A study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago has warned people who sleep in the presence of light.
Experts studied the association between light exposure during sleep and health, Medical News Today reported.
Sleeping in the presence of light was found to be related to a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.
“We live among an abundant number amount of artificial sources of light that are available 24 hours of a day,” said Dr Minjee Kim, a corresponding author of the study.
She mentioned light that comes from smartphones, TV, and general light pollution in big cities.
While this particular study scrutnised the negative effects on adults, Medical News Today reported that previous studies have shown that not sleeping in darkness affects all age groups.
Dr Kim explained that in young and healthy adults, who were experimented in a sleep lab overnight, increased heartrate and blood glucose was found.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say a “robotic microswarm” may soon act as a toothbrush, rinse and dental floss.
In this startling new study, scientists used a magnetic field consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles that produce catalytic and magnetic reactions. By doing so, researchers were able to form bristle-like structures of a toothbrush or thin, elongated strings like dental floss.
“Routine oral care is cumbersome and can pose challenges for many people, especially those who have a hard time cleaning their teeth,” says Hyun (Michel) Koo, a professor in the Department of Orthodontics and divisions of Community Oral Health and Pediatric Dentistry in Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, in a university release.
“You have to brush your teeth, then floss your teeth, then rinse your mouth; it’s a manual multi-step process. The big innovation here is that the robotics system can do all three in a single, hands-free, automated way.”
Originally, the study was supposed to be two different projects. One team of researchers were trying to find ways to kill bacteria in mouths from the catalytic activity of nanoparticles. The other was meant to study how to create microbots from nanoparticles.
But their collaboration merged the two ideas, creating microbots those clean teeth and adapt to different teeth surfaces.
“It doesn’t matter if you have straight teeth or misaligned teeth, it will adapt to different surfaces,” Koo said. “The system can adjust to all the nooks and crannies in the oral cavity.”
Pakistan Cricket Board and the Cricket West Indies, in a joint statement, on Thursday announced to postpone the ODI series and rescheduled for early June after five more players tested Covid positive raising the total number of positive cases to nine since their arrival in Karachi on December 9.
“On Thursday morning and as part of the PCB Covid-19 protocols, rapid antigen tests were conducted on the remaining 15 West Indies players and six-player support personnel. All 21 members of the West Indies touring party returned negative test results. As such, Thursday’s T20 International (T20I) proceeded as planned.
“However, taking into consideration both the teams’ welfare as well as limited resources in the West Indies side for the ODIs, it has been agreed that the series, which forms part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, will be postponed and rescheduled for early June 2022.
“This will provide the West Indies with an equal opportunity to field their best available players for the World Cup qualification matches,” the statement added.
“The West Indies team members, who returned negative results following Wednesday’s PCR and today’s rapid antigen tests, will depart from Pakistan after tonight’s match. Those who have tested positive will complete their isolation in Karachi before their travel arrangements are finalized to allow them to rejoin their families in time for Christmas celebrations,” the statement elaborated.
It further said that Pakistan team members, all of whom have returned PCR negative after Wednesday’s tests, will also be leaving the Managed Event Environment after tonight’s third T20I.
“The CWI would like to thank the PCB for its excellent series arrangements and appreciates its support in rescheduling the ODI series in June 2022.”
West Indies officials said the latest positive test results came from wicketkeeper-batsman Shai Hope, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, all-rounder Justin Greaves, assistant coach Roddy Estwick and physician Akshai Mansingh.
Left-arm pace bowler Sheldon Cottrell and all-rounders Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers tested positive on Saturday, along with a team official.
In October, New Zealand quit their first tour to Pakistan in 18 years shortly before the opening match was due to start after a security alert.
That was followed by England’s decision to withdraw visits by their men’s and women’s teams scheduled for October.
Saving money is not a habit anymore, it is a lifestyle to ensure a safe future. Considering the current rate of inflation and increasing prices in Pakistan, wise are those who have already started saving. In case, you have not yet, it is never too late. Here are some foolproof ways you can keep a check and balance on your money.
Make a Budget
Source: Incharge.org
In Pakistan, most people are surviving on monthly salaries. Therefore, it is suggested that you keep a track of your monthly spending by calculating all expenses incurred. Sort out the important things like rent, utilities and grocery first. Eliminate anything off the list that is not important or is counted as a luxury.
Invest Your Money
Source: Money Under 30
If you are living on rent, get your own accommodation to save the money spent on rent. In case, you already have your own home, invest in some other property and rent it out to generate some extra income and start saving.
Hunt for Deals and Discounts
Source: Tweakyourbiz.com
Always look for coupons and deals to save some bucks. If something is not urgent, you can also wait for the annual or seasonal sales to grab the best offers.
Never Rely on A Single Source of Earning
Source: Entrepreneurship In a Box
Think about a side job or business you can pursue with your current source of income. You can also opt for a freelancing career by offering your expertise remotely and generating another reliable source of income.
The Sindh government has decided to impose an immediate lockdown till August 8 as the province continues to battle the dangerous surge in COVID-19 infections, Geo News reported Friday.
It goes into effect tomorrow (Saturday).
This was decided in a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah of the coronavirus task force which was attended by provincial ministers, medical experts and representatives of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Friday.
For the first time, parliamentary leaders of political parties were also invited to the COVID-19 task force meeting. Besides this, the Sindh Ranger DG was also invited.
Karachi’s Tajir Action Committee has rejected the Sindh government’s lockdown decision. Rizwan Irfan, of the Tajir Action Committee, said the group is disappointed with the Sindh CM’s decision.
“We had appealed to the government delegation to not impose a complete lockdown,” Irfan said, adding that the traders’ group had suggested extending business hours.
The Sindh health department had proposed a two-week lockdown to the task force, while medical experts had proposed a two-week ban on inter-city transport. A proposal was also made to close all educational institutions and educational activities for two weeks.
The National Command and Operation Centre had opposed the idea of a complete lockdown in Karachi and the head of the NCOC, Asad Umar, said that closing the entire city for weeks is not a cure.
The Sindh government, however, had said that it does not care what the federation says and that the only immediate solution to bring down virus cases was a lockdown.
Key decisions in the Sindh coronavirus task force meeting
The lockdown goes into effect from tomorrow. Here are some of the key decision that were made:
Government offices will be closed from next week.
Those who do not get vaccinated will not get their salary after August 31.
Vaccination cards of anyone roaming the streets will be checked.
The Export industry will remain open.
All markets in the province will remain closed, but pharmacies will stay open.
Extending support to the governmental initiative of mass immunization while ensuring rider safety, foodpanda Pakistan has announced PKR 1 crore as cash incentives to compensate riders for the time spent in getting their COVID vaccine shots.
As the nation is successfully steering out of the third wave of coronavirus, mass immunization has turned out to be the only strategy to tackle the crisis. Pakistan’s largest delivery platform, foodpanda has announced PKR 1 Crore in cash incentives to the first batch of riders on the platform who are getting vaccinated. Riders can claim the cash incentive once they present a vaccination certificate at the rider hub.
The vaccination drive is the latest addition to foodpanda’s COVID-19 response in Pakistan. Since the early days of the pandemic, foodpanda has been providing financial assistance for up to 14 days to riders who are diagnosed with COVID-19. In addition to this, riders are also being provided medical insurance, increased incentives and earnings support for the areas where services were halted due to lockdown.
To fight COVID-19, foodpanda also installed washbasins outside rider hubs, introduced Contactless Deliveries, conducted food donation drives at hospitals and installed disinfectant walkthrough gates outside various medical centers nationwide. Daily temperature checks at rider hubs have now become an integral part of a hero’s job, before starting his shift. Ever since the outbreak, foodpanda has dispatched hand sanitizers to their riders on-board and continues to actively distribute face masks and gloves to their heroes.
In collaboration with the district government, hygiene kits including masks and sanitizers were also distributed to citizens earlier this year.
Commenting on this initiative, Nauman Sikandar, CEO foodpanda stated, “Safety and wellbeing of our stakeholders is one of our core values and we encourage all our riders to get vaccinated to ensure safer deliveries. Riders are essential frontliners, who deliver orders to hundreds of customers every day. We believe it’s important for each rider to be vaccinated for the greater good of the society.”
“foodpanda stands by all its stakeholders – they are not alone in the battle against this virus. With this and many more such initiatives, we hope to play our part in making Pakistan COVID free”, he further added. More than 40,000 riders are part of the foodpanda family and this campaign will encourage Pakistan’s mass vaccination drive to further strengthen.
[Karachi 15 January 2021] Muhammad Ayan and Muhammad Aman, born as conjoined twins to Mr. and Mrs. Israr Ahmed, are now living as two healthy children after a successful separation surgery performed at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) on 12 December 2020.
Ayan and Aman were Omphalopagus type of conjoined twins, in which the bodies of the two are joined at the abdomen and several internal organs are shared, including liver and sometimes the intestines. The twin brothers shared a small portion of the liver.
Credit: AKUH
‘It was an extremely challenging journey for us. Before coming to AKUH, I had a dream that Ayan and Aman were separate. That dream gave me hope’, said Israr, while narrating the events that led him to AKUH. ‘My family and I were convinced that this hospital is for the rich and receiving treatment from here will never be a possibility for us. But, my Allah made the Aga Khan University Hospital the saviour of my children. The doctors told us to not worry about the expenses, as they would be taken care of by the Patient Welfare Programme.’
Conjoined twinning is a very rare congenital anomaly, with an overall incidence of 1 in 250,000 births. This happens when the embryo does not separate successfully in the mother’s womb to form two individuals. Although there is no known cause for the conjoining, it can be diagnosed early in the pregnancy through an ultrasound.
While surgery is the only method of separating the conjoined twins, it cannot be performed in all cases. This is because the complexity of and survival rates after the surgery depends primarily upon the joining sites and the type and number of organs joined internally.
Credit: AKUH
To perform this exceptionally difficult surgery, a multi-disciplinary team of highly skilled healthcare experts came together to meticulously plan and organise their efforts. These teams included Doctors, Nurses and Technicians from Paediatric Surgery, Anaesthesiology, and Radiology amongst active participants, and Gastrointestinal Surgery and Neurosurgery amongst those on stand-by. The nature of this surgery is such that it demands double the amount of resources and concurrent functioning of all teams to manage and save both lives.
Prior to the surgery, an advanced imaging and three-dimensional prototyping was used to fully understand the nature of the conjoining, expertise required and necessary reshuffling of the resources. Dr. Zafar Nazir, Paediatric Surgeon at the Aga Khan University Hospital, led the efforts to perform the 8 hour-long surgery with the support of over 50 clinical and administrative staff.
‘This is a rare surgery that the Hospital has performed for the second time. A tremendous amount of effort went in to the rearrangement of the resources, both inside and outside the Operating Room. But, at the end of this procedure, it was a joy to watch both the boys get a new life’, commented Dr. Zafar Nazir as he recalled the events of the treatment.
The role of the anaesthesiologists was of great significance, as they had to ensure that both the babies were stable throughout the procedure. ‘The perioperative care of Ayan and Aman was like no other. As they were joined at the torso and facing each other, a complete incision required flipping them around. Therefore, we could not have intubated them, as it would have hampered the movement. We opted for an intravenous drug and ensured a thoroughly managed sedation throughout the procedure’, recalled Dr. Faisal Shamim, Anaesthesiologist at Aga Khan University Hospital.
Israr Ahmed and his wife are not the only parents to have gone through this pain and suffering of finding the appropriate treatment. There are many such families who are in dire need to receive compassionate care and high-quality treatment. Treating such rare and critical health conditions offers the experts at the Aga Khan University Hospital, a commendable opportunity to test and enhance our systems and capabilities, and learn to design innovative health solutions for our people in Pakistan. But, most importantly, it gives us immense joy to watch distressed families go back home healthy and happy with their loved ones.
Pakistan is amongst the few countries where polio virus is still spreading. While other countries have used vaccine and other preventive measures to get rid of this virus, Pakistan is still struggling to vaccinate children and change mindsets of people regarding this vaccine at the same time.
Recently, Polio Vaccine Drives have been happening frequently to contain the spread and eradicate the virus. For this very reason, frontline workers and their efforts must be appreciated. They go home to home in order to ensure that no child under the age of 5 remains deprived of the vaccine, no matter what the circumstances are.
From the current ongoing Polio drive, a video has been circulating on social media. The video is from a remote area of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), which seems almost inaccessible due to knee-high snow. However, the brave polio workers are still making their way to their designated areas. The objective is to make sure they give vaccines to the children and prevent the further spread of the poliovirus.
Our frontline polio heroes are unstoppable❕
As extreme cold weather ❄️ blankets Azad Jammu & Kashmir, these brave women make their way through several feet of snow to deliver vaccines to children 👧🏻👦🏻 during the ongoing #endpolio campaign.#SalamPolioWorkerpic.twitter.com/srwFotTM3S
Source: The official Twitter account of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative
The video hails from the north-eastern part of the AJK.
In order to reach far-fetched areas, Polio Eradication Program has joined hands with the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). The goal is to make more and more children immune to the polio virus.
Soon after the video was uploaded, everyone started applauding the brave women who are moving ahead despite of obstacles and are dedicatedly doing their job.
Here is to hoping that we will soon be able to achieve a Polio-Free Pakistan.
The Role of Rotary International in Polio Eradication
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.
Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
More power to all frontline healthcare workers.
What do you think about this story? Want to share something, share it in the comments.
Short days and long winter nights feel so draining. All you want is to stay in your cosy bed and binge watch your favourite shows. However, this is not possible in reality. You have to get up and participate in the real life.
Here are some easy activities that can make your life better and you can patiently wait for spring without feeling gloomy. Always remember: a drop in temperature should not affect your mood or routine
Go for a Sunny Vacation
Take out some time and head for a vacation to any area where exposure of the sun is more. This can be a weekend getaway or a long vacation until the weather changes. Doing so will definitely lift up your mood and you will feel much better.
Source: traveloni.com
Make Complex Carbohydrates Part of Your Diet
Carbohydrates in refined form can be a quick fix to feel better. However, in the long run, they make you feel sluggish, and guilty too. A good idea is to consume complex carbohydrates like spinach, lentil and broccoli. They are filling, take time to digest and do not increase your glycaemic index immediately.
Source: Gotswag.com
Limit Sugar Intake
Though sugar intake can make you happy for a while, it will end up making you feel worse than you were in the first place. Even bad is the fact that too much of it can directly affect the functionality of your brain.
Source: Dietdoctor.com
Exercise
When it comes to fighting blues and changing moods, nothing is better than exercise. Even if you can go for a 15-minute walk, that will do the job and you will return feeling better and full of energy.
Source: Eatthis.com
Use Music as a Therapy
Listening to music that is cheerful and has upbeat tunes can be a game changer when you are going through depression. Just listen to something good and you will notice a positive change in your mood.
Source: Thebart.org
Enjoy every season, do not let it stop you from doing anything. Happy winters!
Have something to add to these activities? Drop your suggestions in the comments section
Winter brings with it dull and dry skin as it takes away all the moisture. Thanks to some easy winter care tips that are guaranteed to make your skin look healthy and glowing despite the harsh weather.
Stay Hydrated
Water intake is considerably less in winter due to the cold outside. However, one must remember that our body is still losing water in different ways and we must rehydrate for it to function properly. Low humidity is one of the biggest reasons for dull skin. Try sipping water throughout the day to retain that moisture. You can also use hot beverages and seasonal fruits like berries and cherries to compensate for your water intake.
Quick Showers
Hot showers seem like a blessing in winters but they are extremely damaging for your skin. Not only do they dehydrate the skin, they also deprive it of the natural oils. The best solution is to use lukewarm water and keeping your showers short.
Use Moisturizer
As soon as you wash your face, hands or even take a shower, use an oil-based moisturizer to keep your skin healthy and glowing all day long.
Use Sunscreens
Sunscreens are not for summer only; they are equally important in winter too. When gathering your gears to go out, like cloves, cap and sunglasses, do not, in any case, forget your sunscreen because UV rays are still there
Night Time Routine
When you are about to give your body a good rest for 7-8 hours, remember your skin too. A good moisturizer and essential oils can do wonders. Just do not do it occasionally, make it a habit and you will wake up with soft and supple skin each day.
Your feet and hands, too are part of your body. Please do take care of them and moisturize them along with your face.
What are your favourite skin care tips that you live by?
Something I Like 