wo people became the latest victims of Swine Flu in Delhi, taking the death toll to 33 this year. 20 out of them hailed from Delhi, while 13 were from outside the city.

As many as 46 new H1N1 cases were reported on Saturday, taking the number of positive cases in the city to 1,133.

The rising Dengue and Swine Flu cases in Delhi have become a major concern ahead of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2010. The number of dengue patients in the city has gone up to 1,226.

Men suffering from sleep deprivation are more likely to die prematurely than those who regularly get a good night's sleep, a new study has found.

Researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine, Pennsylvania, found that men with chronic insomnia were four times more likely to die than those with healthy sleep patterns.

But, women appear able to cope with sleep deprivation without lowering their life expectancy, they found.

The study, according to the researchers, adds to growing evidence that too little sleep can have long-term health implications.

"The primary finding of our study is that insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, is associated with significant mortality in men," said lead researcher Dr Alexandros Vgontzas of the Penn State College of Medicine.

"Until now, no study has demonstrated that insomnia is associated with mortality," Dr Vgontzas was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail .

For their study, the scientists looked at the sleep patterns of 1,000 women and 741 men, who joined the study in the 1990s and provided a detailed sleep history. They also had their sleep monitored during one night in a laboratory.

Eight per cent of women and four per cent of men were diagnosed by the scientists as having chronic insomnia and sleeping on average fewer than six hours a night.

But over the following 14 years, men with chronic insomnia were four times more likely to die than those with more healthy sleep patterns.

The findings took into account diseases that could cause the men to sleep badly -- such as diabetes and high blood pressure -- and risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, depression, obesity and sleeping disorders.

However, women with insomnia were just as likely to die in the following decade as those without, the researchers found.

Men were at an even greater risk of premature death if they suffered from chronic insomnia and diabetes or high blood pressure.

"We believe that cumulatively these findings will increase the awareness among physicians and scientists that insomnia should be diagnosed early and treated appropriately," said Dr Vgontzas.

Although the researchers are unsure why insomnia is more dangerous for men, they suggested most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night.

The findings of the study are published in the medical journal Sleep .

Is a killer bug really lurking around in the corners of Delhi, awaiting an opportunity to attack our bodies? We get to the bottom of the superbug mystery.

All the hue and cry about Delhi's 'superbug' NDM- 1 may have died down, but many of us are still mystified and confused about whether the threat posed by this is for real. If there really is a killer bug out there, then what we can do to protect ourselves and our families from it? Here is the lowdown on this superbug and the superbug phenomenon in general, that should help you understand the scenario better.

In the past two decades, various "superbugs" or antibiotic resistant organisms that seriously threaten health and longevity have emerged.

"Such drug-resistant microbes are a global phenomenon, not specific to any country," says Dr Chand Wattal, head, clinical microbiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Worried about their potential to create disaster, medical scientists have been searching for ways to ward off these biologic invaders. While severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was the superbug public health headlinegrabber some years ago, public health experts point out those other, more insidious threats - particularly those from antibiotic-resistant bacteria - continue to lurk below the septic layers of medicine.

Ironically scientists have dealt with the Hantavirus, the West Nile virus and mad cow disease well enough but no one has found a solution for the antimicrobial resistance that has been around for over 60 years. Bacteria are adaptable organisms that are still many steps ahead of science.

Not a Delhi phenomenon
The "superbug" that has been named the New Delhi metallobeta- lactamase or NDM- 1, is a new gene that allows any bacteria to become a superbug, or antibiotic resistant organism. This gene is transferable across bacteria and can make common infections lethal. People with reduced immunity are at the highest risk of succumbing to these. "Patients who are getting treated in an ICU for a chronic health problem are at the highest risk for acquiring such drugresistant infections. Not everybody who walks into a hospital can acquire the infection," clarifies Dr Wattal.

Though this gene may be found in any part of the world, in India the NDM- 1 gene is the major cause of antibiotic resistance in two bacterial species- E. coli and Klebsiella. In other countries genes are different and are named differently like VIM- 1 (for "Verona integron- encoded metallo-a-lactamase" first isolated in Verona, Italy,) SPM- 1 (for "Sao Paulo metallo-a- lactamase"), GIM- 1 (for "German imipenemase") SIM 1 (for Seoul imipenemase) and so on. Superbugs may not be an immediate threat to those carrying them, but can become dangerous to these very people after an operation when their immunity is low. Carriers can also infect other people.

Drug resistance to blame
Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to human health, says the World Health Organisation. Despite the alarm over antibiotic resistant bacteria being sounded in the past, the reality is that physicians continue to prescribe antibiotics inappropriately and people are careless about the way they take these. In recent years, bacteria or superbugs have adapted to resist multiple antibiotics, including the ' last- line' drugs, leaving no scope for complacency about the threat posed by antibiotic- resistant bacteria.

We're already seeing infections that fail to respond to the first or even second antibiotic prescribed. If we continue on this course, we're going to find ourselves back in the Dark Ages, when serious infections had no cure. The widespread misuse of antibiotics in the following ways fuels the development of resistance.

* Unnecessary prescriptions: Recommending antibiotics indiscriminately for every illness, provides the opportunity for benign bacteria to acquire resistance, that can be later passed on to pathogens. Treating infections with antibiotics without identifying the causative agent and prescribing them for viral infections that don't respond to them, are the most common ways in which antibiotics are misused, according to microbiologist Dr A K Prasad. Knowing whether or not an antibiotic is likely to be effective is crucial before embarking on a prescription."Antibiotics are prescribed most often for diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections, which don't require this treatment," says Dr TD Chugh, senior consultant, microbiology, BL Kapur Memorial Hospital.
* Incomplete course: Unfinished antibiotic prescriptions leave some bacteria alive and expose them to sub- inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics for a prolonged period. TB treatment provides an example of how antibiotic resistant strains of the TB bacterium have developed. Being several months and even years long, many abandon the treatment mid- way, fuelling the development of resistance: 5 percent of strains now observed are completely resistant to all known treatments and hence incurable.
* Adding them to animal feed: Putting antibiotics in animal feed can accelerate the development of drug resistance. Delivering antibiotics to livestock in animal feed is similar to giving people antibiotics all their life even when they are healthy. Many food borne pathogens live in a symbiotic relationship with cows and chickens. They can acquire resistant genes, infect humans, cause food poisoning from consumption of beef or chicken and can transfer those resistance genes to other bacteria.
* The antibiotic Catch-22: Despite the several deadly superbugs on doctors' radar screens, the number of new antibiotics in the market to combat them is nearly zero. This is because of the huge expense involved in developing new drugs, for which there is limited possibility of recovering revenue.


It's an antibiotic Catch-22: Doctors tend to limit prescriptions of new drugs for all but the direst infections to delay the emergence of resistant strains. So what's good for public health is a real disincentive for antibiotic development.

What needs to be done:
Educating healthcare workers and the public in the appropriate use of antibiotics; introducing or enforcing legislation related to stopping the sales of antibiotics without prescription; and strict adherence to infection prevention and control measures, including the use of handwashing measures, particularly in healthcare facilities.

SUPERBUG IQ

Avoid contracting a superbug: If a doctor prescribes an antibiotic, do ask questions about the prescription. In addition, get a lab test done to determine what kind of infection you have, and which antibiotic is likely to be most effective for this.

Avoid self medication: Self- medication and repeating the same prescription can lead to the development of resistance. So take a doctor's advice instead.

Keep washing: Scrubbing with soap and water is the best way to keep germs and super- bugs at bay. Do it before eating, after using the toilet and handling animals, and before preparing food.

Carry a sanitising gel: Using a gel with at least 60 percent alcohol between hand washings reduces the spread of disease- causing bacteria and viruses.

Stay home when sick: Avoid public places (even hospitals) when you are ill as the danger of picking up another infection is high when your immunity is low. Stay away from others who have colds, coughs or other infections too.

What if you knew your child has genes [basic, functional units of heredity, each occupying a specific place on a chromosome.] to be the next Einstein and you could very well bring out the best in him?

An increasing no. of parents in the United States and Europe are getting their kids undergo a DNA or gene test that might give them an insight into the child's future prospects.

While some claim that knowing the results could help parents make decisions about where their kids might excel; others wonder if such a test is really a good idea.

Early gene mapping for future

The DNA test offers parents a glimpse of their kids future. It is a technology that promises to revolutionize the way we groom our children.

It is possible to determine a child's genetic makeup or genetic map well before he or she first kicks a ball, learns to swim or even before takes his or her first step.

"A child can be tested directly right after they're born," Mike Weinstein of Atlas Sports Genetics said. "Because of this in-depth gene mapping knowledge we can determine the inborn or natural talents of your child. "

Even, India has started using "sports genetics" to ascertain what sport their children will do best in when they grow up.

Doctors use information contained in the so-called "sports gene ACTN3" to predict what kind of game the child would excel in as an adult.

"Analysis of the ACTN3 gene can be used to predict the kind of muscle fibre the child will develop as he/she grows up. Based on this we can figure out the body's capacity to adapt to different sports," says a leading orthopedic surgeon in Chennai.

Till date, at least 100 parents across India have got their children's special genes [basic, functional units of heredity, each occupying a specific place on a chromosome.] tested.

How is it done?
The DNA talent test is done with a simple saliva [mixture of water, protein, and salts that makes food easy to swallow; begins digestion] swab costing Rs. 2,000. The ideal age to take the test is from 4 to 10 years.

The sample can collect as many as 10,000 cells that enable scientists to isolate up to 40 different genes.

By studying the genetic code, scientists can extract specialized DNA information about a child's IQ, athletic ability, artistic ability, emotional control, focus and other talents and even health and disease related factors.

China leads in DNA testing: CNN
Though the technology is fast getting popular all over the world, but in China, most parents are using this specialized DNA Talent Testing so they can steer their child along an athletic and scholastic path to which they are genetically suited, reported CNN.

In fact, the Chinese government has special programs for talented children as young as 2 years. Under the program, lucky parents are given scholarships and may even be paid a government salary, if needed.

If some are labeling the test as an attempt by performance-obsessed parents to overburden children already under pressure, many have welcomed the futuristic approach with both the hands.

A two-and-a-half days old baby underwent laparoscopic surgery for congenital diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) at The Cradle hospital on recently.

Also, the baby was discharged after ten days, a rarity since most are kept for around four weeks. However, since it was a laparoscopic surgery, the recovery was faster, said Paediatric Surgeon Dr S Ramesh.

The baby was diagnosed with CDH during the pre-natal test done in London, where the doctors said that the baby's survival may be only 50 per cent. So Jasna Ramakrishna, the baby's mother, flew to Bangalore and consulted at The Cradle.

Dr Kishore Kumar, neonatologist, said CDH was a birth defect which causes an abnormal opening in the diaphragm, the muscle that helps a person breathe. The opening allows part of the organs from the belly (stomach, spleen, liver, and intestines) to go up into the chest cavity near the lungs. The prevalence of CDH in new born babies is one in every 2,000-4,000 live births in India. Family history increases the chances of a baby developing CDH.