90% Technical Schools In India Flouting Norms:- AICTE Officials

The mushroom growth of technical institutions imparting sub-standard education across the country has led to a situation where supply is outstripping demand. In a startling revelation by officials of the All-India Council for Technical Institution (AICTE), around 90 per cent technical institutes in the country are flouting norms. 

 

AICTE adviser MK Hada said, "In a surprise inspection conducted by AICTE in 400 colleges, as many as 350 were found not fulfilling basic norms stipulated by the council.'' Hada was in the city to attend a one-day workshop on 'Approval process and e-governance' at Lucknow University. The workshop was organised by the department of business administration. Addressing representatives of various technical institutes in Lucknow, Hada spoke at length about the problem of poor admissions plaguing technical institutions as a result of which over hundreds of technical colleges across the country have sent their request to AICTE for closure. 

On the occasion, Hada informed 154 technical colleges had failed to fulfill norms laid down by the council. "We will send notice to these colleges asking them to overcome their deficiency. In case they fail to do it, they will not be given extension for the next academic session. Students in these institutes will be shifted to others,'' said Hada.In a bid to disseminate information on AICTE's online approval process, the workshop is being conducted across the country. So far, 25 states have been covered. He also expressed concern over petty things marring technical institutions and keeping students at the receiving end. Earlier, vice-chancellor, Mahayana Technical University (MTU) S K Kak applauded efforts of AICTE in easing out approval process and following the e-governance methodology. He also stressed quality education and best possible ways to management the technical institutions. AICTE's northern region office (Kanpur) director PK Sahoo highlighted the basic objectives of e-governance process. He said e-governance was aimed at ensuring transparency, accessibility and quick disposal through online solution to over 15,000 technical institutions in India.

Source- TOI

A COMING PREVENTIVE TOOL FOR TB: RAY OF HOPE

WHO said that licensing of at least one new vaccine will be possible by 2020. A new vaccine that prevents TB could significantly reduce the enormous financial burden of treating drug resistant TB which can cost one lac rupee per patient in India.

          After almost 100 years, there are hopes of a new tuberculosis vaccine. This could prevent the toll that the disease takes on individuals who are subjected 18-24 months of medication which side effect that can be as severe as hearing loss or psychosis. TB is one of the top killers of women.

               Two different approaches are being used to develop TB vaccine:

The first approach is to develop vaccines that would do better than BCG and replace it –such as an improved version of BCG or a new attenuated live M. tuberculosis vaccine

The second approach is to develop a “prime-boost” strategy in which BCG continuous to be given to neonates (as now),since it prevent TB in infant and in children and give the new vaccine as a booster dose at a later stage .Alternatively the vaccine would be delivered to infant along side other vaccine 

                 

              Of the 12 vaccine candidates in clinical trials 11 are for prevention of TB and one is an immunotherapeutic vaccine. MVA85A is designed as a booster vaccine for infants, adolescents and adults. Among existing vaccine candidate for TB prevention, it is the one that is most advanced in terms of clinical testing.

The phase-II trial of this vaccine was conducted in South Africa from 2009-11, with 2797 infants enrolled. Results are expected in early 2013 and will provide the first efficacy data of new TB vaccine candidate. 

                              

ASHISH RAJPUT                         AVADHKISHORE GOYAL         MANVENDRA PRATAP SINGH

B.PHARM 3^rd  YEAR STUDENTS                                     

Institute of Pharmaceutical Research

GLA University, Mathura                                                                                    

Listening Aids May Help Boost Dyslexic Kids' 

Reading Skills

According to a new research, devices that amplify the sound of a teacher's voice may help children with dyslexia improve their reading skills. After a year of wearing the devices in the classroom, children with dyslexia had improved scores on tests of phonological awareness and reading.

Neuroscientist saw improvements in reading, and when they measured the brain's response to speech sounds, not only did the kids who wore the device become more consistent to the very soft and rapidly changing elements of sound which helped in distinguishing one consonant from another, but their brains also responded more consistently to sounds.

"For some kids, sound-to-meaning connections need to be made enabling them to read but if the child is hearing the teacher's voice right in his ear [through an assistive listening device], it makes him pay attention. It enables the child to know what to pay attention to."

In this study,nineteen students wore an assistive listening device throughout each school day for the entire school year. The other 19 children were the control group. The device is simple. The teacher wears a microphone, and each child wears an earpiece, similar to a Bluetooth receiver, that puts the sound of the teacher's voice directly in the child's ear.

"The idea was that, if the teacher's voice was directly reached into your ear, you will focus more on that and there will be less chances of distraction.

Before and after a year of use of the device, the brains of kids who wore the device responded more consistently to the very soft and rapidly changing elements of sound that help distinguish one consonant from another, such as cat, bat and pat. It helped in improving reading skills.

So they are speaking right into the child's ear and helping their nervous system to stabilize and building literacy as well as literacy skills

Venu Varshney,

B.Pharm 2^nd Year , IPR, GLA University

India Born Expert’s Triple Therapy Makes Heart Beat Longer

It’s an innovative triple therapy meant to resuscitate very sick hearts – and is inexpensive too. The procedure will make the heart stronger, give it more years and is ideal for the multitude of Indian heart patients, its India-born innovator promises.

 The triple therapy involves angiogenesis (stimulating the growth of a network of blood vessels in the failing heart), stem cell technology and a single bypass surgery – all in combination in a single surgical session.

Eminent cardiac surgeon Mukesh Hariawala, who last month was honoured with ‘India’s Most Admired Surgeon’ award by Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan in Mumbai, promises his triple therapy will greatly minimise the need to go in for future heart surgery. “It is a revolutionary technique,” Hariawala, who is also healthcare economist, told IANS during a visit here. Hariawala, a visiting honorary cardiac surgeon at Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital, will be conducting a clinical trial of his therapy at the hospital next year.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) would be the largest cause of death and disability in India by 2020. Heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year and the numbers are rising.

By 2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from CVDs annually.

Hariawala’s innovation works three ways – first by stimulating the growth of a network of blood vessels in the failing heart, second by injecting stem cells harvested from the patient’s hip into the heart, and third, by a single bypass surgery.

US-based Hariawala, who trained in cardiac surgery and transplantation in Britain before moving to Boston where he is attached with the Harvard Medical School Affiliated Hospitals, began working on angiogenesis in 1995.

“The triple therapy ensures total repair of the heart,” said Hariawala, adding he would be holding numerous training programmes across India on the procedure.

“The procedure ensures complete re-vascularisation of the heart and the patient is expected not to need further cardiac intervention,” said Hariawala, who was a member of the surgical team that performed the first bypass surgery on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 1990 along with John Wright at Harley Street Clinic in London.

For the triple therapy to work – all three procedures need to work in tandem in a hybrid operating suite, which would have a combination of a cath lab and operation theatre, said Hariawala, adding that some big brands are providing this to Indian hospitals.

“The entire procedure is very inexpensive,” he said.

Hariawala added that he would be speaking on his triple therapy at conferences in India and educational events across the world.

 

ANJALI SOLANKI

B.PHARM 2^nd YEAR

IPR