Bridges june 2018 - sriramachandra.edu.in

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Newsletter of Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (Deemed to be University)

June 2018

[email protected] ’18

From the Editor’s DeskBridges Committee

Patron:

Shri. V. R. VenkataachalamChancellor

Advisory Board:

Prof. P. V. VijayaraghavanVice-Chancellor

Prof. K.V. SomasundaramProfessor of Eminence &Advisor (Academic)

Prof. S. RangaswamiProfessor of Eminence inMedical Education

Editor-in-Chief:

Dr. Sheela Ravinder S.

Editor:

Ms. Hemalatha C. R.

Co-Editor:

Prof. Antony Leo Aseer P.

Editorial Board:

Mr. Abhinand P. A.

Dr. Archana P. Kumar

Dr. Ganesh V.

Dr. Nithya Jagdish

Prof. Prakash Boominathan

Prof. Sandhya Sundaram

Dr. Sreelekha B.

Secretarial Assistance:

Ms. Stella Augustus

Ms. Geetha R.

Photography:

Mr. Anand Kumar A.

Art & Design:

Mr. Arunagiri S.

Printing:

Mr. Velayudam S.

Beloved Readers,

Let us stay connected…

The International Day of Yoga observed in the campus aims to raise awareness of the

many benefits of practicing yoga and the importance of staying fit and healthy.

Technology can be a double edged sword. Sometimes there are unintended consequences

of technology, which could not have been foreseen. Bits n Bytes divulges ways to block the

contacts that use our data for malicious purposes.

Tamil column reveals that though the grading system in education helps to assess the students &

identify their strengths and weaknesses, it adds performance pressure leading to anxiety and

depression in students.

Bridges is completing ten years of connecting the Ramachandrites together as a family.

We would be delighted to have everyone participate in the forthcoming anniversary

competitions in the form of photography, poems and artwork. So stay tuned with us and

be on the look out for more events and fun in the near future.

Sheela Ravinder S. Editor-in-Chief

Prof. S. P. Thyagarajan, Professor of Eminence & Dean (Research) received the Honorary Fellowship - Hon FFTM RCPS (Glasgow) awarded by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow,

thUK on 6 June 2018.

Prof. Lt. Col. A. Ravikumar, Director & Head of Clinical Services, ENT and Dean Education was conferred the Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow, UK at the award ceremony

thheld at University of Glasgow, UK on 6 June 2018.

Cover Photo Courtesy:

Junior Asst., AdministrationMr. R. Meiyarasu

Bridges

Glimpses

Happenings

[email protected]

Depts. of Neonatology, Pediatrics, OBGYN & Pediatric Nursing in association with the Nationwide Quality of C a r e N e t w o r k (NQOCN) organized a

nd rd on 22 & 23 Jun. Dr. Vikram Datta, President & Advisor, NQOCN, Dr. Ankur Sooden A., Technical Advisor, NQOCN, Dr. Sushil Srivastava, Assoc. Prof., Pediatrics, University College of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Dr. Kedar Sawleshwarker, Chief Neonatologist, Deogiri Children's Hospital, Aurangabad were the resource persons. 34 faculty members participated.

National Workshop on 'Quality Improvement

Strategies for Optimizing Patient Care'

The Medical Education Unit initiated a

as per the recommendations by the UGC on Digital India Initiative to all the faculty members of our Institute. The first course

thcommenced on 27 Jun. 25 faculty members attended.

Faculty Development Program on Blended Learning

D e p t . o f C l i n i c a l Psychology along with the Dept. of Emergency Medicine conducted the

(RCI-CRE) on 'Basic Life

thSupport Skills' from 25 thto 27 Jun. 28 participants benefited.

Rehabilitation Council of India - Continuous Rehabilitation Education

June ’18

Bridges

The Society for Dialysis Te c h n o l o g i s t s a n d Paramedicals (SDTP) in collaboration with the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences organized the

th13 Annual Conference of Society for Dialysis Te c h n o l o g i s t s a n d

thParamedicals - on 24 Jun. 622 delegates across the nation participated.

SDTPCON – 2018

SRMC & RI (DU) o b s e r ve d t h e

thon 20 Jun. by organizing a workshop with the theme, 'Yoga for Well-Being'. Prof. B. Rangaiah, Dept. of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University was the guest speaker. 350 participants benefited.

International Day

of Yoga

Dept. of General Surgery c o n d u c t e d a n

from th th15 to 17 Jun. The guest

speakers were Prof. Sang UK Han, Dept. of Surgery, Ajou University, Korea; Prof. Han-Kwang Yang, Chairman, Dept. of Surgery & Director, Gastric Cancer Center, Seoul National University Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea; Dr. Ramesh Gurunathan, Consultant Upper GI Surgeon, Sunway Medical Center, Malaysia and Dr. Mahadevan Deva Tata, Head of Services, Upper GI Surgery, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The activity included live demonstration in cadavers. 270 national and international faculty members benefited.

International Conference o n E s o p h a g u s & Stomach (ICES)

Faculty of Nursing o r g a n i z e d t h e

by Prof. Anice George, Dean - Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka

thon the topic 'Nursing in India: Today and Beyond' on 14 Jun. 144 delegates attended.

n d2 Dr. S. Thanikachalam Endowment Oration

A

(RBCW) followed by a one day workshop – A t t i t u d e a n d C o m m u n i c a t i o n ( A T C O M ) competencies on Medical Education

Technologies was conducted by SRMC & RI (DU), Nodal Center th rdfor Medical Education Technologies from 20 to 23 Jun. 30 and 25

faculty members attended the RBCW and ATCOM workshops respectively.

Revised Basic Course Workshop

[email protected] ’18

Bridges

Dept. of Biochemistry conducted a

th thon 13 & 14 Jun. Dr. Cheirmaraj K., Orthocare Manager and Mr. Santhosh Kumar Potharam, Reg iona l

Manager, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Mumbai were the guest speakers. 77 delegates across the country attended.

Workshop on Method Validation & Verification - A CLSI

Perspective

Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, Faculty of D e n t a l S c i e n c e s celebrated the

st on 31 May. A short film illustrating the impact of tobacco c o n s u m p t i o n w a s released. OP follow up cards were introduced for all patients of Tobacco Cessation Clinic.

The events included:

· Flash mob by interns

· Exhibition of health education materials

· Games for the public

· Signature – Thumb Impression Campaign

World No

Tobacco Day

Dept. of Psychiatry observed the

st on 31 May b y o r g a n i z i n g a n awareness program and a p s y c h o - e d u c a t i o n s e s s i on . 150 s t a f f , students, patients & caregivers benefited.

World No

Tobacco Day

Dept. of Community Medicine along with the Medical Education Unit conducted

thon 29 May. 114 faculty members benefited.

Research Methodology Workshop

C e n t r e f o r S p o r t s Sciences along with the O l y m p i a n S h o o t e r Gagan Narang's Gun for Glory (GFG) Academy established a

rd on 23 May. Shri. P. Balakrishna R e d d y, H o n o r a b l e

Minister for Youth Welfare & Sports Development, Govt. of Tamil Nadu inaugurated the academy. The indoor academy has 10 m, 25 m and 50 m shooting ranges.

Shooting

Academy

Dept. of Oral Medicine and Radiology organized a

t o commemorate the World No Tobacco Day from

st nd31 May to 2 Jun. 55 patients attended.

The events included:

· Health awareness about harmful effects of tobacco/ betel nut

· Exhibition by UG students

· Enrollment of 38 patients in Tobacco Cessation Program

Oral Cancer and Pre C a n c e r C a m p

The

and hosted by the Tamil Nadu Amateur Rowing Association th that Sri Ramachandra Water Sports Centre (SWSC) from 4 to 9 Jun.

The entire contingent comprising rowers and officials were stationed in-house with one stop facilities (boarding, lodging and rowing) which is one of its kind in India.

st21 All India Sub-Junior and I n t e r - S t a t e Challenger Sprint National Rowing Championsh ip was organized by t h e R o w i n g Federat ion of India

Date Event

07.06.’18 Guest lecture on ‘Basics of Dispensing’ by Mr. Murtuza Madraswala, Professional Service Manager, Lenskart, Chennai

31.05.’18, CDE on ‘Transalveolar Extraction and Suturing Techniques’ 07.06.’18 & 14.06.’18

02.05.’18 CDE on ‘Obstructive Sleep Apnea and New Technologies in OMFS’ by Mr. Dilip Srinivasan, Consultant, Head of Maxillofacial Services, Nottingham University Hospital, UK

Department/Faculty

Optometry

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

[email protected] ’18

Did you know?Pulmonary Rehabilitation Centre

Bridges

Global NewsIn India, swapping crops could save water and improve nutrition

India will need to feed approximately 394 million more people by 2050, and that's going to be a significant

challenge. Nutrient deficiencies are already widespread in India today -- 30 percent or more are anemic -- and

many regions are chronically water-stressed. Making matters worse, evidence suggests that monsoons are delivering less rainfall than they used

to. But a study published in Science Advances shares a brighter outlook: replacing some rice with less thirsty crops could dramatically reduce

water demand in India, while also improving nutrition.

Starting in the 1960s, a boom in rice and wheat production helped reduce hunger throughout India. Unfortunately, this Green Revolution

also took a toll on the environment, increasing demands on the water supply, greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from fertilizer.

"If we continue to go the route of rice and wheat, with unsustainable resource use and increasing climate variability, it's unclear how

long we could keep that practice up," says Kyle Davis, a fellow at Columbia University's Earth Institute and lead author. The study

addresses two key objectives of the Indian government: to reduce undernourishment and improve nutrition, and to promote sustainable

water use.

Davis & colleagues studied six major grains currently grown in India: rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet. For each crop,

they compared yield, water use and nutritional values (calories) of protein, iron, and zinc. They found that rice is the least water-efficient cereal

when it comes to producing nutrients, and that wheat has been the main driver in increasing irrigation stresses.

The potential benefits of replacing rice with alternative crops varied widely between different regions; depending on how many crops rely on

rainfall instead of irrigation. But overall, the researchers found that replacing rice with maize, finger millet, pearl millet or sorghum could

reduce irrigation water demand by 33 percent, while improving production of iron by 27 percent and zinc by 13 percent.

In some instances, those improvements came with a slight reduction in the number of calories produced, because rice has been bred to have

higher yields per unit of land. So in some regions there is a tradeoff between water and land use efficiency, but Davis thinks that with more

attention from scientists, the alternative crops could develop higher yields as well. For now, rice replacement is not a one-size-fits-all solution,

but something that should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for each district, he said. In addition, the team wants to study Indian food

preferences, to see if people would be willing to incorporate more of these alternative cereals into their diets.

India's state-run Public Distribution System (PDS) could be an ally in influencing consumer preferences. PDS currently subsidizes rice and

wheat to support smallholder farmers and low-income households. Those subsidies have given incentives to farmers and consumers to plant

and buy crops, but future policies could help to encourage the use of the more nutritious, water-saving cereals like millet and sorghum.

Momentum is growing in support of alternative grains. Some Indian states have already started pilot programs to grow more of these crops,

and the Indian government is calling 2018 the 'Year of Millets.' "If the government is able to get people more interested in eating millets, the

production will organically respond to that," says Davis.

Source : Kyle Frankel Davis, Davide Danilo Chiarelli, Maria Cristina Rulli, Ashwini Chhatre, Brian Richter, Deepti Singh, Ruth DeFries. Alternative cereals can

improve water use and nutrient supply in India. Science Advances, 2018; 4 (7): eaao1108

Dept. of Pulmonary Medicine, SRMC & RI started the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Centre at the thground floor (G-Block) of the Faculty of Physiotherapy on 12 July 2018. The centre will cater to

needs of patients with Chronic Lung Diseases like COPD, Bronchiectasis, Interstitial Lung Diseases, Asthma and Pre & Post Lung Transplants.

This is a multidisciplinary program comprising of pulmonologists, physiotherapists, respiratory care technologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists and yoga therapists.

All the Departments of SRMC & RI may utilize this service through the Department of Pulmonary Medicine (TB and Chest Diseases).

This program will benefit all patients of 'G' block and Medical Centre requiring pulmonary rehabilitation.

Contact details: Dr. Vijayalakshmi Thanasekaraan, Advisor & Consultant, Dept. of Pulmonary Medicine, SRMC & RI (DU); Extn. 8135 & 434.

[email protected] ’18

Did you know?

Bridges

Among all the features that WhatsApp has to offer, blocking a contact is one of them. While there is no sure shot way to find this (apart from the contact confirming this), there are a couple of tell-tale signs that might confirm that a person has been blocked. If a user feels that they have been blocked by someone but are not sure, the following steps can be tried.

Look for the contact's last seen or online in the chat windowThis is the first and the easiest way to check if the contact has been blocked. While just this is no confirmation as the contact might have changed their 'last seen' settings, it is definitely among one of the indicators.

Look for updates to the contact's profile photoIn case a user is blocked on WhatsApp, the profile picture will never change and will always remain the same, as the one displayed during chatting.

Send a message to the contactAny messages sent to a contact who has blocked the user will always show one check mark, which means that the message was sent from the user's side, but which will never update to a double check mark.

Call the contactAny attempts to place a call through WhatsApp to the contact who may have blocked the user will not go through.

Create a WhatsApp group with the contactReaders must note that all the above attempts can fail by a simple network error as well and therefore cannot be considered an ultimate revelation that one has been blocked. This attempt will clear all doubts one has. The user must try to create a WhatsApp group with the contact they suspect to have blocked him/her. If the user is greeted by a message saying ‘you are not authorized to add this contact,’ then he/she has been blocked for sure.

Bits 'n' Bytes

The brain chemical missing in Parkinson's disease may have a hand in its own death. Dopamine, the neurotransmitter that helps keep body movements fluid, can kick off a toxic chain reaction that ultimately kills the nerve cells that make it, a new study suggests.

By studying lab dishes of human neurons derived from Parkinson's patients, researchers found that a harmful form of dopamine can inflict damage on cells in multiple ways. The finding also hints at a potential treatment for the estimated 10 million people worldwide with Parkinson's. Less cellular damage occurred when some of the neurons were treated early with antioxidants, molecules that can scoop up harmful chemicals inside cells.

Study co-author Dimitri Krainc, a neurologist and neuroscientist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues took skin biopsies from healthy people and people with one of two types of Parkinson's disease – inherited or spontaneously arising. The researchers then coaxed these skin cells into becoming dopamine-producing neurons. These cells were similar to those found in the substantia nigra, the movement-related region of the brain that degenerates in Parkinson's.

The researchers noticed some worrisome changes in the mitochondria of neurons carrying a mutation that causes the inherited form of Parkinson's after 70 days of growth. Levels of a harmful form of dopamine known as oxidized dopamine began rising in the mitochondria, reaching high levels by day 150. Neurons derived from people with the more common, sporadic form of Parkinson's showed a similar increase but later, beginning at day 150. Cells derived from healthy people did not accumulate oxidized dopamine. This dangerous form of dopamine seemed to kick off other types of cellular trouble. Defects in the cells' lysosomes, the cellular cleanup machines, soon followed. So did the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein, which is known to play a big role in Parkinson's disease.

Those findings are “direct experimental evidence from human cells that the very chemical lost in Parkinson's disease contributes to its own demise,” says Dominic Hare, Analytical Neurochemist, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.

When researchers treated neurons carrying a mutation that causes inherited Parkinson's with several different types of antioxidants, the damage was lessened. To work in people, antioxidants would need to cross the blood-brain barrier, a difficult task, and reach the mitochondria in the brain. And this would need to happen early, probably even before symptoms appear, Krainc says.

Source: L.F. Burbulla et al. Dopamine oxidation mediates mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. Science. Published online September 7, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aam9080.

Believe it or NotAnother Missing Piece in Parkinson's Puzzle

Reach OutDept. of Community Health Nursing celebrated the World

rdYoga Day on 23 Jun. at Swagatham Old Age Home, Vayalanallur. Around 30 elderly benefited. The events included:

· Yoga demonstration· Awareness video on benefits of Yoga · Distribution of fruits

[email protected] ’18 7

Himalayan journeys: Meta-dialogue – 21

Participants in this dialogue:

Nicholas Roerich (NR), Stephen Alter (SA) and Hugh Thomson (HT)

HT: I remember you telling how you felt as though you received a second life in Mussoorie.

SA: Yes. I was treated in the same hospital in Mussoorie where I was born! Metaphorically and really it was a second life. The doctors, nurses and staff there took such good care of me and Ameeta. I was in the operation theater for five hours when my wounds were sutured one after the other under local anesthesia. I went through another operation two days later when Dr. Mathew an orthopedic surgeon repaired the cut tendons in my hand.

HT: It would have been such a contrasting experience to be treated with care and love after the terrifying attack you went through.

SA: Yes, the random cruelty of our assault was matched only by the overwhelming expressions of love and concern that we received in the aftermath. This I experienced from the moment I was received by Dr. Jeevagan who was on duty that day and the nurses in the Landour Community Hospital in Mussoorie. I saw in the operation theater the doctor and the nurses praying before starting my repair work.

NR: I believe you are an atheist.

HT: Yes. Being an atheist, I never felt any compulsion to ask for any help from God while I was being attacked. But when I experienced the injured tissues – muscles, nerves, tendons – healing back to normal, I realized how remarkable the resilience of the human tissues is. At the same time, I realized that such external healing cannot take place without there being an inner healing also.

NR: I'm happy to hear that. It is important to realize the great meaning of psychic energy in the healing process. This is important not only to the tissue healing you are talking about but also to achieve a happy future for humanity. Human thought and consciousness are great creative factors. Could I request you to read what you wrote on this in your book Becoming a Mountain? I thought those are more than just wonderful words; they tell us a lot more about healing as a 'journey.'

SA: Yes, thank you. This is what I wrote:

Healing is a journey like any other, a slow, solitary quest leading towards a distant, unattainable summit. Afterwards, when you tell your story, the act of narration dictates coherence and chronology. But while traveling, while flesh and mind repair themselves, there is no clear itinerary. Weeks and months of wandering are punctuated by abrupt arrivals and prolonged departures. Your body is a map with routes sketched out in veins and arteries, with mountains and valleys of muscles and bone. Walking these trails you grow stronger. Your pain diminishes, returns, then eases once again. Yet, even before you arrive at an expected point of culmination, when you are finally well again, or when you find yourself at the top of a mountain, the story is just beginning.

Prof. S. Rangaswami,Professor of Eminence in Medical Education, SRMC & RI (DU)

(will be continued…)

Soul to SoulBridges

Alumni CornerD r . K a r t h i k

M a d h i v a n a n

(Alumnus, MBBS,

2000 - ' 01 ) , L ive r

Transplant Surgeon,

Apol lo Hospita l ,

Chennai was one

among the team members who saved a teenager through an

emergency liver transplant.

Dr. Shanthi Santhana (Alumna, MBBS 1985-'86) received the Royal College of General Practitioners Award in May 2018 at London.

Dr. Mahalakshmi Saravanan (Alumna, DGO 1998-'99), Director - ARC Fertility Centre, Chennai, Dr. Malaraj (Alumna, DGO 1995-'96), Managing Director - Firm Hospitals, Chennai and Dr. Anjana Ranjit Mohan (Alumna, MBBS 1998-'99, M.D General Medicine 2004-'05), Director - MV Diabetes Centre, Chennai received the Healthcare Achievers Award presented by the Times of India in May 2018.

Dr. Malaraj Dr. Anjana Ranjit MohanDr. Mahalakshmi Saravanan

8June ’18 For internal circulation only

ColorsBridges

Dr. B. SreelekhaReader & HOD, Medical Surgical NursingFaculty of Nursing

Dr. S. Bhadrinath Reader, Dept. of Orthodontics

Ms. J. M. Jency,Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing

thThe 88 Bridges Monthly Book Review was held on 21.06.'18

Book : Born a Crime

Author : Trevor Noah

Reviewed by: Dr. Siddharth Saravanan, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Radiology & Imaging Sciences

Forthcoming Bridges Monthly Book Review

Jul. 2018: Who will cry when you die by Robin Sharma

Reviewer: Dr. V. Esther Vinita, Demonstrator, Dept. of Forensic Medicine

Not in the Knot Pallid Pals

The nightYour Corner

The chill creeped up my limbsMy lips quivered in the silenceThere was a pause to it But it was not a stopFor the racing cars and bikesHowling youths and tired workersLit the road on fireA cross in red flowed against the dark skyThen the satellites that didn't blink and the stars That did confuse the little loversLying on the grass watching themThe plane went past giving three gleaming lights and a soundThat woke up the young boy in the slum who wished all shooting stars to be one among those who flewThe trees reflected the street lightsAnd those branches that didn't house the bats that were blind to the worldBut cunning enough to surviveAnd tonight accompanying the sceneIs the super moon, bright and whiteOverlooking the million thingsThat are happening in this part of the worldOn a chilly night, in a deafening silence and anEnlightening darkness….

Ms. Muwaffika TajFinal year MBBS