HEALTH

Conference on lymphomas from today
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — Lymphomas constitute sixth most common cancer among our population and affects majority of the patients in their most productive years of life. A continuing medical education (CME) on recent trends in management of lymphoma is being organised by the Department of Radiotherapy, PGI on August 26 and 27. The programme is being inaugurated by PGI Director, Dr S.K Sharma.

The CME programme will focus on the management of Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by use of radiation therapy and combination chemotherapy. Special aspects such as upcoming bone marrow transplant in lymphomas, management of AIDs in lymphoma will also be discussed.

Over 50 delegates from the Northern region are participating in the programme.

According to the chairman of the organising committee, Dr S.C Sharma, recent developments in understanding the biology of the disease, its genetic engineering, use of biological response modifier and bone marrow transplant, will further add to the control rates. Lymphomas constitute 7 per cent of all malignancies and are the most curable tumours.

Among the prominent experts who will be participating are Dr S.H. Advani from the Tata Institute, Mumbai, Dr Doval from the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, New Delhi, Dr R.S. Sekhon, an oncologist from Ludhiana and Dr S. Ayyagari, radiation oncologist from the Sanjay Gandhi PGI, Lucknow. 

Advanced lab for research into diseases’ structure
By Poonam Batth
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — The PGI Neurology Department has developed a neurogenetic and molecular biology research laboratory, with advanced facilities for going deeper into the genetic structure of the degenerative and hereditary diseases. Giving this information, Prof S. Prabhakar, Head of the Neurology Department, revealed that more than 50 per cent of neurological disorders had a genetic base and setting up of this laboratory would help in diagnosing certain diseases for which the genetic basis was not known earlier.

At present, there are only 2 to 3 neurogenetic labs in the country (Mool Chand Hospital, New Delhi; NIMHANS, Bangalore, and another one in Mumbai). The lab, which functions from the Research Block, PGI, has been developed with the financial support of Department of Bio-technology, Government of India.

The department has, on the basis of a research conducted recently through RNA finger printing in patients of muscular dystrophy, found out the genetic differences between Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy. Dr Prabhakar pointed out that these degenerative and hereditary disorders are found in young people, before they are married. This defect has been found in the unaffected mothers of the patients also.

The disease generally runs in the families where females are the carriers and males are the sufferers. However, with the help of this test, carrier detection can be done, which is essential for genetic counselling. For instance, if the sister of the patient suffering of Duchenne is also found to be having some genetic defect, she can be advised not to have children after marriage or to have selective female children.

Genetic disorders as such are more common in those communities where there is marriage between first cousins. There is more need of genetic counselling in this group of people.

Dr Prabhakar further disclosed that they had started to develop the molecular diagnosis of neurocysticercosis through molecular genetic investigation. This will help to differentiate between neurocysticercosis and neurotuberculosis, particularly in doubtful cases. He disclosed that in every OPD, at least 2 to 3 cases of cysticercosis are seen and these numbers are increasing. Similarly, other big hospitals in the country also receive a similar number of patients every day. The disease is more common among the poor strata of society as their living standard is going down considerably and they live in congested colonies and slums with pigs and other animals. In the higher strata, the disease is generally caused due to lack of proper hygiene, eating salad which is not properly scrapped and washed or eating pork. He advised that people should abstain from eating pork as more than half of the diseases are due to pork eating. The research for foolproof diagnosis of these diseases would take another one year, he added.

According to Dr Prabhakar, unlike in the West, in India younger people in the age group of 20 to 40 years are getting this stroke( brain attack). Research will shortly be undertaken to find out why people in our country are getting stroke at a lesser age. This will be made possible only by conducting various tests in this newly developed lab.

Keeping in view the high incidence of stroke patients, PGI authorities are also contemplating to set up a stroke unit at the hospital soon. He pointed out that public awareness about brain stroke is very low, so much so that in many cases even doctors do not know that brain attack is potentially as fatal as heart attack. Nearly 10 to 15 stroke patients, on an average, report in the PGI emergency OPD everyday. The symptoms of brain stroke are severe headache, numbness of arms or legs, tingling sensation in any part of the body, transitory double vision and transitory difficulty in talking. Patients experiencing such symptoms should immediately consult a doctor.

The problem is serious and potentially fatal. In majority of these cases, patients who become disabled are a burden rather than a bread-earner for the family. At present, the number of patients are far more than the facilities available in the country. Hence, if such patients reach hospitals in time and receive medical help, their lives can be saved and the chances of paralysis can be reduced as well. It has also been found that persons whose blood pressure and sugar are controlled are less likely to suffer a stroke.

Dr Prabhakar maintains that stroke in young people in the Indian subcontinent still remains an enigma and doctors all over the world are trying to find out whether there is a hereditary disposition to the stroke as well. He is confident that in the coming months, the department will be able to come out with definite results about the cause of stroke among the Indian population.

SPORT

CITY SPORT
Team declared for carrom championship
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — Tejinder Harry of DIS, SAS Nagar, and Anjali Negi of Government College for Girls, Sector 11 will lead UT men and women team for the XXX Senior National and Inter state carrom championship to be held at Jalandhar from September 2 to 7, according to a press note of the Chandigarh Carrom Association.

The teams are: men — Gagandeep (National college), Ramanpreet Pahwa and Jagdish Dhir (both Shishu Niketan, Sector 22), Paramdeep (SD School-32), Sanjay Negi (DAV College, Sector 10); veterans — Subhash and N.S. Pahwa.

Women — Anjali Negi (GCG-11) and Puneet Lamba ( SD School-32).

K.S. Patwal of the Survey of India and Mahesh Sekhri will accompany the team as manager and coach respectively.

Judo championship

Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, won the UT Inter-School Judo championship in under-14 boys section with 13 points, Government Model High School, Sector 36 secured 10 points and was placed second while St Xavier’s 44 bagged third place. The championship was played here today, at Sector 42 Sports Complex.

Bipin Gaba of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 23, in 25 kg and Vivek Thakur of Shivalik Public school, Sector 41, in 30 kg section emerged winners. results: under-4 (boys):

Below 25 kg — Bipin Gaba (GMSSS-23)1, Ashish Kumar (GMHS-43) 2, Gaurav (AKSIPS-41) 3, Tarun Kumar (GMHS-36) 3.

Below 30 kg — Vivek Thakur (SPS-41) 1, Ranjeet( GSSS, Karsan) 2, Viney (GMMS-42) 3, Neeraj (GMSSS-23) 3. below 35 kg — Vijay Chauhan (GMHS_36) 1, rajveer Singh (GMMS-42) 2, sanjeev Kumar (GSSS, Karsan) 3, Vivek (MRASS-27) 3.

Below 40 kg — Balpreet (SPS-41) 1, Anshul Gupta (St Stephen’s-45) 2, Jatinder (GMHS-36) 3, Aman Rana (MRA-27) 3.below 45 kg — Merban (Sharda Sarvhitkari-40) 1, Sonu (GSSS, Karsan) 2, Sandeep (GMMMS-42) 3, Manpreet (AKSIPS-41) 3.

Below 50 kg — Vivek Sharma (St Xavier’s -44) 1, Karanbir Singh (GMHSS-36) 2, Dina Nath (GSSS,Karsan) 3, Ghanshyam (Dev Samaj Model-21) 3.

above 50 kg— Mani Ahuja (St Xavier’s) 1, Piyush (SPS-41)2, Sunil (devsamaj jr Model-21) 3, Aman sharma (GMHS-43) 3.

Kho-kho tournament

The CBSE cluster XI Volleyball and Kho Kho Tournament will be held from September 1 to 3 at SD Public School , Sector 32. Briefing newspersons, Ms Manju Bhardwaj, principal of the school told that 15 teams in volleyball including three girls 20 teams in kho- kho including 10 from girls section will vie for top honours. Last year SDP school-32 played host to CBSE National Kho Kho meet.

The teams which have so far confirmed their participation in the tournament: For, volleyball (boys) — PML SD Public school , Sector 32, Shishu Niketan , sector 22, Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, GHMS, Sector 38, Chandigarh, Air Force school- 3 BRD Chd, Air Force Regional school, 12 wing, DAV Eng Med Sr Sec School, Panchkula, Alpine school, Bhawana, Pinjore, Laureate Public School, Shimla, GAV Public school, Kangra, and Saint Soldier Interanational School, Sector 38, Chandigarh. Girls — PML SDP-32, Alpine school, Bhawana and Laureate Public School, Shimla.

Kho-kho (boys) — SDP-32, SNS-22, Tribune Model school, Sector 29, GH Khalsa SS School, Sector 30, GHMSS-38, Air Force 3 BRD- Chandigarh, Air Force Regional school-Chandigarh, Sri Sukhmani Intl. Pub. School, Dera Bassi (Pb), Laureate Public school, Shimla and Saint Soldier school, Sector 28 Chandigarh.

girls — Sacred Heart school, Sector 26, IS Dev Samaj GSSS-21, Tribune Model -29, SNS-22, Air Force Regional 12 wing, Sri Sukhmani Intl School, Dera Bassi, GH Model school, Sector 38, GAV school Kangra and Saint Soldier’s School, Sector 28 Chandigarh.

B’ball championship

Ravinder Singh of SD Public School, Sector 32, and Sumeet of Ajit Karam Singh Interanational Public school, Sector 41, will lead the UT boys and girls team in the 27th Sub-Junior National basketball championship going to be held at Rajeev Gandhi Indoor stadium, Pondicherry from August 28 to September 1.

The teams are: boys — Ravinder Singh (Captain), Mohit, Suraj Pratap Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rishab Gosain, Raveet Singh, Sahil Bhalla, Sanjeev, Tarun Vats, Vishal Dahia, Anuj Sharma, Gurveer Singh .standby — Manpreet Singh

girls— Sumeet (captain), Prabhkiran, Navneet, Sanchi, Sukhbir, Amandeep , Suman, Chandni, Jyoti, Komal, Harjeet Kaur and Namita. standby — Jaspreet Kaur.

Chander Prakash, Sukesha Gosain and Baje Singh will accompany the team as officials.

Azad on lake club panel

Mr Desh Prem Azad, the Dronacharya awardee and a prominent sports personality of the city has been nominated as one of the members for the lake club development committee by the Chandigarh Sports council. The same was notified by the Advisor to the UT Administrator and President of the Chandigarh Sports council. This core committee will work for the promotion of the lake club activities .

Coaches’ welfare body

The Chandigarh chapter of the Sports Authority of India’s Coaches Welfare Association will hold its meeting on August 27 at the lake club, Sector 6, Chandigarh at 9.30 a.m., according to a spokesperson of the association. The main agenda among other items include death of Hawa Singh the boxing legend who died few days ago.