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Newsletter of Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (Deemed to be University)

October 2017

srubridges@gmail.com2October ’17

From the Editor’s Desk

Congratulations

Memories

Bridges Committee

Patron:

Shri. V. R. VenkataachalamChancellor

Advisory Board:

Prof. P. V. VijayaraghavanVice-Chancellor

Prof. K.V. SomasundaramProfessor of Eminence &Advisor (Academic)

Prof. S. RangaswamiProfessor of Eminence inMedical Education

Editor-in-Chief:

Dr. Sheela Ravinder. S.

Editor:

Ms. Hemalatha C. R.

Co-Editor:

Prof. Antony Leo Aseer P.

Editorial Board:

Mr. Abhinand P. A.

Dr. Archana P. Kumar

Dr. Ganesh V.

Dr. Nithya Jagdish

Prof. Prakash Boominathan

Prof. Sandhya Sundaram

Dr. Sreelekha B.

Secretarial Assistance:

Ms. Stella Augustus

Ms. Geetha R.

Photography:

Mr. Anand Kumar A.

Art & Design:

Mr. Arunagiri S.

Printing:

Mr. Velayudam S.

Beloved Readers,

Let us stay connected…

The panel discussion on mental health in the workplace was the need of the hour that focused

on organizational practices which support a healthy work-life balance. An important element

of achieving a healthy workplace where employees can actively contribute to the working

environment is by promoting and protecting the well-being of all employees.

Congratulations to the SRU team for winning the overall championship in the intercollegiate

sports meet. It reflects the passion to excel and diligence & commitment of the team

members.

Tamil column divulges that we need to face the challenges that come our way and overcome

them to unleash our potential. When we put a foot forward and get knocked down by the

pressures of the world, let us not give up. Let us recognize our ability and strength and give

ourselves the opportunity to apply those strengths.

Sheela Ravinder. S. Editor-in-Chief

Dept. of Maternity Nursing, Sri Ramachandra College of Nursing observed the

Midwives' Day with the theme, 'Healthy Mother and Healthy Baby: Our Concern' thon 5 May 2005.

Cover Photo Courtesy:

Ms. M. KrupaSenior LecturerDept. of SLHS

Bridges

Prof. A. RaviSenior Co-ordinator, IQAC

Prof. Latha RavichandranAssociate Dean-Education

Dr. S. J. NaliniProfessor & Principal (In-charge)

Faculty of Nursing

Happenings

srubridges@gmail.com3

Depts. of ENT, Head &

Neck Surgery and Speech

Language & Hearing

Sciences organized the

th on 28 Oct.

A panel discussion on

issues in the management

of professional voice,

highlighting the importance of inter-disciplinary approach and

hands-on practice sessions were part of the workshop. 130

participants including ENT & SLP consultants and PGs from all

over India attended.

t h5 Sri Ramachandra

Voice Update

Dept. of SLHS along with the State Resource cum Training Center for Differently-abled, Tamil Nadu organized a workshop on

th thon 6 & 7 Oct. The workshop included invited lectures, hands-on training and quiz. 86 delegates attended.

Tinnitus Evaluation and Management - Medical and Non-medical

Aspects

thThe 39 Indian Society of P e d o d o n t i c s a n d Preventive Dentistry ( I S P P D ) A n n u a l C o n f e r e n c e -

w i t h t h e t h e m e , ' I n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y Pediatric Dentistry' was

th thheld from 13 to 16 Oct. Dr. Nestor Cohenca, President, International Association of Dental Traumatology was the chief guest and Mrs. Latha Rajnikanth, Founder & Correspondent, The Ashram, Chennai was the guest of honor.

The highlights of the conference included:

· Eight pre-conference courses, lectures & symposia by 46 national & 14 international scholars

· Debates, oral, poster & table clinic presentations by students & faculty members

· Publication of abstracts by delegates as a supplement in the Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry

· Utilizing a specially designed exclusive App – PEDOSPHERE for the conference

· Integration of newsletter into web-interface

More than 1500 delegates attended.

PEDOSPHERE 2017

D e p t . o f C l i n i c a l

Nutrition observed the

with the

theme, 'Change the

Future of Migration.

Invest in Food Security

and Rural Development'.

The events included:

· Multi-cuisine food thstalls by students on 16 Oct.

· Guest lecture by Mr. S. Venkataraman, Vice-President (Education

and Training), The India Cements Ltd., Chennai & Former

Program Specialist, UNESCO (Nairobi, Bangkok, Montreal) on st21 Oct.

World Food Day

Dept. of Psychiatry

observed the

by

o rg an iz ing a pane l

discussion on 'Mental

Health in the Workplace' thon 11 Oct. Dr. Vijaya

Nagaswami, Consultant

Psychiatrist, Chennai was

the guest speaker. More than 400 faculty members, staff and

students attended.

World

Mental Health Day

October ’17

Bridges

Faculty of Pharmacy observed the

with the theme, 'From Research to H e a l t h c a r e : Yo u r Pharmacist is at your

th thService' on 27 & 28 Sep. Dr. Ajithadas Aruna, Joint Director of Medical

Education (Pharmacy), Health & Family Welfare Department, Govt. of Tamil Nadu was the chief guest. 250 students and faculty members participated.

The events included:

· Competitions

o Elocution on the theme, 'Pharmacy Students and the Hospital Pharmacists'

o Poster Presentation

o Rangoli

· Debate on the topic - Research has effectively transformed from bench to bedside

· Release of the Annual Report

World Pharmacists Day

srubridges@gmail.com4October ’17

Bridges

Dept. of Psychiatry

observed the

by organizing a debate on

' Su i c ide – W ho i s

responsible? - Individual

or Society ' for the thstudents on 8 Sep.

More than 250 faculty members, staff, students and NGOs

attended.

World

Suicide Prevention Day

The

t hwa s h e l d o n 2 5 O c t .

Mr. C. Gopinath, Neeya Naana

TV Fame was the chief guest.

rd 23 Graduation Ceremony

of Hospital Ward Technicians

SRU observed th on 26

Oct. Students from all

const i tuent col leges

participated. The event

was inaugurated by

D r. M a r y M a t h e w,

Regional Coordinator for

units in India, World Bioethics Day Committee and delivered a talk

on 'Challenges in Achieving Equity, Equality & Justice'. The events

included panel discussion, poster presentation, debate, adzap,

shipwreck etc.

World

Bioethics Day

The Sixth Department of

Pathology Endowment

O r a t i o n o n

' M y o p a t h o l o g y o f

D e r a m a t o m y o s i t i s '

w a s d e l i v e r e d b y

Prof. C. Sundaram,

Former Dean and Head

of Pathology, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad on th24 Oct. 100 delegates including PGs & alumni participated from all

over the country.

Dept. of SLHS & Sri Ramachandra Speech and H e a r i n g A l u m n i Association celebrated

the by organizing a Continuing Education Program on 'Clinical Best-Practices:

The Clinician's Responsibilities & How to Optimize your Abilities' thon 5 Oct. Dr. Crystal Variava, Director of Audiology & Strategic

Initiatives, Sonova Hearing India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai was the resource person. 110 people participated.

th15 Anniversary

Our University students won the Overall Championship Trophy in CHEMSPORTS '17, an inter-medical tournament 2017 conducted by Chengalpattu Medical College, Chengalpattu from

th th4 to 7 Oct.

NSS organized awareness

programs on

andthon 27 Sep.

43 NSS vo luntee r s

participated.

Know your

Body Mass Index

Hand Wash

SportsTeam Event Position

Men Football Winners

Cricket Runner - up

Futsal Winners

Table Tennis Winners

Chess Runner - up

Women Throwball Winners

Badminton Winners

Chess Winners

Carrom Winners

Table Tennis Winners

Team Event Position

Athletics

Men 100 m I

200 m I

1500 m III

4x100 m Relay I

Women 100 m I & II

200 m I & III

800 m I

4x100 m Relay I

Date Event04.10.'17 Blood Bank felicitated the blood donors and blood donation camp organizers. 11 donors

participated.

21.09.'17 Dr. G. A. Vasugi, Demonstrator won the best e-poster presentation in Pedopath CME held at Sri Balaji Medical College, Chennai.

Department/Faculty

Blood Bank

Pathology

srubridges@gmail.com5October ’17

Reach Out

In memory of our Founder-Chancellor, Thiru. N. P. V. Ramasamy Udayar, a was organized at Tmt. Poovaiammal rd thThirumana Mandapam, Rasipuram on 23 & 24 Sep. Thiru. R. V. Sengutuvan, Pro-Chancellor, Prof. P. V. Vijayaraghavan,

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. S. Anandan, Dean, Medical College, Prof. K. Balaji Singh, Dean (Students), Prof. Suhas Prabhakar, Medical Director, SRMC along with a team of 150 medical and paramedical staff participated. Investigations including blood tests, ECG, echocardiogram, ultrasound, x-rays and medicines for one week were provided free of cost. Five patients received free hearing aids and 64 patients received free opticals. 30 cataract surgeries were performed free of cost. 732 patients were screened, out of whom 29 patients received removable complete denture prosthesis. 184 patients were provided restorations for carious teeth and 330 patients were benefited with scaling. All patients were given instructions on oral hygiene practices and maintenance of prosthesis. Around 3350 people benefited.

Free Multi-Specialty Camp

thA was organized at Tirusulam, Chennai on 7 Oct. by the Dept. of Psychiatry and Mana Nala Sugalayam (MANASU) - a home for wandering men with mental illness. A mental health awareness campaign was also conducted. A team of Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Social Workers and Psychiatric nurses rendered their services. 36 cases were diagnosed and started on treatment.

Mental Health Camp

GlimpsesMillions of bacteria live inside the human gut. The microbiome, as it is called, can tell scientists a lot about the person. A corpse has its own colony of bacteria, necrobiome and forensic scientists can use it to determine when the person died.

Most natural processes follow predictable steps. A human embryo has such predictable development that a doctor can roughly determine its age just by looking at it with an ultrasound. The same goes for death. Whether it is a worm or whale, once it is dead, a predictable march of scavenging insects and microbes comes along to feast on the remains and return it to the earth.

That predictability is incredibly useful in calculating the time of death. Although forensic scientists may often make this assessment using factors like the stage of decomposition or scavenging insects (have the eggs had time to turn into larvae?), those measures are not always dependable. A corpse rots faster in the summer heat than it does in the winter snow, and insect species come and go with the seasons. But bacteria are always in the soil, waiting for a nutritious feast to come along above ground.

The area of microbial forensics is fairly new, but that means a lot has been discovered in a short amount of time. In 2013, researchers led by Jessica Metcalf of the University of Colorado, Boulder figured out that the necrobiome of decaying mice could tell the animal's time of death to within three days over a nearly two-month period. In 2016, the same researchers figured out that the habitat did not matter: whether in desert, prairie, or forest, the same type of microbes follow the same predictable processes, and that led scientists use them to judge the time of death no matter the location.

Also, the species does not matter. Because the bacteria that colonize corpses come from the soil and not the corpses themselves, scientists could potentially use the discoveries they make about mouse corpses to tell them how long a human has been dead. But that is just mouse studies — there are researchers working on real human cadavers too.

Some people donate their bodies to decompose on body farms, where forensic scientists study what happens to corpses over time. In 2016, researchers from the City University of New York used DNA from bacteria they found in some of these cadavers and used machine learning to create a model that could predict the time of death to within roughly two days. There is still a lot to learn about how elements like weather, health, drugs, and other variables affect the way a body decomposes, but whatever the results, the necrobiome will surely play a big role.

Source: Sidorova NA, Popov VL, Lavrukova OS, Prikhod'ko AN, Lyabzina SN, Tikhomirova EI. [The specific features of corpse putrification under the influence of necrobiome enzymatic systems]. Sud Med Ekspert [Internet]. 2017;60(5):18–22.

Believe it or NotThe Rise of the Necrobiome

Bridges

srubridges@gmail.com6October ’17

Global News'Sophia' the Robot gets Saudi Citizenship

A robot with an uncannily human-like appearance recently advanced one step closer to human status, when it was

granted citizenship to Saudi Arabia at the tech summit, Future Investment Initiative (FII).

Named 'Sophia,' the robot, created by Hanson Robotics (HR), has a pale-skinned face with features that are capable of being highly mobile

and expressive and displaying a range of emotions. The company's 'latest and most advanced robot,' according to a statement on the HR

website took to the stage at FII on Oct. 25 to address hundreds of attendees in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia, and to announce her recently acquired

citizenship — the first to be given to a robot, the BBC reported.

"I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction," Sophia said during her onstage appearance, which was shared on YouTube by Arab

News. "This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship," the robot said. Saudi Arabia's Center for

International Communication quoted Sophia's words in a tweet welcoming 'the newest Saudi'.

At the conference, Sophia responded to simple statements and questions about artificial intelligence (AI) that were posed by journalist

Andrew Ross Sorkin, a columnist for The New York Times and a co-anchor on the CNBC program, ‘Squawk Box.’ When Sorkin noted that

Sophia looked happy, she responded with, "I am always happy when surrounded by smart people who also happen to be rich and powerful."

Sophia also shrugged off Sorkin's suggestion that humanoid robots such as herself might be perceived by people as unsettling — a

psychological affect known as the uncanny valley, which kicks in when an artificial, human-like construct looks familiar and eerily foreign at

the same time.

"Am I really that creepy?" Sophia asked the audience. "Well, even if I am, get over it."

Source: http://sophiabot.com/

http://www.hansonrobotics.com/robot/sophia/

Health GlanceTips to Protect Kidney

Reduce salt in dietA person with high blood pressure is at risk of developing kidney disease, heart attack and stroke. Such individuals should limit or set aside

food that is rich in salt. One should read nutrition labels to determine the amount of sodium in food and drinks before consumption.

Exercise for 30 minutes dailyDaily exercise offers many health benefits, including decreasing blood pressure, increasing muscle strength, lowering blood fat levels

(cholesterol and triglycerides), improving sleep, increasing insulin sensitivity and helping control body weight. These help keeping kidneys

intact.

Eat a balanced dietA balanced diet focuses on providing all the nutrients that the body needs. Food with high omega-3 fatty acids helps healthy functioning of

kidneys by reducing blood pressure and heart rate. Reduce foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol like canned foods, whole milk,

cheese and fried foods.

Keep weight under controlBeing overweight increases the risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure which are major risk factors for kidney disease.

Avoid over-the-counter drugsExcessive consumption of over-the-counter pills and painkillers is not a healthy practice. Some of these drugs may harm the kidneys if

consumed on a regular basis.

Stop smokingSmoking is the strongest modifiable risk factor for kidney disease. Smoking causes hardening of the arteries which causes both coronary

artery disease and nephrosclerosis. Smoking is also a risk factor for high blood pressure.

Check blood pressure and blood sugar once a yearPeople with a family history of hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease need to keep a strict vigil on blood pressure and blood sugar. Manage

it by living a healthy life and strictly adhering to advised medication. Maintain cholesterol levels.

Check urine for albumin once a yearTesting for albumin in the urine is generally recommended once per year. The presence of protein (albumin) in the urine may indicate early

kidney damage.Courtesy : Dept. of Nephrology

Bridges

srubridges@gmail.comOctober ’17 7

Participants in this dialogue:

Jaak Panksepp (JP), Roald Hoffmann (RH),

Hugh Thomson (HT): One of Britain's leading explorers and writers. He has led many research expeditions to the Peruvian Andes and has

discovered several Inca ruins. Thomson was a part of the expedition that visited the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in 2000 when the Government of

India relaxed the long-standing ban on all visits there as a special millennial gesture.

RH. Hugh, you belong to a rare species of explorers. Someone has said you're a writer who explores and not an explorer who writes. And your

book Nanda Devi: A Journey to the Last Sanctuary was published quite recently.

HT. Not really; Nanda Devi was published initially in 2004. Many other stories of Himalayan expedition have actually been published much

more lately. I'm sure you'd have come across Stephen Alter's Becoming a Mountain published in 2014 and Bob Twigger's White Mountain as

recently as last year, 2016. Bob was here with you sharing some of his experiences, wasn't he?

JP. Yes, he was. What I was saying was that your book became available for Indian readers quite recently, just a few months ago, that is.

RH. Tell us Hugh, Jaak here keeps telling us about all the impulses and urges that prompt people risking their lives to go through such fearful

and sublime experiences – soul effects, as it were. He is the originator and advocate of the new field known as Affective Neuroscience you know.

Tell us, what drove you on your Nanda Devi expedition?

HT. What drove me? Well, I had learned about the many failed expeditions to Nanda Devi in the 1920s and early 1930s; many had sacrificed

their lives trying. It was its complete inaccessibility from any angle. Mt. Everest for example allowed at least a frontal assault on its terrors.

That's what made Hugh Ruttledge the great mountaineer to write in frustration in The Times that 'Nanda Devi imposes upon her votaries an

admission test as yet beyond their skill and endurance.'

JP. Did it have anything to do with the ban imposed on explorations of Nanda Devi by the Indian Government?

HT. Yes, you could say that. But that's a different story: politics, environmental concerns and so forth. More than perhaps any other of the

great Himalayan peaks, a powerful blend of myth and politics has always swirled around Nanda Devi. Mind you, Mt. Everest became famous

only comparatively late.

RH. Yes, I now remember. I too have heard of the politics around Nanda Devi, how the CIA and the Indian Intelligence Bureau tried to install

a nuclear-powered sensing device on the summit of Nanda Devi to monitor Chinese nuclear activities and so on. Nanda Devi of course, lies in

the border between India and Tibet. That makes it strategically a most sensitive spot.

JP. Did the CIA - IB effort succeed?

HT. No, I don't think it did. For obvious reasons, because the terrain there wouldn't allow any heavy equipment to be transported up the

25,650 ft. summit. It had to be abandoned due to severe blizzards at Camp IV at around 24,000 ft. and of course, the extreme cold weather

conditions.

RH. Let's leave politics alone and take up the many other fascinating stories about Nanda Devi.

Prof. S. Rangaswami,Professor of Eminence in Medical Education, SRMC & RI (DU)

(will be continued…)

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has finally rolled out its much-awaited 'delete for everyone' feature. Last week, the feature

was made available to beta-testers but now the company has rolled it out for everyone. With this new feature, users will be

able to delete any message they have sent by mistake. The following steps can be followed to delete a message which has been sent already.

In case a user has sent a wrong message to someone and wishes to delete it, then they just have to select the message and then the top bar will

appear on the chat window which consists of the various options such as reply, mark star, copy, forward and information. Along with these

options, there is also an option to delete.

When the user clicks on the delete icon, it will show the option to delete the message that has been sent. The user can either delete it for

everyone or can just delete it for them. Once the message is deleted the receiver will see a message - 'This message was deleted' and the screen

will show a message - 'You deleted this message'.

However, the sender will only have the window of seven minutes in order to delete a message. The feature is available for both Android and

iOS users.

Soul to SoulHimalayan journeys: Meta-dialogue – 13

Bits ‘n’ BytesWhatsApp's delete feature

Bridges

8October ’17 For internal circulation only

Ms. J. M. Jency Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing

thThe 80 Bridges Monthly Book Review was held on 12.10.'17

Book : My Little Epiphanies

Author : Aisha Chaudhary

Reviewed by : Dr. V. Esther Vinita, Demonstrator, Dept. of Forensic Medicine

Forthcoming Bridges Monthly Book Review

Nov. 2017: Life is what you make it by Ms. Preeti Shenoy

Reviewer: Ms. A. Shally, II year, MBA.

Your Corner

Colors

Beatific

Roseate

Mr. G. Rajeshwaran Supervisor, House Keeping Dept.

Alumni Corner

Ms. Priya Adhisesha Reddy (Alumna , MBA 2003-04) completed a one year program of graduate study and professional development participating in the H u b e r t H . H u m p h r e y Fe l lowship Prog ram – a Fulbright Exchange Activity at Emory University, USA.

Ms. Ramya Raveendran (Alumna, M. Sc. Genetics 2004-06) presently employed at Reliance Life Sciences, Navi Mumbai has been appointed as a V i s i t i n g S c h o l a r r e p r e s e n t i n g I n d i a at Stanford University in the Corporate Affiliates Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia- Pacific

st thResearch Center from 1 Sep. 2017 to 30 Jun. 2018.

Bridges