New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) ‘Mothers Against Vaping’, a united front of concerned mothers combatting the promotion of New-Age Tobacco Devices such as e-cigarettes, vapes, electronic nicotine delivery systems, heat-not-burn products, e-hookahs and similar devices among Indian children and youth, on Friday announced that Nandita Das, actor-filmmaker and National Film Award winner, would be supporting and endorsing their critical cause.

Nandita Das joins a distinguished group of influential role models including Baichung Bhutia, Deepa Malik, Dutee Chand, Neha Dhupia, Kushboo Sundar and Kishwar Desai who have been supporting Mothers Against Vaping in their campaign against the growing threat of vaping among children and youth.

Nandita’s endorsement will be important in combating children and youth vaping. Her influence will amplify Mothers Against Vaping’s efforts, highlighting the urgency of addressing this health crisis and implementing protective measures against the use of new-age tobacco devices.

On her joining the cause of Mothers Against Vaping, Nandita Das said, “The increasing prevalence of modern new-age tobacco devices among our children and youth should be of deep concern to all of us. As a mother of a teenager, I worry for all children and hope that they don’t fall prey to such harmful addictions. The issue demands our immediate personal and collective attention. That’s why I am wholeheartedly supporting ‘Mothers Against Vaping’ in their efforts to combat the promotion of devices such as e-cigarettes, vapes and heat-not-burn products.”

“Today’s children are intelligent and exposed to a lot of information. They are also vocal and rational. So we need to explain to them logically the dangers of such devices that may look attractive or ‘cool’. They can see reason if we engage with them constructively and compassionately. It is difficult to shun peer pressure at their age, so we must find ways to boost their confidence and equip them to make informed choices. Let us support them in making healthy decisions,” Nandita added.

On the occasion of Nandita joining their mission, Mothers Against Vaping highlighted a new danger for children and teens who vape. These children now face heightened risks of exposure to uranium and lead. This kind of exposure to New-Age Tobacco Devices like Electronic Cigarettes, Vaping Devices and other Heat Not Burn Devices can harm the brain and affect its development in children and teens.

Citing a recent research published in the journal, Tobacco Control, Mothers Against Vaping highlighted the findings linking vaping to raised levels of uranium and lead exposure. The study examined urine samples from vapers to detect the presence of uranium, cadmium and lead.

The research also reported increased uranium levels found in vapers who used sweet-flavoured categories. The report found 90 per cent higher uranium levels among vapers who preferred sweet flavours such as fruit, chocolate or desserts.

There is mounting evidence that strongly suggests the detrimental impact of the use of new-age tobacco devices among both children and adults. Unlike traditional cigarettes, which are typically smoked in a few minutes, these devices allow for extended usage sessions. The ultrafine particles and chemicals found in the e-liquids of these devices pose risks of chemical poisoning to users.

–IANS

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Islamabad, July 5 (IANS) Wild poliovirus type 1 has been detected in sewage samples from two new districts in Pakistan along with the six previously infected districts of three provinces, the Pakistani Health Ministry said.

The virus was detected from environmental samples collected between June 10 and June 12 from Gwadar, Sibi, Kech, Dukki, Usta Muhammad and Mastung districts in southwest Balochistan province, Rawalpindi district of eastern Punjab province, and Abbottabad district of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

All positive samples are genetically linked to the YB3A genetic cluster of type 1, which has been detected in all positive cases and sewage samples reported this year, reported Xinhua news agency.

The Pakistan Polio Program is conducting a polio campaign in 41 districts this week, including Dukki, Sibi, Mastung, Usta Muhammad and some areas of Rawalpindi, to vaccinate over 9.5 million children under 5, while more campaigns are planned in coming months, according to the ministry.

So far this year, Pakistan has reported six polio cases.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 5 (IANS) When several lakhs of Mumbaikars trooped in from all over to give a welcome of a lifetime to the T20 World Cup kings, Team India at Marine Drive, they also gave a lifeline to an emergency patient being sped in an ambulance on that very chock-a-block road.

The ambulance, speeding from an unknown location to a hospital in south Mumbai on Thursday was probably rushing a patient to a nearby hospital when it encountered the ocean of humanity awaiting Team India.

Unfazed, the ambulance driver blared the vehicle siren resulting in a magical effect — the crowds seemed to move aside to provide a clear lane for the ambulance — and it proceeded without any major delays.

The Mumbaikars’ habitual discipline — witnessed daily on crowded roads where ambulances, police vehicles or fire brigade are willingly and obediently given the right of way — was lauded by the Mumbai Police which tweeted a video of the ambulance negotiating the route cleared for it.

“Siren bajta gaya, Raasta banta gaya… Salute to Mumbaikars”, said the Mumbai Police tweet.

Though solitary in the huge crowd surrounding it from all sides, the ambulance covered the Marine Drive distance, dodged the people and bypassed several other vehicles stuck in the jam, to safely move towards one of the roads on the left and disappeared from view.

Later, the Champion Team India reached the same Marine Drive where the crowds had swelled much higher, giving some anxious moments to the police, deployed in huge numbers, after a caution call from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and a public appeal from Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Several people complained of breathlessness, a woman fainted and was hoisted on the shoulder of a policeman who took her away, and at one point, the police resorted to mild caning (lathi-charge) to control the frenzied crowds.

“It was one of its kind crowd and traffic management (today) with mobs milling and spilling over everywhere, waiting with bated breath to salute the Champions! But it was the Mumbai Police that batted through the innings and won the day for us and the city. Well done!” said Commissioner of Police Vivek Phansalkar.

He congratulated and lauded the efforts of all the top brass, officers and staff deployed and involved in the bandobast duties last evening and thanked all Mumbaikars which ensured that it remained a special moment for our champions and fans — “We made it happen together!”

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The NITI Aayog on Thursday launched the ‘Sampoornata Abhiyan’ with a focus on themes such as health, nutrition, agriculture, social development, and education.

The launch events were organised across all the 112 Aspirational Districts and 500 Aspirational Blocks.

This comprehensive three-month campaign, running from July 4 to September 30, aims to achieve 100 per cent saturation of 12 key social sector indicators across all Aspirational Districts and Blocks.

As part of the 3-month long campaign, district and block officials, along with elected people’s representatives, will organise awareness activities like Gram Sabhas, Nukkad Natak, Paushtik Aahar Mela, Health camps, ICDS camps, Awareness Marches and Rallies, Exhibitions, Poster making and Poem competitions around 12 themes identified for 100 per cent saturation across all Aspirational Blocks and Districts.

NITI Aayog said that the officials and Young Professionals are “participating in the launch events in person across 300 districts to guide and support local governance in organising and executing the campaign effectively”. It also mentioned that the collaboration with relevant Central Ministries and Departments, and state and Union Territory governments will not only bolster efforts to achieve the campaign’s objectives but also “strengthen the spirit of Competitive and Cooperative Federalism in ensuring socio-economic development in the hinterland”.

The Aspirational Districts and Blocks pledged their commitment to the ‘Sampoornata Abhiyan’ by reiterating its principles through the ‘Sampoornata Pledge’ committing to fulfil the campaign’s goals and accelerating progress towards full saturation of the identified indicators.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) Stanford researchers have developed a new method to reverse pancreatic cancer’s resistance to chemotherapy, an advance that may pave the way for new treatments.

Pancreatic cancer is often aggressive and difficult to treat and also has a poor survival rate, marred by a lack of distinct symptoms and screening tools needed to detect the disease in its initial stages.

In the study, published in the journal Nature Materials, the researchers revealed that the resistance is related to both the physical stiffness of the tissue around the cancerous cells.

“We found that stiffer tissue can cause pancreatic cancer cells to become resistant to chemotherapy, while softer tissue made the cancer cells more responsive to chemotherapy,” said Sarah Heilshorn, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University.

The finding may lead to “future drug development to help overcome chemoresistance, which is a major clinical challenge in pancreatic cancer”, she added.

The team focused their efforts on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma — a cancer that starts in the cells lining the ducts of the pancreas and accounts for 90 per cent of pancreatic cancer cases. In these cancers, the network of materials between the cells, known as the extracellular matrix, becomes notably stiffer. This stiff material acts as a physical block, stopping chemotherapy drugs from reaching cancerous cells, said researchers, noting treatments based on this idea have not been effective in humans.

In the study, the team developed a designer matrix system — where three-dimensional materials mimicked the biochemical and mechanical properties of both pancreatic tumours and healthy pancreas tissues. Using their new system, the researchers selectively activated certain types of receptors in the cancerous cells and adjusted the chemical and physical properties of their designer matrix.

In addition to a physically stiff extracellular matrix, the team found that high amounts of hyaluronic acid — a polymer that stiffens the extracellular matrix and interacts with cells through a receptor called CD44 — make pancreatic cancer resistant to chemotherapy. The researchers found that they could reverse this development by moving the cells to a softer matrix (even if it was still high in hyaluronic acid) or blocking the CD44 receptor (even if the matrix was still stiff).

–IANS

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