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IVF linked to high Blood Pressure during pregnancy

A team of US researchers based at Boston University have found that women who have IVF treatment are more likely to have high blood pressure during pregnancy than women who conceive naturally. The study, published last week in the journal Fertility and Sterility, links IVF treatment to two conditions - gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia - both of which are characterised by high blood pressure during pregnancy, affecting the mother and unborn baby.
Pre-eclampsia, also characterised by protein in the urine, accounts for about 15 per cent of premature births. The babies are not only premature but also often 'small for dates' because of growth problems, according to the publication.The researchers, lead by Dr Allen Mitchell, director of Boston University's Sloane Epidemiology Centre, interviewed over 5,000 recent mothers about any unusual symptoms during pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, and whether or not they underwent any IVF treatment. In women who had undergone IVF treatment, they found that the risk of gestational hypertension was 90 per cent higher, and the risk of pre-eclampsia more than twice as high. However, after taking into account for other factors linked to these conditions, such as number of previous pregnancies, weight and having multiple births, these risks dropped to just 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
The researchers concluded that the increased risk of gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia in women who underwent IVF treatment was mostly explained by the fact that such fertility treatment increases the chances of multiple births.

Marzipan Babies

Marzipan is an Almond paste: a sweet paste made of ground almonds and sugar, often with egg whites or yolks, used as a layer in cakes or molded into ornamental shapes.You might appreciate these. Truly amazing and I thought you'd be as fascinated with these as I. These are made with marzipan....really unbelievable! While some of the faces may look "crafted" rather than "real", every detail is amazing, and the babies look amazingly real!

Chettiars allergic to Anesthesia

It might sound bizarre, but anesthetists in hospitals in Coimbatore solicit caste details of patients before administering anesthesia. The precaution is taken because the patients belonging to the Arya Vaisya Chettiar clan, popularly known as Kommutti Chettiars, are believed to be fatally allergic to some anesthetics. Arya Vaisya Chettiar, one of the 24 sects of the Chettiar community, are extremely allergic to the muscle relaxant or the paralyzing anesthetic agent, Suxamethonium popularly known as Scoline, say anesthetics here.

“The enzyme, pseudo choline esterase, present in the human body, helps patients regain consciousness after administration of anesthesia. This may be completely absent or present in reduced concentration in blood of people belonging to this particular community. An atypical form of this enzyme is also sometimes present in such patients and so they are unable to regain consciousness within the stipulated time,” says Dr. B.S. Dhanashekaran, an anesthesiologist in the city. Sometimes, the patient does not awaken even after five to six hours afterwards when Scoline is administered and in certain cases they die, he says.

“The genetic predisposition of the community does not permit intake of this drug,” he explains. It has been found that some Aryan sub-sects in various parts of the world are also similarly allergic, says Dr.Balavenkatasubramainan, a city-based anesthesiologist who belongs to the same community. As the reaction visible is same in the case of Aryans and the Arya Vaisya Chettiar clan, several Indian researchers believe that there is a clear link between the two.

“This seems to be more of a racial defect and both the mother and father can pass on this defect to the progeny,” says anesthesiologist. The CAS Guidelines to the practice of Anesthesia say that for others who are not allergic to it. Suxamethonium produces rapid, complete, and predictable paralysis and recovery is spontaneous. It is administered in severe liver disease and patients with burn injuries.

Please spread this message far and wide & inform all your Chettiar friends to inform their anesthetists about this enzyme deficiency before any surgery.

Amir Khusraw Dehlavi

اَگر فِردؤس بر رُو-ائے زمین اَست،
ہمین اَست-او ہمین اَست-او ہمین اَست۔

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.

If there is paradise on face of the earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this (Hindustan)

These are the immortal words of Amir Khusro. Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn al-Dīn Khusrow (Persian: ابوالحسن یمین‌الدین خسرو, Devanagari: अबुल हसन यमीनुददीन ख़ुसरो) (1253-1325 CE), better known as Amir Khusraw Dehlavi or Amir Khusraw Balkhi (in Persian: اميرخسرو دهلوى , امیر خسرو بلخی) is one of the iconic figures in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent. A Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi, Amir Khusro (or Khusrau) was a notable poet and musician. He has been termed as the "father of qawwali" (the devotional music of the Sufis). He is also credited with enriching the Hindustani classical music by introducing Persian and Arabic elements in it, and was the originator of the tarana style of music. The classical music tradition in both India and Pakistan traces its roots to the 13th-century poet and musician Amir Khosrow, who composed the earliest ragas, the traditional rhythmic form. The invention of the Indian Tabla is usually attributed to Amir Khusro.
Amir Khusro, a Hindustani Turk was born of a Turkish father, Saif ad-Dīn Mahmoud, who was one of the chiefs of the Lachin tribe of the Karakhitais of Kush and a Rajput (Rawal) mother, in India.
Khusro was a prolific classical poet associated with the royal courts of more than seven rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. He is popular in much of North India and Pakistan, because of many playful riddles, songs and legends attributed to him. Through his enormous literary output and the legendary folk personality, Khusro represents one of the first (recorded) Indian personages with a true multi-cultural or pluralistic identity.
He wrote in both Persian and Hindustani. He also spoke Turkish, Arabic and Sanskrit. His poetry is still sung today at Sufi shrines throughout Pakistan and India. Amir Khusro was the author of a Khamsa which emulated that of the earlier Persian-language poet Nizami Ganjavi.
The present generation seems to be losing our rich heritage & culture to the M-TV onslaught & my teenage children would have heard of Aerosmith but never Amir Khusro. Maybe, it is our education system, which does not even inculcate the basics of our rich cultural heritage even as part of an extra-curricular course. Even if we talk about the generation who are in their 30s-40s today would probably never have heard of Amir Khusro.
I hope and pray that some die-hard Indian heritage conservationists such as me will create some awareness about our poetry & music which was there & flourished mch before the West even existed. Let me end my blogging today by putting down an immortal Hindvi pem by Amir Khusro. This is one of the most romantic poems ever written anywhere in the history of this universe:

छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
प्रेम भटी का मदवा पिलाइके
मतवाली कर लीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
गोरी गोरी बईयाँ, हरी हरी चूड़ियाँ
बईयाँ पकड़ धर लीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
बल बल जाऊं मैं तोरे रंग रजवा
अपनी सी रंग दीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
खुसरो निजाम के बल बल जाए
मोहे सुहागन कीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके

Chhāp tilak sab chīnī re mose nainā milāike
Bāt atham keh dīnī re mose nainā milāike
Prem bhaṭī kā madvā pilāike
Matvālī kar līnhī re mose nainā milāike
Gorī gorī baīyān, harī harī chuṛiyān
baīyān pakaṛ dhar līnhī re mose nainā milāike
Bal bal jāūn main tore rang rajvā
Apnī sī kar līnhī re mose nainā milāike
Khusro Nijām ke bal bal jaiye
Mohe Suhāgan kīnhī re mose nainā milāike
Bāt atham keh dīnī re mose nainā milāike

You've taken away my looks, my identity, by just a glance.
By making me drink the wine from the distillery of love
You've intoxicated me by just a glance;
My fair, delicate wrists with green bangles in them,
Have been held tightly by you with just a glance.
I give my life to you, Oh my cloth-dyer,
You've dyed me in yourself, by just a glance.
I give my whole life to you Oh, Nijam,
You've made me your bride, by just a glance.

The Auditor

At the end of the tax year, the Tax Office sent an inspector to audit the books of a synagogue. While he was checking the books he turned to the Rabbi and said: "I notice you buy a lot of candles. What do you do with the candle drippings?

"Good question", noted the Rabbi. "We save them up and send them back to the candle makers, and every now and then they send us a free box of candles."

"Oh", replied the auditor, somewhat disappointed that his unusual question had a practical answer. But on he went, in his obnoxious way: "What about all these biscuit purchases? What do you do with the crumbs?"

"Ah, yes", replied the Rabbi, realising that the inspector was trying to trap him with an unanswerable question. "We collect them and send them back to the manufacturers, and every now and then they send a free box of holy biscuits."

"I see!" replied the auditor, thinking hard about how he could fluster the know-it-all Rabbi. "Well, Rabbi", he went on, "What do you do with all the leftover fore skins from the cir cumcisions you perform?

"Here, too, we do not waste", answered the Rabbi. "What we do is save up all the fore skins and send them to the Tax Office, and about once a year they send us a complete dick."

A Lawyer's Kindness

One afternoon, a wealthy lawyer was riding in the back of his limousine when he saw two men eating grass by the road-side. He ordered his driver to stop, and he got out to investigate.

"Why are you eating grass?" he asked one man. "We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "Oh, well, you can come with me to my house, instructed the lawyer. "But, sir, I have a wife and two children with me!" "Bring them along!" replied the lawyer. He turned to the other man and said: "You come with us, too." "But I have a wife and six children," the second man answered. "Bring them as well" replied the lawyer.

They all climbed into the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine. Once underway, one of the poor fellows says: "Sir you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you."

The lawyer replied: "Glad to do it. You'll love my place; the grass is almost a foot tall."

Hexaplet After The Twins

Indian Marxists and their evil designs

Author: Col (retd) Anil Athale

Col. (retd) Anil A Athale is a Fellow at the Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research. A former Joint Director (History Division) and infantryman, he has been running an NGO, Peace and Disarmament, based in Pune for the past 10 years. As a military historian he specialises in insurgency and peace process.


Karl Marx took a dim view of India and its heritage. Writing in the New York Tribune dated June 25, 1853 (quoted in Lewis S Feuer edited Marx and Engels Basic Writings, Anchor Books, NY 1959, pp. 474-481) he claimed that the ‘Golden Age’ of India was all myth and India was always a poor starving country. He further went on to admire and appreciate the British for destroying the Indian village industry and economy so that India could ‘modernise’. But to the Indian communists, the words of Marx are like commandments from God. Their devotion to the dead communism can be seen on the walls of Calcutta, possibly the only city in the world where you can find pictures of Marx, Lenin and Stalin displayed with pride. Following the footsteps of Marx, the Indian communists have deep hatred of anything Indian and are opponents of any kind of pride in Indian heritage. The communists also hold that India is not one nation but a ‘collection of nationalities’. Another major tenet of Indian Marxist’s orthodoxy is that for national reconstruction you have to first destroy the existing nation.

The communists have had many ideological splits. Communists in India are splintered into several groupings like the CPI, CPM, CPI (M-L), Maoists and the People’s War Group. But despite several ‘historical blunders’ that they keep committing with regularity, they have all remained steadfast to the twin agenda of weakening and destroying the existing Indian nation and obliterate the ‘bourgeois’ notion of pride in India’s past. Thus in 1942 the communists not just supported the British but also acted as their stool pigeons. Many underground revolutionaries were betrayed to the British secret police, who went on to hang them. George Orwell has written extensively on this subject and evidence of this is littered in declassified files of British India, now available at India Office Library and Records in London.

Subhas Chandra Bose, who fought for Indian freedom and was no Japanese stooge, was denounced as fascist and vilified by the Marxists. In today’s communist-ruled Bengal, the towering contributions of Swami Vivekananda are a distant memory and sought to be pushed out of public memory. Neither is Aurobindo Ghosh remembered. All the three are inconvenient to Marxist ideology. The communists began their offensive against India right from the time of Independence. The Telangana armed uprising was a direct challenge to the newly independent nation. Unfortunately for the Marxists, under the efficient and ruthless Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Indian police and armed forces crushed the rebellion with ease. The Naxalite uprising in 1970 met a similar fate. .

Most of the time, the communists mask their real agenda under a constant propaganda about their concern for poor. It is another matter that in their disclosure to the election commission most ‘champions of poor’ Communists happen to be millionaires several times over. (The Statesman, April 22, 2004. Somnath Chatterji’s declared assets exceed Rs 5 crore). The Marxists participate in and use the democratic process but constantly deride Indian democracy vis a vis Chinese one party rule. Marxists wear a mask of nationalism but the mask sometimes slips, as in 1962 during the Chinese attack on India when the Marxists came out openly on the side of the Chinese. On November 13, 1962 while replying to the discussions in the Rajya Sabha, Lal Bahadur Shastri pointed out that Jyoti Basu equated India with China during the war and called the Chinese aggression as provoked by Indian statements and “across an imaginary line called MacMohan line”. But the Marxists were not merely satisfied with words. Kalimpong town had become a den of Chinese spies. Every move of the Indian army was monitored and reported to the enemy. Like in 1942, the communists played a major role in helping the Chinese.

The long-time ideological opponents of Indian nationalism painted a frightening scenario when India tested nuclear weapons in 1998. They had greeted with a deafening silence each of the 45 declared nuclear tests carried out by China since 1964. How come that throughout this feverish pursuit by China of the means of nuclear deterrence, the Indian communists never showed the slightest anxiety about a possible outbreak of a nuclear war in Asia? The answer lies in their conviction that China's policy stemmed from genuine nationalism as distinguished from India's alleged pseudo-nationalism. The Chinese ideologues, until now, did not manipulate their admirers in India. This was dictated by Chinese pessimism about the future of the communist movement in India. More relevantly, the Chinese communists did not fail to notice that the CPM and the CPI did not have 10 per cent of the seats in the Parliament in the 13 General Elections held so far. But after the last elections which left a trifurcated verdict, the Marxists have gained a whip hand at the centre.

While it is difficult to reverse the nuclearisation that has taken place in India, the Marxists have found a way out. The Common Minimum Programme talks about changing the Indo-Israel relations. The allusion is directly to the defence relationship. It is through this that India had been promised the Falcon airborne system that would give India a decided advantage over China and Pakistan in air battles. China too wanted this system but the contract was cancelled under American pressure. Now by downgrading relations with US, the Marxists wish to cripple Indian defence and help China. In all their plans of spreading communism in India, the Marxists believe that the strong Indian armed forces are the biggest obstacle. Their hatred of the armed forces is seen through many petty acts that the West Bengal government regularly inflicts on the armed forces personnel. Presently the Indian army seems to be getting an upper hand over the Pakistani sponsored terrorists thanks to the infantry equipment and training co-ordination with Israelis. The Marxists hope that severing this link will automatically weaken the armed forces, their biggest adversary. The Cold War has been over for over a decade now. During that period, Indian and Soviet interests coincided and the two had a quasi-alliance for over 25 years. The Indo-Soviet Friendship treaty of 1971 stood the test of time.

In the new millennium India faces an unstable Pakistan to the west and a rising China that lays claims to the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh to the north and east. And while Chinese naval expansion proceeds at a hectic pace, Beijing does not miss any opportunity to check/thwart India at all international forums. The US is concerned over the rise of China and its internal stability. It is interested in ensuring the rise of India to balance China in Asia. The US is also affected by Islamist terrorism and is fearful of Talibanisation of Pakistan.These basic and fundamental national interests of US and India converge and are likely to remain for most of 21st century. The US-India strategic partnership was hamstrung by the domestic American legislation that denied technology to India due to her non-adherence to NPT. The present nuclear deal is an effort to overcome that hurdle and forge a strategic partnership between the two. Technical experts, scientists and bureaucrats have worked for over two years to hammer out a successful treaty.

The Indo-US nuclear deal is opposed by Pakistan, China and al Qaeda. It is indeed surprising that some Indian political parties with frozen mindsets, opportunism or ideological anti-national orientation are also opposing this deal. A canard is being spread that an economically powerful and nuclear weapons armed India is thus likely to be subservient to the US. India has withstood its ground in worse times. It appears that these political forces are more concerned about the interest of China rather than their own country. It is time the Indian citizens raised their voice and nullified the evil designs of parties who had sided with the enemy when our jawans were dying on the Himalayan border in 1962.

The views expressed in the article are the author's and not mine.

I just found this article very interesting & wanted to share it with our readers.

Uterine Washing for Increased Success In IVF?

The results of a new study have suggested that broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, in the form of intravenous administration plus intra-uterine lavage, could help increase the chances of a successful IVF pregnancy in couples who have had one or more failed IVF cycles. Researchers from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and the New York Presbyterian Medical Center’s MacLeod Laboratory, in New York, USA, conducted the small retrospective study to investigate whether giving broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy to couples after a failed IVF cycle would help improve the chances of achieving a successful pregnancy in the next IVF cycle.

The study was conducted after “two decades of favorable experience with antibiotic therapy, initially given orally, later administered intravenously with uterine lavages, both in terms of reversing infertility and improving pregnancy outcome.”
In their paper published in the Internet Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the researchers report the analysis of 52 consecutive couples (mean age of the women 38.5 years) treated between January 2002 and April 2004. All of the couples had a history of primary or multiple failed IVF cycles. Before initiating the antibiotic therapy both partners in each couple underwent antibody testing, bacterial testing (including for Chlamydia) and culturing. The result of the culture studies did not affect the recommendation of antibiotic therapy.

The women in each couple received the following: 10 days of intravenous clindamycin at the full therapeutic dose, plus five intra-uterine lavages (with a combination of ampicillin, gentamicin, fluconazole and metronidazole for one hour, followed by filling the uterine cavity and cervical canal with a metronidazole-containing gel) performed on consecutive days in the first five days of intravenous therapy. The antibiotic treatment was completed with a three-week course of oral doxycycline. The men received intravenous clindamycin (although half declined and were given oral co-amoxiclav as a substitute) and a three-week course of oral doxycycline. Overall there were two cases of mild diarrhea, which responded to treatment, and no other complications were seen.

The outcomes in the antibiotic-treated patients were compared with those of three historical control groups, derived from previously published studies of couples in conventional repeat IVF cycles. In each comparison, the antibiotic-treated group was found to have a significantly higher standardized delivery rate – these rates were from 33.8-46.1 percent in the antibiotic-treated group, compared with 6.4-22.8 percent in the three control groups. The researchers discuss the outcomes in detail in the full paper. For example, the only pregnancy-related complication in the antibiotic-treated group was one cases of pre-eclampsia. They emphasize that further research is required, and conclude: “These findings suggest that a certain number of failures during IVF cycles are due to an intra-uterine infection that could affect the course of the pregnancy, the mode of delivery, and cause maternal and fetal complications.”

I shudder to think what could be lapped up by the "failed IVF" patients if anecdotal reports based on a single clinic's experience finds its way into the front pages of daily newspapers. This was a retrospective "experience-based" study with no scientific value, but has found itself in all the leading dailies globally because the editors want a catchy byeline!

Lights In IVF Clinics May Damage Embryos

A study has found that exposure to the 'harsh' cool-white fluorescent lighting commonly used in fertility clinics, research labs and most office environments could be particularly damaging to an embryo's healthy development. A joint team of researchers in Hawaii and Japan conducted the study on mouse embryos and found that certain types of light exposure are more damaging to embryo development than others.
The study also indicates that mammalian embryos, which develop in dark wombs, lack a protective mechanism that other animals, such as amphibious frogs or fish which lay external eggs, possess in order to cope with exposure to light. These results were published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Sunlight and cool-white fluorescent office light, which is blue-white in appearance, were the most detrimental to the mice embryo development while warm-white light, which is typically used to illuminate homes and residential environments and has a yellow-white colour, was significantly less damaging, according to Dr. Ryuzo Yanagimachi, a retired reproductive biology specialist involved with the University of Hawaii study in collaboration with Manami Takenaka and Toshitaka Horiuchi of the Prefectural University of Hiroshima. They found that even reducing light-exposure to ten seconds for direct sunlight and to a few minutes for blue-white light, still caused damage to the embryos in the study.
It appears that the light stimulus triggers a stress response in the embryos that hampers their healthy development. When exposed to light, the embryos produced increased levels of radical oxygen which is toxic to cellular development, explained Dr. Yanagimachi. He added that the study has lent support to his belief that light is a neglected environmental factor in embryo development.
The researchers suggest that labs which deal with human and animal embryos would improve their success in embryo development if they (1) replace 'harsh' office lighting with 'softer' warm-white light bulbs for illumination, thereby reducing damage to reproductive materials when they are unavoidably exposed to light in the lab, and (2) generally attempt to minimise light exposure as much as possible during each stage of embryo development that is manipulated outside of the uterus including during egg extraction, sperm insemination and fertilisation.
These are lessons to learn. I had heard this from a senior Professor at Vancouver in 1992 & when I set up my laboratory in Mumbai, we had the warm yellow lights put all across the clinic in opposition to the architect & the turn-key IVF specialists!

Rabin's killer given go ahead to father a child

Israel's High Court of Justice has ruled that Yigal Amir, the assassin who killed Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, will be allowed to father a child using artificial insemination (AI). Amir was jailed for life without parole following the murder and married Larissa Trimbobler by proxy in 2004. The prison does not allow conjugal visits. The case was brought as former Knesset Members Neta Dobrin and Ronen Tzur petitioned against the ruling by the Israeli Prison Service that would allow Mr Amir to father a child. Their petition was rejected, allowing Mr Amir and Ms Trimbobler to proceed with AI treatment. Amir, an ultra-nationalist Jew, has shown no regret for shooting Rabin in an effort to stop the handover of Israeli land in any peace deals with Palestine. Trimbobler, a divorced mother of four, emigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union and has visited Amir in prison every two weeks for several years.
In their unanimous ruling Justice Ayala Procaccia wrote, 'Amir was and is one of the most widely condemned criminals in the Israeli national consciousness, if not the most widely condemned...Nonetheless, he, like all prisoners, has basic human rights that were not appropriated from him when he went to prison'. The ruling found that restrictions placed on Amir were related to his loss of freedom after being sentenced to life, other restrictions on his human rights may also be inherent in this loss of freedom. Any further restrictions that may be applicable were to be based on the interests of state security or other considerations of vital public interest. 'Beyond these, however, Amir is entitled, as is every prisoner, [to all the other] basic rights.' wrote Justice Procaccia.
As the Israeli Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom, which includes the right to a family, was not restricted by Amir's sentence then the court found that he has as much right as any other Israeli to start a family. A right provided by the basic law can only be withheld on the basis of a law or specific authorization, if the act is in accordance with the values of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, only for a worthy cause and only if the action taken is balanced. It was judged that to deny Amir a family would not meet these conditions.
The decision was greeted with dismay by Yossi Lahmani, the director-general of the Rabin center. He commented, 'The court should have understood, as the last bulwark of democracy, that this was not a technical-medical decision about inseminating a lady who, by all accounts, is eccentric and decided to become pregnant from the detestable killer, but a fundamental and special decision that distinguishes this 'shooter in the back of the nation' from other killers.'
The case mirrors the recent British case of Kirk Dickson, also serving a life sentence for murder, who has been denied the right to use AI to impregnate his, much older, wife. Mr Dickson, whose wife will be 51 when he is first eligible for release in 2009, took his case to the European Court of Human Rights claiming that the Home Office refusal to allow him access to fertility treatment breached his right to found a family and his right to family life provided in the European Convention on Human Rights. His appeal was rejected by a bare majority. As part of the ruling the court found that the nature of the crime committed and the welfare of any child that may be conceived under the circumstances must be taken into account.
Any Comments?

The Power of Prayers

Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found. And patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of post-operative complications like abnormal heart rhythms, perhaps because of the expectations the prayers created, the researchers suggested.

Because it is the most scientifically rigorous investigation of whether prayer can heal illness, the study, begun almost a decade ago and involving more than 1,800 patients, has for years been the subject of speculation. The question has been a contentious one among researchers. Proponents have argued that prayer is perhaps the most deep human response to disease, and that it may relieve suffering by some mechanism that is not yet understood. Skeptics have contended that studying prayer is a waste of money and that it presupposes supernatural intervention, putting it by definition beyond the reach of science. At least 10 studies of the effects of prayer have been carried out in the last six years, with mixed results. The new study was intended to overcome flaws in the earlier investigations.

In a hurriedly convened news conference few months ago, the study's authors, led by Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist and director of the Mind/Body Medical Institute near Boston, said that the findings were not the last word on the effects of so-called intercessory prayer. But the results, they said, raised questions about how and whether patients should be told that prayers were being offered for them. "One conclusion from this is that the role of awareness of prayer should be studied further," said Dr. Charles Bethea, a cardiologist at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and a co-author of the study. Other experts said the study underscored the question of whether prayer was an appropriate subject for scientific study. "The problem with studying religion scientifically is that you do violence to the phenomenon by reducing it to basic elements that can be quantified, and that makes for bad science and bad religion," said Dr. Richard Sloan, a professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia and author of a forthcoming book, "Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine." The study cost $2.4 million, and most of the money came from the John Templeton Foundation, which supports research into spirituality. The government has spent more than $2.3 million on prayer research since 2000.

Dean Marek, a chaplain at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a co-author of the report, said the study said nothing about the power of personal prayer or about prayers for family members and friends. Working in a large medical center like Mayo, Mr. Marek said, "You hear tons of stories about the power of prayer, and I don't doubt them." In the study, the researchers monitored 1,802 patients at six hospitals who received coronary bypass surgery, in which doctors reroute circulation around a clogged vein or artery. The patients were broken into three groups. Two were prayed for; the third was not. Half the patients who received the prayers were told that they were being prayed for; half were told that they might or might not receive prayers. The researchers asked the members of three congregations — St. Paul's Monastery in St. Paul; the Community of Teresian Carmelites in Worcester, Mass.; and Silent Unity, a Missouri prayer ministry near Kansas City — to deliver the prayers, using the patients' first names and the first initials of their last names. The congregations were told that they could pray in their own ways, but they were instructed to include the phrase, "for a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications."

Analyzing complications in the 30 days after the operations, the researchers found no differences between those patients who were prayed for and those who were not. In another of the study's findings, a significantly higher number of the patients who knew that they were being prayed for — 59 percent — suffered complications, compared with 51 percent of those who were uncertain. The authors left open the possibility that this was a chance finding. But they said that being aware of the strangers' prayers also may have caused some of the patients a kind of performance anxiety. "It may have made them uncertain, wondering am I so sick they had to call in their prayer team?" Dr. Bethea said. The study also found that more patients in the uninformed prayer group — 18 percent — suffered major complications, like heart attack or stroke, compared with 13 percent in the group that did not receive prayers. In their report, the researchers suggested that this finding might also be a result of chance. One reason the study was so widely anticipated was that it was led by Dr. Benson, who in his work has emphasized the soothing power of personal prayer and meditation. At least one earlier study found lower complication rates in patients who received intercessory prayers; others found no difference. A 1997 study at the University of New Mexico, involving 40 alcoholics in rehabilitation, found that the men and women who knew they were being prayed for actually fared worse.

The new study was rigorously designed to avoid problems like the ones that came up in the earlier studies. But experts said the study could not overcome perhaps the largest obstacle to prayer study: the unknown amount of prayer each person received from friends, families, and congregations around the world who pray daily for the sick and dying. Bob Barth, the spiritual director of Silent Unity, the Missouri prayer ministry, said the findings would not affect the ministry's mission. "A person of faith would say that this study is interesting," Mr. Barth said, "but we've been praying a long time and we've seen prayer work, we know it works, and the research on prayer and spirituality is just getting started."

I believe in the power of prayers & I know that prayer works - I wish we would scientifically set up a similar study in India!

Dead Duck

A woman brings a very limp duck into a veterinary surgery. As she lays the duck on the examination table the vet pulls out his stethoscope and listens to the duck's chest for signs of life. After a few moments the vet shakes his head and turns to the woman and says sadly, "I'm sorry but the duck has passed away." The distressed owner wails, "Are you sure?"

"Yes of course I'm sure. The duck is dead," he replies.

"How can you be so sure?" she protests. "I mean you haven't done any testing - he might be in a coma or something." The vet rolls his eyes and leaves the room. He returns with a black Labrador. As the duck's owner looks in amazement, the dog stands on his hind legs, puts his front paws on the examination table and sniffs the duck from top to bottom. He then looks at the vet and with sad eyes shakes his head. The vet pats the dog on the head and takes him out and returns a few moments later with a cat. The cat jumps up on the table and also sniffs the duck from its beak to its tail at the back end and back again. The cat sits and shakes its head and meows softly, jumps down from the examination table and strolls out of the examination room.

The vet looks at the woman and says, "I am sorry, but as I said, this Is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."

The vet turns to his computer terminal and after hitting a few keys a bill is printed off, which he hands to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, takes the bill. "£450!" she cries. "£450 just to tell me my duck is dead?" The vet shrugs. "If you had accepted my word for it, the bill would have been only £30. But with the LAB report and the CAT scan - it all adds up."

The Rooster to beat all Roosters

A farmer wanted to have his hens serviced, so he went to the market looking for a rooster. He was hoping he could get a special rooster—one that would service all of his many hens. When he told this to the market vendor, the vendor replied: “I have just the rooster for you. Henry here is the horniest rooster you will ever see!”

So the farmer took Henry back to the farm. Before setting him loose in the hen house, though, he gave Henry a little pep talk: “Henry,” he said, “I’m counting on you to do your stuff.” And without a word, Henry strutted into the henhouse. Henry was as fast as he was furious, mounting each hen like a thunderbolt. There was much squawking and many feathers flying, until Henry had finished having his way with each hen. But Henry didn’t stop there. Henry went into the barn and mounted all of the horses, one by one, and still at the same frantic pace. Then he went to the pig house, where he did the same. The farmer, watching all of this with disbelief cried out, “Stop, Henry!! You’ll kill yourself!!”

But Henry continued, seeking out each farm animal in the same manner Well, the next morning, the farmer looked out and saw Henry lying there on his lawn. His legs were up in the air, his eyes rolled back, and his long tongue hanging out. A buzzard was already circling above Henry. The farmer walked up to Henry saying, “Oh you poor thing, look what you did, you’ve gone and killed yourself. I warned you little buddy.”

“Shhhhhhh,” Henry whispered, “The buzzard’s getting closer.”

Letter From A Sikh Friend

I was standing at Jalandhar station when my attention went towards a Sikh youth standing near me wearing a black turban having a long beard and wearing a kirpan over his shirt looking similar to the classic terrorist pictures made popular by Bollywood movies & the Bhindranwale era.

After a while, one local train arrived, which was totally packed. The Sikh youth tried to get onto the train but failed to do so. Just then a voice was heard from the back coach 'Sardarji Barah Baj gaye' (Sir it's 12 o'clock!). The Sikh youth looked over at that voice maker who was a young mischievous type of person and instead of showing any anger smiled at him. The smile made was so enigmatic that it seemed as if some type of truth lies behind it. Not able to resist my temptation, I walked towards him and asked him why did he smile at that person who teased him. The Sikh youth replied, 'He was not teasing me but was asking for my help'. I was surprised with these words and he told me that there was a big history behind that which one should know. I was eager to know the history and the Sikh youth narrated:

During 17th Century, when Hindustan was ruled by Mughals, all the Hindu people were humiliated and were treated like animals. Mughals treated the Hindu women as their own property and were forcing all Hindus to convert to Islam and even used to behead people if they were refused to convert. That time, our ninth Guru, Sri Guru Teg Bahadurji came forward, in
response to a request by some Kashmiri Pandits to fight against all these cruel activities.

Guruji told the Mughal emperor that if he could succeed in converting him to Islam, all the Hindus would accept the same. But, if he failed, he should stop all those activities. The Mughal emperor happily agreed to that but even after lots of torture to Guruji and his fellow members, he failed to convert him to Islam and Guruji along with his other four fellow members, were tortured and sacrificed their lives in Chandni Chowk (Old Delhi )...That's why the Gurudwara there is named "Sheesh
Ganj"(Sheesh means head). Since the Mughals were unable to convert them to Islam they were beheaded. Thus Guruji sacrificed his life for the protection of Hindu religion. Can anybody lay down his life and that too for the protection of another religion? This is the reason he is still remembered as "Hind Ki Chaddar" (Shield of India). For the sake of whom he had sacrificed his life, none of the Hindus came forward to lift his body, fearing that they would also be assassinated. Seeing this incident our 10th Guruji, Sri Guru Gobind Singhji (Son of Guru Teg Bahadarji) founder of Khalsa made a resolution that he would convert his followers to such human beings who would not be able to hide themselves and could be easily located
in thousands.

At the start, the Sikhs were very few in numbers as they were fighting against the Mughal emperors. At that time, Nadir Shah raided Delhi in the year 1739 and looted Hindustan and was carrying lot of Hindustan treasures and nearly 2200 Hindu women along with him. The news spread like wild-fire and was heard by Sardar Jassa Singh who was the Commander of the
Sikh army at that time. He decided to attack Nadir Shah's Kafila on the same midnight. He did so and rescued all the Hindu women and they were safely sent to their homes. It didn't happen only once but thereafter whenever any Abdaalis or Iranis had attacked and looted Hindustan and were trying to carry the treasures and Hindu women along with them for selling them in Abdal markets, the Sikh army although fewer in numbers but brave hearted, always attacked them at midnight, 12 O'clock and rescued the Hindu women.

After that time whenever there occurred any similar incidents, people started to contact the Sikh army for their help and Sikhs used to attack the raiders at Midnight, 12 O'clock. Nowadays, these "smart people" and some Sikh enemies who are afraid of Sikhs, have spread these words that at 12 O'clock, the Sikhs go out of their senses. This historic fact was the reason which made me smile over that person's ignorance as I thought that his Mother or Sister would be in trouble and wants my
help and was reminding me by shouting aloud, 'Sardarji Barah Baj Gaye'

I just thought these little known facts about India should be brought out to our readers. Would love your feedback.

Cook-book recipe for Sperms

Scientists have proved for the first time that sperm grown from embryonic stem cells can be used to produce offspring.
The discovery in mice could ultimately help couples affected by male fertility problems to conceive. And by understanding embryo developmental processes better, a host of other diseases might be treated using stem cells, they say. The groundbreaking work is published in Developmental Cell.


The experiment was carried out using mice and produced seven babies, six of which lived to adulthood. However, many of the mice born from the artificial sperm died prematurely, and displayed abnormal growth patterns. And as well as the safety concerns, using stem cells to create sperm also raises ethical questions. Stem cells are special because they have the potential to develop into any tissue in the body. Professor Karim Nayernia and colleagues at the Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany, took stem cells from a mouse embryo that was only a few days old and grew these cells in the laboratory.

Using a specialised sorting instrument they were able to isolate some stem cells that had begun to develop as sperm. They encouraged these early-stage sperm cells, known as spermatogonial stem cells, to grow into adult sperm cells and then injected some of these into female mouse eggs. The fertilised eggs grew and were successfully transplanted into female mice and produced seven babies. Professor Nayernia, who now works at Newcastle University in the UK, said: "For the first time we have created life using artificial sperm. This will help us to understand how men produce sperm and why some men are unable to do this. "If we understand this we can treat infertility in men."

In the future, men with fertility problems might be able to have their own stem cells harvested using a simple testicular biopsy, matured in the lab and then transplanted back. It is estimated that two in ten Indian couples have difficulty conceiving - about 200 million people. In about a third of all couples having IVF, male fertility is a contributory factor. About 1% of all men don't produce sperm and a further 3-4% of men have a low sperm count that could lead to infertility.

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield and honorary secretary of the British Fertility Society, said: "There are currently many things we don't know about how sperm are formed let alone why it sometimes goes wrong and leads to infertility in some men." He added: "It is more difficult to say whether artificial sperm produced this way could ultimately be used as a new treatment for male infertility. There are many technical, ethical and safety issues to be confronted before this could even be considered." Professor Harry Moore, professor of reproductive biology at the University of Sheffield, said: "These processes in the test-tube are far from perfect as the mice that were born by this process were abnormal. "We therefore have to be very cautious about using such techniques in therapies to treat men or women who are infertile due to a lack of germ stem cells until all safety aspects are resolved. This may take many years." Anna Smajdor, a researcher in medical ethics at Imperial College London, said: "The creation of viable sperm outside the body is a hugely significant breakthrough and offers great potential for stem cell research and fertility treatments. "However, sperm and eggs play a unique role in our understanding of kinship and parenthood, and being able to create these cells in the laboratory will pose a serious conceptual challenge for our society."

Professor John Burn, professor of clinical genetics at Newcastle University, believes stem cells will be a treatment for all types of diseases. "The same approach could ultimately allow us to control the development of liver cells, heart cells or brain cells...and make treatments for virtually any tissue that is damaged or diseased."

Welcome to the brave new world!

60 years of Independence & we have miles to go

Will our standards always remain 'Indian Standards"? All foreigners who have dealt with Indian companies are prepared for the worst. I have close Israeli friends who say nothing works better than greasing palms in India & Indian Standards mean 3 month delays & yet the world wants to do business with India because we are a rising economic power & no-one wants to miss the bus. But sadly, our "chalta-hai" attitude is so deeply ingrained into our system that sometimes I feel that we are genetically imprinted to be inferior than the western genome:(
Today, let me take you through my travails with a multinational that spends lakhs on advertsing and is a Citibank owned company-You Telecom that was known as Iquara Broadband. Let me tell you that whenever the service is 'working" it is above par & flawless, but they have a huge "down-time" and seem accountable to none of their customers. I sent them two letters which are reproduced as under but no one bothered to send an official reply - although today 15th August 2007, I finally got my internet connection in my office to work! Jai Hind!
Letter 1
You Telecom India Pvt Ltd
Ground Floor, No 1-C, Nirlon Complex
Off Western Express Highway
Goregaon (E), Mumbai 400063

Login: allah_g

Sir,
Let me introduce myself. I am a gynecologist practicing in Mumbai for the past 17 years. I have never faced such bad after-sales service from any service industry as I have experienced with You Telecom.

This is in regards to my connection (user id :allah_g) that we needed to transfer from our Flat in Diamond Apt (Mount Mary Road, Bandra) to our Flat at Kalpak Gulistan, Perry Cross Road Bandra(W). I approached your helpdesk initially in the first week of June 2007 with this request. There was no response at all for over a week. I next approached your Bandra office (Went there personally!). I was assured by some men sitting there that your representative would come and collect the Rs 500 transfer fee the next day. Nothing happened for another month.

My driver/peon/secretary all followed up in turns at your help-desk as well as in person at the Lucky buiding office. As of now, we keep calling up your helpdesk which has a standard answer saying "it is under process".

We have paid the transfer fee of Rs.500/- receipt no. 213629, and the name of the sales executive was Snehal; the payment was collected on 04/07/07 upon our insistence and was paid in cash. I am attaching herewith the receipt.

We have been calling your customer service line practically everyday and have spoken to your agents Amol/Pinal who repeatedly assured me that it will be done within the next 24 hours. However upon contacting them the next day all I heard was that the transfer was under process. I have prepaid for a year and have lost out on 2 months of my prepayment.

We have even sent our office boy to your office at Bandra but again no one has bothered to come and install the line. We have even brought the modem from the Diamond flat to theKalpak flat. All you need to do it send someone and install the line. Is it too much to ask for a service that has been already paid for?

Please ensure that my connection is transferred ASAP. I would also like your company to extend my plan by 60 days to compensate for the negligence on part of your team's indifference. I am shocked that this is a private player (and a multinational!).

I look forward to some responsible team leader sorting out my mess & weeding out the rot from your own organization.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Gautam Allahbadia MD,DNB,FNAMS

Letter 2
14.08.2007
Dear Sir,
This is just a follow-up to my previous letter regards the terrible after sales service being meted out to YouTelecom customers such as myself. After nearly 70 days & my letter of complaint to you, some one from your office called me last Friday & assured me that my connection which was pre-paid for the entire year in March 2007 would finally start working on Saturday. On Saturday morning, your linesmen came in and laid down the cable for the net conection. The gentleman assured me he would send some engineer to start the net connection in the next hour since my line was already activated. Till date, I am still awaiting your engineer?
This speaks volumes for the control the senior team has on their staff in your organization! Pathetic! i plan to highlight the workings of YouTelecom from a customers viewpoint by Letters to the Editors of various dailies & on my own blog. Please find time to read: http://www.therotundaramblings.blogspot.com
Hoping against hope that someone will wake up-get my internet connection to work & compensate me for the time I have lost on your account.
Sincerely,
Gautam Allahbadia MD,DNB,FNAMS

I finally got the engineer to come in today & start the net in my clinic. Hopefully, You Telecom will compensate me for the 70 days of lost pre-paid service. Keep reading. It is not about the compensation that I am writing this blog! It is about our moral fibre & whether we will ever be humane , transparent & conscientious as the West.

My gut feeling is that the Rang De Basanti generation will change this country- Will change the mindset & hopefully throw out the corrupt old guard ruining our Nation!

Jai Maharashtra! Jai Hind!

PLEASE READ WITH THE APPROPRIATE ACCENT

Chinese Newlyweds :



A Chinese couple gets married - and she's a virgin. Truth be told, he is not too experienced either. On the wedding night, she cowers naked under the sheets as her husband undresses. He climbs in next to her and tries to be reassuring "My darring" he says, "I know dis yo firss time and you berry frighten. I pomise you, I give you anyting you want, I do anyting - juss anyting you want.. Whatchou want?" he says, trying to sound experienced, which he hopes will impress his virgin bride.



A thoughtful silence follows and he waits patiently (and eagerly) for her request. She eventually replies shyly and unsure, "I want to try somethin I have heard about .. numbaa 69". More thoughtful silence, this time from him. Eventually, in a puzzled tone he queries... "You want... Chicken wiff Broccori?"

'Piss-Screen' toilet game et al

My brother is an orthopedic surgeon and a gadget freak! He keeps me updated with whats happening in the world of gizmos & gadgets. Thanks to him, we have a state of the art video documentation & archiving system at Rotunda. Anything new that can refine our documenting abilities is incorporated as soon as feasible. After yesterdays blog, I thought our readers must hear of the Piss-Screen!


Unusual shock tactics here. A new toilet-based computer game intended to help tackle drink-driving was tested in bars and clubs around Frankfurt last week. Playing on a weakness of all drinkers - their bladders - the Piss-Screen is a pressure-sensitive inlay for urinals that lets you play a computer game while you wee. Based on Need for Speed, players steer a car round a course by aiming left or right as necessary. It's all relatively entertaining, until the game terminates in a horrifying crash sequence followed by the message: "Too pissed to drive? Take a Taxi instead".

In lighter news, in California the world's largest camera made it into the Guinness Book of Records on Monday after taking the largest photograph in the world. Made from an old aircraft hangar, the top of the camera stood a towering 44 foot off the ground. It took 10 days to expose the 31 by 111 foot picture.

Now, don't give up the cool box yet, but the iDrink solar swimware line for men could be about to revolutionise summer outdoor drinking. So much better than the female Solar Bikini , the iDrink combines the best bits of a summer's day: the beach, good tunes and beer. Not only do the shorts charge your iPod while you lie in the sun, they also generate enough power to keep your beer cool as well. Truly inspired.

Keep checking this space for gadgets-gizmos & medical discoveries:)

TheParkYourNutsStool

Just could not resist uploading this picture. Must be one of the coolest inventions ever:)

Little Whittled Thumbs

Rather than buying a phone with a bigger keypad, a "large" American man had his thumbs "surgically altered" to allow him to use his iPhone with greater accuracy, the North Denver News alleged earlier last week. Thomas Martel, 28, of Bonnie Brae is a big guy. So he has a hard time using the features on ever-shrinking user interfaces on devices like his new iPhone. At least, he did, until he had his thumbs surgically altered in a revolutionary new surgical technique known as "whittling." "From my old Treo, to my Blackberry, to this new iPhone, I had a hard time hitting the right buttons, and I always lost those little styluses," explains Martel. "Sure, the procedure was expensive, but when I think of all the time I save by being able to use modern handhelds so much faster, I really think the surgery will pay for itself in ten to fifteen years. And what it's saving me in frustration - that's priceless."
"This is really, on the edge sort of stuff," explains Dr. Robert Fox Spars, who worked on developing the procedure. "We're turning plastic surgery from something that people use in service of vanity, to a real tool for improving workplace efficiency." The procedure involved making a small incision into both thumbs and shaving down the bones, followed by careful muscular alteration and modification of the fingernails. While Martel's new thumbs now appear small and effeminate in comparison to his otherwise very large hands, he says he can still lift "pretty much anything I could lift before the surgery - though opening spaghetti sauce jars has been a problem. That was a big surprise."

The procedure - known, apparently, as "whittling" - involved a small incision being made into both his thumbs, before the digits were shaved down to the bone. Horrific. Believe it or not, the situation could have been stranger. The operation could have been preformed with the help of GPS technology, which last week made the news for its increasing popularity as a surgical application in joint replacement surgery. Whew! What a way to begin my week:)

Photo on the Nightstand

After a long night of making love, he notices a framed photo of a good looking man on the nightstand by her bed.


He begins to worry.


"Is this your husband?" he nervously asks.


"No, silly," she replies, snuggling up to him.


"Your boyfriend, then?" he continues.


No, not at all," she says, nibbling away at his ear.


"Is it your dad or your brother?" he inquires, hoping to be reassured.


"No, no, no!!!" she answers.


"Well, who in the hell is he then?" he demands.


"That's me before the surgery."

Getting the Mechanics

There was a Gynecologist who decided he no longer wanted to practice. Instead he wanted to restore old cars. To prepare himself for this career change, he signed up for a mechanics course in engine repair. He studied really hard, and the day arrived for the final exam. The task was to find out what was wrong with the engine and repair it. The Gynecologist took a little longer than the rest of the class, but he got the job done. A couple of days later he went to see how he did. Up on the wall, beside his name he saw a mark of 150%. He was really puzzled so he went to the instructor. "How can this be?" he asked. The instructor replied, "Well, I gave you 50 points for figuring out the problem, and 50 points more for solving the problem. But I had to give you an extra 50 points for doing all the work through the exhaust pipe!"

Another False Ringtone?

Men who use mobile phones could be risking their fertility, warn researchers. A new study shows a worrying link between poor sperm and the number of hours a day that a man uses his mobile phone. Those who made calls on a mobile phone for more than four hours a day had the worst sperm counts and the poorest quality sperm, according to results released at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in New Orleans in 2006. Doctors believe the damage could be caused by the electromagnetic radiation emitted by handsets or the heat they generate. The findings suggest millions of men may encounter difficulties in fathering a child due to the widespread use of mobile phones and offers another possible explanation for plummeting fertility levels among Indian males. Sperm counts among Indian men have fallen by 29 per cent over the past decade, a drop which has also been blamed on increasing obesity, smoking, stress, pollution and 'gender-bending' chemicals which disrupt the hormone system. The latest study backs up previous research which indicated a link between mobile phone use and sperm quality, but it is the biggest and best designed to date.
US researchers in Cleveland and New Orleans, and doctors in Mumbai, India, looked at more than 360 men undergoing checks at a fertility clinic who were classified into three groups according to their sperm count. Men who used a mobile for more than four hours a day had a 25 per cent lower sperm count than men who never used a mobile. The men with highest usage also had greater problems with sperm quality, with the swimming ability of sperm - a crucial factor in conception - down by a third. They had a 50 per cent drop in the number of properly formed sperm, with just one-fifth looking normal under a microscope.
The researcher, who led the study, said "Almost a billion people are using cell phones around the world and the number is growing in many countries at 20 to 30 per cent a year. In another five years the number is going to double. People use mobile phones without thinking twice what the consequences may be. It is just like using a toothbrush but mobiles could be having a devastating effect on fertility. It still has to be proved but it could have a huge impact because mobiles are so much part of our lives.The greater the use of mobile phones, the greater the reduction in each measure. This was very clear and very significant. Many in the lowest group for sperm count would be below normal as defined by the World Health Organisation.The most likely mechanism was damage to sperm-making cells in the testes caused by electromagnetic radiation or heat, although a fall in hormone production could also affect sperm motility and sperm DNA.The eyes, breasts and testicles are the areas of the body most likely to absorb the energy and many men carry their mobiles attached to their belt. Mobiles may also increase temperature in the groin, if a man was wearing it on a belt or carrying it around in a pocket. Sending text messages uses less power than talking but it can be a more intense emission of radiation, especially on trains"
Altogether 361 men in the study were divided into four groups, with 40 never using a mobile, 107 men using them for less than two hours a day, 100 men using them for two-four hours daily and 114 making calls for four or more hours a day. The main finding was that on four measures of sperm potency - count, motility, viability and morphology, or appearance - there were significant differences between the groups.
However, Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said "This is a good quality study but I don’t think it tackles the issue. If you’re using your phone for four hours a day, presumably it is out of your pocket for longer. That raises a big question: how is it that testicular damage is supposed to occur?" He said mobile phone use may be a marker for other lifestyle factors known to affect sperm quality. "Maybe people who use a phone for four hours a day spend more time sitting in cars, which could mean there’s a heat issue. It could be they are more stressed, or more sedentary and sit about eating junk food getting fat. Those seem to be better explanations than a phone causing the damage at such a great distance" he added.
What next?

A Wonderful Story

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the outer office of the President of Harvard University. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in
Cambridge. She frowned. "We want to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it
was a chore she always regretted to do. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him. And he signed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The lady told him, "We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus." The president wasn't touched; he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly, "We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery." "Oh, no," the lady explained quickly, "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard. The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We
have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.
And Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California, where they established the University that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

Jerusalem

Egg Recovery from 5 year olds

Israeli researchers have reported extracting eggs from girls as young as 5 years old with cancer, then maturing them and freezing them for future use. The scientists were surprised to find oocytes in follicles from several girls who had not yet reached puberty, including seven in a 5-year-old girl with Wilm’s tumor, and eight in an 8-year-old with Ewing’s sarcoma.
Using needle aspiration, they were able to collect 167 oocytes in total – an average of 8.5 per patient – which were then matured in vitro and frozen. The median age of participants was 16 years, and oocytes were found in all but one girl. The findings, presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 23rd annual meeting in Lyon, France, could offer an alternative to transplanting ovarian tissue, which is less resistant to freezing than oocytes and may contain cancerous cells.Lead researcher Ariel Revel, from Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, admitted that no eggs had yet been thawed and his team did not know whether any pregnancies would result. However, he added: “We are hopeful that the mature eggs can offer these girls a realistic possibility of preserving their fertility.” In India, we are eons away from cutting edge research - especially Fertility Preservation. We are however at par in clinical medicine with the best in the world. If only research was given importance & weightage in undergraduate & post-graduate examinations, we would top there as well. It is high time that our policy makers bring in this radical curriculum change so that India does not slip off the research map despite being projected as one of the BRIC tigers of the next decade.

The Commerce of Human Genes

Nearly a fifth of all known human genes have been patented in the US, the majority by private companies, a new study reveals. The research, published in the journal Science, matched patented genes to their locations in the human genome. It showed that almost 4382 of the 23,688 genes present in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene database are claimed in 4270 different patents. Around 63 per cent of them are assigned to private firms, say authors Kyle Jensen and Fiona Murray of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Critics of gene patenting argue that it stifles research, slows down the development of new medicines and increases the cost of genetic diagnostic tests. The worldwide patenting of two genes involved in hereditary breast cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2, by US firm Myriad Genetics, was met with strong opposition by scientists in Europe. Following a series of challenges, nearly all the patents were either revoked or amended, so that most BRCA gene testing can now be carried out free of charge in European laboratories.

However, supporters of gene patenting say that protecting intellectual property is crucial for securing investment in later research, and central to the success of the biotech industry. In the latest study, the researchers wanted to gain an accurate picture of the gene patents taken out in the US. They found that the 4270 patents are owned by 1156 different assignees, with nine of the top ten being US-based. The top patent assignee is Incyte Pharmaceuticals/Incyte Genomics, whose intellectual property rights cover 2000 human genes.

The researchers found that many genes were claimed by several different patents - CDKN2A, a gene involved in cancer, and the bone growth gene BMP7 are the most patented genes in the genome, with 20 patents each. 'Our data raise a number of concerns about gene patents, particularly for heavily patented genes', said Murray. 'We worry about the costs to society if academic scientists and industry have to walk through a complex maze of patents in order to make more progress in their research', she told National Geographic magazine.

Commenting on the study, Helen Wallace, of the UK pressure group Genewatch, told the Guardian newspaper that gene patenting 'encourages a search for genes, when many problems with health could be addressed by better research into diet, social and economic factors'. UK bioethicist John Harris said that the pharmaceutical industry argues that they need to protect the products of their research, otherwise they would not invest in future research. 'However, I worry this kind of patenting could have impacts on the cost of health and the freedom to access it', he added.

The charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has obtained a Europe-wide patent on the BRCA2 gene, which is involved in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. It intends to make the patent freely available to publicly-funded laboratories across the continent, so that research and diagnostic work on the gene can continue. The situation was previously complicated by patents held by US firm Myriad Genetics, on BRCA2 and another gene involved in breast cancer, called BRCA1.

Most breast and ovarian cancers are not inherited, but around 5-10 per cent are caused by inherited mutations - many of them in one of two genes, called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Myriad Genetics has faced criticism from scientists, governments and patient groups opposed to the patents that it holds on tests that look for mutations in these two genes. However, CRUK holds a UK patent on BRCA2, which is apparently wider than Myriad's and so covers more applications.

Cancer Research Technologies Limited (CRT), the commercial subsidiary of CRUK, has now successfully applied for a European patent on BRCA2, and has agreed to waive the fees for all public laboratories wishing to work on the gene. 'Myriad had been trying to offer commercial deals to researchers working on BRCA1 and 2' said John Toy, medical director of CRUK, adding that 'our patents will break that gridlock'.

CRUK was granted the BRCA2 patent on the basis that it funded much of the work that lead to the gene's discovery, at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, in 1995. The announcement was welcomed by Gert Matthijs, of University Hospital Leuven, in Belgium, speaking on behalf of the European Society of Human Genetics. He told The Scientist magazine that the BRCA2 patent issue illustrates why Europe needs new legislation on the licensing of genes and genetic tests. 'If someone holds a patent on a gene, it creates a monopoly because no-one can invent a competing product as they could with other items, such as drugs' he explained.

Celebration Time

A chicken farmer went into a local tavern and took a seat at the bar next to a woman patron and orders a glass of champagne.
The woman perks up and says "How about that? I just ordered a glass of champagne, too!" He turned to her and said, "What a coincidence. This is a special day for me, I'm celebrating."

This is a special day for me, too, and I'm also celebrating!" said the woman. "What a coincidence." said the man. They clinked glasses and he asked, "What are you celebrating?" "My husband and I have been trying to have a child. Today, my gynecologist told me I'm pregnant!"

"What a coincidence." said the man. "I'm a chicken farmer. For years all my hens were infertile, but today they're finally fertile."
"That's great!" said the woman, "How did your chickens become fertile?"

"I switched cocks." he replied.

"What a coincidence," she said.

Odds and Ends

Two doctors opened an office in a small town and put up a sign reading "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones, Psychiatry and Proctology."

The town council was not happy with the sign, so the doctors changed it to "Hysterias and Posteriors."

This was not acceptable either, so in an effort to satisfy the council they changed the sign to "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids." No go.

Next, they tried "Catatonics and High Colonics." Thumbs down again.

Then came "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives." Still not good.

Another attempt resulted in "Minds and Behinds." Unacceptable again.

So they tried "Lost Souls and Ass Holes." No way.

"Analysis and Anal Cysts?" Nope.

"Nuts and Butts?" Uh uh.

"Freaks and Cheeks?" Still no go.

"Loons and Moons?" Forget it.

Almost at their wit's end, the doctors finally came up with: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones, Odds and Ends."

And they loved it.

Roman Catholic Bishops say hybrid embryos have right to life

The human-animal hybrid embryo is formed from an animal egg cell (most likely from cows or rabbits). Scientists want to use such embryos to create genetically human embryonic stem (ES) cells. This method would overcome difficulties associated with the collection of human eggs from donors, and would provide a much more fruitful source of embryos for scientists.This egg cell's nuclear DNA is removed and replaced with nuclear DNA from an adult human. The cell is then 'kick-started' - with a small electric shock - into commencing cell division. The embryo would be almost 100 per cent human - the only non-human DNA in the cell comes as part of the cell's mitochondria: apparatus for providing the cell with energy.

Currently, the vast majority of human eggs given by donors are for IVF treatment and not for research. A recent consultation by the HFEA entitled 'Donating Eggs for Research: Safeguarding Donors' stressed both the ethical and safety concerns associated with methods used to collect human eggs. The creation of human-animal hybrid embryos is safe in that it involves no human participant, except for the collection of a few skin cells. The voices arguing against the work are few; indeed there has been a distinct lack of comment pieces in the press supporting a potential ban. Naysayers rely on two arguments: a moral argument, and the prediction that this avenue of research will be useless. The practise of creating human-animal hybrid embryos is, they say, unnatural, and therefore immoral. This is a familiar reaction to new biological technology: IVF is 'unnatural', but is now accepted as a useful technology to aid fertility treatment. And although no one yet knows whether this research will prove fruitful, this should not be used as argument for banning the work. The proper action should be to let the research commence, and to monitor the results for potential benefits, or ethical concerns.

Two important points must be brought to the attention of the public:

1) The enormous potential that this avenue of research could hold. The 'could' should also be stressed. Nothing tangible has resulted from this work at this stage, but scientists agree that this line of research should not be closed before its potential fruits can be assessed.
2) The fact that there is absolutely no likelihood that this work could result in a 'hybrid-human' or any other 'Frankenstein's monster' type result. The subject of the research is cells, not animals. These embryos are a potentially useful research tool, and the potential for exploring new avenues of research should be welcomed.

The Roman Catholic Bishops of England (RCBE) have told the UK parliament that inter-species embryos - those containing genetic information from both human and animals - should not be treated any differently from 'normal' embryos, and that women should be given the chance to carry their genetic offspring to term.

There is currently a real shortage of human eggs for use in embryonic stem (ES) cell research. It is hoped the problem can be overcome through creating embryos by transferring human genetic material into 'hollowed out' animal eggs. The resulting entity - a 'cybrid' - would be over 99 per cent genetically human and less than one per cent animal. As it stands, the new draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill in the UK will ban the creation of embryos that contain genetic material from both animals and humans, but will make an exception for certain types of research, including cybrid embryos. The draft Bill imposes a strict 14 day time limit on the use of these entities in research, at which point they must be destroyed.

The RCBE and the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics told the parliamentary committee who are scrutinising the draft Bill: 'At the very least, embryos with a preponderance of human genes should be assumed to be embryonic human beings, and should be treated accordingly. In particular, it should not be a crime to transfer them, or other human embryos, to the body of the women providing the ovum, in cases where a human ovum has been used to create them'.

The RCBE have been accused of misunderstanding the science involved in creating such embryos. Cybrid embryos will have no 'mother'; rather, an animal ovum will be stripped of its genetic identity and used as an empty vessel to cultivate hES cells from cloned human cells. It is hoped that such research will lead to advances in treatment for devastating diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Liberal Democrat MP, Dr Evan Harris, has described the RCBE's position as 'absurd' and 'inconsistent', adding: 'Most of these embryos will be created using animal eggs, but even if they were created using human eggs, they would be created by cloning and the Catholic Church has previously opposed reproductive cloning of even fully human embryos'.

An IVF mortality: Lessons to learn

A report on the circumstances surrounding the 2003 death of Irish IVF patient Jacqueline Rushton has been published. The report was commissioned by the Republic of Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE), and written by Alison Murdoch of the Newcastle Fertility Centre and independent healthcare consultant Stuart Emslie. Rushton, a 32-year-old nurse, was treated at the Human Assisted Reproduction Ireland unit of Dublin's Rotunda Hospital. She was admitted to this same hospital on 8 December 2002, after she was found to be overreacting to her IVF treatment, and was subsequently transferred to Dublin's Mater Private Hospital. Despite initially appearing to make a recovery, she collapsed and was placed on a ventilator, which was switched off on 14 January 2003. The cause of Rushton's death was found to be acute respiratory distress syndrome, a rare complication of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome - itself a complication associated with IVF, where fluid from the bloodstream leaks into the abdominal cavity and causes it to swell.

The report concludes that there were problems with the management of Rushton's care, compounded by a lack of senior supervision and inconsistent compliance with official guidelines for treating her condition. The report recommends regular care audits, in which it is incumbent upon hospitals to prove standards rather than merely claiming to have them, together with and a review of in-house protocol in all general hospitals and IVF clinics.

Rushton's family have declared themselves satisfied with the outcome of the report, and they have instructed their solicitors to drop legal proceedings against the health authorities. They have also expressed their hope that the report's recommendations will prevent another family from going through the same ordeal. The Irish Patient Association has said that the episode raises significant questions about patient care. Irish health minister Mary Harney has announced that immediate steps are being taken to implement these recommendations across HSE hospitals.

The statement, issued by the Master of the Rotunda Hospital Dr Michael Geary acknowleged "lessons have been learned". "In all medical treatments, one cannot always be guaranteed that the outcome will be positive and every effort is made along the way to comply with best practice in patient care and treatment," Dr Geary said. "We sincerely hope, with the new insights and learnings available to us, that a similar incident can be prevented from occurring again in the future," he concluded. "There is always an onus on any healthcare provider to review their processes and systems and this report underlines again this requirement. It is very important for us to learn from this tragic event."

OHSS is the only medical emergency that a Fertility physician faces in his/her career. This report is important because it highlights the possibility of death in the event OHSS is not managed properly. For bloggers interested in the subject, Rotunda is hosting an International Congress on PCOS at Goa in August 2008. There will be an entire video session dedicated to the management of OHSS. The link to follow will be www.sisab.net/pcos2008

The Laser Printer

Bad news, office drones: That laser printer sitting in your cubicle might be doing some serious damage to your health.

The humble office laser printer can damage lungs in much the same way as smoke particles from cigarettes, a team of Australian scientists has found. An investigation of a range of printer models showed that almost a third emit potentially dangerous levels of toner into the air. The Queensland University of Technology scientists have called on ministers to regulate these kinds of emissions. They say some printers should come with a health warning.

The researchers carried out tests on more than 60 machines. Almost one-third were found to emit ultra-tiny particles of toner-like material, so small that they can infiltrate the lungs and cause a range of health problems from respiratory irritation to more chronic illnesses. Conducted in an open-plan office, the test revealed that particle levels increased five-fold during working hours, a rise blamed on printer use. The problem was worse when new cartridges were used and when graphics and images required higher quantities of toner. The researchers have called on governments to regulate air quality in offices. They also want companies to ensure that printers are based in well-ventilated areas so that particles disperse.

That's such fun news, isn't it? And here you were eating salads, jogging and not smoking, and it's going to be your laser printer that does you in. Life sure is hilarious sometimes.