Sci&Tech, Medical and Envirnoment

Karaikal Port becomes transhipment port

• Karaikal Port Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of MARG, a leading infrastructure company, took a major step towards becoming the new container trade gateway to Central Tamil Nadu as the first container train from the Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) reached MARG Karaikal Port.
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• The train was carrying containers loaded from CONCOR's facility at Tondiarpet, Chennai, and destined for various overseas locations to be shipped out through MARG Karaikal Port, says a release.

Beware bottle gourd, if juice is bitter

• The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday asked people to avoid drinking bottle gourd juice if it is bitter. It is consumed in India for controlling diabetes.
• the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, said a small piece of bottle gourd (lauki) should be tasted
• Also, it should not be mixed with any other juice, and medical help should be sought immediately if one felt discomfort, nausea, vomiting or any feeling of uneasiness after consuming lauki juice.
• Last year, a senior scientist died and his wife was taken ill seriously after they drank the juice which was bitter.
• As no specific antidote is available, physicians can manage the patients, putting them on IV fluids and blood transfusion including frozen plasma to maintain the haemodynamic and electrolyte balance, and containing gastrointestinal bleeding

Health : Handling a sensitive colon

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that interferes with the normal functions of the colon. It affects women more often than men, and usually starts in the 30s. It can be set off by certain food or stress.
• In a country such as India, where gastro-enteritis (bowel infection) is common because of lack of food hygiene and safe drinking water, repeated bowel infections may trigger off IBS.
• The colon, which is about five feet long, connects the small intestine to the rectum and anus. Partially digested liquid matter enters the colon from the small intestine each day. The colon absorbs water, nutrients, and salts from the partially digested food that enters from the small intestine. What is left over is stool.
• In IBS, this smooth mechanism goes awry and there is no coordination in the colon contractions; the contents inside the colon do not move correctly and this results in abdominal pain, cramps, constipation, a sense of incomplete stool movement, or diarrhoea. When the contents move too quickly through the colon, the water is not absorbed and this results in diarrhoea. On the other hand, when the contents move too slowly, too much fluid is absorbed and the stools become hard, resulting in constipation.
• However, it is important to remember that bleeding, fever, weight loss, and persistent severe pain are not symptoms of IBS, and may indicate other problems such as inflammation, or rarely, cancer.
• Usually your doctor will diagnose IBS by taking a detailed history.
• Managing IBS basically involves careful eating.
• Increasing dietary fibre may lessen IBS symptoms, particularly constipation. Whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables are good sources of fibre.
• Make sure that you drink plenty of water (at least six to eight glasses of a day). Avoid carbonated beverages that may increase gas and worsen the discomfort. Chew your food slowly and do not gulp it down, as eating too quickly can lead to swallowing air, which also leads to gas.
• Large meals can cause cramping and diarrhoea, so eat frequent small meals.
• Curd (yogurt) is rich in lactobacilli that help in digestion
• You may be prescribed fibre supplements such or laxatives as loperamide for constipation or medicines to decrease diarrhoea. An antispasmodic may be prescribed, which will help reduce abdominal pain.

U.R. Ananthamurthy on South Asian literature prize shortlist

• Distinguished Kannada writer and Jnanpith awardee U.R. Ananthamurthy is among the six authors shortlisted for this year’s $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.
• selected for his widely acclaimed novel Bharathipura (translated into English by Susheela Punitha), which reflects his lifelong preoccupation with transcending caste and class interests in modern society.
• The Prize was instituted last year to recognise the best writing about the South Asian region.

New amphibian discovered

• A team of researchers including from the Zoological Survey of India, Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode has discovered a new species of limbless amphibian from Western Ghats
• The new species Ichthyophis davidi is one of the largest known yellow striped caecilians from Western Ghats and is named in honour of David Gower, Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London, in recognition of his contributions to Indian caecilian studies
• These animals are nocturnal and are found in forests and plantations.
• Western Ghats, one of the global biodiversity ‘hot spots’, support 25 species of legless amphibians (the caecilians). Among the 25 species, only 5 are yellow striped forms, which are limited in distribution.
• Habitat destruction, due to human interference, and usage of chemical fertilizers in the plantations (areca, banana and cardamom) according to him is limiting the distribution of these limbless amphibians in Western Ghats.