01-22-2008, 12:51 AM (This post was last modified: 01-22-2008, 12:53 AM by Capt M Kumar.)
<!--emo&:music--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/stereo.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='stereo.gif' /><!--endemo--> Mungari Lal ke sapne http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=3936448&page=2
Living in Dreamworld
Researcher Stephen LaBerge Brings Lucid Dreaming to the Masses
One of the many reasons people choose to learn about lucid dreaming is the possibility of a spiritual experience. (AP) By DAVID WRIGHT and MELIA PATRIA
Nov. 30, 2007
Font Size
Somewhere in between the Cinderella school of dreaming and the darker dreamscape of "The Matrix" lies Stephen LaBerge, an expert in a technique called lucid dreaming.
Video
Director's Cut: Lucid DreamingHe believes that what happens to people in their dreams is as real an experience as what happens in real life.
By becoming aware that they're dreaming while they're asleep, lucid dreamers say they can learn to consciously control and manipulate the dreamscape, allowing them to live out their wildest fantasies in a virtual reality with no earthly boundaries.
A renowned lucid dreaming expert, LaBerge spent more than a decade researching the science of lucid dreaming at Stanford University. In his most groundbreaking experiment, he showed that lucid dreamers can consciously signal from the dream world while in REM sleep.
The author of several books on the topic, LaBerge developed a plethora of techniques to help people gain lucidity, including the NovaDreamer, a special sleep mask.
LaBerge believes that, with proper training, people can actually control their dreams, provided they learn how to recognize that they're dreaming while still asleep.
In a way, he is teaching people how to live their dreams.
Video
Nightline Webcast: Living Your Dreams "All you have to say is, 'This is a dream. Anything is possible.' If there's somewhere I wanna go, I'm there," LaBerge said.
Dreams as Adventure Sports
In lucid dreams, one can fly like a superhero, master martial arts with no fear of injury, or have a tryst with a total stranger.
"[It's] the place where you can do anything without external consequences. So it's a place you can safely explore how to live, what to do, what you might want to do," LaBerge said.
Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal Friday called upon the Indian pharmaceutical industry to take full benefit of the Research and Development Fund set up by the Government.
Addressing the inaugural function of the First Pharma Development Summit in Mumbai, Mr Sibal said that research and development was the key to the future growth of pharma industry and the sector offered ample scope for collaborative research through public-private partnership.
The Minister pointed out that the industry never responded adequately to the Governmentâs initiatives and said that in case they had any suggestions he would be happy to incorporate them.
Mr Sibal said that the publicly-funded institutes spend over Rs 1,000 crore on research every year and called upon the smaller biotech and pharma companies to come forward and take advantage of this infrastructure.
<b>Zydus Cadila Launches Cancer Drug - Punjab Mail Online</b>
February 15, 2008
Mumbai : Pharma major Zydus Cadila on Friday said it has launched a drug, Nudoxa, which can be used in the treatment of cancer.
Zydus Cadila has introduced a Novel Drug Delivery System (NDDS) product used in the treatment of various cancer, the company said in a filling to the Bombay Stock Exchange. Nudoxa is used in chemotherapy, which is a common mode for treatment of cancer.
"Nudoxa addresses the need for a drug that has reduced toxicity and side effects," Cadila said.
The drug is particularly used for treating breast and ovarian cancer, the company said. Nudoxa with its unique drug delivery system is a breakthrough in cancer therapy as it offers the benefits of Pegylaled-Liposomal Doxorubiein, which is used as an oncology drug, Cadila added.
However, Pegylated-Liposomal Doxorubicin causes side effects like skin eruptions. Nudoxa has patent rights in India and South Africa, and has also filed for patents in EU, the US and Japan.
Marketed by Zydus Biogen, the drug is manufactured by Zydus-BSV Pharma Pvt Ltd, the joint venture company of Zydus Cadila and Bharat Serums and Vaccines Pvt Ltd. Shares of Cadila healthcare were trading at Rs 249.50, down 0.30 percent on the BSE.
<b>Nicholas Piramal ties up with Eli Lilly over pre-clinical drug discovery</b>
Feb 15, 2008
Pharma company, Nicholas Piramal Friday said it entered into an agreement with US-based, Eli Lilly to develop and commercialise some of that company's pre-clinical drug products.
According to the agreement, both Nicholas Piramal Research and Development and Lilly would independently carry out early clinical development of two different drug compounds.
Nicholas Piramal Research and Development would receive a payment of $110 million from the US firm, plus royalties on sales upon successful launch of the compounds.
<b>Offering cost-effective and high-tech fertility treatment, this southern metropolis is now attracting hundreds of childless couples from abroad, giving a new thrust to medical tourism.</b>
Hospitals here have treated more than a thousand couples from abroad - the US, the UK, Canada, the Gulf, the Far East and neighbouring countries - in the last couple of years and the numbers are growing.
Latest technology, expertise of doctors and high success rate coupled with comparatively cheaper rates have put the city on the top in the list of medical tourists, doctors say.
Dr Kamala Selvaraj of GG Fertility Research Centre here says that personalised care is also a major factor contributing to the trend.
<b>"In foreign countries, patients spend more time filling up forms. But here we meet the patients, do the tests, counsel and treat them."</b>
Selvaraj says she has treated 244 patients from abroad in 2004 and that number has increased to 350 in 2007.
As much as 25 per cent of patients of Dr Sarat Battina, fertility specialist at Apollo Hospital, comprises foreigners this year, an increase from 15 per cent last year.
Claiming that she handles about 2,500 patients in a year, Battina echoes the cost-effectiveness of treatment here.
<b>"An in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) that costs 8,000 to 10,000 USD in the West costs only 2,500 USD in Chennai... Moreover, the success rate (40 to 70 per cent) is comparable to international standards.</b>
According to doctors here, they adopt latest treatment techniques and perform it as per international standards.
Micromanipulators are used for intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in which doctors collect a single live sperm and inject it directly into the cytoplasm of the mother's egg.
FISH (Fluroescent In Situ Hybridisation), a new genetic study technique that detects the presence or absence of specific DNA sequences on chromosomes, is also used.
The treatment period varies from one to four months.
"Once the patient becomes pregnant and the embryo shows signs of normal growth, she goes back to her home country and the delivery takes places there. We keep in touch with the patient through emails," says Dr.Battia.
<b>Vandana Ram, an Indian settled in the US, who conceived after intra-uterine insemination (IUI) in Chennai, was all praise for the GG Research Centre.
"I waited for nine years, taking fertility drugs. In the US, one gets to consult the doctor only once in three months. Here, the doctor advised IUI which costs only Rs 1,000. I got pregnant after the second trial."</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Great service to humanity. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> 1 in 20 patients want to kill their doc!
London, May 22: They're god-sent souls who cure people and help in chasing away diseases. But what happens when a doctor becomes patronizing, especially when a person is in pain? Well, the patient feels like 'killing him', that's what a new research suggests.
The urge for a patient to kill his or her doctor is apparently not uncommon, especially among patients who are in pain, undergoing physical rehabilitation or seeking legal compensation for disability.
In the research, conducted by David Fishbain and colleagues at the University of Miami, Florida, it was found that just over 1 in 20 of roughly 800 physical rehabilitation patients admitted feeling like they wanted to murder their physician.
Even amongst a control group, who were not being treated for any condition, slightly fewer than 1 in 50 said they had previously had the same urge.
Few doctors are actually killed by their patients, but many are attacked and injured. Understanding who is likely to have a wish to harm, and why, could help reduce attacks, reports New Scientist.
Fishbain says that distrust of doctors often underlies the problem. Involvement in a disability compensation case is, for example, an important predictor of what he calls the "kill-MD" urge.
He says that patients often become angry because they feel that their doctor will not support their compensation claim.
Being in pain, perhaps not surprisingly, was another factor influencing whether patients felt murderous desire.
The work was presented at the American Pain Society meeting this month in Tampa, Florida.
<!--emo&:ind--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/india.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='india.gif' /><!--endemo--> Uâkhand takes control of its Viagra cousin
S.M.A. Kazmi
Tribune News Service
Dehra Dun, May 28
In Uttarakhand, thereâs been a free run on âYarchagumbaâ â a unique herb-cum-fungus â seen to be an alternative to Viagra.
No more. The government has empowered âVan Panchayatsâ to extract and market the aphrodisiac.
It has good reason to. âYarchagumbaâ is illegally taken out of the state and sold at more than Rs 1 lakh for a kilogram in China, Nepal and Hong Kong by common people and organised gangs.
As the snow melts, hundreds of villagers, many from Nepal, camp near the higher reaches of Chamoli and Pitthoragarh to extract the herb. Over time, some Nepali smugglers from Chamoli have also been arrested but the plunder has been going on unchecked.
Now, while the âVan Panchayatsâ get the right to extract "Yarchagumba", âBheshej Sanghâ, a cooperative selling herbs and medicinal plants, will scout for buyers in the world market.
âYarchagumbaâ â its botanical name is âcordyceps sinensisâ, is neither a plant nor an insect. At heart, it is a fungus that grows out of caterpillar larvae. It is like grass, which is two inches above the ground. The larvae, also of the same size, remain underground.
It is believed that, among Tibetan tribals, this herb was given to old horses to maintain their strength and vitality.
The demand for the herb has been going up steadily and, in the past about four years, armed smugglers from Nepal have been using terror tactics around the higher reaches of Pitthoragarh to corner huge profits.
With their Indian counterparts, these smugglers are also posing a threat to the wildlife in the higher reaches.
âSo many unwanted and armed people in the alpine zones have added to our worries. We have told our staff to be vigilant,â Shrikant Chandola, chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand, said.
But, with the government acting as a facilitator to stop the illegal collection of the herb, âBheshaj Sanghsâ would now be able to buy at a rate of Rs 50,000 a kilo from âVan Panchayatsâ and sell the herb further at fat profit.
âWe are hopeful of more than 700-800 kilogram of herb this season,â S.K. Singh, additional secretary (herbs), said.
<b>Woman in India 'has twins at 70' </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A woman said to be 70 years of age has given birth to twins in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state after taking IVF treatment.
Omkari Panwar has no birth certificate but if her age is proven it would make her the world's oldest mother.
The twins, a boy and girl both weighing 2lbs, were delivered one month early by Caesarian section.
The couple were so desperate for a male heir that they spent their life savings and took out a bank loan for IVF.
 Now, we are very grateful to God, who has answered our prayers
Charam Singh, father of twins
Omkari Panwar already has two daughters and is a grandmother to five children.
"We already have two girls but we wanted a boy so that he could have taken care of our property. This boy and girl are God's greatest gift to us," Omkari said.
Father of the twins, Charam Singh, a farmer in his mid-70s, told ABC News he was very happy.
"The desire for a male child has always been there, but God did not bless us with a male child. Now, we are very grateful to God, who has answered our prayers," he said.
Doctors said the twins were doing fine.
<b>Omkari maintains she was nine years old when the British left India in 1947, which would make her 70.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>U.S. Seeks Audits of Ranbaxy Generic Drug Plant in India</b> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->July 13 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is seeking a court order to force Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. to turn over an audit that it says will prove the Indian generic drugmaker distributed ``adulterated and misbranded products,'' according to court papers filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland.
The company has refused to turn over Parexel Consulting's report, claiming the information is protected by attorney-client and work-product privileges, according to the motion to force the company and the consulting firm to comply with the U.S. subpoenas.
<b>The U.S. alleged Ranbaxy used ingredients from unapproved sources and blended approved and unapproved substances, sometimes using less of the active drug than was mandated by the Food and Drug Administration, the court papers said</b>.
``Any of these conditions would cause a drug to be subpotent, superpotent or adulterated,'' the government said in its July 3 filing to force the company and its consulting firm to comply with the subpoenas.
The government also is probing whether Ranbaxy destroyed reports it was required to keep, falsified data and failed to meet quality control specifications in the manufacture of the ingredients, as well as the finished products, the court papers said.
`<b>Significant Violations' </b>
Since Ranbaxy already has released portions of the audit, the government said the document is no longer privileged, the court papers said. The audit followed the <b>FDA's letter in 2006 that there were ``significant violations'' at the company's Paonta Sahib, India, plant.</b>
The FDA put a hold on Ranbaxy's applications for new drugs from that plant, the government said. As Ranbaxy attempted to get the hold lifted, it released parts of the audit, which, according to the court papers, caused the company to waive any privilege attached to Parexel's report.
``Still, the company continues to assert privilege as to some of the audit documents, and these baseless privilege assertions have significantly impeded the government's investigation,'' the court papers said.
Ranbaxy spokesman Krishnan Ramalingam in Gurgaon, India, didn't immediately return calls and messages today seeking comment on the court documents.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I am not surprised, India and China are horrible in ethics and quality. I hope they should lose business and slapped with heavy penalities.
More controversy is probably in store for the institutions run by Asaram Bapu, with the food and drugs department of the state government collecting samples of an ayurvedic medicine for eyes from the Godhra ashram on Friday afternoon. The officials also sealed a stock of eye drop bottles at the ashram and have sought documents including the licence for manufacturing of the eye drops.
<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Bullets may be replaced with "pharmacological land mines" that release drugs to incapacitate soldiers on contact, while scanners and other electronic devices could be developed to identify suspects from their brain activity and <span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Impact'>even disrupt their ability to tell lies, the report says. </span></span>
Greater understanding of the brain's workings is also expected to usher in new devices that link directly to the brain, either to allow operators to control machinery with their minds, such as flying unmanned reconnaissance drones, or to boost their natural senses.
<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Feel stressed when you can't get online? It's high time that you consult a doctor, for a study suggests that you could be suffering from "discomgoogolation".
According to psychologists, "discomgoogolation"[COLOR=red][FONT=Times] is a feeling of distress or anxiety when unable to gain immediate information access -- in fact, the condition could up brain activity and blood pressure level.
In their study, they have found that the stress of being disconnected is equivalent to that of running half-an- hour late for a key meeting, being about to sit an important exam or, in the worst cases, being sacked.
<!--emo&:ind--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/india.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='india.gif' /><!--endemo--> In the wake of the claims, the health department, which is also pursuing to find the herb, are unsure whether it would continue its research programme to find the "Sanjivini" in the Himalayas.
"Sanjivini Booti" (Biological name Selaginella bryopteris) belongs to the carboniferous period, which existed about 300 million years ago.
It took less than a week for a team of Ramdev's Divya Yog Trust to find the herb from the Himalayas.
With Acharya Balkrishna, a member of the Trust who was part of the team that found the herb, openly displaying the new find, a controversy is brewing up whether the "booti" is real.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Govt to set up drug stores for poor, pharma firms worried</b>
pioneer.com
Rajesh Kumar | New Delhi
In an initiative bound to give a major relief to the poor but bring pain to pharmaceutical companies, the Centre has asked all State Governments to open âJan Aushadhiâ 24x7 generic drug outlets so that the common man could have access to quality medicine at affordable prices. The first such drug store is likely to be opened at Shastri Bhawan by next month-end. The Delhi Government is also looking for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to implement the programme.
In a letter to Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, Secretary (Department of Pharmaceuticals, Central Government) Ashok Kumar has asked for opening such <b>drug outlets to make available cheaper drugs to the poor. </b>
<b>The first generic store opened at the Civil Hospital of Amritsar on November 25, 2008.</b>
Under this scheme, the State Government would provide the required space in the premises of hospitals and the department of pharmaceuticals -- through its nodal agencies - would procure the generic medicines. There is a huge difference in the prices of medicine offered through these stores as compared to the market price. <b>For example, a pack of 10 paracetamol tablets costs Rs 2.30 at the Government-sponsored stores, compared to the market price of Rs 11.</b>
The shops would be run by NGOs selected in consultation with the respective State Governments, and a two-track supply would be tied up through PSUs and private drug companies to ensure alternative supply chains and an enhanced basket of products. The generics shop, located in Government-run hospitals or locations provided by the State Governments, would not be subsidised and will have to run as self-propelled units.
The Centre has identified over 300 drugs in 16 therapeutic areas to be sold through the planned generic stores, as the industry reacted positively to make the scheme a success. While 25 per cent of the drugs would be sourced from pharma companies in the public sector, the private sector generic players would be approached to supply the rest at a lower price to make it affordable for the poor.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
How they will know who is poor?
How this is different then dispensery?
For poverty, BelowPovertyLine(BPL) already exists.
In Govt dispensary, you just have to pay token Rs 5 say for prescription and if available in dispensary, your prescription is filled free. Pracrically, more or less, dispensaries are emptied very soon; so, it's a good way to tackle pricing.
To be poor how they will check. Anyone can claim to be poor and get medicine or Politicians are always poor because their house help do job for them.
In India, Max price is always written on medicines cover. Govt. can still check price.
Generic are always with less medicine or without expensive component. In India, it will be diluted version.
Rambaxy is banned in US now because they came out with generic version which was much diluted.
I think I did not elaborate.
BPL or Below Poverty Line lists are already there in India e.g. they are authorised ration, housing etc at below par prices; so, this will be another addition for them. Corrupt practices are everywhere.
RE: diluted salt
That's a misconception e.g. Citalopram is available in market and Lexapro is also citalopram and there is no difference between 2. Smart doctors will always have pre written on their prescription pad: generic substitution is permitted.
I think elections are mostly about perception e.g. Joe, the plumber did make headlines for some time but Obama always gave the perception that he will win. so, in a large country as ours, these gimmicks don't pay off e.g. perception in UP is either BSP or SP will win; so, no amount of gimmicks can change that perception. Think of it, if it happens all across nation, God save Congress. NCP is already flexing it's arms by asking for PM's post. Lalu has declared so many times that some day, he will be PM. so, there are good no. of chances that UPA may be in splinters post election.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> 1 in 20 patients want to kill their doc! 
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Bullets may be replaced with "pharmacological land mines" that release drugs to incapacitate soldiers on contact, while scanners and other electronic devices could be developed to identify suspects from their brain activity and <span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Impact'>even disrupt their ability to tell lies, the report says. </span></span>