If you thought hypertension is a condition that affects only the adults and the elderly, you are totally mistaken. Pediatric hypertension is well on the rise.
  Primary hypertension is predominantly associated with a positive family history of hypertension, obesity, and life-style factors. And among the pediatric population it could be due to the well-established childhood obesity epidemic.   Identifying children with hypertension and successfully treating it should have an important impact on long-term outcomes of heart diseases.   One of the most important components of the successful management of childhood hypertension is determining whether or not there is an underlying cause that is amenable to treatment.   There are increasing evidences that adult hypertension has its antecedents during childhood, as childhood blood pressure (BP) predicts adult BP.  Children with hypertension are largely susceptible to cardiovascular risk factors. Although death and cardiovascular disability do not occur in hypertensive children, organ damage, such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), thickening of the carotid vessel wall, retinal vascular changes, and even subtle cognitive changes are detectable in children and adolescents with high BP.  Left ventricular hypertrophy occurs commonly in children and adolescents with high BP.   Among children and adolescents with primary hypertension, the presence of obesity could be associated with marked LVH. Carotid artery intimal medial thickness (CIMT), assessed by ultrasound, has been found to be greater in young adults who had had multiple risk factors since childhood.   It is also important to note that secondary causes of hypertension are more common in younger people with hypertension.   For these reasons, referral for more specialised evaluation should be considered.  Secondary hypertension (high BP caused by another medical condition) should, in particular, be suspected if patients do not respond to the initial treatment recommendations for younger patients.   Considering the rates of verified hypertension and pre-hypertension in asymptomatic children and adolescents, it is important to consider high BP as a common long-term health problem in childhood.   Prehypertension means that you do not have high blood pressure now but are likely to develop it in the future. Boys who are initially heavier (as measured by body mass index) and continue to gain weight may be at an increased risk of progressing to hypertension, compared with their thinner counterparts.   This condition also increases your risk of developing the known complications of high blood pressure — namely heart disease and stroke.   For both clinical and public health benefit, identification, examination, and treatment of children with high risk BP is an important step in reducing the excessive burden of cardiovascular disease.   Teenagers who know they have prehypertension or even high blood pressure can most likely avoid needing to take medication and developing complications of high blood pressure if they make some changes to their diet and lifestyle.   Regular physical activity is important and so is watching the amount of salt in the diet. A low-salt diet might help lower blood pressure.   The most important thing preteens can do is learn about which foods are salty and which are not. Weight loss and limiting the saturated fat in their diet can also help these children improve their heart disease risk factors.

NEW YORK : Forbes magazine has named Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani as the topmost among its “Global Game Changers” who are transforming their industries and changing the lives of billions around the world.  Ambani features at the top of the Forbes’ second annual Global Game Changers’ list of 25 “intrepid business leaders unsatisfied with the status quo” who are “transforming their industries and changing the lives of billions of people around the globe.”   The American magazine referred to the Ambani-led Reliance Jio mobile network’s efforts to spread internet penetration in India.  “Oil and gas tycoon entered the country’s telecom market with a bang, offering fast internet at dirt-cheap prices. Gained 100 million customers in six months and set off a wave of consolidation in the market,” Forbes said.   “While plenty of corporate functionaries make headlines for successful turnarounds or record profits, we sought to identify true movers and shakers who are determining the course of the future for more than just their own shareholders or employees,” it said.  Forbes said those on the latest game changers’ list are re-imagining the many facets of everyday life, from health to money transfers through digital means.  The list includes home appliances company Dyson’s founder James Dyson, US investment management company BlackRock co-founder Larry Fink, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, social media platform Snap co-founder Evan Spiegel and Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi Chuxing founder Cheng Wei.

(With Inputs from IANS)

The Hague : The International Court of Justice will announce its verdict on Thursday on India’s appeal against the death sentence awarded by a Pakistani court to alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

 The verdict is set to be announced at 3.30 p.m. IST. The verdict comes after India and Pakistan clashed on Monday at the ICJ over Jadhav with New Delhi invoking the court’s jurisdiction to see that the death sentence against him is annulled immediately.   Pakistan has said that India had no right to invoke the jurisdiction of the court because the Vienna Convention does not provide for matters relating to spies, terrorists and those who indulge in espionage.

NEW DELHI : In a major decision to fast-track Indias domestic nuclear power programme, the union cabinet on Wednesday approved construction of 10 units of indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR).

“The cabinet has approved installation of 10 indigenously built PWHRs of 700 MW each,” Union Minister Piyush Goyal said at a media briefing after meeting of the Cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Goyal, who is union Minister for Power and Coal, said the decision will result in significant augmentation of the country’s nuclear power generation capacity. 

He said India’s installed nuclear power capacity is 6,780 MW from 22 operational plants, and another 6,700 MW is expected to to be generated by 2021-22 through projects under construction. 

The government had in July 2014 set a target of taking nuclear power capacity to over 14,000 MW by 2024. 

The decision on construction 10 PHWRs comes days before the Modi government completes three years in office. 

Goyal said the move will give manufacturing orders to domestic industry to the tune of nearly Rs 70,000 crore and is expected to generate more than 33,400 jobs in direct and indirect employment. 

“As the government marks three years of its people centric-governance, in a first of its kind project for India’s nuclear power sector, the 10 new units will come up as a fully homegrown initiative,” Goyal said.

He said it would be one of the flagship “Make in India” projects in the nuclear power sector. 

The Minister said the project will help transform the Indian nuclear industry by linking the goal of a strong nuclear power sector with the country’s indigenous industrial capacities in high-end technologies.

“With manufacturing orders to domestic industry, it will be a major step towards strengthening India’s credentials as a major nuclear manufacturing powerhouse,” Goyal said.

He also linked the decision to the government’s clean energy goals and low-carbon growth strategy.

“It supports India’s commitment to sustainable development, energy self-sufficiency and bolsters global efforts to combat climate change,” he said. 

An official release later said that the project will bring about substantial economies of scale and maximise cost and time efficiencies by adopting fleet mode for execution. 

It said the 10 reactors will be part of India’s latest design of 700 MW PHWR fleet and will have state-of-art technology that will meet the highest standards of safety. 

The release said the approval marks a statement of strong belief in the capability of “India’s scientific community to build our technological capacities”. 

“It underscores the mastery our nuclear scientists have attained over all aspects of indigenous PHWR technology. India’s record of building and operating PHWR reactors over the last nearly 40 years is globally acclaimed,” the release said.

(With Inputs from IANS)

NEW DELHI : The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the new coal linkage policy — Shakti — for the power sector.
 The CCEA said that Shakti — Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating of Koyala (coal) Transparently in India — has been envisaged to make optimal allocation of coal across power units.  According to CCEA, under the new policy, coal will be made available to all power plants in “transparent and objective” manner through the auction route.  The new policy mandates that coal supply auction be made on the basis of “linkage allocations to IPPs (independent power producers)”, which will result in “cheaper and affordable” power.  The earlier New Coal Distribution Policy (NCDP), 2007, had introduced a system of issuance of LoA (Letter of Assurance) wherein requests for linkage were forwarded to the Ministry of Power for its recommendations.   “Allocation of linkages for power sector shall be based on auction of linkages or through Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) based on competitive bidding of tariffs, except for the state and the central power generating companies and the exceptions provided in Tariff Policy, 2016,” an official statement said.  “Approved framework ensures that all projects with linkages are supplied coal as per their entitlement; ensures rights of coal supplies for FSA holders and signing of FSA with LoA holders.” 

(With Inputs from IANS)

NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the All India Muslim Personal Law Board if it was possible to give the woman the option, before she gives her consent to nikaah, that the marriage she was entering into would not be dissolved through instant triple talaq.
  The top court constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar suggested that a clause can be added on the Nikaah Nama to say that the marriage can’t be dissolved by the husband by pronouncing instant triple talaq.   The bench asked whether it was possible for the AIMPLB to do that and whether their advisory would be followed by the Qazis at the ground. You can incorporate this option in the Nikaah Nama before she gives consent to Nikaah to say no to triple talaq, Chief Justice Khehar asked the AIMPLB.   Responding to the suggestion, Senior counsel Yusuf Hatim Muchchala said that the advisory of the AIMPLB is not binding on the Qazis to follow on the ground.   However, Muchchala, who is also a member of the Executive Committee of the AIMPLB, referred to the recent resolution passed by the AIMPLB conclave at Lucknow wherein the Board has asked the community to boycott the men who take recourse to instant triple talaq to dissolved their marriages. The conclave took place on April 14, 2017.   He told the bench that they would consider the suggestion in all humility and would look at it. The suggestion to AIMPLB by the court came in the course of the hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of triple talaq.   AIMPLB, has in the course of its submissions while saying that triple talaq was permissible, described it as a “sin” and “undesirable”. The AIMPLB has said that the community needed time to change and reform itself on its own without any outside interference or dictate.

(With Inputs from IANS)

NEW DELHI : Owing to the lack of pioneering innovation and stalled funding, more than 90 per cent startups in India fail in the first five years, a study by software major IBM revealed on Wednesday.
 The startups in the country are facing funding roadblocks both at entry and exit stages while successful global startup ecosystems are well supported by active investor communities.  “We believe that startups need to focus on societal problems like healthcare, sanitation, education, transportation, alternate energy management and others, which would help deal with the issues that India and the world face,” said Nipun Mehrotra, Chief Digital Officer, IBM India/South Asia, in a statement.   More than 76 per cent of Indian executives pointed to the country’s economic openness as a major business advantage, while 60 per cent identified skilled workforce and 57 per cent of the executives said that a large domestic market provides significant advantages.  Seventy three per cent of Indian business leaders surveyed believe that ecosystems can help accelerate innovation and almost 80 per cent of the executives from established companies say collaboration with startups accelerates new ideas.   Seventy per cent of the venture capitalists believe that talent acquisition is one of the biggest challenges faced by Indian startups, and limited availability of necessary skills impedes growth.   “Stakeholders’ (established businesses, startups, VCs, Government, higher education) involvement and contribution is key to creating a conducive environment for the success of the startup economy,” the study noted.   The IBM study titled “Entrepreneurial India” was based on interviews with more than 1,300 Indian executives, including 600 startup entrepreneurs, 100 venture capitalists, 100 government leaders, 500 leaders of established companies and 22 educational institution leaders.

(With Inputs from IANS)

Over a million adolescents die globally every year due to preventable causes. This accounts for 3,000 young deaths each day, according to a latest report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Road traffic injuries, lower respiratory infections and suicides – attributed to mental health – are the biggest causes of death among adolescents.  In 2015, more than two-thirds of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South-East Asia, the report says, adding most of these deaths can be prevented with good health services, education and social support. But in many cases, adolescents who suffer from mental health disorders, substance use, or poor nutrition cannot obtain critical prevention and care services – either because the services do not exist, or because they do not know about them.

Also, many behaviours that impact health later in life, such as physical inactivity, poor diet, and risky sexual health behaviours, begin in adolescence.

Data in the report, Global accelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance to support country implementation, suggests huge differences in causes of death when separating the adolescent group by age (younger adolescents aged 10–14 years and older ones aged 15–19 years) and by sex.

In 2015, road injuries were the leading cause of adolescent death among 10–19-year-olds, resulting in approximately 115 000 adolescent deaths. Older adolescent boys aged 15–19 years experienced the greatest burden. Most young people killed in road crashes are vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

However, differences between regions are also stark. Looking only at low- and middle-income countries in Africa, communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, lower respiratory infections, meningitis, and diarrhoeal diseases are bigger causes of death among adolescents than road injuries, according to the report.

The picture for girls differs greatly. The leading cause of death for younger adolescent girls aged 10–14 years are lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia – often a result of indoor air pollution from cooking with dirty fuels. Pregnancy complications, such as haemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labour, and complications from unsafe abortions, are the top cause of death among 15–19-year-old girls, the report says.

“Adolescents have been entirely absent from national health plans for decades,” says Dr Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General, WHO. “Relatively small investments focused on adolescents now will not only result in healthy and empowered adults who thrive and contribute positively to their communities, but it will also result in healthier future generations, yielding enourmous returns.”

Suicide and accidental death from self-harm, the report says, were the third cause of adolescent mortality in 2015, resulting in an estimated 67 000 deaths. Self-harm largely occurs among older adolescents, and globally it is the second leading cause of death for older adolescent girls. It is the leading or second cause of adolescent death in Europe and South-East Asia.

Adolescent health needs intensify in humanitarian and fragile settings, the report recommends. Young people often take on adult responsibilities, including caring for siblings or working, and may be compelled to drop out of school, marry early, or engage in transactional sex to meet their basic survival needs. As a result, they suffer malnutrition, unintentional injuries, pregnancies, diarrhoeal diseases, sexual violence, sexually-transmitted diseases, and mental health issues.

NEW DELHI : The government has installed necessary security in batches to protect its key networks from the cyber attack by ransomware virus ‘WannaCrypt’, Information Technology Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said on Tuesday.

“On ransomware, since March, the government of India has been on high alert. We have already installed the necessary security in batches as far as the government key networks are concerned,” said Sundararajan at the inaugural session here of Broadband India Forum.

“We have not got any reports of widespread infection. There have been very few isolated instances and we continue to be on watch,” she added.

Sundararajan said that apart from five or six isolated instances, there are no reports of any significant damage in the country.

“CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) which is the national agency which monitors and tracks this activity, has affirmed that in India, there were five or six isolated instances, one of about 18 computers of the police in Andhra, as well as about five odd instances, one in Kerala where one of the Panchayat computers were affected,” she told reporters here.

“Apart from that, there have been very small fragmented, isolated machines, standalone machines which have been affected. Overall, there was no report on any kind of substansive scale to indicate that Indian systems have actually been affected.”

The IT Secretary added that a multi-agency monitoring team is already continously monitoring and assessing the situation on a round-the-clock basis.

Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday had said the cyber attack by ransomware virus ‘WannaCrypt’ had nearly zero impact in India.

“We are strengthening our cyber security. After talking to Microsoft, we had asked people to install patch system in March. This ongoing attack not only had minimum, but nearly zero per cent impact, in India. We are strengthening our areas,” the Minister had said.

Speaking about the IT sector, Sundararajan said: “It (the IT sector) is continuing to grow at 7-8 per cent, it is forecast to grow at that rate. It has created five lakh jobs in the last two years.”

“There may be some changes in the profile of work or the profile of verticles within the IT sector because that is a dynamic sector. But we have it on categoric record from the industry that large scale job losses have not hampered at all. There is nothing unusual in the pattern of the employment scenario as far as the IT sector is concerned,” she said.

(With Inputs from IANS)

PATNA : The Income Tax Department on Tuesday conducted raids at over 22 places in Delhi and Haryana in connection with alleged Rs 1,000 crore benami land deals involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Besides the Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo, the IT raids were also carried out on the premises of party MP P.C. Gupta’s residence as well as several businessmen and real estate agents in Delhi and Haryana’s Gurugram and Rewari.

The raids started around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, in which over 100 officials were involved. 

Income Tax officials also searched over 10 premises of some government officials.

The IT Department’s action comes in the wake of the allegations made by former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi.

Modi has accused Lalu Prasad and his children – Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav and Rajya Sabha Parliamentarian Misa Bharti – of being involved in corrupt land deals. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said if there was documentary proof or solid evidence against the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and his family then the central government should take legal action.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had demanded a CBI probe into the “shady” land deals.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has alleged that RJD chief’s daughter Misa Bharti has not disclosed these alleged assets in her election affidavit and has demanded that the Election Commission take action against her. 

The BJP leader also alleged that the land deals were done during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as Union Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. 

Following the IT raids, Sushil Kumar Modi, who has been repeatedly accusing Lalu Prasad and his family in the “benami” properties case, told the media in Patna that his stand was “vindicated”.

(With Inputs from IANS)