CATRIONA GRAY, MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2018 IS …southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/25-36_-2.pdf · 12/25/2018 · Many in the real estate industry have declared that

DISHA PATANI DIANA PENTYPOOJA HEGDE

MIDSIZE TRUCKS HAVE SOMEPICKUP AS SALES SURGE

ELLI AVRAM

COFFEE COMPOUNDS MAY HELPFIGHT PARKINSON'S

CATRIONA GRAY, MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2018 IS CROWNED MISS UNIVERSE 2018 BY MISS UNIVERSE2017 DEMI LEIGH NEL-PETERS.

HOUSE PRICES FALL IN MOST MAJORCANADIAN CITIES AMID ‘COOLING DEMAND’

SOPHIE CHOUDRY

Amid a marketwide new-vehicle sales dip in Canada, the midsize-pickup segment continues to defy gravity, posting year-to-date gainsand attracting consumers seeking more affordable alternatives to largerand increasingly pricier full-size trucks, industry experts say.Full-size trucks “offer loads of capability, but for frugally minded Ca-nadians, it might be a little bit more than they need in the driveway,”said Rober t Karwel, senior manager for the Power Information Net-work of J.D. Power and Associates Canada. “A lot of folks for whom,maybe, 10 years ago their only option would have been a full-sizepickup in order to have 7,000 pounds of tow rating, those folks cannow get a [smaller] truck that can also tow that load. “What is hap-pening is there’s now an alternative for people who want a pickup at,on average, about a $7,000 cheaper transaction price and, on aver-age, about $80 a month less on their financing payment,” Karwel told Automo-tive News Canada. Midsize trucks posted year-over-year sales growth of 8.1 percent through November, while sales of full-size pickups were down 8.4 per centover the same period. In sheer numbers, 36,033 midsize trucks weresold through November, compared with 328,094 full-size pickups.

WASHINGTON: Scientists have identified a compound in coffee thatcould be teamed up with caffeine to fight Parkinson's disease andLewy body dementia—two currently incurable neurodegenerativedisorders. The discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences, suggests these two compounds com-bined may become a therapeutic option to slow brain degeneration.Prior research has shown that drinking coffee may reduce the risk ofdeveloping Parkinson's disease. While caffeine has traditionally beencredited as coffee's special protective agent, coffee beans containmore than a thousand other compounds that are less well known.Researchers from Rutgers University in the US focused on a fatty acid derivativeof the neurotransmitter serotonin, called EHT (Eicosanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide),found in the bean's waxy coating.They found that EHT protects the brains of mice against abnormal protein accumu-lation associated with Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia. In the currentresearch, the team asked whether EHT and caffeine could work together for evengreater brain protection. They gave mice small doses of caffeine or EHTseparately as well as together. Each compound alone was not effective, but whengiven together they boosted the activity of a catalyst that helps prevent the accumu-lation of harmful proteins in the brain.

Many in the real estate industry have declared that Canada's housingmarkets have achieved the much-desired "soft landing," and the coun-try is not in for a severe housing correction.But the latest data from the Teranet/National Bank house price indexshows house prices in Canada's largest cities have largely turnednegative in the past few months.House prices fell in October in eight of the 11 cities surveyed in theindex, with only Quebec City and Halifax showing any price growth,and prices flat in Victoria."In the most expensive markets, new mor tgage qualification rulesand the rise in interest rates have cooled demand significantly," Na-tional Bank economist Marc Pinsonneault wrote."For instance, in Vancouver, November was a four th month in a rowwithout a rise in home prices, for a cumulative drop of 1.8 per cent. InToronto, prices declined over the last three months, for a total loss of0.4 per cent."However, prices are still higher than they were a year ago in most ofthe cities surveyed, except Calgary (down 2.6 per cent) and QuebecCity (down 0.3 per cent)Markets were also par ticularly weak in the Prairies, where the recentdecline in oil prices has hit the economy.On top of new mor tgage rules that have reduced buying power by

about 20 per cent, rising interest rates have also been putting down-ward pressure on the housing market.But with weaker-than-expected economic data coming in recently,expectations are growing that the Bank of Canada may delay fur therrate hikes, providing some relief to homebuyers."With interest rates set to rise more slowly than previously thought,hopes for a soft landing of the Canadian home resale market are stillwarranted," Pinsonneault wrote in a client note.

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26 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2018l i f e s t y l e

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASEUPS PROSTATE CANCER RISK: STUDY

WHAT MAKES STRAWBERRIESSPECIAL AND THE BEST WAYS

TO COOK THEM

Considered one of the most versatile berries, strawberriesare used in almost everything — from sauces, syrups, andbaked goods to jams and jellies. However, chefs also swearby their use of the berry in savouries such as salad dressings andthe good ol’ chaat. Chefs share tips on using the berry in differentpreparations and also reveal some interesting dishes made out of it.A HIT IN THE KITCHENStrawberry season means it’s time to let your favourite freshand fruity dishes come out to play. From skillet cakes topar faits, there are plenty of ways to infuse this fan favourite.Celebrity chef Ajay Chopra says, “I personally feel nothingis more inspiring than a seasonal, ripe, juicy and gorgeouslyplump strawberry.”Chef Gautam Samel shares that other than eating fresh straw-berries, they can be dried or frozen and made into preserves.The berry can be also be used in cereal-based nutrition bars.The natural sweetness, complex flavours, and acidity fromstrawberries make it a great choice for desser ts, too. Sameladds, “Strawberries and strawberry flavourings are a popu-lar addition to dairy products, such as strawberry-flavouredmilk, strawberry ice cream, strawberry milk shakes, straw-berr y smoothies, and strawberry yogur ts, making them oneof the favourite berries to be used by chefs in desser ts.”Chef and exper t Karen Anand says, “It’s sweet, refreshing,and kids love it. It has the right balance of acidity and sweet-ness, making it a versatile ingredient to use for desser ts.”Chef and restaurateur Amit Sharma says, “Strawberry is anacidic fruit which goes best with chocolate. In India, straw-berries are the only berries that are easily available in themarket.” Corporate chef and entrepreneur Kelvin Cheungsays, “Depending on when the strawberry was picked, youhave one ingredient with multiple different flavours — fromtar t to super sweet.”BEST WAYS TO COOK STRAWBERRIESThe best time to use strawberries when they are fresh, whichallows the flavour to speak for itself in the process. ChefSabyasachi Gorai says, “I use it mainly for fresh salads andas garnishes for pastries and desser ts.” Strawberries canbe slowly stewed and used as a nice compote. Serve thinlysliced strawberries with scallop ceviche, it has the prefectcrunch to balance the dish. Turn it into a vinegar and make adressing from it. This adds refreshing, fruity notes to a simpleand humble salad. Pastry chef Husna Jumani points out thatthe easiest way to cook strawberry is to make a compote orslow roast them to concentrate the flavour. Chef and restau-rateur Anjali Pathak shares that it’s best not to over heatstrawberries, as they will lose their shape. “I like to usethem uncooked or warmed, sprinkled with sugar and pairedwith cream in a fresh pastry tart,” she says.

‘IBD is inflammation of all or part ofthe digestive tract and is a commonchronic condition that includes Crohn’sdisease and ulcerative colitis. Earlydetection and a healthy lifestyle canprevent the cancer, the researchers said.

Men with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are four to five times athigher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, according toresearchers including one of Indian-origin.IBD is inflammation of all or par t of the digestive tract and is a com-mon chronic condition that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerativecolitis.The findings showed that men with IBD have higher than averageprostate-specific antigen (PSA) -- a substance produced by the pros-tate gland.Elevated PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer -- a non-cancerouscondition such as prostatitis, or an enlarged prostate.“These patients may need to be screened more carefully than a manwithout inflammatory bowel disease,” said Shilajit Kundu, AssociateProfessor from Nor thwestern University in the US.“If a man with inflammatory bowel disease has an elevated PSA, itmay be an indicator of prostate cancer,” Kundu added.However, many people think their PSA is elevated just because theyhave an inflammatory condition.For the study, published in the journal European Urology, the teamlooked at 1,033 men with IBD and a control group of 9,306 men with-out the disease.A previous study led by researchers from the Karolinska Institute in

Sweden showed that children who developed IBD before the age of 18have a three to five-fold higher mor tality rate than people without IBD,both during childhood and into adulthood.This translates into a 2.2-year reduction in life expectancy in individu-als monitored up to the age of 65, the findings suggested.According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), pros-tate cancer is the second leading cancer among males in large Indiancities like Delhi, Kolkata, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram, and third incities like Bengaluru and Mumbai.The ICMR projection data shows that the number of cases will doubleby 2020. Early detection and a healthy lifestyle can prevent the can-cer, the researchers said.

BIRTH CONTROL PILLS MAY BLOCK BLOOD FLOW TO BRAINTurns out, bir th control pills increase the risk of ischemicstrokes which are usually caused by a blood clot that blocksor plugs a blood vessel in the brain. This keeps blood fromflowing to the brain.According to stroke specialists at the Loyola University ,oral contraceptives increase the risk of ischemic stroke,but this risk is very small among women who do not haveother stroke risk factors.The findings of the study appeared in the journal MedLinkNeurology.Several mechanisms were proposed to explain why oralcontraceptives increase stroke risk during the research,including raising blood pressure and making blood hyper-coagulable.“The ideal drug is one with the lowest estrogen and proges-tin doses that will be effective in preventing pregnancy whileminimizing adverse effects,” said neurologist Sarkis Mo-

rales-Vidal. In women with other stroke risk factors, the risk ishigher and, in most cases, oral contraceptive use is discour-aged. These risk factors include high blood pressure, ciga-rette smoking and migraine headaches, especially migraineswith sensory disturbances called the aura.

HUMAN BRAIN RESPONDS TO AGGRESSIVE VOICES QUICKER: STUDY

Human brains notice a voice much faster when it is considered threatening or aggressive than when it is perceived as normal orhappy in an auditory environment, according to a new study.The study demonstrated that in a few hundred milliseconds, our brain becomes sensitive to the presence of angry voices.Sight and sound are the two senses that allow human beings to detect threatening situations.“We are interested in how fast our attention responds to the different intonations of the voices around us and how our brain deals withpotentially threatening situations,” said Nicolas Burra, researcher from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.The researchers presented 22 shor t human voice sounds (600 milliseconds) that were neutral utterances or expressed either angeror joy to a small group of people while an electroencephalogram (EEG) -- diagnostic test -- measured electrical activity in the braindown to the millisecond.The findings, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, revealed that when the brain perceives anemotional target sound, N2ac activity is triggered after 200 milliseconds.However, when it perceives anger, the N2ac intensifies and lasts longer, which is not the case for joy.N2ac is a component related to the focusing of attention within an auditory scene.Also, LPCpc activity -- a cerebral marker of auditory attention -- is also stronger for angry than for happy voices, findings revealed.This rapid detection of the source of a potential threat in a complex environment is essential as it is “critical in crisis situations anda great advantage for our survival”, noted Leonardo Ceravolo, researcher from the varsity.

India’s first artificial heart valvetechnology launched

In line with the Make in India initiative, global medical de-vice maker Meril Life Sciences on Saturday launched itsfirst indigenously designed and manufactured artificial aor-tic valve for patients who are at a high risk or unwilling toundergo open hear t valve replacement surgery.The Transcatheter Aor tic Hear t Valve Replacement (TAVR),which will be sold under the brand name “Myval”, is a mini-mally invasive procedure in which the doctor places an ar-tificial valve into the patient’s diseased valve via a catheterinserted through the femoral ar tery (large ar tery in groin).It is an alternative way to replace diseased valves withoutundergoing traditional open hear t procedure, which somepatients may not receive well.“Meril is the first Indian company to commercially makethis therapy avai lable in the country. Through thecommercialisation of this technology, Meril will soon bringthe next generation treatment modality to thousands of pa-tients across the country and globally,” said Sanjeev Bhatt,VP Corporate Strategy, Meril Life Sciences.TAVR has been dominated by US-based medical devicesmakers Medtronics and Edwards Lifesciences.“The novel Myval technology is associated with zero newpacemaker implantation rates post procedure (which is animpor tant benefit for the patient already treated for valvereplacement). Pacemaker is an additional device that maybe placed post TAVR procedure,” Bhatt told IANS.“Keeping healthcare for all in mind, the price of the technol-ogy will be well within the range,” he added.

MidWeek 27MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2018



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Dietary, lifestyle interventionsbeneficial before pregnancy

‘While Metformin has been used inprevious studies of obesity in pregnancy,this study is the first to include womenwho were overweight, as well as obeseand the first to combine the medicationwith dietary and lifestyle advice.

According to a new research, dietary and lifestyle interventions areimpor tant for overweight and obese women before their pregnancy.The study was published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes and En-docrinology. The researchers repor ted the results of a large study ofbir th outcomes in more than 500 overweight or obese women fromthree public maternity units in Adelaide, Australia.The GRoW (Metformin for Gestational Restriction of Weight in preg-nant women) trial was designed to reduce risks for pregnant womenwho are overweight or obese.The researchers investigated the potential of the use of common dia-betes medication metformin during pregnancy to reduce pregnancyweight gain and improve pregnancy outcomes.“In high-income countries, roughly 50% of women are already over-weight or obese when they become pregnant. This places both themother and her infant at risk of a range of pregnancy and bir th out-comes and can also lead to high infant bir th weight, which in turn canlead to childhood obesity,” said study researcher Jodie Dodd.The study enrolled women who were pregnant and overweight orobese. Half of the women were given a medication called metformin,usually used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. All women weregiven advice on healthy diet and lifestyle.The researchers found that taking metformin reduced weekly preg-nancy weight gain and women were more likely to gain below current

recommendations, but this did not reduce the risk of having a babywith birth weight over 4kg. Nor did it reduce the risk of high bloodpressure, gestational diabetes or bir th by caesarean.While Metformin has been used in previous studies of obesity inpregnancy, this study is the first to include women who were over-weight, as well as obese and the first to combine the medication withdietary and lifestyle advice. “We’ve now seen a lot of studies show-ing that dietary and lifestyle advice for pregnant women who areoverweight or obese to improve the health of women and their chil-dren has very limited benefit,” said Professor Dodd. “This study sup-por ts that outcome. We need to consider dietary and lifestyle inter-ventions prior to women becoming pregnant if we are going to breakthe cycle of inter-generational obesity,” concluded Dodd.

Can newborns recognise theirmother’s profile view?

Although adults and children can easily recognisefaces from both the frontal and profile views, a newstudy has revealed that babies younger than sixmonths of age do not recognise their mothers watchingtheir mobile phones.The study, published in the journal, NeuroImage,showed that babies can recognise faces from profileviews after six months of age.The team also observed that the brain activity ofbabies enables them to recognise a face regardless ofview change.“Mothers caring for their babies are no exception.However, younger babies do not recognise the face inprofile. When we communicate with younger babies,we should look straight at the babies’ faces,” saidRyusuke Kakigi, Professor from the National Institutefor Physiological Sciences in Japan.For the study, the researchers tested a small group ofbabies every month during the first three to eightmonths of their lives.They first identified developmental changes in babieswith regard to the ability to recognise a face fromfrontal and profile views.The team measured the babies’ brain activity while thebaby viewed frontal and profile views of the face usingnon-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy.The results suggested that babies gradually recognise theprofile faces at around 5.5 months of age, the team said.

SLEEPING TOO MUCH IS BAD FOR YOU, HERE’S WHY

like stroke or hear t failure, as well as death by up to 41 per cent.But a possible reason for this could be that people have underlyingconditions causing them to sleep longer, which in turn could raise therisk of cardiovascular disease or death, explained the authors of thestudy. The findings of the study appeared in the Journal of EuropeanHeart. The team also identified a rising risk among daytime nappers.“Daytime napping was associated with increased risks of major car-diovascular events and deaths in those with [more than] six hours ofnighttime sleep but not in those sleeping [less than] 6 hours a night,”said Chuangshi Wang, a researcher.People who under sleep a daytime nap compensate for the lack ofsleep at night and mitigate the risks.

Turns out, sleeping more than six to eight hours a night is associatedwith an increased risk of death and cardiovascular diseases.According to a recent study at the McMaster and Peking Union Medi-cal College, people sleeping more than the recommended upper limitof eight hours increased their risk of major cardiovascular events,



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


The World Health Organization (WHO) repor t was launched at the UNClimate Change Conference (COP24) in this Polish city.It highlights why health considerations are critical to the advance-ment of climate action and outlines key recommendations for policymakers. The largest gains would be expected in China and India,which would generate even larger net benefits by pursuing the 1.5degrees Celsius target rather than the two degrees target ($0.27-2.31trillion in China and $3.28-8.4 trillion in India).The health gains of meeting the two degrees target would also signifi-cantly offset the costs in other regions, such as the European Union(seven-84 per cent) and the US (10-41 per cent).Exposure to air pollution causes seven million deaths worldwide ev-ery year and costs an estimated $5.11 trillion in welfare losses glo-bally. In the 15 countries that emit the most greenhouse gas emis-sions, the health impacts of air pollution are estimated to cost morethan four per cent of their GDP. Actions to meet the Paris goals wouldcost around one per cent of the global GDP.

“The Paris Agreement is poten-tially the strongest health agree-ment of this century,” WHO Di-rector-General Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus said.“The evidence is clear that cli-mate change is already having aserious impact on human livesand health. It threatens the basicelements we all need for goodhealth -- clean air, safe drinkingwater, nutritious food supply andsafe shelter -- and will underminedecades of progress in globalhealth. We can’t afford to delayaction any fur ther.”The same human activities thatare destabilising the ear th’s cli-mate also contribute directly topoor health. The main driver ofclimate change is fossil fuel com-bustion which is also a majorcontributor to air pollution.“The true cost of climate changeis felt in our hospitals and in ourlungs. The health burden of pol-luting energy sources is now sohigh that moving to cleaner andmore sustainable choices for energysupply, transport and food systems ef-fectively pays for itself,” WHO Di-rector of Public Health, Environ-mental and Social Determinantsof Health Maria Neira said.

l i f e s t y l e

ACTIVATED CHARCOAL, ONE OF THE TOP WELLNESS

INGREDIENTS OF THE MOMENTSmokers who roll their owncigarettes less likely to quit

‘Activated charcoal, the ‘it’ ingredientdeeply cleanses your face as well as yourhair. Here are a few possible benefits.

Charcoal, specifically activated ones, are effective in treating skin aswell as hair-related issues. Here are a few benefits of the ‘it’ wellnessingredient:SKIN REPAIRActive charcoal deeply cleanses the skin by absorbing deep-rootedimpurities and toxins from the polluted environment. It also controlsunpleasant shine, itchiness and tightens the pores.GREAT FOR OILY SKINThose who have oily skin, activated charcoal is a rescuer. It pulls outexcess oil from your skin and makes your skin feeling smooth.GOODBYE OILY HAIRRegular shampoos only remove sur face dirt, but activated charcoal willpull out more than what regular shampoos can achieve. A shampoo with activatedcharcoal has the ability to absorb debris and even bacteria.

INDIA, CHINA COULD GAIN MASSIVE HEALTHBENEFITS BY TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE: WHO

‘The World Health Organization (WHO)report highlights why health considerationsare critical to the advancement of climateaction and outlines key recommendationsfor policy makers.

India and China could gain massive health benefits by tackling cli-mate change, the WHO said on Wednesday. For India, the gains couldbe $3.28-8.4 trillion. And meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris ClimateChange Agreement could save about a million lives a year worldwideby 2050 through reductions in air pollution alone.The latest estimates from leading exper ts also indicate that the valueof health gains from climate action would be approximately doublethe cost of mitigation policies at global level, and the benefit-to-costratio is even higher in countries such as China and India.

Smokers who roll their own cigarettes are less likely totry quitting smoking, according to a study. Published inthe journal BMJ Open, the study found that only 15.9% ofthe smokers who mainly rolled their own cigarettes werehighly motivated to quit, compared to 20.3% of those whomainly smoked factory-made cigarettes.Researchers from the University College London (UCL)in the UK found that the major reason for roll-your-own(RYO) smokers’ disinclination to quit appeared to be therelatively cheap cost of RYO products compared withfactory-made cigarettes.While average daily cigarette consumption by RYO us-ers was broadly comparable to that of factory-made ciga-rette smokers, they only spent around half as much onsmoking each week.“Cost is consistently repor ted by smokers as one of theprimary motives for quitting,” said Sarah Jackson fromUCL. “With RYO cigarettes offering a lower cost alterna-tive to factory-made cigarettes, RYO users may be moreable to afford to continue to smoke and therefore lessinclined to try to quit,” Jackson said.The research was conducted over a period of nine and ahalf years, from November 2008 to March 2018. Datawas provided by over 38,000 English adults who werecur rent smokers or who had quit in the past year. Overhalf (56.3%) of the smokers surveyed said they exclu-sively smoked factory-made cigarettes and over a third(36.6%) said they exclusively smoked RYOs.“This shift from factory-made to RYO smoking was whatprompted us to investigate the phenomenon in more de-tail,” Jackson said. “With a growing propor tion of thesmoking population using RYO, it is important to understandthe extent to which RYO smoking influences smokers’ desires toquit,” she said. Researchers found that RYO smokers were lessmotivated to stop smoking and less likely to make a quitattempt than smokers of factory-made cigarettes.

World’s first baby born via wombtransplant from dead donorA woman in Brazil who received a womb transplantedfrom a deceased donor has given bir th to a baby girl inthe first successful case of its kind, doctors repor ted.The case, published in The Lancet medical journal, in-volved connecting veins from the donor uterus with therecipient’s veins, as well as linking ar teries, ligamentsand vaginal canals. It comes after 10 previously knowncases of uterus transplants from deceased donors - in the UnitedStates, the Czech Republic and Turkey - failed to produce a livebir th. The girl born in the Brazilian case was delivered via caesar-ean section at 35 weeks and three days, and weighed 2,550 grams(nearly 6 lbs), the case study said. Dani Ejzenberg, a doctor atBrazil’s Sao Paulo University hospital who led the research,said the transplant - carried out in September 2016 whenthe recipient was 32 - shows the technique is feasible and couldoffer women with uterine infer tility access to a larger pool ofpotential donors. The current norm for receiving a wombtransplant is that the organ would come from a live fam-ily member willing to donate it. “The numbers of peoplewilling and committed to donate organs upon their owndeaths are far larger than those of live donors, offering amuch wider potential donor population,” Ejzenberg saidin a statement about the results. She added, however,that the outcomes and effects of womb donations fromlive and deceased donors have yet to be compared, andsaid the technique could still be refined and optimised.



NEED TO STOP DISCRIMINATION AGAINSTHEPATITIS B & C PATIENTS, SAY DOCTORSRecently, a 26-year -old professional wanted to call off her engage-ment after she got to know that her fiancé was hepatitis B positive.Meanwhile, a young man got engaged without divulging his hepatitisB positive status out of fear that he won’t find a match.Hepatitis B is a blood-borne infection and can be sexually transmit-ted, especially if multiple partners are involved.More often than not, those infected chose not to reveal their status outof fear of being stigmatised and discriminated against. An estimated60 million people are carriers of hepatitis B and C — responsible forliver cir rhosis (scar ring) and even cancer.Doctors say that as many as nine out of 10 young people have reser-vations about their spouses or would-be spouses knowing about theirviral hepatitis status. However, they maintained, the fears in mostcases are ill-founded.“People need to know that only one of 100 die of hepatitis B infectionand only 10-20% of those carrying the virus will suffer from the dis-ease,” says Dr SK Sarin, director, Institute of Live and Biliary Sci-ences (ILBS).Moreover, doctors asser ted, the worr y about contracting the infectionis also baseless as people can protect themselves from the infectionby getting vaccinated. While the disease may have no cure, chancesof transmission can be severely cut by taking three shots in sevenmonths (0-1-6), they maintained.However, doctors explained that there is a difference between vacci-nation and immunisation. Taking vaccine shots does not mean you’reimmune. “If a person has antibody levels of more than 10, then (s)he

has developed adequate immunity against the infection and risk ofsexual transmission has been cut,” says Dr Sarin.Moreover, cases of female to male transmission of virus have, so far,been extremely rare. The risk of transmission from mother to child ishigh but even that can be prevented by vaccinating the child at bir th.Doctors said that lack of awareness regarding the blood-borne infec-tion among the masses is a major factor for people facing discrimina-tion. It is almost similar to what people living with HIV face.Over the years, the government has been aggressively trying to deterpeople from discriminating against HIV infected people and make lifeeasier for them.In September 2018, India notified the HIV and AIDS (Prevention andControl) Act that criminalises discrimination against HIV-positivepeople and those living with them. The law now bars from making aperson undergo an HIV test to get a job or for education.The list also include denial, termination, discontinuation or unfairtreatment with regard to employment, educational establishments,healthcare services, residing or renting proper ty, standing for publicor private office and provision of insurance.Moreover, it is mandatory for cases per taining to HIV positive per-sons to be disposed of by the cour t on a priority basis while ensuringconfidentiality.This revolutionary law per se may not be applicable to those who arenot HIV positive but it has set things into motion.“When we drafted the law we wanted it to be extended to other dis-eases, which didn’t happen. However, since it retains the core that of

anti-discrimination and maintaining confidentiality, it can over timechange to a general medical law,” says Anand Grover, senior advocate. “Tillthat happens, anyone who feels discriminated against by the state can rightfullyapproach a cour t for justice under India’s constitution.”



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2018 l i f e s t y l e

Here’s why a Mediterranean diet is

good for pregnant womenLIVER DISEASES SILENT,

DON’T IGNORE SYMPTOMS

‘The findings of the study are published inthe Journal of Pediatrics. It wasperformed with data of over 2,700pregnant women, who filled in aquestionnaire on dietary intake in the firstand third trimester of pregnancy.

According to a recent study, pregnant women with higher intake of aMediterranean diet have 32% lower risk of having children with anaccelerated growth pattern, as compared to offspring of women thatdid not follow such a diet.The Mediterranean diet is characterised by a high content of fruits,vegetables, olive oil, legumes and nuts. This healthy diet pattern hasearlier been associated with lower obesity and cardiometabolic riskin adults.This study, conducted at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health,aimed at evaluating the association between adherence to a Mediter-ranean diet during pregnancy and growth patterns and cardiometabolic

risk in early infancy. The findings of the study are published in theJournal of Pediatrics. It was performed with data of over 2,700 preg-nant women, who filled in a questionnaire on dietary intake in the firstand third trimester of pregnancy. In addition, the diet, weight andheight of their offspring were followed-up from bir th to age four years.Other tests such as blood analysis and blood pressure were alsoper formed.“Mothers with lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet wereyounger, consumed more calories, and had higher probability of smok-ing and a lower education and social level, as compared to thosewomen who did follow the diet,” said Sílvia Fernandez, researcherand first author of the study.These results suppor ted the hypothesis that a healthy diet duringpregnancy can have a beneficial effect for child development.

When nor th Delhi resident Anil Kumar, 45, got high fever inAugust this year, he thought it was normal flu. He consulteda doctor when the fever didn’t subside even after a couple ofdays. “The doctor gave me medicines and my fever camedown. A few days later, however, I observed the colour ofmy urine had turned dark. I consulted my doctor again andhe asked me to get a liver function test done,” says Kumar,a civil engineer, who works for a Gurugram-based com-pany. Kumar was diagnosed with jaundice, and since hisliver parameters were unusually off the charts, he was ad-vised admission to a hospital.“I didn’t have any pain in the abdomen or any other symp-toms but since the test readings were alarming I got admit-ted to a local hospital. The tests confirmed viral Hepatitis Eon August 12. By evening of that day I was feeling worse,”he says. The doctors recommended he be shifted to a big-ger hospital after he star ted losing consciousness the nextday. “I got admitted to BLK Hospital and investigations be-gan and it was diagnosed that I had acute liver failure. Only50% of my liver was functioning,” he says.Kumar recovered initially but from August 18, his conditiongot worse and he was advised liver transplant.“In just a span of days, my liver was so damaged that I hadto undergo a liver transplant. I was shocked. I didn’t knowmy liver was in such a bad state. I have never had anysymptoms,” he says. For tunately for Kumar, he receivedtimely treatment and from Monday he will resume work.“What is impor tant to note in his case is that he didn’t wastetime. We mostly get cases too late and that affects the treat-ment outcome. Time is of essence in such cases,” says DrSanjay Singh Negi, director, department of hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery, BLK Hospital.“It’s usually Hepatitis B and C that’s considered more dan-gerous but in a small propor tion of cases, even A and E canlead to rapid liver damage,” he said.Doctors say, most of the liver diseases are silent and by thetime symptoms appear there is already 50% or above dam-age done to the liver, and cir rhosis (scarring) of the liver setin, especially in viral Hepatitis B and C.

HERE’S WHY LYING TO DOCTORS IS COMMONIf you tend to stretch the truth while answering your doctor on questions related to exercise or diet, you have company. Somepeople lie to their doctors to avoid being judged, while others feel simply too embarrassed to tell the truth or just do not want to belectured about how bad certain behaviours a re, suggests new research.“Most people want their doctor to think highly of them,” said the study’s senior author Angela Fagerlin from University ofUtah in the US. “They’re worried about being pigeonholed as someone who doesn’t make good decisions,” she added.Insights into the doctor-patient relationship came from an online survey of two populations. One survey captured re-sponses from 2,011 participants who averaged 36 years old. The second was administered to 2,499 par ticipants who were61 on average.About 60 to 80% of people surveyed were not for thcoming with their doctors about information that could be relevant to theirhealth, according to the study published online in the journal JAMA Network Open.Besides fibbing about diet and exercise, more than a third of respondents did not speak up when they disagreed with theirdoctor’s recommendation. Another common scenario was failing to admit they did not understand their clinician’s instruc-tions. In both surveys, people who identified themselves as female, were younger, and self-repor ted as being in poor healthwere more likely to report having failed to disclose medically relevant information to their clinician.The trouble with a patient’s dishonesty is that doctors cannot offer accurate medical advice when they don’t have all the facts.“If patients are withholding information about what they’re eating, or whether they are taking their medication, it can havesignificant implications for their health. Especially if they have a chronic illness,” said the study’s first author Andrea GurmankinLevy, Associate Professor at Middlesex Community College in Middletown, Connecticut, US.



HealthWise: Getting the readings right on a home BP monitorThousands of people use home blood-pressure (BP) monitoring machines for optimal control, buthow accurate are the readings? Not very, say cardiologists, and advise users of home units toget their devices calibrated against a mercury sphygmomanometer at a clinic at least once ayear.A Canadian study of 85 home devices published in the American Journal of Hyper tension lastyear found most home-monitors were inaccurate, with readings off the mark within 5 mm Hg ofblood pressure about 70% of the time, and by at least 10 mm Hg 30% of the time.One in four adults in India have hyper tension, which is defined as chronic blood pressure above140/90 mm Hg. Readings less than 120/80 mm Hg are healthy. The risk of death from ischemichear t disease (hear t attack) and stroke doubles with every 20 mm Hg systolic or 10 mm Hgdiastolic increase among 40 to 89 year olds, according to the American Hear t Association. Onein eight young people between the ages of 18 and 25 years in India have hyper tension, which isthe second biggest risk factor for hear t disease af ter unhealthy diets high in salt, fat and sugar.Cardiovascular disease, which includes stroke, account for 28.1% of the total deaths in India,according to The Lancet Global Health.Of the three types of sphygmomanometers used to measure blood pressure, the mercury deviceis the best while the aneroid machine (unit with a moving needle) is the least accurate, sayexper ts.With most countries dispensing with mercury sphygmomanometers because of environmentalreasons, digital devices are becoming the norm. Among them, cuff-style, upper-arm monitors arerecommended as wrist and finger monitors give less reliable readings.“The digital sphygmomanometers is generally accurate for systolic blood pressure, which is thehigher reading, but it under-reads the diastolic or lower number, which tends to slightly lowerthan the actual reading,” said Dr Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India, andformer head of cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences. A small study from WestBengal found the aneroid device had better accuracy than the digital device as compared to mercury sphygmomanometer, but it had several limitations. “The fact that digital monitors like

Omron differ in readings from the mercury readings is known, especially in the diastolic (lower)reading, but unless we compare both in cath lab with haemodynamically-measured intra-aor ticpressure, it will be difficult to comment on comparative accuracy. Even the mercury method issubject to the observer’s hearing ability and whether they are recording phase 5 (as they aresupposed to) or phase 4 (as some observers inaccurately do) and the speed of cuff deflation,”explains Dr Reddy.“It’s best to measure blood pressure on your left arm but cardiologists may measure on both ifyou have diagnosed cardiovascular disease. A slight variation between readings on the right andleft arms is normal, but a difference of more than 10 mmHg could indicate circulatory problems,”said Dr Ravi Kasliwal, chairman of clinical and preventive cardiology , Medanta.Most people don’t take readings cor rectly. You shouldn’t smoke, drink alcohol or caffeine, have afull bladder, or exercise 30 minutes before measuring blood pressure. Sit still, preferably at thedining table, with your back straight, feet flat on the floor and legs not crossed. “The readingstaken lying down are always higher than sitting, and sitting measurements are higher thanstanding,” said Dr Reddy.Suppor t your arm on a table, with the upper arm at level with the hear t. The bottom of the cuffshould be placed on the bare arm (do not take readings over clothes), two fingers above the bendof the elbow.“For accuracy, take multiple readings, at least three, one minute apar t and record the average.The readings should be taken at the same time each day, ideally beginning two weeks af ter achange in treatment and during the week leading up to an appointment with a doctor,” said DrKasliwal, who encourages patients to take their home devices on appointments so clinicians cancheck whether they are using it cor rectly.The calibration should be done at least once a year, though people with acute hyper tension oruncontrolled/frequently fluctuating blood pressure should get it done every six months. “Thecommon sense thing is to periodically calibrate the digital instrument against a good mercuryinstrument used by a clinician who observes the correct BP measurement protocol to make surethe home instrument is accurate,” said Dr Reddy.



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BANKRUPTCY AFTER DIVORCE

The break-up of a marriage or common-law relationship has cer tain financial ramifications for both par ties, includingthe splitting of assets and the creation of equalization payments (suppor t).However, both can be financially draining on one partner (and sometimes both) and could lead to bankruptcy.So, what happens if one of the "exes" does file for bankruptcy as a result of financial hardship following the breakdownof the relationship?Bankruptcy basically results in the liquidation of property (houses, cars, RRSPs, etc.) in order to pay off a portion ofthe outstanding debt (mortgages, loans, credit cards, taxes owing, etc.).In the event of a bankruptcy following a divorce, the equalization payment also becomes an outstanding debt and thespouse being "suppor ted" will have to settle for a reduced payment according to the bankruptcy payment agreement.However, spousal suppor t does get preferred status in the bankruptcy's payment distribution schedule, meaning ittakes priority over other creditors such as credit cards and the amount outstanding is still payable after the claimantis discharged from bankruptcy.So, in a nutshell, say John is supposed to pay Jane $1,000 a month for support and owes her $15,000 in back suppor t.The trustee rules that over the course of his bankruptcy, John will pay back the $12,000 owed in the year prior tobankruptcy in addition to a percentage on the outstanding $3,000, and when he is discharged from bankruptcy, Johnstill has to pay Jane the outstanding balance on the $15,000. Say John pays Jane $13,500 over the course of hisbankruptcy; he still owes her $1,500 af ter he is discharged from bankruptcy. These are just examples for easycalculations and not indicative of actual payment schedules.Now, the family home throws a wrench into the bankruptcy works. Under Canada's Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act("BIA"), the trustee liquidates the claimant's assets to settle debts, but he can't very well do that if the spouse withcustody over the children is still living in the family home.There are two solutions: force the sale of the family home in order for the bankruptcy claimant to realize his/her shareof the asset's value, or facilitate the sale of the claimant's share in the home to the spouse receiving equalizationpayments. There are difficulties with either solution.In the case of the former, provincial law may prevent the sale of the home due to the resultant financial hardshipcreated for the child(ren)'s guardian, disruption of the child's life, the availability of suitable alternative housing in thearea of residence, the employability of the suppor ted spouse (especially if he/she is required to stay at home to carefor dependents), and even because of the history of the spouse and children in the family home.Although preferable and perhaps an easier avenue toward asset liquidation, attempting to facilitate a sale between ex-spouses is dependent on the spouse taking possession of the house being able to secure suitable financing topurchase it. Again, that depends on the employability and financial stability of the spouse.Either way, bankruptcy does make a difficult time more difficult for both par ties in the separation but in the end, thebankrupt individual has a fresh start financially, and the supported spouse receives regular suppor t payments (asopposed to the deadbeat's "not at all"). In case if you want any help regarding debts call 416 650 5800 or visitwww.gtacredit.com



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CATRIONA GRAY, MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2018 IS …southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/25-36_-2.pdf · 12/25/2018 · Many in the real estate industry have declared that