than one-third in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Even better, the reduced clotting risk comes on top of any other benefits conferred by blood-thinner medications patients with this condition are usually prescribed.

“If you have atrial fibrillation and are undergoing heart surgery, the surgeon should be removing your left atrial appendage, because it is a set-up for forming clots,” said Whitlock.

“Our trial has shown this to be both safe and effective for stroke prevention,” Whitlock added.

For the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the team tracked 4,811 people in 27 countries who are living with atrial fibrillation and taking blood thinners.

Consenting patients undertaking cardiopulmonary bypass surgery were randomly selected for the additional left atrial appendage occlusion surgery; their outcomes compared with those who only took medicine.

Whitlock said it was suspected since the 1940s that blood clots can form in the left atrial appendage in patients with atrial fibrillation, and it made sense to cut this useless structure off if the heart was exposed for other surgery. This is now proven to be true.

Atrial fibrillation is common in elderly people and is responsible for about 25 percent of ischemic strokes which are caused when blood clots block arteries supplying parts of the brain.

Vax drive cheapest cost to economic normalisation: Report

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Vax drive cheapest cost to economic normalisation: Report

Stepping up the vaccination drive is the cheapest as well as the most viable policy path to economic normalization, as per a research report by Emkay Global Financial Services.

Accordingly, the report cited that this policy path was the best-suited one given the strong positive externalities.

“The overall estimated welfare cost of vaccinating universal population would be 0.6-0.7 percent of GDP, assuming no wastage and optimal distribution,” Emkay’s Lead Economist Madhavi Arora said.

“This is much lower than the current 0.9-1 percent loss of monthly output amid existing soft local lockdowns, clearly implying a successful vaccine strategy is the cheapest optimal policy path to economic normalization.”

According to the report, there exists an average monthly supply gap of 170 million jobs to cover the universal population by CY21-end.

“The vaccination drive is skewed state-wise and has overall slowed substantially, with current ‘7 DMA rate of 1.9mn shots, 50 percent below the peak of 3.7mn’ on March 21.”

“The supply gap is significant and can only be resolved by production ramp-up. Even after assuming enhanced supply from July 21 and November 21, as per Emkay calculations, there will still be a supply gap of 170mn jabs per month on an average for covering universal population by end of this calendar year.”

The report’s base case suggests that by March 2022 and July 2022, 70 percent and 100 percent of the universal population will likely be vaccinated.

Lately, India reported daily new record increases in coronavirus infections, prompting new lockdowns as well as restrictive measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The exponential rise in new coronavirus cases in India has been termed a humanitarian crisis.

It also raises concerns about the country’s economic recovery.

IPL returnee Holder to miss initial part of Windies camp

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IPL returnee Holder to miss initial part of Windies camp

All-rounder Jason Holder, who was part of the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) with SunRisers Hyderabad, has been rested for the first part of West Indies’ three-week high-performance camp that begins on Sunday in St Lucia.

World No. 1 Test all-rounder Holder will join at the end of the month. He is being rested due to his workload across all formats of the game in recent months and will arrive in St. Lucia at the end of the month.

The camp, which comprises 30 players, will include two ‘best v best’ inter-squad matches as West Indies look ahead to their final series in the ICC World Test Championship, against South Africa in June.

Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph will not be attending as they are currently competing in English County Championship and will return to the West Indies for the Test series if selected.

“This camp is very important for our preparation for the upcoming Test series against South Africa and for the rest of our busy and exciting summer. We will continue the work which we began last year in England, to further develop our Test team into a force to be reckoned with in world cricket,” said coach Phil Simmons.

“We welcome the good news of a rise to sixth in the ICC Test Rankings. However, this is just the beginning of our journey and we know we have lots of hard work ahead of us.”

Kiwis depart for England for WTC final vs India, Tests vs host

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Kiwis depart for England for WTC final vs India, Tests vs host

The New Zealand men’s cricket team departed for England on Saturday night to play a two-Test series, followed by the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against the Virat Kohli-captained India.

While the Black Caps will play the first Test against the hosts from June 2 in London, the second Test will commence in Birmingham on June 10.

The Kiwis will then take on India in the WTC final at Southampton from June 18.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) posted pictures of the departing team on Twitter and Instagram.

“London on Getting set. After two Lincoln camps, our New Zealand-based players heading to England! The squad will travel to Southampton on arrival in England to prepare for the first Test against @englandcricket starting at the @homeofcricket (Lord’s) on the 2nd of June,” NZC said on Instagram.

The Blackcaps had made Lincoln, on the South Island, as its final training base before the journey.

This will be the last tour for New Zealan’s wicketkeeper-batsman, 35-year-old BJ Watling, who recently announced that he was retiring from competitive cricket. Watling represented New Zealand in 73 Tests, 28 ODIs, and five T20Is.

The squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, and Will Young

Himansh Kohli: My father and I used to have the most awkward conversations

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Himansh Kohli: My father and I used to have the most awkward conversations

Actor Himansh Kohli says he has always been close to his parents and often consults them for advice. Himansh was speaking on the occasion of International Day of Families on Saturday.

“I remember my father used to counsel me and we used to have a talk regarding everything. We used to have even the most awkward conversations so that I don’t make mistakes in the future. It’s necessary to open up to your parents, because the advice they give will always be in your favor, and they would also never let you do anything bad,” said Himansh.

The actor grew up in a family of four. His parents run a security business while his sister, who is a baker, recently got married. They also have a dog called Donut at their Delhi home.

“Family is like having somebody who loves you unconditionally. Having a family around is the basic requirement for any child to survive and thrive. Your family helps build your personality and have a perspective in life. Family makes a home, home,” he said.

Having said that, the young actor also asserted that COVID has made everyone realize the importance of their families.

“I went through Covid with family and those were genuinely tough times. I got vaccinated. I request everyone to get vaccinated. We lost so many people in 2020, and it is happening again this year. The fear of losing someone has brought people closer. We have also learned how the home is the only place you’d want to be if everything starts falling apart,” he summed up.

Why Shilpa Shetty said no to grocery savings?

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Why Shilpa Shetty said no to grocery savings?

Whether its sumptuous kitchen delicacies, useful backyard garden gyaan, or power yoga punches, Shilpa Shetty has proven that she can never go wrong when it comes to nutrition thats packed with taste and health. But, what does she do when her brother-in-law orders groceries with a 100-rupee bachat?

Seen these days in a humorous television commercial for Nourish Chakki Fresh Atta with Extra Chokar by BL Agro Industries Limited, Shetty embodies every ounce of the wisdom of the modern Indian woman, especially when it is about making smart choices for the family. In her signature comic style, the Bollywood diva educates her brother-in-law on the consequences of choosing ordinary food products with an interesting ‘Do Baatein’ approach.

Dressed traditionally and elegantly in a pink kurta, the fitness icon takes the dining table talk one notch higher by convincing her family to look at the bigger picture while ordering atta or flour. In a rather endearing ‘bhabhi’ avatar in the Nourish commercial, she drives home the message that we are what we eat; and immunity is not built by eating just about anything on the market shelves.

When it comes to healthy food choices, there’s no one better than the fitness icon to explain the importance of choosing better. The TVC is the first in the series of three and garnered close to 1.4 million views on YouTube within two weeks of being launched.

Shilpa Shetty’s fitness mantra? ‘Saadharan Chhodo, Nutrition Chuno’. Not convinced? Let the diva convince you herself in this infotaining TVC.

Instagram will soon let users post from its website

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Instagram will soon let users post from its website

Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform Instagram is reportedly working on an update to its desktop website that will allow users to create posts from there as well.

The update brings the post creator to the web version of Instagram — which was previously only available on the mobile Instagram website besides the official app, 9To5Google, citing developer and app analyst Alessandro Paluzzi, reported.

Paluzzi managed to enable the new option on his profile through undisclosed methods, and he shared some images on Twitter of how Instagram’s post creator will work on the web, the report said.

The interface has been tweaked with a preview of the content next to the publishing options. Users will also find options to crop the image, apply filters and set a description.

The company recently announced to let users add up to four pronouns to their profiles, which they can then display publicly or only to their followers.

It’s another way to express yourself on Instagram and the feature is now available in a few countries today with plans for more.

The company, however, did not specify which countries have this feature at the moment.

The news comes at a time when a coalition of 44 US Attorneys General has signed a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging Facebook not to launch “Instagram for Kids”, citing mental health and privacy concerns.

After WHO, NITI Aayog lauds Yogi over Covid-19 management

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After WHO, NITI Aayog lauds Yogi over Covid-19 management

The Yogi Adityanath model for the management of Covid-19 has been appreciated by NITI Aayog after being praised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Niti Aayog has tweeted and praised the system of oxygen supply monitoring and real-time Covid management for providing immediate oxygen to every person in need in Uttar Pradesh (which has the country’s largest population) during the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis.

Now the Centre and various states are also implementing this Covid model of Uttar Pradesh.

Due to this Covid-19 management system, in a very short time the Uttar Pradesh government has successfully been able to ramp up 250 MT (metric tonne) of oxygen supply to 1,000 MT. This is the highest oxygen supply increase by any state across the country. Earlier, the WHO also praised the Yogi government for Covid-19 management in rural areas.

The WHO has lauded the Yogi government for the second time over its approach to Covid-19.

Even during the first wave of the pandemic, WHO cited UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s contact tracing formula as an example which should be emulated by other states and praised his Triple T (Trace, Test and Treat) strategy to control Covid-19 during the second wave of the pandemic.

However, in Uttar Pradesh, too, the rate of Covid infections has increased manifold. On April 24, 38,055 infections were recorded in 24 hours. Adityanath himself was infected with Covid-19 in April while reviewing the ground preparations to fight the virus in the state. At that time some people had predicted the number of cases would reach nearly one lakh in the coming months. Despite the criticism, Yogi was relentless in his fight against Covid-19.

He actively monitored the Covid situation in the state through virtual mode every day.

Due to the rapid pace of the infection during the second wave, Yogi Adityanath formed ‘Team 9’ instead of ‘Team 11’ and decentralized rights and accountability over Covid-19. Due to these reasons Covid is seen to be largely under control in the state.

Amazon India launches free video streaming service miniTV

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Amazon India launches free video streaming service miniTV

Amazon India on Saturday launched a free video streaming service called miniTV which will available within the Amazon Android app.

The company said that ad-supported miniTV has professionally created and curated content across web-series, comedy shows, tech news, food, beauty, fashion and more.

Currently available for Android, miniTV will be extended to iOS app and mobile web over the coming months.

With this launch, Amazon has two video entertainment offerings — miniTV and Prime Video.

“miniTV is completely free and it does not require a separate app. Prime Video requires a Prime subscription and offers a collection of award-winning Amazon Originals, latest movies and TV shows, in English and 9 Indian languages,” the company said in a statement.

The curated content includes leading studios such as TVF, Pocket Aces and leading comedians.

In the coming months, miniTV will add many more new and exclusive videos, Amazon India said.

After HC order, Andhra ambulances passing freely to Telangana

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After HC order, Andhra ambulances passing freely to Telangana

Ambulance vehicles making their way to Hyderabad with Covid patients from Andhra Pradesh are being allowed to cross the border into Telangana since Friday night. The development comes in the wake of the Telangana High Court’s interim order barring the state government from stopping such vehicles at the border.

On Saturday, Telangana police personnel at the Andhra Pradesh borders, allowed patients not having the required permissions, to cross over after registering their details.

On Friday, two patients from Andhra Pradesh died in the ambulance vehicles they were traveling in, at the inter-state border near Kurnool. Telangana Police did not permit vehicles without valid online permits to cross the border.

At least 40 ambulances from Andhra Pradesh were forced to return back from the Pullur toll plaza since Thursday when they tried to cross the state border on the way to Hyderabad. A similar situation played out at the Ramapuram cross border post near Suryapet.

Telangana officials were claiming that large number of patients arriving from neighbouring states, particularly Andhra Pradesh, is putting pressure on bed availability and medical care in the state capital.

However, the Telangana High Court, on Friday, issued orders staying the state government’s guidelines on entry of Covid ambulances from other states.

The Court took up the matter for hearing after a retired IRS officer Venkata Krishna Rao filed a petition on Friday, that ambulances are being stopped or turned back, at the border, by Telangana Police.

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