Baby’s sex drives response to pregnancy stress

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 30 (ANI): The sex of the baby determines the way it responds to stressors during pregnancy and its ability to survive pregnancy complications, a University of Adelaide research has shown.

Male and female babies during pregnancy show different growth and development patterns following stressors during pregnancy such as disease, cigarette use or psychological stress.

The research is being carried out by the Robinson Institute”s Pregnancy and Development Group, based at the Lyell McEwin Hospital and led by Associate Professor Vicki Clifton.

“What we have found is that male and female babies will respond to a stress during pregnancy by adjusting their growth patterns differently,” said Associate Professor Clifton.

“The male, when mum is stressed, pretends it”s not happening and keeps growing, so he can be as big as he possibly can be. The female, in response to mum”s stress, will reduce her growth rate a little bit; not too much so she becomes growth restricted, but just dropping a bit below average.

“When there is another complication in the pregnancy – either a different stress or the same one again – the female will continue to grow on that same pathway and do okay but the male baby doesn”t do so well and is at greater risk of pre-term delivery, stopping growing or dying in the uterus.”

Associate Professor Clifton said this sex-specific growth response had been observed in pregnancies complicated by asthma, pre-eclampsia and cigarette use but was also likely to occur in other stressful events during pregnancy such as psychological stress. (ANI)

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Prime Minister leaves for Italy to attend G-8 Summit

July 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, July 7 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday left for Italy to attend the G-8 Summit in L’Aquila.

Before his departure, Dr. Singh said he would project India’s views on major global issues relating to the world economic and financial crisis.

“During my visit, I will discuss several issues relating to the world economic and financial crisis and its impact on development, food and energy security, climate change, international trade negotiations and reform of international with G-8 leaders and those from outreach countries like China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa,” Dr. Singh said.

“I will also participate in the meetings of the Major Economies Forum on trade matters and climate change, as well as a meeting on food security being organized by Italy with the participation of several African nations,” he added.

“The global financial and economic slowdown that we are witnessing is particularly detrimental for the development objectives of developing countries such as India. This has not been a crisis of our making, but we have had to bear its consequences. The slowdown in the advanced economies has affected our exports, strengthened protectionists sentiments and impacted credit and capital flows,” he said.

He further added, “We would, therefore, like to see a concerted and well-coordinated global response to address systemic failures and to stimulate the real economy. In the longer run, we would like to see a much higher level of stability and sustainability in the growth patterns of the developed world, and in international financial governance.”

“The issues of food and energy security and climate change are closely interlinked. They have to be approached as a single undertaking if we are to give meaning to the concept of sustainable development,” he said.

About climate change, Dr. Singh said, “India will actively participate in the international negotiations on climate change within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change and the Bali Action Plan.”

During his four-day visit, Dr. Singh is expected to meet US President Barack Obama and other world leaders.e will discuss several issues, including climate change, energy and food security with G-8 leaders and those from outreach countries like China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

Prior to the G-8 leaders meeting, he will attend a meeting of the G-5 group China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

The summit will primarily focus on winding down expensive stimulus packages for recession-hit financial systems.

Besides the financial crisis, the summit will also discuss the issue of protectionism, food and energy security.

This will be the fifth time that the Prime Minister will attend a G-8 summit since 2003. (ANI)

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PM says will focus on global issues relating to economic crisis at G8-G5 summit

July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, July 7 (ANI): Hours before his departure for the G8-G5 summit in Italy, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today said he would project India’s views on major global issues relating to the world economic and financial crisis.

“During my visit, I will discuss several issues relating to the world economic and financial crisis and its impact on development, food and energy security, climate change, international trade negotiations and reform of international with G-8 leaders and those from outreach countries like China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa,” Dr. Singh said.

“I will also participate in the meetings of the Major Economies Forum on trade matters and climate change, as well as a meeting on food security being organized by Italy with the participation of several African nations,” he added.

“The global financial and economic slowdown that we are witnessing is particularly detrimental for the development objectives of developing countries such as India. This has not been a crisis of our making, but we have had to bear its consequences. The slowdown in the advanced economies has affected our exports, strengthened protectionists sentiments and impacted credit and capital flows,” he said.

“We would, therefore, like to see a concerted and well-coordinated global response to address systemic failures and to stimulate the real economy. In the longer run, we would like to see a much higher level of stability and sustainability in the growth patterns of the developed world, and in international financial governance.” he said.

“The issues of food and energy security and climate change are closely interlinked. They have to be approached as a single undertaking if we are to give meaning to the concept of sustainable development,” he added.

About climate change, Dr. Singh said, “India will actively participate in the international negotiations on climate change within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change and the Bali Action Plan.”

During his four-day visit, Dr. Singh is expected to meet US President Barack Obama and other world leaders.

Prior to the G-8 leaders meeting, he will attend a meeting of the G-5 group China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

The summit will primarily focus on winding down expensive stimulus packages for recession-hit financial systems.

Besides the financial crisis, the summit will also discuss the issue of protectionism, food and energy security. (ANI)

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Cottonseed-based drug may help treat severe brain cancer

May 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 29 (ANI): Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) say that an experimental drug derived from cottonseeds appears to be efficacious in treating the recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme, which is considered to be the most lethal brain cancer.

The researchers came to this conclusion following the results of a Phase II clinical trial of AT-101, a pill manufactured from a potent compound in cottonseeds that overcomes the abnormal growth patterns of tumour cells.

Glioblastomas are more common in adults, and are considered fast-growing brain tumours that are very difficult to treat.

Research leader Dr. John Fiveash, an associate professor in the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology, said that the cottonseed-based agent was found to halt the cancer’s progression in many of the 56 patients.

He revealed that despite undergoing other treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, the trial patients’ brain cancer had begun to grow again prior to starting AT-101 treatments.

The trial-monitored patients took only AT-101 daily for three out of four weeks.

“After getting this drug some of these patients went many months without any new growth in their tumours. We are able to do that with a well-tolerated oral medication, and that is a major benefit,” Fiveash said.

He believes that the drug would likely work best in combination with radiation and chemotherapy to boost the cancer-fighting properties of those treatments.

Fiveash and his colleagues are also trying to determine which patients are most likely to benefit from AT-101.

The initial results of the drug trial would be presented on May 30, during the poster discussion of central nervous system tumours at the American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. (ANI)

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More than half the world’s workers have no contract, social security

April 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Paris – With mass layoffs becoming more common as a result of the economic crisis, more and more workers around the world are forced to take jobs without a contract and any social security, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Wednesday in Paris.

According to a new OECD study, some 1.8 billion people, or more than half the world’s labour force, now find themselves in this precarious situation.

“That number is projected to grow to two thirds of the workforce by 2020, assuming stable population trends and growth patterns, and could go higher if more jobs are lost to the economic crisis and more migrants return home to informal sector jobs,” the OECD said.

The situation affects primarily women – who make up the majority of workers in poor-quality jobs – and workers in developing countries with no unemployment insurance, the OECD said.

To remedy the situation, the authors of the study call for immediate and unconventional action. “The support of donor countries will be essential,” the OECD said.(dpa)

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Aspect wins two major industry honours from Frost and Sullivan

February 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Delhi, Feb 2 (ANI/Business Wire India): Aspect, a unified communications and contact centre software and services provider, today announced it has received two industry awards from Frost and Sullivan, a global growth partnership company, at the 2008 Frost and Sullivan India ICT Awards Ceremony in Bangalore.

Aspect won the Growth Strategy Leadership Award and the Market Leadership Award for Outbound Systems from Frost and Sullivan.

The Frost and Sullivan Award for Growth Strategy Leadership is presented each year to the company that has strengthened its position in the market, and whose strategy will have a lasting impact in the industry in India.

This award acknowledges the company’s substantial growth in the contact centre space through unique business strategies.

“Aspect has demonstrated the ability to provide organisations with methods to improve their business processes via streamlined communications that lead to enhanced agility and responsiveness in the enterprise,” said Kaustubh Dhavse, deputy director, ICT Practice, Frost and Sullivan, South Asia and Middle East.

“In addition, Aspect offers in-depth contact centre expertise to companies in the region. These factors have contributed significantly to the company’s success as a growth strategy leader,” added Kaustubh.

A recipient is chosen to receive the Frost and Sullivan Award for Growth Strategy Leadership based on specific criteria.

Through primary and secondary research methods, all companies’ market revenues are tracked and those exhibiting significant growth are noted for their strategy implementation.

Revenues are then compared year-to-year to monitor growth patterns.

“We are honoured that Frost and Sullivan has selected us to receive such a prestigious award,” said Rajeev Soni, general manager, South Asia and Middle East, Aspect.

“This award demonstrates our market leadership in the contact centre space, attributed to our development of leading, IT-ready software-powered solutions, combined with strong market presence covering major cities in India. We continue to strive for greater growth and remain committed to helping our customers streamline communications across the enterprise and the contact centre,” added Rajeev.

The Frost and Sullivan Award for Market Leadership of the Year is given to the company that has excelled in all areas of market share leadership and has demonstrated strong strategy development and technological innovation.

The Market Leadership Award for Outbound Systems acknowledges a company’s robust outbound product portfolio, a committed customer focus, and a leadership position in the outbound market in India.

According to Frost and Sullivan, Aspect is the market leader in the outbound systems market, having captured a market share of 55.9 percent. Aspect leads the outbound dialer market of $23.6 million in India, with the next highest competitor having 18.9 percent market share.

Aspect has been recognized for its industry-leading outbound dialing solutions that are designed to help companies provide proactive customer service, improve their collections, and enhance their sales.

“Although the outbound market in India is very competitive, Aspect has captured the leading market share because we are able to differentiate our offerings through the insight and experience that we bring to our customers, in addition to properly executing our product strategy,” said Rajeev Soni, general manager, South Asia and Middle East, Aspect.

“In addition, we have been seeing a growing interest in feature-rich dialer capabilities unified with voice portal, inbound routing, recording, and performance optimization tools. This is a proof point that more companies are seeing the value of implementing a unified solution to provide contact centres with greater choice and control. We will continue to offer innovative solutions to cater to the changing and growing needs of the contact centre market and we expect to maintain our position as a leader in this space,” added Rajeev. (ANI)

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