Monthly Archives: November 2019

Planting seeds for better future

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment

Sustained efforts are underway to mobilise trainees from villages in and around Bijapur, Davanagere and Chikkaballapur.

The plants are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 2,000  Meghana Sastry
The plants are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 2,000  Meghana Sastry

Bengaluru :

The Association of People with Disability (APD) is displaying a showcase of plants, flowers and herbs nurtured by differently-abled professionals and trainees of the organisation at their 21st garden fair. The 10-day fair will conclude on November 24, with proceeds from sales going towards the livelihood training of people with disabilities.

The annual fair has been organised for over two decades now but the focus remains the same: To groom the abilities of the disabled folk in order to help them sustain a livelihood. Nataraja C, senior coordinator, APD, says, “We have displayed plants  section-wise basis with fruits, herbs, flowers, indoor plants, outdoor plants, succulents and cacti. We also have an orchid stall this year.” The plants are priced  between `100  and `2,000.

Sustained efforts are underway to mobilise trainees from villages in and around Bijapur, Davanagere and Chikkaballapur. The organisation identifies families with differently-abled members and motivates them to stand on their feet through a six-month course on horticulture. The differently-abled men are also provided hostel facilities during the course, which involves a variety of activities and treatment for individuals who require support with their disabilities.  “Our involvement in arrangement of plants and dealing with customers during the plant fair sales gave us a practical understanding of horticulture sector. It was truly a knowledge enhancing program and the fair has uplifted our life standards through the horticulture intervention,” says Beeresha CD, trainee.

The fair also saw a string of workshops on kitchen gardening and herb and terrace gardening. It will close with a workshop  ‘Oota from Thota’, which translates to food from your garden and focuses on the organic food  essentials one can grow and procure from their garden.

The fair will be held till November 24 at the The Association of People with Disability, Jeevan Bhima Nagar.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / November 23rd, 2019

Bengaluru-origin cardiologist performs path-breaking heart surgery in US

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Dr Aditya Bharadwaj inserted a heart pumping device and a stent through the axillary artery in the shoulder instead of the femoral artery in the groin.

Cardiologist Dr Aditya Bharadwaj with his 70-year-old patient
Cardiologist Dr Aditya Bharadwaj with his 70-year-old patient

 

Bengaluru :

In a path-breaking move, an interventional cardiologist from Bengaluru, Dr Aditya Bharadwaj, has opened new options for stent surgery and other cardiac procedures.

He inserted a heart pumping device and a stent through the axillary artery in the shoulder. Traditionally, a heart pumping device is inserted through the femoral artery in the groin and a stent through a separate artery. Dr Bharadwaj has opened up an optional access point to the affected parts of the heart for cardiologists across the world. Axillary artery is a much closer access point to the heart than the femoral artery, which is through the groin.

The procedure was carried out at Loma Linda University and Heart Institute in California, on a 70-year-old Vietnam war veteran who had recently suffered a cardiac arrest. Doctors found that he had severe coronary artery calcification, a condition where there is a build-up of calcium in the arteries causing blood vessels to shrink, leading to heart diseases.

A press statement by the university stated that surgeons were unable to insert interventions in the vascular entry points because of calcification. Due to the patient’s condition, there were no viable traditional arterial access points. With no options left, Dr Bharadwaj, a medical graduate from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, used the axillary artery to insert the stent and the pumping device. This, however, came with risks as working with arteries near the neck could lead to stroke.

However, Dr Bharadwaj carried on with the procedure and the patient was up and walking a few hours after the surgery. He was discharged two days later. “The success of this procedure opens the door for patients to have more viable cardiovascular intervention surgeries. Physicians have conducted single-access procedures through the femoral artery near the groin but never through the axillary artery,” Dr Bharadwaj said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / November 18th, 2019