HEALTH

How to prevent diabetes

November 14 is World Diabetes Day. Twelve per cent of the people living in Indian metros suffer from diabetes and 14 per cent more are in a pre-diabetic stage. Thirty per cent of diabetics in urban India are below the age of 40.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder. Starches, sugars, fats and protein in the food you eat are converted to glucose, a sugar that your body uses for fuel. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control the amount of glucose in the blood. Without insulin, the body cannot use or store glucose, so it stays in the blood. 

The symptoms of diabetes are:

• Excessive and frequent urination, dryness of mouth, increased thirst, excessive hunger, loss of weight, lack of concentration and mental fatigue, weakness and body-ache, wound infection and slow-healing, sexual weakness, blurred vision, numbness in hands or feet.

Surgery saves life of two-year-old
Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, November 14
The use of an innovative technique for the removal of a stone by doctors at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here saved the life of a two-year-old child. Instead of using the conventional surgical procedure, Dr Baldev Singh Aulakh, urologist and transplant surgeon of the hospital, operated upon the child by making a small nick in the abdominal wall. He was assisted by Dr Vishal Sharma, Dr Ashish Kaura and Dr Vikas Cheena in the surgery.

Harmandeep (2) was brought to the DMCH by his family with a complaint of a bladder stone. According to the parents of the child, he was crippled with the symptoms of intermittent obstruction of urinary flow and severe pain during urination for the last one year. After examining him, Dr Aulakh found that the child needed urgent surgery.

Normally these types of stones (in adults) are removed through urethra with the help of special endoscopic instruments. In children, due to the small size of the urinary tract, these instruments can not be used and special paediatric sets of such instruments are very costly. In these circumstances, bladder stones in children are normally removed through abdominal incision leading to delayed recovery due to the large wound, besides the risk of other complications like hernia due to the large incision.

Deciding not to subject the child to so much trauma, Dr Aulakh went ahead to remove the stone through the abdominal wall from out of a mere 1-cm incision with the help of an endoscopic instrument (nephroscope) used for the removal of kidney stones in adults.

“A needle puncture was made into the bladder through the skin. The tract was dilated using a series of dilators, sufficient enough to accommodate an adult-size nephroscope. Then the stone was virtually crushed and broken into fragments using a mechanical device. All stone fragments were retrieved. Post-operative surgery of the child was excellent and he was discharged 72 hours after the operation, with minimal need of pain killer whereas post-operative care required for such children in otherwise open surgeries took seven to eight days,” revealed Dr Aulakh.

He said bladder stones were quite common in children in certain parts of the world like North Asia and North Africa.

The stones could be large, usually solitary or multiple and the triggers could be feeding breast milk, cereal foods such as rice and millets, oxalate rich vegetables and diets, which were rich in animal protein. Congenital obstruction in bladder structure could also be contributory.

Dr Aulakh claimed that the new technique was expected to become more acceptable and popular due to its low cost, lesser hospital stay, less trauma and easy postoperative recovery.

School wins runners-up trophy in athletics
Our Correspondent

Machhiwara, November 14
Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Machhiwara, has added another feather to its cap by winning the runners-up trophy in athletics for u-14 organised by the Punjab School Education Board, Mohali.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, the Principal of the school, Ms Charanjit Kaur Khurana, said Karamjit Kaur got the first position in disc throw for u-14. She got the top position in shotput throw too in the whole district.

Ms Khurana further said in the 100-m race for u-17, Harjeet Kaur stood second, whereas Roop Rani achieved the second position in javelin throw. In the relay race, Harpreet Kaur finished third.

Ms Chander Mohini, sports and physical education teacher, said in zonal contests, students of the school had won the first position in six events and the second position in five events.

Office-bearers: A meeting of the Charan Kanwal Sports and Welfare Club, Machhiwara, was held under the presidentship of Mr Rupinder Singh Benipal, Quami general secretary of the Youth Akali Dal. In the meeting Mr Jaspal Singh Juj was unanimously elected president of the club. The other office-bearers who were also elected unanimously include:

Kanwaljot Singh Batra —senior vice-president; Karamjit Singh Gill — vice-president; Harpreet Singh Mander — secretary; Kanwaljit Singh Bani —joint secretary; Raj Kumar — cashier; Gurpreet Singh — joint cashier; Jeet Ram and Ravinder Paul Singh —advisors.

The members of the executive committee include Khushwant Singh, Bhupinder Singh Ladi, Jeeti Pehalwan, Chanchal Kumar, Avtar Singh, Mandeep Singh, Karamjeet Singh Grewal and Karamjit Singh Mangat.

The dignitaries who were able to get the berth of patrons include Dr Ajay Pal Singh, Avtar Singh Saini and Swarn Singh Mangat. Mr Rupinder Singh Benipal, a social worker and sportsman, was elected the chief patron.

The club decided to organise the next Sports Mela in February 2005.

Athletics trials today
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, November 14
Trials to select the Ludhiana district athletics teams for boys as well as girls in the age groups of u-16, u-18 and u-20 years will be held at Guru Nanak Stadium here tomorrow at 9 am, according to a spokesman of the Ludhiana District Amateur Athletic Association.

Interested boys and girls have been asked to report at the venue to Mr S.S. Pannu, senior athletics coach, Ludhiana. Athletes selected during the trials will represent Ludhiana in the Punjab State Athletics Championship scheduled to be held in Amritsar from November 20 to 22.