Now, track your train on mobile phone

New Delhi, June 24, 2012, PTI:

In an effort to help on board railway passengers, a joint team of Indian Railways and IIT-Kanpur has developed a “real-time train running information system” which enables a mobile user to access information about the exact location of a train.

One has to type the train number and SMS it to 09415139139 or 09664139139 for knowing the exact location of a train on real-time basis, a Railway Ministry official said.

The service is currently available for 36 pairs of premier trains, including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto.

“Not all premier trains are covered yet. Some of the trains covered under the project included Mumbai Rajdhani, Howrah Rajdhani, Dibrugarh Rajdhani, Sealdah Duronto and Shatabdi trains for Bhopal, Kanpur and Amritsar,” the official said.

The facility would be extended to all major trains in the next 18 months and the Railways has allocated Rs 121 crore for the project, he said.

“It will cost about Rs 50,000 to install a receiver on the locomotive for making the system operational. There will be a centre at New Delhi for receiving data from across the country. We are hopeful that by the end of 2013, all mail and express trains will have the system as the trial run for the pilot project is complete now,” the official said.

Railways had obtained permission from Isro to operate the system through satellite for the pilot project.

“We have sought fresh permission from the Isro to use the satellite for other trains,” the official said, adding that besides satellite, GPS is also being used for the system.

A Chilling Way To Relieve Pain

Chennai Hospital To Use Extreme Cold To Treat Patients With Arthritis, Spondylitis, Asthma And Even Skin Disorders

Pratiksha Ramkumar | TNN 

    Imagine being in a room colder than the Antarctic for three minutes and stepping out healthier. This is how people with early stages of arthritis, post-operative trauma, chronic pain, spondylitis and even asthma and skin disorders could feel after undergoing Whole Body Cryotherapy, say doctors. Invented in Japan in 1978 and introduced in Europe in 1984, WBC is set to be introduced in a city hospital later this week. 
    The concept is simple. A patient clad in swimwear, for maximum skin exposure, steps into a cryo chamber cooled to -110°C and remains for three minutes. Once inside, the skin rapidly cools to 5°C, setting off its sensors. “The sensors start firing at 140 times a second against the normal 15 times a second. The sensory input is then sent to the spinal chord, where it works on the synapse. Receptors in the joints, muscles and autonomous nervous system then get modified,” says Dr Ravi Subramaniam, an orthopaedic surgeon and director of Soundarapandian Bone and Joint Hospital where WBC units, imported from Germany, will be used. Modifications of the receptors over time will eliminate inflammation in that part, reducing pain. 
    The brain starts releasing endorphins, chemical compounds that boost energy levels, improve metabolism and blood circulation and reduce stress, when it begins receiving the modified impulse. 
    About 15-20 sessions of this threeminute therapy can help patients with rheumatoid arthritis. “It also reduces patients’ medicine intake up to nine times and hugely improves their mobility too,” says Dr Subramaniam. 
    Severe arthritis requires a minimum of 30 sessions, each costing around 2,000, but treatment is painless and quick. It can even cure disorders like asthma, traditionally associated with cold temperatures. “The climatic cold is filled with moisture that worsens arthritis, but this cold is dry,” says Dr Siva Murugan, an orthopaedician at the Soundarapandian Bone and Joint Hospital. But both specialists admit this treatment can never be a substitute for surgery. 
    Before entering the main chamber, patients spend 30 seconds in a pre-chamber cooled to -40°C “to acclimatise the body,” says Dr Murugan. They are also made to cover their feet, hands, mouth, nose and ears with socks, gloves and other protective gear to avoid frost bite. Studies are on to see how WBC can be used to treat cancer. pratiksha.ramkumar@timesgroup.com 

TECH MASTERS: Dr Ravi Subramaniam (left), director of Soundarapandian Bone and Joint Hospital, with Dr Siva Murugan, orthopaedician

Survivor tales

A successful stem cell transplant on Dhulia-resident Rajiv Gandhi by Apollo Hospital, Ahmedabad's Dr Chirag Shah has ensured a healthy, happy and stress-free life

June 22, 2012

MUMBAI

The Guide Team

“I didn’t think I would be cured of bone marrow cancer,” recalls 51-year-old businessman Rajiv Gandhi. This self-confessed fan of the Gandhi family who has named his children Rahul and Priya, respectively is living a cancer-free life in Dhulia. Gandhi had no history of cancer in family. He says, “Since my haemoglobin count was low, we went to Pune for a few tests.

On November 18 2008, the doctors told me that I have bone marrow cancer. Medicines were prescribed and I was beginning to get better. I had stopped medicines for a year.”  Gandhi’s condition took a turn for the worse a year later. After undergoing chemotherapy sessions elsewhere that benefited Gandhi temporarily, he continued to feel weakness. He also experienced side-effects like hair loss. Besides treatment at a civic care centre, Gandhi tells us, is not the same as in a private care.

“On word from my brothers-in-law, who are doctors at Ahmedabad’s Apollo Hospital, we decided to meet Dr Chirag Shah. It was the best decision,” says Gandhi. The family accepted it and thought it better to stay on in Ahmedabad to avail treatment at Apollo Hospital’s world-class facility. Gandhi was not tolerating treatment so he went for transplant which has better long-term results, and there would be no long-term need to consume medicinal drugs, in most cases.

A Stem Cell transplant procedure by Dr Chirag Shah was done to treat his condition on May 1, 2011. Post treatment required round-the-clock observation, which was done with immense care at Apollo Hospital under Dr Shah’s constant monitoring. In time, his WBC and RBC levels came back to normal. Interestingly, in this procedure, there is no operation on the body. The patient was in his room through the procedure, and was never taken to operation room. This procedure involves transplantation of special cells, hence an operation on the body is never done — he was told.

He was feeling healthy and was discharged from hospital on May 19, 2011. His treatment cost only about Rs 5 lakh. His family was satisfied with the positive outcome of the operation and his steady progress, health-wise. Today, Gandhi is an actively engaged businessman who lives life in Dhulia with the same vigour as he did, earlier, carrying on with his daily routine and working between seven to 10 hours.

Today, he takes calcium tablets (Shelcal) and visits Dr Chirag Shah every three months for a series of precautionary check-ups and tests. Every month, he also receives a call from the hospital to check on his progress and health. “I feel great and there is no treatment to undergo, any more. Dr Shah’s care and concern for every patient ensured I was up and running in no time.”

His experience at Apollo Hospital ensured that state-of-the-art care reached the common man, and gave patients like Gandhi a new lease of life — “I was given a second life. Separate Stem cell Unit with HEPA Filter facility at Apollo Hospital ensured I could avail of the most advanced treatment. My family and I were confident that my health and future was in the hands of Dr Chirag Shah. He and the trained and dedicated nursing staff kept me in great condition and specialised care during my time there. I am grateful to have opted for treatment here.”