Doctors remove LED bulb of toy phone from infant's respiratory tract in Ahmedabad
The child, identified as Mohammad, son of Tabassum and Juned Yusuf, a carpenter, had been coughing for the previous fortnight, following which he was taken to a pediatrician in Junagadh, said his parents.
During an X-ray, the doctors found an object lodged in his respiratory tract.
The doctors recommended the boy's parents, residents of Mangrol in Junagadh, to a private hospital in Rajkot but since the cost proved prohibitive, the parents took him to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. The child was immediately admitted to the Pediatric Surgery Department of the civil hospital on June 3.
Head of the Pediatric Surgery Department, Dr Rakesh Joshi, and Dr Nilesh from the Anesthesia department along with their team successfully conducted a bronchoscopy (medical procedure) and extracted the LED bulb from the right main trachea of the child. After the operation, the child's health has been improving, said a doctor familiar with the development.
The child is now healthy without any other problems, so he will be discharged from the hospital soon, said the doctor.
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Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why minimum standards for handling diagnostic samples are important
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) last week assured the Delhi High Court that it will soon notify minimum clinical standards for collection, handling, and transport of diagnostic samples. The MoHFW said that subject experts held 'detailed internal deliberations for formulating minimum standards' following which the draft minimum standards were finalised. The policy is currently being vetted by the legislative department of the Ministry of Law & Justice, the MoHFW told the court. Existing Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines on collection and handling of clinical samples are rudimentary and piecemeal. For instance, the Pune-based ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) has specific 'Guidelines for collection, packaging and transport of specimens for testing for high risk viral pathogens', which include guidelines for handling samples containing Covid-19 virus. These guidelines, however, are not comprehensive: they only relate to handling of specific 'high risk' viruses. These are also not uniformly enforced owing to gaps in the law governing labs and sample collection centres, as well as its enforcement. Medical professionals have long been calling for reform; the MoHFW's soon-to-be-notified policy seeks to answer this call. Beyond lack of comprehensive clinical guidelines, experts have pointed to a couple of significant loopholes vis-à-vis the medical testing ecosystem. 🔴 First is the continued existence of standalone collection centres. In 2018, the Centre had notified that sample collection centres should be part of the main laboratories, and that the parent laboratories should be held accountable for their compliance of norms. But in the absence of clear-cut standards, standalone collection centres continue to be registered in various states, posing a fundamental problem when it comes to ensuring compliance with clinical standards. In November 2020, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) had flagged that 'there are mismatches in the declaration (of samples) made by (accredited) lab to NABL and the actual collection centres/facilities/sources of collection which are available on their websites or other documents'. At the time, it advised labs to declare all sample collection centres within 30 days, and cautioned that 'any sample collection not under the responsibility of the lab and not covered under its (quality) management system is non-compliant with the accreditation norms and liable to action by NABL.' The MoHFW's new policy will likely address this issue. 🔴 Experts have also called for revisiting current laws guiding 'who' can collect samples and issue reports. In 2019, pathologist Dr Rohit Jain moved the Delhi High Court, challenging the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2018, specifically on minimum requirements for signatory authorities in diagnostic laboratories. He sought implementation of a 2017 order of the Supreme Court, which said that a lab report should be counter-signed only by a registered medical practitioner with a post graduate qualification in pathology. At the time, he also sought guidelines on minimum standards for medical diagnostic labs with regard to sample collection centres, sample transport, electronic signatures on pathological reports by authorised signatories, number of pathology labs a pathologist can visit in a day and on daily internal quality control. But the Centre's Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2020 did not address the issue, allowing 'unqualified and unregistered non-medical persons viz MSc/PhD were authorised to issue pathology reports without the signature/counter signature of a pathologist,' according to Jain. Jain challenged these amended rules, and in August 2021, also moved court highlighting an RT-PCR testing 'scam' during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar that year where one lakh fake tests were reportedly conducted on devotees by unqualified intermediaries. 'The accused diagnostic labs in Delhi and Haryana were able to collect samples and conduct a huge number of tests where they have no sample collection centres at Uttarakhand. It is clear that a scam of such enormity has only been possible because of the lack of essential minimum standards on the issue of sample collection/sample collection centres and sample transport policy,' Jain had argued in his submission. In 2023, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to consider Jain's plea as a representation and decide a solution in three months. In May 2023, the government held a meeting under the chairmanship of the Additional Director-General of Health Services, New Delhi, where Jain too was invited to make his representation. After the meeting, the government decided to constitute four sub-committees of experts — pathology, biochemistry, hematology and microbiology — to define standards of procedure (SOPs) for sample collection, collection centres and sample transport policy. When these guidelines were not notified even a year later, Jain in May 2024 moved the Delhi High Court again, accusing the government of wilful disobedience of the court's order. It is in this matter that the MoHFW has now assured the court that a policy will be notified at the earliest. Taking the ministry's submission on record, the court instructed that the standards be notified expeditiously, with a direction that the process 'may be accomplished within the next three months'.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Whole wheat burgers, millet pasta: How Delhi schools are serving up healthier menus
Priti Bali works her magic in the kitchen by asking one question: How can a meal be more interesting? 'Kids love flavour, texture, variety,' says the Delhi-based award-winning food entrepreneur who consults for six private schools in the city. 'If the food looks exciting and tastes good, they're not going to ask whether it has maida or not.' Bali's approach aligns well with the Central Board for Secondary Education's recent directive to display oil and sugar boards in schools. The boards are to be installed in shared common spaces with the aim to educate students as well as the teachers on the harmful effects of high ocnsumption of fat, oil, and sugar. But for Bali, it's not just about nutritional transparency. It's going a little further by changing habits subtly. 'You can't just tell children what not to eat. You have to show them there's something better.' From millet-based pizzas to homemade corn chips, her menu reads like a chef's answer to a nutritionist's wishlist. 'I make dal makhani without cream… I use butter and crushed cashews and almonds,' Bali says. Burgers come on millet buns, coleslaw is made with hung curd, and homemade Mediterranean dips like tzatziki — a Greek-style yoghurt dip known for its gut-friendly properties — replace anything processed, especially Mayonnaise. 'You have to keep it fun,' she says. During winters, she introduces jaggery-based drinks that help clear the lungs. 'Healthy food doesn't have to come with warnings,' she says. 'It should come with flavour.' Schools, meanwhile, have taken a leaf out of her book by revamping canteen menus and introducing food-related projects. At ITL Public School, Ritu Sharma, academic coordinator, accompanied a group of Class 12 students to Shimla earlier this year. The students were given full freedom; some had money, others had access to kettles in their hotel rooms. But not one reached for instant noodles, Sharma says. 'They stuck to the school's planned meals. Some even brought home-packed food. That was new.' The school also tracks daily cafeteria feedback, conducts interdisciplinary projects around food labels and health, and ensures every student undergoes medical checkups twice a year. 'Fruit breaks, peer educator programmes, and now the CBSE's sugar and oil boards have all helped build awareness,' says Sumana Goswami, coordinator of Class 9 and 10 classes at the school. 'We have seen thyroid and ovarian issues in senior classes. Children do become stressed and tired. Physical activities in the school make a huge difference,' Sharma says. For Shalini Choudhary, headmistress at Mamta Modern School in Vikaspuri, the shift was noticeable at home. 'My son came back from school and said, 'Mama, kal lunch mein pickle dena (Ma, don't add pickle to my lunch tomorrow)',' she recalls. 'He didn't even know what a pickle was… we don't eat it at home. He'd tasted it from a classmate's tiffin.' That one sentence said everything about how children absorb food culture through their peers, and how schools influence the food choices, Choudhary realised. At her school, sugar boards are now displayed in the secondary wing, and fruit and vegetable theme days are held to nudge children towards healthier choices. 'In primary classes, parents still control the food,' she says. 'But by middle school, peer influence and coaching schedules take over.' At DPS Mathura Road, a revamped menu now features rajma rice, whole wheat burgers, semolina pasta, and drinks like chaach and coconut water. 'We've cut down on oily dishes like puri chole to once a week,' says Kamna Arora, coordinator for Classes 3 to 5. 'And we reserve one day when children can have what they like, French fries, honey chilli potato. But the rest of the week is clean.' In pre-primary classes, 'Healthy Tiffin Weeks' are now frequent, with games, story sessions, and reward charts encouraging children to bring fruits, vegetables, and homemade snacks. At Sri Venkateshwar International School, the canteen doesn't sit in a corner of the school; it is brought to the students. Each day, a mobile food stall is set up outside a different classroom. Trisha, a Class 12 student, loves (millet-based) pasta day. Her friends, Avni and Tuhina, say that between coaching classes and long school days, planning healthy meals at home is a struggle. 'At least here, we know the food's strictly healthy,' Avni says. 'We use palm oil instead of refined, limit spice, and constantly update our menu based on feedback,' says Ushma Kapoor, foundational years in charge. 'It's not just about what's in the food, but about teaching children how to think about food.' Doctors agree that the food boards are a step in the right direction in educating students. 'It is not about eating less food,' says Dr Nitin Verma, Director of Paediatrics at Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital. 'It is about eating the right food.' He warns that the early introduction of sugar can raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes, and says screen-heavy routines have led to a dangerous combination of sedentary lifestyles and junk food addiction. The CBSE boards, he says, are a good start, but he emphasises that more is needed: 'Schools should offer real alternatives: avocado toast, sprouts, protein-rich meals. Don't ban. Replace.' At Orchids International School, Gurgaon, Principal Dr Chaitini Kumar says, 'Binge-eating is a concern… When I was in Mumbai, a grade 2 student had obesity issues. Her parents were frustrated that she only eats aloo puri… we gave her a lot of options, but she wouldn't eat… So that happens a lot.' At the same school, a Class 9 boy says, 'When I was in Class 5, I was addicted to sugary food. After some time, when I entered Class 7, I understood the harm it has on the body. That's when I decided to reduce it.' Schools are also trying to balance health goals with student preferences. At Amity International School, Saket, the canteen menu includes familiar favourites like rajma chawal, chhole chawal, chana kulcha, idli sambhar, and vegetarian fried rice with manchurian. Among students, the most popular dish is vegetable chowmein. While the noodles are made using maida, the school has added more vegetables to enhance their nutritional value. Principal Divya Bhatia says, 'Chips and aerated drinks are not served. We are also contemplating adding sprout chaat, wheat kathis and beetroot rolls.' The canteen is open to students from Class VI onwards, while students of Classes IV and V are allowed to purchase food on specific days. At DPS Mathura Road, Kamna Arora, coordinator for Classes 3 to 5, explains, 'There are two kinds of parents. Some are very health conscious and support these changes. But others insist on keeping items their child likes — like noodles.' To find a middle ground, the school includes items like fries or veg manchurian once a week, while focusing on healthier options the rest of the time. On a Friday morning in her office, Arora flips through a student's notebook from Class IV, where she's checking diagrams of human teeth. One page, written in neat handwriting, poses the question: 'What is a balanced diet?' She explains that the lesson connects the two on how poor eating habits, like excess sugar or lack of nutrients, can lead to tooth decay and other oral health issues. 'These lessons are embedded across subjects,' she says. 'It becomes more detailed in Class V and above, but the foundation is laid early. Every moment in school is an opportunity to reinforce it.'
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
3 best and worst foods for fatty liver disease, according to a leading US doc
Fatty liver disease is increasingly affecting even teenagers, often due to poor diet. Gastroenterologist Dr. Saurabh Sethi highlights sugary drinks, deep-fried foods, and ultra-processed items as detrimental to liver health. Conversely, he recommends healthy beverages like coffee and tea, turmeric, and the '3 B's' – blueberries, broccoli, and beetroot – to support liver function and potentially reverse the condition. The incidence of fatty liver disease is on the rise. Though many people believe that this liver condition only affects older or overweight individuals, that's not true. Even teenagers are now being diagnosed with fatty liver . Poor diet is a major contributor to this condition. With proper lifestyle changes, including diet, one can reverse fatty liver. Dr. Saurabh Sethi, a California-based gastroenterologist, has shared a list of foods that are good for liver health, and some that worsen liver disease, including fatty liver. Let's take a look. What is fatty liver disease Fatty liver disease is a condition where excess fat accumulates in the liver, disrupting its function. The liver is the largest organ in the body, responsible for digesting food, storing energy, and removing toxins from the body. There are two main types of fatty liver disease: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), aka Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) Alcoholic fatty liver disease, also called alcoholic steatohepatitis 3 worst foods for fatty liver disease Studies have consistently shown that diet plays a key role in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Consumption of certain foods can lead to fat buildup in the liver, and the fatty liver could progress to fibrosis, scarring, or even cirrhosis. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Have Arthritis Avoid This Food Active Life Journal Learn More Undo Dr. Sethi has listed three foods that damage the liver. Sugary drinks: The first of the gastroenterologist's list is sugary drinks. These include sodas and juices. They are empty calories, which are loaded with harmful sweeteners and preservatives. Even your diet soda is harmful as it contains artificial sweeteners like aspartame. 'Soft drinks are liquid poison,' Dr. Sethi said. He also added that instead of sugary drinks, he prefers to drink plain water, sparkling water, coffee, or tea. Deep-fried foods: Regardless of how tempting those samosas or fritters look, you must avoid them if you care about your liver health. Most of such foods are cooked in unhealthy oils, which harm the liver. Well, if you really cannot avoid deep-fried foods, Dr. Sethi suggests frying them in an air fryer, which requires no oil. 'While not perfect, it is a better alternative to deep frying.' Also, if you like to brush a little bit of oil for extra crunch, he suggests using oils with a high smoke point, such as avocado oil or olive oil. Ultra-processed foods: Dr. Sethi has also suggested avoiding ultra-processed foods such as chips, candies, hot dogs, instant noodles, and even sugary cereals. These foods are highly processed, which is detrimental to liver health. 'Sugary cereals, which millions of kids all around the world start their morning with, are more like serial killers. Instead, switch to healthier breakfast options like oatmeal or eggs, or multigrain breads,' Dr. Sethi said. Diljit Dosanjh's Diet Diaries: Neem, Dalia & Desi Sass 3 best foods to reverse fatty liver disease Healthy beverages: Yes, you read that right. According to Dr. Sethi, beverages such as black coffee, black tea, green tea, and matcha are great for liver health. 'These beverages are rich in antioxidants that can support liver health. Just keep these to 1 to 2 cups a day and avoid adding sugar," the doctor suggested. If you really want sweetness, you can add a dash of honey. People who have trouble sleeping can pick the decaf option. Turmeric: The gastroenterologist also suggested taking turmeric, as it contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory properties. "Aim to incorporate half to 1 teaspoon of turmeric in your diet daily," the doctor said. He also emphasized consulting your doctor before taking turmeric. 3 B's: Dr. Sethi also pointed out to add 3 Bs in the diet - Blueberries, broccoli, and beetroot. Berries such as blueberries and strawberries are high in antioxidants (anthocyanins), which improve liver function. Broccoli, on the other hand, contains sulforaphane, which enhances liver detoxification. Beetroots are high in betalains, which support blood flow and help in detoxification.
