Company Showcase : Novo Nordisk India

Novo Nordisk is headquartered in Denmark and the indian site is located in Bangalore. Novo Nordisk has pioneered the insulin pump and world leaders in diabetes area. For India they have aggressive growth plans (33% R&D for diabetes) and have a strong product portfolio for Indian market.



Careers visit
http://www.novonordisk.com/jobs/job_section/current_jobs.asp?slangid=uk&lCountry=325

ToxTools

ToxTools is a Statistical Software for Toxicological Risk Assessment.

Features of ToxTools:

• ToxTools is a complete solution for modeling and testing data from dose-response studies, and for estimating Benchmark Dose Levels (BMD's).

• It provides modern, sophisticated modeling and estimation algorithms for fitting dose response data as part of a state-of-the-art suite of graphical and numeric analysis tools for toxicological risk assessment.

• Availability of all standard dose response models (one-hit, logit, probit, Weibull and more).

• Linear, polynomial and power regression models for continuous outcomes.

• Dose response assessment of simultaneous and hierarchical multiple outcomes.

• Analysis of correlated data using generalized estimating equations (GEE).

• Trend and pairwise tests for binary or continuous outcomes.

• Exact tests of trend for both uncorrelated and correlated outcomes in small data sets.

• Single and multiple outcome risk estimation using Benchmark Dose methodology, with several methods for lower limit calculations.

• Simple dialogs for model specification, intelligent recall to modify previous runs and check sensitivity to modeling assumptions.

• Data summarization and exploratory graphics, tailored to the analysis of dose response data. Workbook-style interface for organization and comparison of results.

• Publication quality graphics. Powerful, Excel-like data editor with variable creation, transformation, and case subsetting.

A Disaster In The Making : The emergence of new forms of drug resistant bacteria will threaten patients worldwide

Research has shown that polluted rivers in India are flooded with bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics.

Pollution is an omnipresent evil that modern day India confronts on a daily basis. And with rapid strides in industrialisation and lax government control we now face a pandemic of pollution affecting everything around us.Industrial effluents and chemicals often form the major portion of the lethal pollutants in our natural resources.

A new study by a group of Swedish scientists published in the recent version of PLoS ONE has shown how polluted rivers in India are flooded with bacteria with serious levels of drug resistance. In this particular example nearly 90 bulk drug manufacturing pharmaceutical companies were dumping the effluent/waste water from their factories into the waste water treatment plant in Patancheru, Hyderabad. Scientists have used a new method of DNA/genetic sequencing to show that bacteria present in this water are full of resistance genes that protect them from the currently available antibiotics.

Since the bacteria in the rivers are constantly exposed to moderate to high levels of antibiotics they develop a resistance by the modification of their genetic structure. Once the resistance genes are developed they are transmitted on small genetic cassettes or plasmids that can spread to other bacteria. Though some of the bacteria in the Indian rivers may not affect humans directly they can transfer their drug resistance genes to other harmful bacteria which can propagate these to humans. This will result in the emergence of new forms of bacteria like the recent discovery of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 or NDM-1 (which was later renamed Plasmidencoding Carbapenem-resistant Metallobeta-Lactamase or PCM) which is resistant to most available antibiotics.

In combination with rampant misuse, self-medication and aggressive prescribing of antibiotics by the medical community we will continue to face the emergence of drug resistant bacteria that will threaten patients worldwide.

Desk job can double bowel cancer risk

Here's bad news for those who sit in front of a computer all day at work.

A new study has suggested that spending 10 years or more in a desk job almost doubles the risk of bowel cancer, even if you regularly keep fit or go to the gym.

The findings highlight the dangers of modern working patterns, where large numbers of employees are desk bound for hours at a time, reports the Daily Mail.

The research also backs up earlier studies which showed men who sit down most of the day at their jobs are 30 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than those with very active occupations.

Diets high in fat and red meat, as well as lack of exercise, are thought to be among the main risk factors.

But the latest study, by a team of experts at the University of Western Australia, show long periods of physical inactivity during the day could also be a major risk.

The researchers spoke to 918 bowel cancer victims and compared their working patterns with 1,021 cancer-free volunteers.

They were quizzed on their job history, lifestyles and levels of physical activity.

The results showed employees who spent more than a decade in sedentary jobs were 94 per cent more likely to suffer a tumour in an area of the bowel known as the distal colon.

This is a large part of the bowel which connects up with the rectum. Researchers also found sedentary working patterns increased the chances of cancer of the rectum by 44 per cent over a 10-year period.

They said that their findings suggest no amount of leisure time activity can offset the harm done from long periods of sitting down on the job.

"We found those who spent the most time in sedentary work had a risk of distal colon cancer that was twice that of those who spent the most time in a job requiring light activity. Even a high level of vigorous recreational physical activity did not modify the effect of sedentary work," they said.

"The findings have occupational health implications, given that advances in technology have led to increasing amounts of sedentary behaviour at work," they warned.

Sitting down on the job is thought to lead to increased blood sugar levels and damage insulin production, both of which have been linked with the development of bowel cancer.

It could also be that it leads to inflammation deep inside the body, another known risk factor for tumours, the researchers said.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology .

30 Tips for Perfect Health

1. Drink eight glasses of water a day.
2. Start the day with a glass of warm water and a dash of lime.
3. Include two vegetables and one fruit in every meal. Include high fiber foods plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains in planning your diet.
4. Include one green vegetable and one yellow vegetable in every meal.
5. Begin each meal with a raw vegetable salad.
6. Make a light snack of assorted sprouts.
7. Use only fresh vegetables and meals, and not the leftovers and refrigerated.
8. Once a week have only fresh fruits until noon and make lunch the first meal of the day.
9. Go on a juice fast for a day. Start with vegetable juice, and sip fruit for lunch and dinner.
10. Kick the old coffee habit and avoid beverages like soda, coffee, colas and so on. Have a glass of fresh fruit juice instead.
11. Cut out all deep-fried foods and high sugar products like soft drinks, ice-cream, candy and cookies from your diet.

For more information view at  Clinnovo Health News             

How to deal with Work Stress?

In today’s highly competitive world, almost everyone has been related to different types of stress; may be one form or the other. Almost every working person or a job holder has associated or complaining of work stress.

Stress in any form is not at all good for a person. In a worst side, it can cause health problems and tensions at home and performance issues at work. Psychologists and counselors advise that employees should identify the cause of their stress and tackle it head on. But often, work stress is a combination of factors. In that case, it is very important to improve the ability to cope with stress.

Some of such tips are as follows:

• Mini – breaks: Continuous working without a break affects in a long run as our mind cannot function efficiently non-stop. It is advisable to take 3 to 5 minutes break every 1 or 2 hours.

• Hobby and a friends’ help: Try and squeeze in a 10- to 15-minute break once every three hours and use that time to pursue activities that give you pleasure. If you can’t afford to get away from your desk, try listening to soothing music.

• The right foods: When we are stressed out, some of us tend to eat more. Do yourself a favor by keeping some healthy snacks around. These could include dried fruits, peanuts, cut-up carrots and cucumbers.

• Nice surroundings: Having a desk or a cubicle is almost like at home during the work day. Try and keep the work-space tidy. Try adding a personal touch to the workplace, like a family photo –something which reminds you what all the hard work is for.

• Time Management: Learn to prioritize your work and do the planning accordingly. You can come to work 30 minutes before everyone else and use that quite time for thinking and planning for the day. Stay late at office once in a while if you need to but don’t carry the pending work.

• Deep breathing: Sometimes when we are seriously stressed out, we are so focused on our work that our breathing becomes shallow. Take a minute to breathe deeply a few times and you will feel relaxed almost immediately.

• Exercise: Exercise can burn off the excess energy created during the stress build-up, thereby easing the tension. So make it a point to exercise often, even if it’s for a short period of time. It makes one feel happy because exercise releases the feel-good hormones.

• Better Lifestyle Choices: Individuals should make lifestyle choices which make them physically fit, which in turn, helps them cope with stress better. Get adequate hours of sleep which is something that people these days don’t really get.

Simple Blood Test Detects Early Emphysema in Smokers

Researchers Say the Test, Which Measures Destruction of Lung Air Sacs, Could Help Prevent Progression of the Common, and Fatal, Lung Disease

During a regular annual physical exam, blood is usually drawn to check the health of a person's heart, kidneys and liver. Now, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center say a blood test that detects the early development of emphysema -- well before symptoms occur -- may someday also be offered.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the researchers say that because most cases of emphysema are caused by smoking, the test they are developing can warn smokers about impending development of the untreatable disease which is currently a major cause of disability and death in the U.S.

Not all smokers develop emphysema, but those who find out they are at risk will be motivated to quit to halt progression of the disease, says the study's lead investigator, Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, chairman and professor of genetic medicine and the Bruce Webster Professor of Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

"We know, from other studies, that smokers who learn from objective evidence that their health is in danger are much more likely to quit," he says. "That is the only thing that will help them avoid this deadly disorder."

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the twin disorders that make up chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is now the fourth leading cause of death in Americans. Given the aging population, COPD is soon expected to move up to third in mortality prevalence, Dr. Crystal says.

The new test measures particles that are shed by tiny blood vessels known as capillaries that surround air sacs (alveoli) in lungs. These particles are debris shed by ongoing injury to the air sacs -- damage that eventually results in devastation of the sacs and the "Swiss cheese" appearance of the lungs. The alveoli are where critical gas exchanges occur: blood in the capillaries brings carbon dioxide from the rest of the body for release into the air sacs, and the oxygen in the sacs (taken in from breathing) is taken up by the blood and transported to the rest of the body.

As the sacs are destroyed, people develop shortness of breath because they cannot take in enough oxygen to feed the body and eventually cannot remove carbon dioxide from the blood.

Dr. Crystal and his colleagues reasoned that as capillaries surrounding the air sacs are being injured, the debris would be carried out by the blood supply and could potentially be quantified as a disease biomarker. So they began to look for evidence of what they called endothelial microparticles (EMP).

"Our blood vessels are always being replenished, so we all have some level of EMPs in our blood," he says. "What we are looking for are elevated levels of EMPs. For smokers, this is the equivalent of a smoke detector sounding its alarm; elevated levels of EMPs suggest their air sacs are being injured and it is time to act."

To do this, the researchers enrolled three groups of people -- healthy nonsmokers, healthy smokers, and smokers with early evidence of lung destruction. Study participants had their medical histories taken, and to gauge lung function in these participants, all underwent two pulmonary function tests. One is spirometry, which measures the volume and speed of air as it is inhaled and exhaled from the lungs. The other, known as DLCO, is the only lung function test available today that can detect emphysema in patients. It uses a machine that measures the ability of gases to diffuse across the alveolar-capillary membrane.

The researchers found a 95 percent positive correlation between elevated EMPs in the blood and an abnormal DLCO test result, meaning that it detected nearly all verified cases of early emphysema in participants.

Two other independent groups of participants were then given the same group of tests -- spirometry, DLCO and the EMP blood test -- and, once again, a positive EMP finding correlated with an abnormal DLCO 95 percent of the time. Differences in the spirometry findings had no bearing on results of DLCO or EMP.

DLCO, which must be administered by a pulmonologist, is most often used to confirm a suspicion of emphysema, Dr. Crystal says. By contrast, the EMP blood test is designed to be a simple, low-cost screening tool that can pick up development of emphysema in individuals who show no signs of the disorder.

"We need a blood test that can be administered to the 20 percent of American adults who smoke as well as nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke -- all who may not understand their risk of developing this progressive lung disease," says Dr. Crystal.

The researchers are conducting further studies of the EMP test in larger groups of participants in order to validate these initial findings.

For more info Visit, www.nyp.org and weill.cornell.edu

Cereal with milk best way to start the day

A new study has revealed that the healthiest breakfast choice is cereal with milk.

According to the research, breakfast is the key to a healthy lifestyle determining the quality of your whole day's nutrition.

And the best way to start the morning is with a simple bowl of cereal, as it makes people less likely to turn to fatty, sugary food through the rest of the day.

The study, by nutritionist Sigrid Gibson, and published in the BNF Nutrition Bulletin, revealed that cereal is a good source of calcium and numerous other key nutrients, such as fibre, protein and carbohydrate.

The research team analysed 12,068 food records from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which interviewed Britons aged from 19 to 64.

The results showed that one in five adults ate no solid food for breakfast, one third chose cereal and 45 percent enjoyed a non-cereal breakfast. The most popular item was tea or coffee, taken on 84 percent of breakfast occasions.

Milk was consumed with 82 per cent of breakfasts, followed by cereal (39 percent), bread (33 percent) and fruit (14 percent).

Women were less likely than men to choose bread, sausage, bacon or eggs and more likely to have fruit instead.

The study found that eating breakfast was associated with a lower fat and higher carbohydrate intake over 24 hours compared with skipping breakfast.

But this was mainly attributable to cereal-based breakfasts as non-cereal meals were associated with a higher intake of saturated fatty acid and lower protein intakes.

"This provides yet more evidence of the importance of eating breakfast and shows the value of making wise choices," a newspaper quoted Newcastle University's nutrition professor Chris Seal, a member of The Breakfast Panel which commissioned the study, as saying.

"People who eat breakfast cereal generally eat less fat, saturated fat and sugar than those who do not and have better intakes of protein and important micro-nutrients, such as iron, vitamins and calcium."