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

SPECIAL ARTICLE ON THE EVE OF BLOOD DONATION CAMP

THE GIFT OF BLOOD IS THE GIFT OF LIFE

Facts about blood needs

• Every year our nation requires about 4 crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 40 lakh units of blood are available.
• Every two seconds someone needs blood.
• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year.
• The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
• Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
• More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood

Facts about the blood supply

• Type O-negative blood (red cells) can be transfused to patients of all blood types. It is always in great demand and often in short supply.
• Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types. AB plasma is also usually in short supply.

Facts about the blood donation

• The average adult has about 10 units of blood in his body. Roughly 1 unit is given during a donation.
• A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days, or double red cells every 112 days.
• A healthy donor may donate platelets as few as 7 days apart, but a maximum of 24 times a year.
• Only 7 percent of people in India have O-negative blood type. O-negative blood type donors are universal donors as their blood can be given to people of all blood types.
• 0.4 percent of people have AB-blood type. AB-type blood donors are universal donors of plasma, which is often used in emergencies, for newborns and for patients requiring massive transfusions.
• All donated blood is tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other infectious diseases before it can be transfused to patients.

 

Facts about blood and its components

• Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body's weight.
• There are four types of transfusable products that can be derived from blood: red cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate. Typically, two or three of these are produced from a unit of donated whole blood – hence each donation can help save up to three lives.
• Donors can give either whole blood or specific blood components only. The process of donating specific blood components – red cells, plasma or platelets – is called apheresis.
• One transfusion dose of platelets can be obtained through one apheresis donation of platelets or by combining the platelets derived from five whole blood donations.
• Donated platelets must be used within five days of collection.
• Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red cells, plasma and platelets. The body will replenish the elements given during a blood donation – some in a matter of hours and others in a matter of weeks.

     Sonia Sharma & Shruti Tandon

Asst. Professor

GLAUIPR