DMK President M. Karunanidhi’s health condition is stable and his vital signs are normal on Monday, said a party spokesperson.

“Karunanidhi’s condition is now stable after a minor setback in the form of breathing problem on Sunday night. The doctors at Kauvery Hospital are monitoring his condition,” T.K.S. Elangovan told IANS.

He said the 94-year-old leader who was admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been moving his hands and legs and also opened his eyes.

Hospital sources have also said that Karunanidhi had moved his hands and legs and also opened his eyes after he was admitted in the ICU.

Karunanidhi, the five times Tamil Nadu Chief Minister who has never lost an assembly election in the 13 times he had contested, was admitted to the hospital on Saturday at 1.30 a.m. after his blood pressure dipped.

Anxiety about Karunanidhi’s health condition reached a peak late on Sunday with all the family members and senior party leaders rushing to the hospital as he developed some breathing trouble.

Later the hospital issued a statement. It said: “There was a transient setback in the clinical condition of Karuanidhi, DMK President and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

“With active medical support, his vital signs are normalising. He continues to be closely monitored and treated by the panel of expert doctors.”

Karunanidhi’s son and DMK Working President M.K. Stalin has urged the thousands of party cadres gathered outside the hospital to remain calm.

In a statement late on Sunday, Stalin said Karunanidhi’s medical condition has stabilised after a minor setback.

The police has been advising the cadres to disperse citing the hospital’s statement about Karunanidhi’s health condition.

According to Elangovan, the anxiety amongst party cadres late on Sunday peaked after sudden deployment of police force in large numbers and the news of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami cancelling his programmes in Salem and rushing back to Chennai.

Chief Minister K.Palaniswami and his deputy O.Panneerselvam on Monday met Karunanidhi at hospital. Speaking to reporters Palaniswami said: “Karunanidhi’s condition is stable”.

Palaniswami and Panneerselvam met the ailing leader in the ICU along with Stalin and M. Kanomozhi.

On July 26, Kauvery Hospital said Karunanidhi was being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids at his home here.

However, after his blood pressure dipped he was admitted to Kauvery Hospital .

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Vice Chairman Karan Singh Tanwar on Friday announced that the civic body will install 75 water ATMs in the city, as part of an ongoing project.

“We’ve collaborated with Jana Jae to undertake an increase in the number of Water ATMs inside and outside of strategic areas including tourist places, hospitals, parks, and slums,” he said.

“We aim to provide clean drinking water to our citizens at very affordable prices and also reduce the wastage. In addition, this initiative will also cut down plastic usage and waste”, he added.

Water in these ATMs will be available for Rs 2 per glass.

Paper glasses will be available at every ATM and

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to DMK leaders M.K. Stalin and M.K. Kanimozhi to inquire about the health of party President M. Karunanidhi and offered necessary assistance.

“Spoke to Thiru M.K. Stalin and Kanimozhi. Enquired about the health of Karunanidhiji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health,” Modi tweeted.

The Prime Minister’s remarks came a day after it was revealed that the 94-year-old veteran leader was suffering from urinary tract infection and is being treated at home.

Modi is currently on his five-day, three-nation tour of Africa.

The Kauvery Hospital which is monitoring his health said in a statement on Thursday that there has been a slight decline in Karunanidhi’s health due to age-related ailments.

“He is currently being treated… with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. He is being monitored and treated round the clock by a team of medical and nursing professionals, who are providing hospital-level care at his home,” Kauvery Hospital’s Executive Director Aravindan Selvaraj said.

Consuming common opioid-based painkillers may triple the risk of side effects including personality changes, confusion and sedation among people with dementia, a study has warned.

It is because people with dementia produce increased amounts of endorphins — body’s natural endogenous opioids — which interacts with a brain to reduce our perception of pain, explained researchers from the Britain’s University of Exeter.

Previous studies have recognized that pain is often under-diagnosed and poorly managed in people with dementia, impacting the quality of life.

While the opioid-based painkillers ease pain effectively, the current prescribing guidance does not consider the fact that people with dementia get effective pain relief from smaller doses than are commonly prescribed and are particularly sensitive to adverse effects.

“Pain is a symptom that can cause huge distress and it’s important that we can provide relief to people with dementia. Sadly at the moment, we’re harming people when we’re trying to ease their pain,” said Clive Ballard from the varsity.

For the study, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2018 in Chicago, the team analyzed data from 162 people who had advanced dementia and significant depression.

The analysis showed buprenorphine — opioid used to treat acute and chronic pain — tripled the harmful effects on people who received the medication as part of their treatment. These patients were also found to be significantly less active during the day.

The experiment done on mice model showed increased sensitivity to the opioid-based painkiller morphine upon treating arthritis in mice with Alzheimer’s disease.

The mice with Alzheimer’s responded to a much lower dose to ease the pain, and experienced more adverse effects when the dose was increased to a normal level.

“We urgently need more research in this area, and we must get this dosing right. We need to establish the best treatment pathway and examine appropriate dosing for people with dementia,” Ballard explained.

Actress Sonali Bendre on Wednesday shared that she has been diagnosed with a “high-grade cancer”, and is undergoing treatment in New York.

Ever since the actress posted the news about her health on Twitter and Instagram, prayers and wishes have been pouring in for the actress from the film fraternity.

In a long post, Sonali said: “Sometimes, when you least expect it, life throws you a curveball. I have recently been diagnosed with a high-grade cancer that has metastasized, which we frankly did not see coming.

“A niggling pain led to some tests, which led to this unexpected diagnosis. My family and close friends have rallied around me, providing the best support system that anyone can ask for. I am very blessed and thankful for each of them,” she added.

The actress, who made her debut in the Hindi film industry with “Aag” in 1994, recently stepped down from judging a reality TV show “India’s Best Dramebaaz”. Actress Huma Qureshi stepped into her shoes.

And this seems to be the reason behind her exit from the show.

She is undergoing treatment in New York, and is optimistic about the future. Sonali is married to producer Goldie Behl. They have one son Ranveer together.

“There is no better way to tackle this, than to take swift and immediate action…What has helped has been the immense outpouring of love and support I’ve received over the past few days, for which I am very grateful. I’m taking this battle head on, knowing I have the strength of my family and friends behind me,” she added.

The news shocked stars, who took to Twitter to express their views.

“Godspeed, love and strength to a true fighter and a solid soul,” filmmaker Karan Johar said.

Actress Divya Dutta also posted “Dearest dearest one, remember you always with a girl wit so much strength and will power! Loads of prayers for you! Get well real soon! Big big hug”, while Riteish Deshmukh wrote: “Deeply saddened and shaken by this news. Praying for your speedy recovery and good health”.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar is sure Sonali “will fight all the odds and overcome this situation”.

“Wishing you a speedy recovery. Praying for strength for you, Goldie Behl and your family,” he added.

Actor Arjun Kapoor also posted: “Fight that bastard Sonali don’t let it win.”

Stars like Sonam Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Manish Malhotra, Pulkit Samrat, Mandira Bedi and Neha Dhupia also sent out their blessings and love.

Sonali has starred in films like “Diljale”, “English Babu Desi Mem”, “Duplicate”, “Major Saab”, “Sarfarosh”, “Kal Ho Naa Ho” and “Hum Saath – Saath Hain”.

Thousands of people, young and old, on Thursday celebrated the fourth International Yoga Day in Karnataka by participating in yoga sessions held in cities and towns across the state.

Prominent among those who performed yoga aasanas included 85-year-old former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, his son and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader B.S. Yeddyurappa and Union Minister for Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

While Deve Gowda performed yoga at his residence in the city, Yeddyurappa took part in the Yoga Day activities held at his party office in Bengaluru.

In Bengaluru, hundreds flocked to Kanteerava Stadium in the city centre where the main event was held from 7 a.m. in its circular ground. Kumaraswamy was present at the venue.

“Yoga Day provides a glimpse into India’s rich and ancient heritage… Yoga is dear to me. My family, including my father (Deve Gowda) and wife (Anita), too are ardent followers of yoga and practice it daily,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also joined in the Yoga Day celebrations along with students at a private university here.

Several public venues across Mysuru, Dharwad, Hubballi and Mangaluru among other cities and towns were also filled with enthusiastic people performing “surya namaskaras” (sun salutation, a yogic practice) and other yogic poses.

Hundreds gathered in front of the iconic royal Mysore palace in Mysuru to perform yoga, making for a delightful spectacle as they performed the exercises in unison.

Mysuru had entered the Guinness World Records for holding the largest yoga lesson in the world in 2017, when 55,506 participants performed yoga at one venue.

The Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, one among the yoga forms, is said to have been popularised in the country by a yoga teacher from the state K. Pattabhi Jois, who had set up a yoga research institute in Mysuru (then Mysore) in 1948.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the 4th International Yoga Day Celebrations in Dehradun on Thursday (June 21).

The Prime Minister will join thousands of volunteers, performing Yoga asanas in the lawns of Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, located in the lap of the Himalayas.

A series of Yoga related events are being organized across the world to mark the occasion.

The Prime Minister had earlier participated in Yoga celebrations at Rajpath in New Delhi in 2015, the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh in 2016, and the Ramabai Ambedkar Sabha Sthal in Lucknow in 2017.

Greeting Yoga enthusiasts across the world on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that Yoga is one of the most precious gifts given by the ancient Indian sages to humankind.

“Yoga is not just a set of exercises that keep the body fit. It is a passport to health assurance, a key to fitness and wellness. Nor is Yoga only what you practice in the morning. Doing your day-to-day activities with diligence and complete awareness is a form of Yoga as well,” the Prime Minister said.

“In a world of excess, Yoga promises restraint and balance. In a world suffering from mental stress, Yoga promises calm. In a distracted world, Yoga helps focus. In a world of fear, Yoga promises hope, strength, and courage,” the Prime Minister added.

In the run-up to International Yoga Day, the Prime Minister has also taken to social media to share the intricacies of various Yoga Asanas. He has also shared pictures of people performing Yoga, at various locations across the world.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection, is showing “significant” improvement and would be able to “fully recover” in the next few days, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said on Wednesday.

“He has shown significant improvement with treatment over the last 48 hours. His kidney function has improved with near normal urine output. His infection is under control. We are very hopeful that he should make a full recovery over the next few days,” Guleria told reporters.

Vajpayee, 93, was admitted to AIIMS on Monday with urinary tract infection, chest congestion and low urine output. He was evaluated by a team of senior doctors and was put on injectable antibiotics and slow dialysis to support his renal function, the Director said.

“His blood pressure, heart rate and breathing are all normal. They are being maintained without any support. His laboratory parameters also are normal. They are showing good values and we are quite happy with that. We hopefully should be able to send him home in the next few days.”

Hospitalisation of Vajpayee, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004 but had retreated from active politics over the last decade due to failing health, has triggered VIP visits including that of current and former Prime Ministers to the hospital.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi called on Vajpayee on the very first day, former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat visited him on Tuesday.

The beeline of visitors continued on Wednesday. Among those who called on Vajpayee on his third day of hospitalisation include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, Republican Party of India president and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, former JD-U President Sharad Yadav and veteran journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik also visited AIIMS to enquire about his health.

Wishes for speedy recovery has been coming since his hospitalisation at ICU of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department at AIIMS.

“President Ram Nath Kovind phoned the family of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and inquired about his health. He wishes Vajpayee an early recovery,” said the President of India’s twitter handle.

“Praying for the speedy recovery of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji,” Israel’s Ambassador to India and Sri Lanka Daniel Carmon tweeted from his personal account.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accepting the Fitness Challenge given by Virat Kohli, has shared his fitness video today.

The Prime Minister said, “Here are moments from my morning exercises. Apart from Yoga, I walk on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature – Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu, Aakash. This is extremely refreshing and rejuvenating. I also practice breathing exercises.”

“I appeal to every Indian to devote some part of the day towards fitness. Practice any set of exercises you are comfortable with and you will see the positive difference it will make in your life!” he added.

Furthering the momentum of Fitness Challenge, the Prime Minister nominated Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy, Table Tennis Player Ms. Manika Batra and the entire IPS fraternity, especially those above 40 for the Fitness Challenge.

“I am delighted to nominate the following for the Fitness Challenge: Karnataka’s CM H D Kumaraswamy. India’s pride and among the highest medal winners for India in the 2018 CWG, Manika Batra. The entire fraternity of brave IPS officers, especially those above 40”, the Prime Minister said.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

Dr Sunil Kumar S, Consultant Interventional and Structural Cardiologist & Endovascular Interventionalist&Dr.Hirennappa B Udnur, Consultant – Pulmonology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal

Dear Smokers, Smoking Kills. Smoking causes cancer. But of course you aren’t oblivious to that! But do you know which of your organs is the greatest victim of smoking? Lungs? Well, you couldn’t have got it more wrong. It is your heart that tobacco smoking affects the worst! In the early stages it is the lungs that gets affected and every smoker literally feels the repercussions of smoking on their lungs as they pant for breath and are divested of certain degree of vigour and stamina. Then takes over the regular bouts of morning wheezes. However, it is the cardiovascular disorders triggered by smoking that eventually acts as a sneaking assassin!
May 31 has been denominated as the annual World No Tobacco Day (WNTD)by the World Health Organization (WHO). The theme for this year’s WNTD is “Tobacco and heart disease”.The cynosure of the WNTD 2018 will be how tobacco impacts the cardiovascular health. Tobacco use is known to be lethal factor inducing cardiovascular diseases (CVD), that ranges from coronary heart disease and peripheral vascular disease to stroke. According to the reports by WHO, CVD is one of the majorcausesof the deathsin India and over 12% of all the deaths related to CVD are credited to smoking, either active or passive. Yet the awareness of the public about the impact of tobacco on the heart and the circulatory system is almost negligible.
Carbon monoxide, emitted during smoking tobacco, binds to haemoglobin- with an affinity that is 200-250 times greater than that of oxygen- and forms carboxyhaemoglobin and stays in the blood stream even two to four hours after smoking. This not only deprives the body of the necessary oxygen but its nocuous properties damage the smooth endothelium lining of blood vessels. Nicotine present in tobacco also damages the endothelium and trigger inflammatory reactions. This leads to deposition of cholesterol and narrowing of the arteries.Eventually absolute blockage occurs due to which all downstream tissues which are to be supplied with oxygen by the blood vessel starts to suffocate and die. The most common site of circulatory tissue death for a smoker is the heart muscle that leads to a heart attack, followed by the brain leading to a stroke.
Tobacco consumption disrupts the normal blood flow and harms the circulatory system more markedly than it does to the pulmonary system. Studies show that, while lung cancer is accountable for 28% of the deaths related to tobacco smoking, CVDs are culpable of around 43% of the fatalities related to tobacco consumption.
By designating “Tobacco and heart disease” as the theme of WNTD 2018, WHO aims to promote awareness on the stark connection between tobacco and heart diseases, and on the viable measures that can be undertaken by the government and the public health organizations to reduce tobacco induced heart health hazards.Tobacco is consumed in multifarious ways such as cigarettes, bidis, cigars, pipes, creamy snuff (tooth paste), kreteks and gutkha. The day is celebrated across the worldwith the objective to encourage tobacco consumers to quit consumption of tobacco in all forms. It is of utmost necessity to ban the use of tobacco globally since it fosters many ailments that are fatal like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Heart attacks, emphysema, and stroke, apart from the well chronicledlung cancer, throat cancer and oral cancer.
In India, approximately 10 lakh people die every year due to tobacco consumption.Tobacco smoke contains about 4000 chemicals in every puff, of this at least 250 are known to be hazardous and more than 50 are recognized as lethal carcinogens. In every form, tobacco is toxic, noxious and malignant. Even non-smokers today, are not immune from this bane. In grown-ups, passive smokingleads to chronic cardiovascular and respiratory ailments like coronary heart disease and lung cancer. In infants, it can be fatal. Pregnant women are at high risk too, since passive smoking can lead the neonate to suffer from low birth weight. Children daily breathe in air tobacco smoke in public places. WHO data has corroborated that, children constitute almost 28% of the deaths due to passive smoking.

Tobacco consumption ranks as the second leading cause of CVD, after hypertension. This is indeed a matter of consequence, that demands our attention and firm action. Government should come forward with initiatives to ban smoking. It is high time we realise that we are sitting on a ticking bomb, which if not diffused timely would be fatal for the entire society. Let us create a tobacco free world!