Abbott Receives CE Mark for First Troponin Test to Help Predict the Chance of Heart Attack

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally 1, as well as in India2 .Yet unlike other conditions, heart disease can be prevented if identified early and managed through lifestyle changes and medication as needed.  To help people take control of their heart health, Abbott today announced that its High Sensitive Troponin-I blood test is the first tropon in test with CE Mark that can more accurately predict the chances of having a heart attack or other cardiac event potentially months to years in advance in people who otherwise appear healthy.

This life-changing technology has the potential to transform how doctors identify those at risk for developing heart disease because the diagnostic test uses a biomarker specific to the heart. European guidelines currently recommend that doctors look at indirect heart health factors, such as a person's cholesterol levels, blood pressure as well as if they have diabetes or are a smoker, to determine risk for developing heart disease.3 A substantial body of research has shown that measuring a person's troponin levels using Abbott's High Sensitive Troponin-I test provides better predictive information for determining a person's chances of developing future heart disease when added to the current standard of care.4-8

Nick Mills, M.D., a cardiologist and researcher at the British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh, is an author of one such study that evaluated the impact of troponin tests. The West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS) found that troponin-I levels were an indicator of an increased risk of coronary heart disease independent of cholesterol levels lowering, and identified the patients who benefited most from preventive treatments with a statin.5 "Our ultimate goal as healthcare providers is to prevent the onset of disease, not just treat or manage its consequences," said Dr. Mills.

ADDRESSING HEART DISEASE: A SHIFT FROM DIAGNOSIS TO PREVENTION

Troponin-I proteins are released from the heart and can be found at elevated levels in the blood when the heart muscle has been damaged due to lack of blood flow. Abbott's High Sensitive Troponin-I blood test has been used in emergency rooms across Europe over the past five years to help physicians detect heart attacks faster and more accurately, particularly among women who often have lower troponin levels.9

Because the High Sensitive Troponin-I test can detect very low levels of troponin, the test now can be used to determine cardiac risk in people with no reported symptoms of heart disease. Using this diagnostic test during the same blood draw of a routine health exam, doctors will be able to look at what's actually happening to the heart and better determine their patients' risk of developing heart disease, such as a heart attack or other cardiac event, in the future. With this added information, doctors can help ensure the correct treatment is given to people at high risk and prevent unnecessary testing, medication and costs for lower-risk patients.

Narendra Varde, General Manager and Country Head at Abbott’s Diagnostics business, explains how the test will be introduced in India, "As we launch our test this week during World Heart Day, Abbott will work with physicians and laboratories in India to determine how this could fit within their existing practices for prevention or annual health check-ups. Given the burden of cardiac disease in India, this test that can be added to doctors' current standards of care during a routine health check-up to help transform preventive care."

"We finally have a heart-specific tool when trying to determine a patient's chances of developing heart disease," said Agim Beshiri, M.D., senior medical director, global medical and scientific affairs for Abbott's diagnostics business. "This advancement has the potential to transform how doctors and patients prevent heart disease. Because the high sensitive troponin-I test can be part of any routine health check, it fits easily into existing healthcare practices."

GETTING TO THE HEART OF HEALTHCARE: ACCURATE AND TIMELY DIAGNOSIS

In addition to more accurately determining a patient's cardiac risk, Abbott's High Sensitive Troponin-I test is designed so that biotin doesn't affect test results. The vitamin biotin is growing in popularity as a supplement to improve hair, skin and nails. Yet biotin may interfere with some lab tests, including cardiac ones, potentially leading to false positive or false negative results. Having an accurate picture of a patient's cardiac risk can help physicians ensure that each patient is getting the correct treatment.

The High Sensitive Troponin-I test is now available for use in India, Europe and in other countries that recognize CE Mark. 

BHIM's Unified Payments Interface Registers 406 Million Transactions in August 2018

Monthly transactions through unified payments interface (UPI) increased by more than 30% month-on-month to 405.87 million in September, totalling over Rs 59,835 crore in value, according to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data.

About 312.02 million UPI transactions totalling Rs 54,212.26 crore were clocked in the month of August 2018.

Of the total, government-backed BHIM UPI registered 16.33 million transactions worth Rs 7,064.86 crore in September compared to 16.5 million transactions (totalling Rs 6,872.57 crore) in the previous month.

Over 120 banks are now live on UPI in the country as on September, according to the NPCI data. UPI, which is a payments system launched by the NPCI, facilitates fund transfer between two bank accounts without having to share details of the beneficiary’s bank account. At the end of August, there have been more than 31.6 million downloads of the BHIM app on Android and around 1.63 million on the iOS platform.

In a statement, Alibaba and SoftBank-backed Paytm claimed that it registered over 137 million UPI transactions in September, contributing over 33% of the overall transactions. The company said it has been enabling and promoting BHIM UPI for offline payments and over 5 million offline merchants out of its 9.5 million merchant-base now accept Paytm UPI.

“Our country is embracing digital payments for their everyday use cases. Paytm has built an ecosystem where users can make payments for various services such as mobile recharges, electricity and water bills, metro commute and also at the offline stores,” Paytm Senior VP Deepak Abbot said.

Keys Hotels Celebrates 12 Years and Plans to Add 1500 Room Keys in Next 3 Years

Keys Hotels, a part of the Los Angeles based Berggruen Group, is celebrating 12 years of successful operations in India.  Founded in year 2006, Keys Hotels has expanded their portfolio to 21 hotels across 19 cities in India by creating three distinguished brands – Keys Prima (Upper Midscale), Keys Select (Midscale) and Keys Lite (Economy); making them dominant players across the mid-market segment. The brand currently has seven managed, seven franchised and seven of owned full service hotels, totalling close to 2000 rooms.

As a part of their 12th year anniversary, Keys Hotels has announced exciting engagement and reward programs for its teams and guests alike. The guests would be provided a scratch card when they check-in at Keys Hotels. These scratch cards have 12 different types of exciting rewards, wherein the guest can win a one plus one free buffet, a buy 1 Night and get 2nd night at 25% off at Keys Select Hotel Aqua Green, Port Blair or book 2 Nights and get 3rd night at 50% off and many other exciting options.

Keys believes in a work culture which is inclusive, open, warm and driven. They embrace diversity at workplace and recognize talent purely based on merit. To mark the celebrations of their 12th anniversary, Keys Hotels is bringing in a practice of building opportunities for 12 high performers by providing special guidance to accelerate their careers and make a difference.

Keys Hotels has always given priority to value creation and have partnered with like-minded people to prioritize setting the right brand standards across all hotels. They have attained success through integrated revenue management and optimized operations channels. This has helped them successfully drive value for money experience to the target audience whilst delivering stakeholder returns.

At Keys, ‘Happy Stays’ are not just about the stay, it is about the experience. It is what the guest feels and what the guest takes back home when they check out.

Speaking on the occasion, Kabir Kewalramani, Managing Director of Berggruen Holdings India, said, “We are excited to celebrate our 12th anniversary of operations in India. Going forward, our priority will be to build scale. The next 5 years augur well for the hospitality industry and we believe Keys is well positioned to capitalise on this opportunity. As investors we will continue to support the company in its growth efforts.”

DPS, Ruby Park Kolkata Lifts Troupy of HDFC ERGO’s Insurance Awareness Award Junior Quiz 2018

HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, India’s leading non-life insurer, today announced Delhi Public School, Ruby Park from Kolkata as the winners of HDFC ERGO Insurance Awareness Award Junior Quiz 2018. Samsidh Mount Litera Zee School from Bengaluru claimed the title of first runner up, with Kairali School from Ranchi emerging as the 2nd runner up in the 3rd edition of the Quiz.

Launched in 2016, HDFC ERGO’s Insurance Awareness Junior Quiz Award championship is aimed at promoting and spreading insurance literacy amongst school students. Through Junior Quiz, HDFC ERGO reached out to over 54,000 students, imparting basic knowledge on Insurance through townhalls conducted in over 270 schools across the country. Expanding its footprint this year, the Quiz was held in 4 new cities of – Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and Ranchi along with the existing cities of - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru.  The Quiz was layered in two rounds – regional level & national level and targeted the students of classes VIII and IX.

Speaking at the Grand Finale of the HDFC ERGO Insurance Awareness Award Junior Quiz, Mr. Ritesh Kumar, MD & CEO, HDFC ERGO General Insurance said, “We believe that it is important to inculcate financial knowledge right from the school level. Addressing this, the HDFC ERGO Insurance Awareness Award Junior – Quiz is an innovative platform created to educate young minds about insurance at an early age. Besides building awareness on Insurance, the Quiz also tests the wits of these students and brings forth a healthy competition in a fun, exciting and engaging manner for the students to learn from. We are delighted to see a remarkable response from schools & students across the country and hope to grow this platform enormously, year after year.”

At the regional level, among the 270 plus schools that participated in the Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) round, 36 schools qualified for the city semi-final round of the Quiz. The winning teams from each of the 9 cities - DAV Public School from Mumbai, Euro International School from Delhi, Bethel MHS School from Chennai, Samsidh Mt. Litera Zee School from Bengaluru, Delhi Public School from Kolkata, Kennedy High School from Hyderabad, St. Kabir (DIN) School from Ahmedabad, Baby’s English High School from Pune and Kairali School from Ranchi then contested for the Championship of the HDFC ERGO Insurance Awareness Award Junior – Quiz at the national level, engaging in an exciting Grand Finale that was held in Mumbai.

Each team put up a whole-hearted effort but the Delhi Public School, Ruby Park team from Kolkata took home the title of National Champions and rewards worth Rs.1,50,000/- and the School was awarded Rs 75,000/- prize money. Samsidh Mount Litera Zee School team from Bengaluru claimed the title as 1st runners to grab prizes worth Rs 1,00,000/- with Kairali School team from Ranchi bagging the 2nd runner up position and prizes worth Rs 50,000/-. The other participating team were awarded prizes worth Rs 20,000/- each for their efforts and participation in the Quiz.

The HDFC ERGO Insurance Awareness Award Junior – Quiz is the first of its kind initiative taken by HDFC ERGO to promote and spread insurance literacy amongst students as a necessary life skill. Enthused by the overwhelming response from the schools, HDFC ERGO looks to expand the Quiz to schools in more cities across the country in the coming years. 

Atos Unveils Most Powerful Supercomputer in Germany at Forschungszentrum Julich

Atos’ supercomputer, the BullSequana X1000, was officially inaugurated on September 18 at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC). The centre’s new flagship computer and currently Germany’s fastest supercomputer, named JUWELS (short for Jülich Wizard for European Leadership Science) was inaugurated in an official ceremony at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) by Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek and Armin Laschet, Minister President of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, with representatives from Julich and Atos.

With 12 Petaflops computing power - equivalent to 12 quadrillion computing operations per second - JUWELS will provide valuable services for top interdisciplinary research and at the same time significantly improve the performance of North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany as a science location. It today ranks 23rd in the TOP500 List of the fastest supercomputers in the world.

“Atos is proud to provide researchers at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre with the computing power they need to accelerate their research and maintain their level of innovation. The decision to choose our BullSequana X is testament to our technological excellence in high-performance computing.” says Agnes Boudot, Group VP, Head of HPC at Atos.

23 of Karnataka’s Best Gear Up for IndiaSkills 2018 in New Delhi

Participants from 27 states are gearing up to compete at the IndiaSkills National Competition 2018, the biggest showcase of the country’s skilled youth. Karnataka will be represented by 23 people across various categories, from web designing, Graphic Design Technology, Mechatronics, Visual Merchandising, Bakery to Carpentry. The competition will be inaugurated on 2nd October, followed by the skill competition from 3rd to 5th October at Aerocity Grounds, New Delhi. 

More than 400 participants across 27 states will showcase their talent across 46 skills, 10 traditional skills and 4 demo skills. For the first time ever, Abilympics - the ‘Olympics of Abilities’, will feature persons with disabilities (PwDs) who will showcase their talents across 10 skill competitions.

The winners across different skills will be facilitated during the closing ceremony on 6th October in Delhi. They will also get a chance to undergo best-in-class industry training to prepare them for the WorldSkills International Competition scheduled in Kazan, Russia from 22nd to 27th August 2019.

Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming competition, Rajesh Agrawal Joint Secretary, MSDE, said, “IndiaSkills competition plays a catalytic role in improving the overall aspiration for vocational training in India. This year’s competition is unique, as for the first time we have collaborated with 22 state government who have organized district and state level skill competitions in their respective states and have supported us in training the winners for the National competition. We are optimistic that the finalists this year will truly raise the bar and bring laurels to the country at the WorldSkills next year.” 

Commenting on the initiatives, Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, NSDC, said, “IndiaSkills Competition 2018 has witnessed more than fifty thousand entries this year, which is 10 times more than what we received for similar event in 2016. It’s a great achievement for all the participants who are representing their states at IndiaSkills 2018. Competition like these will help youth benchmark their skills against their peers in other states in India and those around the world, which will us improve the overall standards of vocational training in India.”

IndiaSkills Competition 2018, organized by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), has brought together 70+ corporates and academic institutes, along with 22 state governments to realize the vision of establishing India as the skill capital of the world.

The registration for IndiaSkills Competition 2018 witnessed 50,000+ participants from 21 states and union territories who competed in 46 skills/trades across different levels to make it to the following regional competitions.

·         IndiaSkills West in Jaipur
·         IndiaSkills North in Lucknow
·         IndiaSkills South in Bangalore
·         IndiaSkills East in Bhubaneshwar

Apart from skill competitions, the event will also host several engaging initiatives such as career counselling, skill exhibition, try a skill among others for the youth. Several other events such as State Ministers Conference, Skill Conclave, Industry Round Table will also be organized on the sidelines of the skill competitions.

India won 1 Silver, 1 Bronze and 9 Medallions of Excellence and ranked 19th among 56 countries at the last WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi. More than 1300 competitors competed in 51 skills at this event.

Manipal Hospitals Unveil’s 'Guardians of Heart' Teachers Campaign On World Heart Day

Manipal Hospitals, India’s leading healthcare provider today announced the launch of its World Heart Day campaign “Guardians of Heart” in Bengaluru. A unique collaboration of two signature days in September, World Heart Day and Teachers Day, the campaign aims at creating 25000 ‘Heart Smart Teachers’ to create awareness on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) among younger generation. The corporate campaign will be rolled across various centres of Manipal i.e. Vijayawada, Mangalore, Goa, Jaipur and Dwarka ( New Delhi).

This unique crusader was unveiled by T N Seetharam, Kannada Film & TV Actor, Director, Producer  in the presence of Dr. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals.

India is diabetic capital of the world and we are steadily progressing towards becoming the capital of heart diseases as well. The disease needs to be  handled at grassroot level and education & awareness needs to be created amongst the younger generation. Hence, to connect the dots, Manipal aims to explore possibility of changes that teachers can bring about in students, who in turn can pass the message to their families.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals said, “The burden of heart disease is increasing leaps and bounds world over and India is no exception. Most heart diseases are not formed inside our body like tumors but are a result of our lifestyle. Research has shown that diet, exercise, prevention of active & passive smoking, lifestyle modification can prevent the disease from being life threatening. Via this campaign, we want to encourage preventative care at a young age itself.”

“Heart smart teachers will spread healthy heart concepts to kids who in turn will educate their parents and the chain reaction of Heart Smart Teachers - Healthy Kids - Healthy Family - Healthy Nation can be achieved,” he added.

Heart disease can be reduced by Educating, Inspiring, Motivating and Regular checkups.  Under the Guardians of Heart campaign, a comprehensive health programme will be conducted to make this campaign a success. Heart Smart passes and family health cards will be distributed. Every last Saturday, Teachers would be attending educative workshops and Manipal will facilitate unique series of candid interactions with Cardiac super specialists who will be educating Teachers about various heart medical emergencies faced and how best it can be addressed. Culmination of this program will take place on Feb 1, 2019 on National Red Day where 25000 teachers will avail the certificate to become Heart Smart. 

Speaking on the occasion, T N Seetharam, Kannada Film & TV Actor, Director, Producer said, “I congratulate Manipal Hospitals for ideating such a noble and thoughtful initiative which will help society at a larger level. Students are our future and teachers play a pivotal role in student’s life and their support is imperative in building a healthy new generation. Prevention is always better than cure and when teachers are ‘Heart Smart’ students will definitely be motivated towards adopting a healthy lifestyle. I wish them all the very best in this endeavour and I am confident that this campaign will impact the lives of younger generation positively.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Devananda N S ,  HOD & Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon said, “Students have an impressionable mind and since they spend most of their time in school, teachers can create everlasting impact. Children must know the consequences of heart diseases and teachers can act as evangelists in making kids aware and conscious. This collaboration will also benefit parents and society in general.”

Dr. Ranjan Shetty, HOD, Department of Cardiology, “Heart disease is the biggest killer in the world and India. Current projections suggest that India is witnessing the largest cardiovascular disease burden and occurs 10 to 15 years earlier than the west,  which has an average of 25 to 35. One fifth of the deaths in India are from coronary heart disease and by 2020, it will account for one third of all deaths. Adopting healthy lifestyle and regular exercise is the key towards maintaining balanced health and healthy heart.”