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microchips' technology is based on proprietary reservoir arrays that are used to store and protect potent drugs within the body for long periods of time. These arrays are designed for compatibility with preprogrammed microprocessors, wireless telemetry, or sensor feedback loops to provide active control. Individual device reservoirs can be opened on demand or on a predetermined schedule to precisely control drug release or sensor activation.

Our reservoir-based platform can also be used in passive control systems without microprocessors or power sources. microchips' passive systems are designed to release or expose their contents based on the controlled degradation of polymeric matrices over time. These systems form the basis for miniature insertable devices that provide maximum flexibility for device placement.

Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property portfolio supports our platform technologies and commercial products in development with approximately 140 issued or pending patents. These patents range from microreservoir fabrication and control, to long-term implantable technologies and wireless communications, as well as protein and peptide formulations for challenging delivery conditions.

Source : http://www.mchips.com/technology/technology.html

The chip would need replacing every 16 years (chip pictured is not the one described in the article)

A contraceptive computer chip that can be controlled by remote control has been developed in Massachusetts.

The chip is implanted under a woman's skin, releasing a small dose of levonorgestrel, a hormone.

This will happen every day for 16 years, but can be stopped at any time by using a wireless remote control.

The project has been backed by Bill Gates, and will be submitted for pre-clinical testing in the US next year - and possibly go on sale by 2018.

The device measures 20mm x 20mm x 7mm and will be "competitively priced", its creators said.

Convenience factor

Tiny reservoirs of the hormone are stored on a 1.5cm-wide microchip within the device.

A small electric charge melts an ultra-thin seal around the levonorgestrel, releasing the 30 microgram dose into the body.

There are other types of contraceptive implant available, the researchers noted, but all require a trip to a clinic and an outpatient procedure in order to be deactivated.

Someone across the room cannot re-programme your implant” - Dr Robert Farra

"The ability to turn the device on and off provides a certain convenience factor for those who are planning their family," said Dr Robert Farra from MIT.

The next challenge for the team is to ensure the absolute security of the device to prevent activation or deactivation by another person without the woman's knowledge.

"Communication with the implant has to occur at skin contact level distance," said Dr Farra.

"Someone across the room cannot re-programme your implant.

"Then we have secure encryption. That prevents someone from trying to interpret or intervene between the communications."

Huge range

The same technology could be used to administer other drugs.

Simon Karger, head of the surgical and interventional business at Cambridge Consultants, said that implanted technology like this faces a range of challenges and risks.

But he added that overall "the value to the patient of these types of implant can be huge and we foresee a future in which a huge range of conditions are treated through smart implanted systems".

Implanted devices could help people who forget to take medication at the correct time

The innovation comes at a time when governments and organisations around the world have agreed to try to bring family planning to around 120 million more women by 2020.

This challenge opens the door to this kind of implant technology being used in areas where access to traditional contraceptives is limited - a bigger priority, argued Gavin Corley, a biomedical engineer.

Courtesy : By Dave LeeTechnology reporter, BBC News

KARACHI, Oct 7: While senior physicians are still clueless about the spread of much-dreaded ‘brain-eating amoeba’, or Naegleria fowleri, two more deaths from the infection in as many private hospitals have been confirmed by health officials.

With the two newly reported deaths, the total number of patients died due to the brain-eating amoeba reached 10 since May.

The latest known victims of the naegleria fowleri causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) included a three-year-and-nine-month-old boy, who lived in Gulberg Town and died on Sept 30.

A health expert said that it was the high time that physicians and clinicians went beyond book and international researches and deduced any indigenous opinion on the issue.

The dengue surveillance cell of the provincial health department issued the details of the two cases on Sunday.

A 42-year-old man, a resident of Buffer Zone, was admitted to Ziauddin Hospital on Aug 23 with the history of fever, vomiting, and altered consciousness. He died on Aug 26.

The minor boy was admitted to the Habib Medical Centre on Sept 27 and died on Sept 30. Both patients were reported having no history of swimming. Swimming in public pools with improper arrangement for chlorination was believed to be the only cause of contracting the dreaded amoeba infection.

Including the latest victims, 10 people, mostly youths, have fallen prey to the brain-eating amoeba since May.

Officials said that save one, none of the patients died from naegleria so far in the city had the history of swimming.

The focal person of the dengue surveillance cell, Dr Shakeel A. Mullick, told Dawn on Sunday that till Saturday night there was no information either from the hospitals or the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s health officials about the admissions or death of the two patients.

The two deaths due to naegleria have been unearthed by some personnel of the disease early warning system (Dews) of the WHO in Sindh, he said, adding that he was unable to understand why the information related to naegleria infection was not provided by the hospitals concerned on time.

Since May, the Liaquat National Hospital has reported four naegleria positive patients’ death, the Aga Khan University Hospital reported two deaths, Dr Ziauddin Hospital, PNS Shifa Hospital, the Surgeon Munawwar Memorial Hospital and the Habib Medical Centre reported one case each.

The ages of the naegleria victims ranged from about four years to 49 years.

A source in the health department said that a meeting on the subject of naegleria infection had been convened by the provincial health secretary on Monday.What made this infection so terrifying was the fact that it triggered very mild symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, headache and vomiting, which could easily be confused with other non-fatal diseases, the senior physicians noted.

They said that a public service message be prepared jointly by medical and clinical science experts to warn citizens of the naegleria disease.

Source : http://dawn.com/2012/10/08/brain-eating-amoeba-claims-two-more-lives/

KARACHI, Oct 8: Keeping in view scientific literature and international agencies’ investigations, a meeting of lawmakers, health officials, medical experts, town administrators and representatives of the civil administration, civic agencies and the water board on Monday said that the much-dreaded ‘brain-eating amoeba’ — Naegleria fowleri — was a waterborne organism causing frequent deaths in the city and as such all precautions should be taken while using piped water, particularly during ablutions.

The participants in the emergency meeting convened by the Sindh health department in the wake of at least 10 confirmed Naegleria-related deaths of mostly young people also asked the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to increase chlorine concentrations in water at its major treatment and pumping stations further so that it had not less than 0.5 parts per million (ppm) when received at the users’ end.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmad chaired the meeting, which was informed that Naegleria fowleri causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) had taken lives of 10 people in the city since May 2012.

Although there had been deaths due to Naegleria infection in previous years, EDO Health-Karachi Imdadullah Siddiqui said that data prior to 2012 was not available.

Results of water samples collected from different parts of the city by the quality control and regulation department of the health group offices of the KMC were also shared during the meeting.

According to laboratory results, about 22 per cent of 913 samples, which were drawn from various sources as well as KWSB pumping stations between July and October after reports about Naegleria deaths in the city surfaced, were found to be non-chlorinated or with insufficient quantity of chlorine in it.

Chlorination rate in the samples collected in September was found at around 90 per cent, while in August it was about 70 per cent.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, provincial health minister Dr Ahmad said that the participants in the meeting had a thorough discussion and inputs of experts were taken and it was resolved that preventive measures were the only option to tackle the ‘brain-eating’ infection.

“There is no reason to panic and citizens should stay calm and take precautions,” he said, adding that little could be said about the arrival and spread of this infection in the city at the moment but what could be said in the light of already undertaken researches and studies was that it was a waterborne infection.

He said that the water board had already been asked to have a proper surveillance and monitoring of its water system and improve its quality as per internationally practiced norms and methods.

But at the same time, in line with experts’ recommendations it was suggested that people use boiled water for ablutions, particularly for nasal wash, while use chlorine tablets to purify the daily use water at their end, he said.

He said that different committees were being formed to address the situation and increase public and physicians’ awareness of the subject.

During the press conference, KWSB managing director Misbahuddin Farid said that the reason behind the “Naegleria fatalities” in the city was yet to be verified.

However, the KWSB had decided to increase the chlorine concentration at its pumping stations and reservoirs up to 2 ppm, he said. Replying to a question, he said that the KWSB also had sampling of water and found that chlorine concentrations ranged from 0.15 to 0.17 in certain areas, including Federal B Area, which reported a maximum number of deaths due to Naegleria.

The KWSB would ensure water sampling and reporting on a daily basis, as had been decided in the meeting, and would ensure that chlorine concentration in water was not less than 0.5ppm, he said.

He further said that the water board had also approached the PCSIR on the subject and guidance from them. He said that people might mix 2.2 grams of chlorine in 1,000 gallons of water for purification purposes at homes.

He further said that in order to raise the public confidence further in the piped water, the KWSB would start supply of equally treated drinking water, at par with international standards, in all parts of the city in the next two days.

Courtesy : http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/brain-eating-amoeba-need-for-water-chlorination-stressed/

It doesn't happen often. But most summers, several Americans -- usually healthy, young people -- suffer sudden, tragic deaths from brain-eating amoeba.

What is this scary bug? How does it get to the brain? Where is it and how can I avoid it?

WebMD answers these and other questions.

What Is a Brain-Eating Amoeba?

Amoebas are single-celled organisms. The so-called brain-eating amoeba is a species discovered in 1965. It's formal name is Naegleria fowleri. Although first identified in Australia, this amoeba is believed to have evolved in the U.S.

There are several species of Naegleria but only the fowleri species causes human disease. There are several fowleri subtypes. All are believed equally dangerous.

N. fowleri is microscopic: 8 micrometers to 15 micrometers in size, depending on its life stage and environment. By comparison, a hair is 40 to 50 micrometers wide.

Like other amoebas, Naegleria reproduces by cell division. When conditions aren't right, the amoebas become inactive cysts. When conditions are favorable, the cysts turn into trophozoites -- the feeding form of the amoeba.

To reach their food, N. fowleri trophozoites temporarily grow tails (flagella) that allow them to swim. In this form they cannot eat, so they soon go back to the trophozoite stage.

Where Are Brain-Eating Amoebas Found?

Naegleria loves very warm water. It can survive in water as hot as 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

These amoebas can be found in warm places around the globe. N. fowleri is found in:

• Warm lakes, ponds, and rock pits
• Mud puddles
• Warm, slow-flowing rivers, especially those with low water levels
• Untreated swimming pools and spas
• Untreated well water or untreated municipal water
• Hot springs and other geothermal water sources
• Thermally polluted water, such as runoff from power plants
• Aquariums
• Soil, including indoor dust

Naegleria can't live in salt water. It can't survive in properly treated swimming pools or in properly treated municipal water.

Most cases of N. fowleri disease occur in Southern or Southwestern states. Over half of all infections have been in Florida and Texas.

How Do People Get Infected With Brain-Eating Amoeba?

The term "brain-eating amoeba" makes the amoeba sound like a tiny zombie stalking your skull. But brains are accidental food for them.

According to the CDC, N. fowleri normally eats bacteria. But when the amoeba gets into humans, it uses the brain as a food source.

The good news is that if you were to drink a glass of water infested with N. fowleri amoeba, you would not get a brain infection. It infects people by getting into your nose.

This happens most often when people are diving, water skiing, or performing water sports in which water is forced into the nose. But infections have occurred in people who dunked their heads in hot springs or who cleaned their nostrils with neti pots filled with untreated tap water.

A person infected with N. fowleri amoeba cannot spread the infection to another person.

A look into the sordid state of Health Care Delivery Systems in Pakistan; Deaths from the so-called “P.I.C Syndrome”; How it has shaken our trust in the pills we buy and the leaders we “TRY” !

On Dec 15, 2011, 56-year old Abdul Ghaffur (AG) reported to Mayo Hospital Lahore with bleeding from his nose. AG was a known patient of Diabetes and also Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), a condition that leads to heart attack if not managed continually for life. Although he didn’t complain of fever or body aches, and the cold weather didn’t suggest Dengue Fever, yet his Dengue Serology was sent as the City had just three months back recovered from the worst Dengue Endemic. What the Mayo doctors didn’t know was that scores of patients with similar complaints were presenting at all other major tertiary care hospitals Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, Ganga Raam, and Lahore General Hospital. It was a trailer of what was to come in the running month, hordes of heart patients with bleeding from nose, in stools and in vomits, rashes, and various grades and types of skin darkening reported to the Emergency Rooms of the above facilities.

What set these patients from Dengue sufferers was the absence of fever and an abnormally cold spell that was unfavorable to any Aedes Aegypti larval growth. And what bound them was their P.I.C cards and the common illnesses for which they received free medicines from P.I.C. AG’s Dengue Test turned up negative and it took the most skilled Physicians at Mayo almost 19 days (4th Jan, 2012) to realize that AG’s bone marrow(BM) had shut down and he had a mysterious darkening if his face and limbs. By 11th Jan, 2012 a one-off inter-hospital coordination established that all 465 patients belonged to P.I.C. AG died on 15th Jan, 2012 despite the best available care. His White Blood Cells_ the cavalry of human body’s defence against any bug entering it had fallen too low after the BM stopped making them and his Diabetes had further weakened his ability to fight the massive infections that ultimately took his life.

By Jan 26th, 2012 seventy-nine of the ‘465’ patients died. By 2nd Feb, 2012, the count had soared to 130 odd. Almost all of the dead dying because their old age, weakened defences and a bone marrow that failed to regain its functions despite treatment, made fighting the subsequent infections impossible with antibiotics alone. Even today, despite the Royal Free Hospitals’ (Britian) suggested treatment (Leucovorin/Folinic Acid) few more lost their life…

So was the Anti-Malarial Drug, Pyrimethamine the real bugaboo behind this massacre? (as suggested by the Britians’ Medicine & Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) preliminary findings). Does it explain all the complaints these patients presented with at hospitals or is something else at play? How can our health care professionals miss the classic presentations of Pyrimethamine Toxicity if the patients only suffered its excessive dosing?
Political zealots like Mian Shahbaz Sharif talk of devolution of Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) and bashing of Federal Govt over its clandestine plots to kill Punjabis, but even prior to this 18th Amendment did we really have a DRA? One word, NO! We never had a Drug Adverse Effect Reporting Centre (AERC) or a Defective Medicine Reporting Centre (DMRC), both of which work under the MHRA, and we can always lease out the job of finding the solution to our drug-disasters to such ‘Farangi’-agencies! This same MHRA carries around 1000 inspections on the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and wholesalers every year. Ostensibly, we never felt any need for such meticulous checks on anyone making faulty drugs or recycling infected and used syringes and selling them in bulk to anyone interested. Even after 65 years and a P.I.C massacre all we see is a ‘Zardari’ sitting in Efroze Chemicals Karachi and secretly plotting against Punjabis! Bollocks!

Our ‘thirst’ to discover the secrets Pharmaceutical Industries lock in their pills is quenched once we validate the existence of the active-ingredient in the pill. A pill is alot more than just the active drug. It’s an amalgam of the active-ingredient in marriage with certain binding agents and additives that influence how fast the drug gets released from the pill, protect it from destruction and help it get absorbed in the body. Leaving the Pharmaceutical industry unchecked over how it formulated its pills was a grave error we have committed for almost four decades now. Our Drug Testing Labs (DTLs) are ill-equipped to detect any intentional or accidental adulteration beyond quantifying the presence of the one active drug-ingredient in a pill. “The Drug Testing Lab just carries on tests to confirm presence of active ingredients in the specimens & the other materials or excepients in the medicine are not tested” (C.M investigation team report(CMIT), Para 5).

Pharmaceutical industries blamed the P.I.C doctors for giving an overdose of Cardiovastin (Simvastatin), alleging that 80mg was prescribed to patients. And that the brown spots on Cardiovastin tablets (normally white in color) was due to the Calcium Carbonate coating that oxidized and changed color. Both these claims apparently had the aim of spreading confusion and creating diversion to save their necks. No doctor prescribes Cardiovatin over 40mg owing to the severe muscle pains that the patients suffer as a side effect of the drug. And CMIT report clearly states in paragraph 5 that the brown spots were present not only on the surface (where tablet is coated) but also on the inner core, thus refuting these claims. The Drug testing Lab also declared two out of five Cardiovastin samples “substandard” – a term that apparently meant the tablets lacked the quantity of the active drug as stated on the pack.

Could an expired Cardiovastin or Isotab ever cause such fatal reactions? Drugs only lose the strength in their actions when expired. Never turn in to poisons or evoke fatal reactions.

Propaganda from Pharmaceutical Industries is a knee-jerk reflex from their perspective. Absence of any Drug Regulatory Authority in Pakistan has dealt a severe blow to them as well. International market now sees the lack of any DRA and DTLs as a potential hazard and have backed out from importing drugs from our generic-dominated Pharmaceutical industry. Indeed the export vision of USD 500 Million Dollars by 2013 will be hard to accomplish for this industry unless the govt treats this issue with seriousness of intent. Yet the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) doesn’t even deem it fit to address this issue on their official web site or press releases.

We have failed once again. We failed to analyse the preliminary Reports from Britians’ MHRA Labs corroborated by Intertek Analytical Labs Switzerland and later by Central Drug Labs (CDL). They have set off as many queries as they answered.

MHRA report detected presence of Pyrimethamine in two out of four Isotab-20 samples (not all four) detected by employing Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) and Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), both of which we lack the technological capacity to perform. It only estimated (didn’t confirm) that 50mg of Pyrimethamine was found in each of the two Isotab-20 tablets. The Intertek Analytical Labs Switzerland employed a more precise and accurate method to test and quantify the Pyrimethamine_ Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) in addition to LC-MS, and their results were: 20mg Pyrimethamine and 15mg Isotab in a tablet that should have had 20 mg Isotab (Isosorbide-5-mononitrate). The Central Drug Labs estimated 56mg Pyrimethamine in the Isotab tablet they analysed.

If all these findings are considered reliable, it reflects strongly on two aspects, one, how poor the quality control is that exists at the manufacturing level that the drug not only had been contaminated with large quantities of an Anti-Malarial but even the active ingredient (isosorbide-5-mononitrate) was only 75% of the stated quantity on the pack (15mg instead of 20mg), two, the lack of standard at our Drug Testing Labs which failed to even detect the lower than permissible quantities of active-ingredient in Isotab-20 or deliberately tempered with reports that they published out of collusion with the suppliers. “This is an open secret that DTL tests are arranged by the supplier companies and no due care and caution is taken by the purchasing authority.” (C.M.I.T report, Paragraph 16).

Did our Doctors also fail to zero in on the cause of the Bone Marrow suppression suffered by these patients? Bone Marrow suppression caused by Pyrimethamine high therapeutic dose or overdose has a classic picture: the patients’ blood cells have larger than normal size. A finding termed in medical jargon as Megaloblastic Anemia. Fact is, almost none of the patients had larger than normal Red Blood Cells on their Complete Blood Picture (CBC). Any able Pathologist can detect Megaloblastic anemia even by looking at a Cervical Pap Smear, a clinical test performed routinely in women over 40 years of age, such is the classic picture of the condition. Yet, we didn’t see it. Govt Hospital Labs lack quality but such a finding being missed in four major tertiary care hospitals is not even a remote possibility.

The Royal Free Hospital London also suggested in the preliminary report that the lack of liver damage in these patients (no liver enzymes were raised) also does not add up with Pyrimethamine overdose, doubting their own findings yet we totally rushed to conclusions here in Punjab! The finding has alot of bearing. Liver helps the body inactivate and get rid of 70% of the total Pyrimethamine. In case of an overdose, liver is bound to get overloaded with its detoxification function and get damaged itself, which is not the case in our patients!
Lastly, not even Pyrimethamine explains the wide range and intensities of skin Pigmentation and sloughing that these patients have suffered. Some have had their whole bodies darkened remarkably. Some just faces, or limbs or trunk or combinations of these and other body sites.

Most Drugs we use have each been developed after at least twelve years of expensive (100-200 Million USD per drug) and detailed clinical trials in the U.S.A. with experiments and observations ranging from animals to normal people and finally the target patient populace! The adverse reactions thus documented are very exhaustive. Still, is it possible that Pyrimethamine can cause a bone marrow suppression with normal sized blood cells? (a picture termed as Aplastic anemia with Normocytic Normochromic cells). Well yes, new effects of drugs are always possible. Is it probable? No. What is probable is more than one kind of drug reactions or contaminations at work in the affected patient cohort! Certainly, if it’s just Pyrimethamine, the use of Leucovorin/ Folinic Acid should help all patients recover fully within this week.

Mosquitos and their killer-drugs have plagued Punjab and its people for too long now. They need break from such tragic tales of death.

Courtesy: http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2012/02/05/debackle-sucked-marrow-life-isotab

Probe teams are facing difficulties due to missing purchase record of injurious PIC drug Isotab.

According to the sources, Pakistan Institute of Cardiology administration gave order of 2 million Isotab tablets to Efroze Pharma in September 2011. As per record of PIC, the delivery of 2 million tablets was shown in two batches i.e. J092 and J095 from which there were received 1.05 million tablets of batch J092 and 0.95 million tablets of batch J095.

Surprisingly, the tablets recovered from the patients, affected from contaminated medicines, were of batch J093 but there is no record of this batch in the PIC neither any lab test has been conducted of this batch.

The tablets sent by the Punjab government for foreign test were also from batch J093 but there was no stamp of hospital on it.

According to sources investigation teams are facing difficulties due to missing record of batch J093.

Source : http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NjM3NjE=

Director (Legal) FIA informed the court about the investigation conducted by FIA team.

ISLAMABAD: Hearing the case of spurious medicines that took more than 100 lives in Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), the Supreme Court on Monday directed relevant authorities to to establish a drug regulatory body within ten days.

The court also directed that the copy of the court order be sent to all four provincial chief secretaries so that they may file their recommendations before adjourning the hearing till February 17.

A three member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Tassaduq Jilani heard the case.

The court was told that contaminated Isotab tablets manufactured by Efroze Chemical Industries were the main reason behind losses of many lives, as proven by a laboratory test.

Director (Legal) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Azam Khan informed the court that three cases were registered by FIA as it was asked by the interior ministry to investigate the case. A joint team comprising federal drug inspectors and FIA officials was constituted, he said.

The team conducted raids and closed Efroze Chemical Industries, after inspecting the premises and meeting staff.

The three pharmaceutical laboratories in Lahore which were originally suspected of foul play were cleared of any criminal offence, however, a medicine called Alfagril, produced by one of the laboratories, has been declared substandard.

Justice Jilani also mentioned during the hearing that the production department of Mega Pharma was unlawfully sealed, to which Advocate General Punjab Ashtar Ausaf clarified that the department was closed only to get samples, adding that it can resume production now.

To a court query, Director FIA submitted that the team investigation officer will recommend cancelation of cases against pharmaceutical companies. Justice Jilani further asked the government to take such steps to restore the damaged reputation of the companies.

The court observed that the FIA report on the case indicated that cases were lodged against these companies on the basis of newspaper reports, as the agency was not aware of the exact cause of the deaths. The FIA officials told the court about that they were pressurized by the interior ministry to register cases but the court responded stating that no one was allowed to take law in their own hands.

Courtesy: http://www.tribune.com.pk

Published: February 6, 2012

Staff Report
KARACHI: The fate of more than 500 employees of a pharmaceutical company, one of the leading local drug producers and exporters, hangs in balance after it was sealed on the charge of releasing deadliest medicine batches in the market.

Efroze Chemical’s employees said that they are under immense fear of joblessness in the scenario of economic slowdown in the local drug manufacturing industry, as their company will be forcibly shutdown for long period.
They were of the view that conspiracy has been hatched against their company having strong reputation in the local and international market.

Efroze has been in the business for about 20 years with handsome share in the local market, running a big countrywide channel of distributors and allied packaging and printing industries.

The drug producers contributed heavily to the national exchequer in terms of taxes and revenues and it saved billion dollars of the country, while producing alternative medicine of imported brands.

The company has strong presence in international markets, as it exported pharmaceutical products since 1994 in 27 foreign territories around the world spanning Asia, CIS, Middle East and Africa with a well-established and independent International Marketing Division in Pakistan and Branch offices in Uzbekistan and Marketing Offices in Sudan, Yemen, Sri Lanka and Kenya, the employees said.

They are also in the business of quality pharmaceuticals, which has earned them an Export Merit Trophy by the Government of Pakistan for three consecutive Years 2005, 2006 and 2007. Efroze is a proud recipient of 4 Export Trophy Awards by TDAP and have overall Pharmaceutical Exports in excess of $40 million.

With such background and credentials, it seems unlikely that this was negligence or a quality lapse, they said citing that media reports highlighting that the contaminant found in the contaminated batch was actually an ingredient 15 times more expensive, which refutes the theory that they were out to make a quick buck.

Efroze Chemical’s employees demanded impartial inquiry of the culprits involved in the scam and unveil all conspirators indulged to defame the well-know regional drug producers.

Courtesty : Daily Times

The ReNaChip project is developing electronic biomimetic technology that could serve to replace damaged or missing brain tissue. This is basically neuromorphic engineering that seeks to mimic how neurons function. In the future this may be useful for people who have had injuries due to stroke or other illnesses. There are numerous obstacles to getting this tech off the ground. Having the microchip interface properly with the surrounding neural tissue is one issue that could be difficult to circumvent. It is also unclear if some of the models used actually represent specific regions of the mind accurately enough for this to work properly.
This page gives an overview of this undertaking;

The objective of this project is to develop a full biohybrid rehabilitation and substitution methodology; replacing the aged cerebellar brain circuit with a biomimetic chip bidirectionally interfaced to the inputs and outputs of the system. Information processing will interface with the cerebellum to actuate a normal, real-time functional behavioral recovery, providing a proof-of-concept test for the functional rehabilitation of more complex neuronal systems.

More information can be found at this page.

Experiments are carried out with two different types of stimuli; a tone which serves a conditioned stimulus producing no naïve response and an aversive puff to the eye (unconditioned stimulus) resulting in a naïve eyeblink response. The tone always precedes the airpuff in the course of the experiment.

A recent article about it is here.

The project aims include making a computer model of a well-defined brain pathway as proof of concept for the replacement of more complex brain circuits. Implementation of this model in a microchip will be used to create a biohybrid in which a lost behavior is restored

This abstract discusses about interfacing with neuronal cells.

One of the major goals of the ReNaChip research program was to develop implantable electrodes with a very small size sensing pads. In this talk we will describe the process related issues of such electrodes and their principle of operation.

The researcher Ed Boyden has recently called for the creation of an "exocortex" to augment human abilities. It seems conceivable that a device implanted on top of the head could be used to increase intelligence or other traits. The exocortex would have to communicate with actual brain cells in some fashion. Perhaps this could be done using optogenetics or ultrasound pulses. Neither are approved for human disorders yet. Optogenetics would be more invasive but it is also much more selective in its ability to activate neuron subpopulations. I've been somewhat skeptical about whether it would actually get an FDA nod any time soon, however. Ultrasonic neuromodulation does not currently have the same targeting accuracy, but it would not require a person's skull to be breached. A sophisticated exocortex could potentially allow a two way communication between the external apparatus and the mind. The contraption could essentially scale up the amount of neurons in your brain by an artificial means. Most likely it would be used to improved the disabled first, with other applications being more speculative possibilities.

• The most effective home remedy to treat high blood pressure would be to chew a clove of garlic in an empty stomach. Have a glass of water to swallow it down.
• Take 1 tablespoon each of fresh amla juice and honey in the morning. This is an effective natural remedy to lower the blood pressure.
• Add a tsp of cayenne pepper in half a cup of warm water. Drink this mixture whenever there is an increase in the blood pressure.
• Take equal proportions of watermelon seeds and khas khas. Grind them to make a powdery substance. Have 1 tsp of this powder on an empty stomach in the morning and in the evening. This is helpful in controlling the high blood pressure.
• In 100 grams of water, squeeze half a lemon. Have this concoction after every two hours. This would provide relief and also lower the blood pressure.
• Consume a tsp of fenugreek seeds with water. Repeat this both in the morning and evening for 10 to 15 days.
• A piece or two of garlic rolled in raisins would act beneficially in lowering the blood pressure.
• Consume 4 leaves of holy basil and two leaves of neem with 2-4 teaspoonfuls of water. Have this in an empty stomach for a week. This is effective in treating high blood pressure.
• Consume fresh papaya in an empty stomach for a month. This would help lower the high blood pressure.
• In 1-2 tsp of curd, take some Spiegel seeds. This is a good remedy for treating high blood pressure.
• Walk barefoot on green grass for about 15 to 20 minutes everyday. This improves blood circulation and helps to maintain the blood pressure at normal.
• Take equal proportions of onion juice and honey. Take 2 tablespoons of this mixture two times a day. This is an effective natural remedy to cure high blood pressure.
• Prepare a powdered mixture by adding equal proportions of fennel seeds, cumin seeds and sugar. Add a tsp of this powdered mixture in a glassful of water and drink it. In taking this once in the morning and evening is likely to solve the high blood pressure problem.
• Put hot compress over the heart. It is also useful in curing high blood pressure.
• Consuming baked potatoes are another effective way to cure high blood pressure.
• Prepare a juice using 25 to 30 curry leaves in a cup of water. Strain this drink and consume it in the morning. Lime juice can also be added to the mixture.

Disclaimer: atifkamal.com/atifkamal.blogspot.com does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information provided here. Please check with a expert before using any of the suggestions given in this article.

I wish to share the following information regarding Dengue Fever & Papaya Leaf Juice that I have gathered from the internet and a forwarded email.

Dengue fever is caused by a virus that is being transmitted through the bites of infective female Aedes mosquitoes. This virus is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person. There must be a person-to-mosquito-to-another-person pathway. However, presently there is no specific medicine or antibiotic to treat dengue caused by the virus.

It seems that dengue strikes people with low levels of immunity. The body contains two types of blood cells: red and white. White blood cells help to fight off illnesses. Dengue fever decreases the amount of white blood cells, thus exposing the patient to illness.

Some of the symptoms of dengue fever are: very high fever, nausea, headache, rash and dangerously low blood platelets count.

Dengue starts with chills, headache, pain upon moving the eyes, and low backache. Painful aching in the legs and joints occurs during the first hours of illness. The temperature rises quickly as high as 104° F (40° C), with relative low heart rate (bradycardia) and low blood pressure (hypotension). The eyes become reddened. A flushing or pale pink rash comes over the face and then disappears. The glands (lymph nodes) in the neck and groin are often swollen.

Fever and other signs of dengue last for 2 - 4 days, followed by rapid drop in temperature (defervescence) with profuse sweating. This precedes a period with normal temperature and a sense of well-being that lasts about a day. A second rapid rise in temperature follows. A characteristic rash appears along with the fever and spreads from the extremities to cover the entire body except the face. The palms and soles may be bright red and swollen.

Appropriate medical care frequently saves the lives of patients with the more serious dengue hemorrhagic fever. There is no specific treatment for classic dengue fever, and most people recover within 2 weeks. To help with recovery, health care experts recommend:

1) Getting plenty of bed rest.

2) Drinking lots of fluids for adequate hydration.

3) Taking medicine to reduce fever/severe headache and joint/muscle pain but Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided as these drugs may worsen the bleeding tendency associated with some of these infections.

4) A platelet transfusion is indicated in rare cases if the platelets level drops significantly (below 20,000) or if there are significant bleeding.

The emails speculating the goodness of papaya leaf juice for curing dengue fever suggested to take 2 tablespoon papaya leaf juice per serving once a day, prepared from using 4 pieces papaya leaf (without stem or sap) after cleaning, pound and squeeze with filter cloth. Someone suggested to juice the leaves using a gear juicer or blend the leaves using a food processor/blender, and then put them in a filter cloth to squeeze out the juice. Do not boil or cook or rinse with hot water, otherwise it will loose its strength. Its taste is horribly bitter and may have to swallow it as if drinking 王老吉 'Won Low Kat'.

Although there may be no scientific proof of this recommendation, but papaya leaf is known to contain very high amounts of vitamins A, C, E, K, B Complex and especially high in B17 (laetrile, which is used for the treatment of cancer). Moreover, papaya leaf juice is believed to increase the number of white blood cells in the body

We have also come across online postings about the use of papaya leaf juice helping dengue patients to increase the platelets count dramatically and later overcome the fever.

Such discussions on internet or circulation through emails may not be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. However, there is no harm of taking papaya leaf juice after a dengue patient has seen a doctor, and has been advised to have adequate rest and drink lot of water and fluids, whether hospitalized or not.

It's great if such natural cure could help to ease the sufferings of dengue patients. Who knows this might make naturopathy a little more popular as currently it seems that there is no cure for the dreaded dengue reaching epidemic proportions.

But one thing is sure; the only way to prevent dengue virus transmission is to combat the disease-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, by eradicating all possible breeding sites.

May 31, 2011 -- The expert panel that evaluates cancer risks today said that cell phones might possibly cause brain cancer.

The announcement comes from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Like the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society relies on IARC for evaluation of cancer risks.

"After reviewing all the evidence available, the IARC working group classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans," panel chairman Jonathan Samet, MD, chair of preventive medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine, said at a news teleconference. "We reached this conclusion based on a review of human evidence showing increased risk of glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, in association with wireless phone use."

In finding cell phones to be "possibly carcinogenic," the IARC means that heavy cell phone use might -- or might not -- cause a specific form of brain cancer called glioma. The finding means that research is urgently needed to find out whether cell phones actually cause cancer, and how they might do it.

The IARC estimates that some 5 billion people worldwide have mobile phones. Lifetime exposure to the magnetic fields created by the phones -- particularly when they are held tightly against the head -- rapidly is increasing.

Children are at particular risk, not only because their skulls are thinner but also because their lifetime exposure to cell phones likely will be greater than the exposure of current adults.

Putting Possible Cancer Risk in Perspective

It's important to put the possible risk into context. Kurt Straif, MD, PhD, MPH, head of the IARC Monographs Program, notes that the IARC currently lists some 240 agents as "possibly carcinogenic," including dry cleaning fluid and some commonly used pesticides.

While the IARC doesn't make recommendations to consumers, Straif noted that there are precautions people can take.

"Some of the highest exposures come from using mobile phones for voice calls. If you text, or use hands-free devices, you lower exposure by at least [10-fold]," Straif said at the news conference. "So this is left to consumers to consider whether this level of evidence is enough for them to take such precautions."

Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, notes that the IARC is a highly credible group. But Brawley echoes Straif's advice: People who are worried can reduce their risk.

"On the other hand, if someone is of the opinion that the absence of strong scientific evidence on the harms of cell phone use is reassuring, they may take different actions, and it would be hard to criticize that," Brawley says in a news release.

John Walls, vice president for public affairs at CTIA, the trade group representing the wireless communications industry, notes that the IARC findings do not mean cell phones cause cancer -- and that the limited evidence on which the findings are based are far from conclusive.

"Based on previous assessments of the scientific evidence, the Federal Communications Commission has concluded that '[t]here’s no scientific evidence that proves that wireless phone usage can lead to cancer.' The Food and Drug Administration has also stated that '[t]he weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any health problems,'" Walls notes in a news release.

Samet and colleagues will publish a summary of their findings in the July 1 issue of The Lancet, which is still in press.

Courtesy : http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20110531/expert-panel-cell-phones-might-cause-brain-cancer?ecd=wnl_nal_060111

Mobile phone users may be at increased risk from brain cancer and should use texting and free-hands devices to reduce exposure, the World Health Organisation's cancer experts said.

Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields generated by such devices are "possibly carcinogenic to humans," the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced at the end of an eight-day meeting in Lyon, France.

Experts "reached this classification based on review of the human evidence coming from epidemiological studies" pointing to an increased incidence of glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, said Jonathan Samet, president of the work group.

Two studies in particular, the largest conducted over the last decade, showed a higher risk "in those that had the most intensive use of such phones," he said in a telephone news conference.

Some individuals tracked in the studies had used their phones for an average of 30 minutes per day over a period of 10 years.

"We simply don't know what might happen as people use their phones over longer time periods, possibly over a lifetime," Samet said.

There are about five billion mobile phones registered in the world. The number of phones and the average time spent using them have both climbed steadily in recent years.

The CTIA-The Wireless Association dismissed the report saying the UN agency "conducts numerous reviews and in the past has given the same score to, for example, pickled vegetables and coffee."

This classification "does not mean cell phones cause cancer," the industry association said in a statement, noting that "limited evidence from statistical studies can be found even though bias and other data flaws may be the basis for the results."

The IARC cautioned that current scientific evidence showed only a possible link, not a proven one, between wireless devices and cancers.

"There is some evidence of increased risk of glioma" and another form of non-malignant tumour called acoustic neuroma, said Kurt Straif, the scientist in charge of editing the IARC reports on potentially carcinogenic agents.

"But it is not at the moment clearly established that the use of mobile phones does in fact cause cancer in humans," he said.

The IARC does not issue formal recommendations, but experts pointed to a number of ways consumers can reduce risk.

"What probably entails some of the highest exposure is using your mobile for voice calls," Straif said.

"If you use it for texting, or as a hands-free set for voice calls, this is clearly lowering the exposure by at least an order of magnitude," or by tenfold, he said.

A year ago the IARC concluded that there was no link between cell phones and brain cancer, but that earlier report was criticised as based on data that was out of date.

The new review, conducted by a panel of 31 scientists from 14 countries, was reached on the basis of a "full consensus," said Robert Baan, in charge of the written report, yet to be released.

"This is the first scientific evaluation of all the literature published on the topic with regard to increased risk of cancer," he said.

But the panel stressed the need for more research, pointing to incomplete data, evolving technology and changing consumer habits.

"There's an improvement in the technology in terms of lower emissions but at the same time we see increased use, so it is hard to know how the two balance out," Baan noted.

The IARC ranks potentially cancer-causing elements as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic or "probably not carcinogenic". It can also determine that a material is "not classifiable".

Cigarettes, sunbeds and asbestos, for example, fall in "Group 1", the top threat category.

Cell phones now join glass wool and gasoline exhaust in Group 2B as "possibly carcinogenic".

Industry groups reacted cautiously, pointing to other common consumer items -- including coffee and vegetables pickled in chemicals -- that are included in the same category.

"In France, the health ministry already applies a precautionary approach to cell phones because it considers that no danger has been established, that doubts remain and, thus, that more research is needed," the French Federation of Telecoms said in a statement.

Some consumer advocacy groups said the new classification was overdue.

"As of today, no one can say the risk does not exist, and now everyone -- politicians, telecoms, employers, consumers and parents -- have to take this into account," said Janine Le Calvez, head of PRIARTEM, a consumer advocacy group concerned with cell phone safety.

Courtesy: SamaTV