The contractual employee identified as Santosh Kumar Dash used to work as a lift operator, sources said. Moreover, the managing director of the service-providing firm that had appointed Dash has been served a show-cause notice and directed to terminate Dash from his service.
Apart from his immediate suspension, the hospital authorities have warned him against entering the campus of the health institution and will not be allowed to work as service provider in any capacity on the hospital premises.
The hospital authorities were left red-faced after a video of Dash consuming alcohol in the ticket counter of the trauma casualty went viral on various social media platforms. In the viral video, we can see Dash drinking alcohol in presence of a female staff. Shockingly, the female worker showed no sign of protest.
When spotted on camera, he casually smiles and continues drinking, raising serious concerns about the state of affairs at the hospital. It is alleged that it is a daily affair inside the hospital premises and other staff were complicit about it.
When contacted, hospital administrator Dr Abhinash Rout said that necessary steps would be taken to prevent such incidents in the future. Strict and surprise visits will be conducted to step up the vigil inside the hospital premises.
Worth mentioning, a purported video of a man taking bribe from a youth on pretext of providing him a job at the premier health institute had also gone viral in internet in the month of July this year.
In the video, the man was seen sitting on a motorcycle and taking Rs 20,000 bribe and documents from a youth promising him a job at the hospital.
According to the World Health Organisation, the European Union is the heaviest-drinking region in the world.
While it is well recognised that long-term heavy alcohol use can cause a type of heart failure called alcoholic cardiomyopathy, evidence from Asian populations suggests that lower amounts may also be detrimental.
"This study adds to the body of evidence that a more cautious approach to alcohol consumption is needed," said Dr. Bethany Wong of St. Vincent's University Hospital in Ireland.
"To minimise the risk of alcohol causing harm to the heart, if you don't drink, don't start. If you do drink, limit your weekly consumption to less than one bottle of wine or less than three-and-a-half 500 ml cans of 4.5 per cent beer," Wong added. The findings were presented at Heart Failure 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Wong noted that as the mainstay of treatment for this group is management of risk factors such as alcohol, knowledge "about safe levels is crucial".
The study included 744 adults over 40 years of age either at risk of developing heart failure due to risk factors (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity) or with pre-heart failure (risk factors and heart abnormalities but no symptoms). The researchers analysed the association between alcohol use and heart health over a median of 5.4 years.
The results suggest that drinking more than 70 grams of alcohol per week is associated with worsening pre-heart failure or progression to symptomatic heart failure.
"We did not observe any benefits of low alcohol usage. Our results indicate that countries should advocate lower limits of safe alcohol intake in pre-heart failure patients," Wong said.
The veteran socialist made the remarks on the floor of the state legislature.
The legislative council bore witness to his declamation on Wednesday when an amendment to the state's stringent prohibition law was placed before it after having been passed by the assembly.
Kumar, who has been a member of the upper house in the state ever since he became the chief minister in 2005, rose to take part in the debate.
Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Kumar recalled the revulsion "Bapu" had for alcohol and railed against critics who questioned liquor ban in Bihar, which has been in force since 2016.
"Those who criticise us for bringing prohibition, think they are kaabil (accomplished). Actually they are maha ayogya (good for nothing) and maha paapi (great sinners)," Kumar had fumed.
The CM also said that it was Gandhi who had helped the country get Independence and, as such, those who disagreed with him on the issue of alcohol "cannot be called Hindustanis or Bharatiyas".
Prohibition was imposed in April, 2016 in keeping with an electoral promise Kumar had made to the state's women ahead of the assembly polls held the year before.
His government had, in its first couple of terms, faced flak for a liberal excise policy which allegedly facilitated mushrooming of liquor shops in every nook and corner.
Subsequent implementation of the prohibition law has, however, been patchy and called into question following a spurt in hooch deaths in the past few months.
The government maintained that the ban on liquor has led to improved standards of living.
Recently, Kumar turned down suggestions that those coming to the state from outside be exempted with the remark that anybody who found liquor ban inconvenient "need not visit Bihar".
He also exhorted people to publicly shame those found involved in sale or manufacture of illicit liquor.
Kumar's detractors have scoffed at the use of drones, helicopters and other such measures for keeping a check on bootleggers.
Moreover, his government was recently upbraided by the Supreme Court for having brought in a law which burdened the Patna High Court with cases relating to prohibition.
The latest amendment seeks to exempt "first time offenders" from jail term if they tell on their peddlers, a provision which, as per the opposition, could put the lives of informants at risk and be misused for setting personal scores.
Thirty-one per cent of males in the age group of 10-75 years and 16.4% of the population in this age group, use alcohol. Odisha was, in 2018, among the top ten states in regard to the number of people in need of help for alcohol problems with as many as 21 lakh people in need of help. 4.9 lakh people (third highest in the country) are in need of help for cannabis related problems; 3 lakh people in need of help for opioid related problems and 1.2 lakh in need of help in sedative related problems.
A report of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of Government of India on Substance use magnitude of India, 2019 throws light on substance use which means use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs or alcohol for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts. Prevalence of current alcohol use indicates that Odisha's alcohol use is higher than country’s average. 31.8% of males in the age group of 10-75 years and 16.4% of the population in this age group use alcohol. Odisha was, in 2018, among the top ten states in regard to the number of people in need of help for alcohol problems with as many as 21 lakh people in need of help.
Odisha ranked third, after Sikkim and Nagaland, on prevalence of use of charas/ganja in the age group of 10-75 years with 4.5% of the population and having 4.9 lakh people in need of help for cannabis related problems. Among opium, heroin (brown sugar, smack) and pharmaceutical opioids, heroin is most commonly used opioid. In Odisha three lakh people are in need of help for opioid related problems and, as such, Odisha is among the top ten states with such problems. With 0.8% of its population in the age group od 10-75 years who use opioids in 2018, Odisha’s use is higher than the country average. Odisha with 1.2 lakh people in need of help in sedative related problems was 8th in the list of states with such problem. In 2018, 0.31% of its population in age group of 10-75 years used sedatives which was higher than the country average.
India’s geographical location - proximity to the major opium producing regions of South West and South East Asia, known as the ‘Golden Crescent’ and the ‘Golden Triangle’, respectively - makes it an active region of transit for drugs, either coming from or bound for Europe, Africa, South East Asia or North America. India, as such, has become increasingly vulnerable to transit, trafficking and consumption of opium derivatives in various forms. While a few Metros are major drug consumption spots, many smaller cities are major transit points and consumption spots as well.
Experts feel drug supply from Afghanistan will increase with the Taliban takeover. A few days ago, in India’s biggest drug haul, Indian officials reportedly seized nearly three tons of heroin estimated to be worth $2.72 Billion in Gujarat originating from Afghanistan. Some quantities of Drug keep coming regularly to Odisha. Brown sugar worth Rs 40 lakh was seized at Jaleswar on 18th September, 2021; three persons including a woman arrested. Illegal immigrants are suspected to be carriers from neighbouring country. It calls for more effective interception of illegal entry through sea route. On 21st September, 70 grams of brown sugar and a revolver with live cartridges were reportedly seized by police in Bharatpur area of Bhubaneswar. On September 22, Police seized 40 grams of brown sugar at Malatipatpur near Puri, seized vehicles, mobile phones, weighing machine and arrested three persons. A government vehicle is alleged to have been used to bring the brown sugar. Total seizure of brown sugar in Odisha per year was limited within 3 kg per year since 2013. It, however, increased to 34.2 kg in 2020 and in 2021 till end of August, the seized quantity is 34.457 kgs.
Odisha has been stepping up enforcement drive with more destruction of Ganja crops, more seizures of ganja, brown sugar, registration of more cases and more arrests under NDPS Act. While Ganja crop was destroyed in 4,632 acres in 2017-18, enforcement authorities destroyed crops in 23,537 acres in the crop year of 2020-21. Seizure of Ganja increased from 371 quintals in 2013 to 1549 quintals in 2020. Cases registered under NDPS Act in 2013 was only 364 cases and 442 persons arrested. The number of cases increased to 1217 in 2020 while the number of arrestees were 1896. In the current year, about 1249 quintals Ganja have been seized till end of July. About 60% of this has been seized from Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal and Ganjam districts.
International Narcotic Control Strategy Report for 2021 refers to significant pharmaceutical drug abuse in the country. “Given India’s size and large population”, the Report states, “accurate estimates of the extent, pattern, and nature of its drug problem are difficult to quantify. Commonly abused drugs in India include heroin, opium, cocaine, ephedrine, cannabis, and MDMA (ecstasy).”
In view of the serious dimension the drug menace has assumed in Odisha, there has to be adequate strategy to control the problem. Government needs to address urgently issues like adequate staffing, training, adequate equipment and inter-agency coordination challenges. Enforcement agencies need greater ability to collect and analyse data and conduct complex investigations of criminal drug trafficking.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. The author can be reached at lonewalker.1942@gmail.com)
More From The Author | Rising Debt Burden Of Odisha - Avoiding Prodigal Spending Is Way Out
Globally, the researchers found that more than 740,000 or four per cent of new cancer cases in 2020 may be attributed to alcohol drinking.
The study estimates that men accounted for 77 per cent (568,700 cases) of alcohol-associated cancer cases, compared with women, who accounted for 23 per cent of cases (172,600).
Cancers of the oesophagus, liver, and breast accounted for the largest number of cases.
Based on data from previous years, it shows that in 2020, there were more than 6.3 million cases of mouth, pharynx, voice box (larynx), oesophageal, colon, rectum, liver, and breast cancer.
These cancers have well-established causal links to alcohol consumption, and the estimates of the direct associations with alcohol in the new study are the first of their kind for 2020.
"Trends suggest that although there is a decrease in alcohol consumption per person in many European countries, alcohol use is on the rise in Asian countries such as China and India, and in sub-Saharan Africa," said Harriet Rumgay of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), France.
"In addition, there is evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased rates of drinking in some countries," Rumgay said.
The researchers call for greater public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancers and increased government interventions to reduce its consumption in worst-affected regions.
The study highlights the contribution of even relatively low levels of drinking to rates of cancer, which is concerning, but also suggests that small changes to public drinking behaviour could positively impact future cancer rates.
Alcohol consumption has been shown to cause DNA damage through increased production of harmful chemicals in the body, and affect hormone production, which can contribute to cancer development, according to the researchers.
Alcohol can also worsen the cancer-causing effects of other substances, such as tobacco, they said.
In the new study, researchers established levels of alcohol intake per person per country for 2010, to allow for the time it takes for alcohol intake to affect possible cancer development.
They then combined them with new cancer cases in 2020 to estimate the number of alcohol-associated cancers in each country.
Moderate drinking was classed as intake of up to two alcoholic drinks, risky drinking as between two and six alcoholic drinks per day, and heavy drinking as more than six alcoholic drinks per day.
Globally, an estimated 4 per cent (741,300) of all new cases of cancer in 2020 were associated with alcohol consumption, the researchers said.
The study found that risky drinking and heavy drinking led to the largest proportion of cancer cases at 39 per cent (291,800 cases) and 47 per cent (346,400 cases) respectively.
However, moderate drinking was also found to be problematic, with estimates that this level of drinking accounted for 14 per cent (103,100 cases) of the total of alcohol-caused cases.
Eastern Asia and Central and Eastern Europe regions had the highest proportions of cancer cases that could be associated with alcohol at 6 per cent, with the lowest proportions found in Northern Africa and Western Asia, both below 1 per cent.
At a country level, the proportions of cancer cases associated with alcohol were estimated to be highest in Mongolia (10 per cent) and lowest in Kuwait (estimated at 0 per cent).
India had an estimated 5 per cent (62,100) of cancer cases linked to alcohol, while China 6 per cent (282,300), Germany 4 per cent (21,500 cases) and France had 5 per cent (20,000 cases).
The UK had an estimated 4 per cent of cancer cases linked to alcohol (16,800), with the US at 3 per cent (52,700), and Brazil at 4 per cent (20,500 cases).
"We urgently need to raise awareness about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk among policy makers and the general public," said Rumgay.
The researchers noted that public health strategies, such as reduced alcohol availability, labelling alcohol products with a health warning, and marketing bans could reduce rates of alcohol-driven cancer.
Tax and pricing policies that have led to decreased alcohol intake in Europe, including increased excise taxes and minimum unit pricing, could also be implemented in other world regions, they added.
The team from the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, found that regular moderate alcohol consumption (an average of 14 glasses per week) results in more electrical evidence of scarring and impairment in electrical signalling compared with non-drinkers and light drinkers.
Alcohol consumption is therefore an important modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation -- an abnormal heart rhythm characterised by rapid and irregular beating of atria -- upper chamber of the heart, the researchers said.
"Regular moderate alcohol consumption, but not mild consumption, is an important modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation associated with lower atrial voltage and conduction slowing," said lead investigator Peter Kistler, Professor from the Heart Centre at Alfred Hospital.
"These electrical and structural changes may explain the propensity to atrial fibrillation in regular drinkers. It is an important reminder for clinicians who are caring for such patients to ask about alcohol consumption and provide appropriate counselling in those who over-indulge," he added.
In the study, published in the journal HeartRhythm, the team determined the impact of different degrees of alcohol consumption on atrial remodelling using high-density electroanatomic mapping.
They performed detailed invasive testing on the atria of 75 patients with atrial fibrillation, 25 in each of three categories: life-long non-drinkers, mild drinkers and moderate drinkers.
The official said the sales were recorded on New Year's eve and that the details of the first day of 2019 were being collected.
Statistics reveal that the sales on December 31 almost doubled at liquor vends. It does not, however, include liquor consumed by people stocking up alcohol at homes or in hotels.
On New Year's eve, 31 lakh litres of countryside 'desi' liquor was sold as well.
Statistics again show that 18 lakh bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) were sold and the sale of beer touched a staggering 23 lakh bottles.
Excise officials told IANS that the sales this year recorded a surge, bettering the record set during New Year's eve last year.
According to excise department data, every year liquor sales shoot up on Holi and New Year's eve.
Statistics also show that on an average, 1.60 crore bottles of IMFL and 2.9 crore bottles of beer are sold every month.
The findings showed that any health benefits of alcohol against heart disease and diabetes are outweighed by its adverse effects on other aspects of health, particularly cancers.
"The conclusions of the study are clear and unambiguous: alcohol is a colossal global health issue and small reductions in health-related harms at low levels of alcohol intake are outweighed by the increased risk of other health-related harms, including cancer," said Robyn Burton, from the King's College London.
Globally, one in three people (32.5 per cent) drink alcohol -- equivalent to 2.4 billion people -- including 25 per cent of women (0.9 billion women) and 39 per cent of men (1.5 billion men).
Consequently, 2.2 per cent of women and 6.8 per cent of men died from alcohol-related health problems each year.
"Policies focussing on reducing alcohol consumption to the lowest levels will be important to improve health.
"The widely held view of the health benefits of alcohol needs revising, particularly as improved methods and analyses continue to shed light on how much alcohol contributes to global death and disability," said lead author Max Griswold, from the University of Washington in the US.
The Global Burden of Disease study estimated the level of alcohol use and health effects in 28 million people across 195 countries between 1990 and 2016.
For people aged 50 and older, cancers were a leading cause of alcohol related death, constituting 27.1 per cent of deaths in women and 18.9 per cent deaths in men.
"Worldwide we need to revisit alcohol control policies and health programmes, and to consider recommendations for abstaining from alcohol.
"These include excise taxes on alcohol, controlling the physical availability of alcohol and the hours of sale, and controlling alcohol advertising. Any of these policy actions would contribute to reductions in population-level consumption, a vital step toward decreasing the health loss associated with alcohol use," the researchers said.
The results, published in the journal The BMJ, showed that that among individuals aged 55 years or older, the overall lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) was 37 per cent and was influenced by the burden of lifestyle risk factors such smoking and drinking alcohol.
"We examined the lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation, which measures the cumulative risk of developing a disease during the remainder of an individual's life," said study co-author Ludovic Trinquart, Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Public Health in Massachusetts, US.
"It is essential to look at lifetime risks in addition to short-term risks, because it may enable early identification of individuals at higher long-term risk and facilitate lifestyle change counseling," Trinquart said.
In the study involving more than 5,000 participants, the researchers identified smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes, and history of myocardial infarction or heart failure as risk factors.
"Studying atrial fibrillation is important because it is emerging as a global epidemic; it also imposes considerable socioeconomic burden. Atrial fibrillation hospitalisations follow an exponential increase and have surpassed heart failure admissions," Trinquart said.
Drinking alcohol whether in light, moderate or heavy quantity is linked with increasing the risk of several leading cancers, including those of the breast, colon, esophagus and head and neck, experts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) said in a statement.
Moreover, not only does excessive alcohol consumption cause cancer, it also can delay or negatively impact cancer treatment, the experts noted.
"Even moderate alcohol use can cause cancer... Therefore, limiting alcohol intake is a means to prevent cancer," said lead author Noelle K. LoConte, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin in the US.
"Just like people wear sunscreen to limit their risk of skin cancer, limiting alcohol intake is one more thing people can do to reduce their overall risk of developing cancer."
Further, while many studies have considered some type of alcohol to be beneficial, experts noted that alcohol in all forms raises the risk of cancer.
"People typically don't associate drinking beer, wine and hard liquor with increasing their risk of developing cancer in their lifetimes," said Bruce Johnson, President at the ASCO.
"However, the link between increased alcohol consumption and cancer has been firmly established and gives the medical community guidance on how to help their patients reduce their risk of cancer," said Johnson in a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Besides raising awareness on the link between alcohol and cancer, the experts also recommended some measures -- such as regulating alcohol outlet density, increasing alcohol taxes and prices, maintaining limits on days and hours of sale, enhancing enforcement of laws prohibiting sales to minors and restricting youth exposure to advertising of alcoholic beverages -- to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.
Making a statement in response to a calling attention motion introduced by BJP MP RK Sinha, Social Justice and Empowerment minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said over 16 crore people in the country consume alcohol, around 3.1 crore use Cannabis and about 77 lakh people take opioids.
More than 5.7 crore alcohol users, 72 lakh cannabis users and about 77 lakh opioid users are addicted and need help, the minister said.
Gehlot said the findings were part of a national household survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2018.
"The report establishes that a substantial number of people use psychoactive substances in India and the substance use exists in all the population groups with adult men bearing the brunt of substance use disorders," Gehlot said.
The survey also indicates that around 1.18 crore people between the age group of 10-75 years are taking sedatives and 77 lakh are using inhalents.
Children and adolescents were found to be using inhalents more than others.
Gehlot said the household sample survey covered all the 36 states and union territories of the country .
It was done in collaboration with the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), ten other medical institutes and a network of 15 NGOs.
Over 1,500 personnel were involved in the data collection from population of age group between 10-75 years, he added
During the survey over two lakh households were visited in 186 districts of the country and a total of 4,73,569 individuals were interviewed, he added.
Gehlot said the government is also conducting a survey in ten cities across the country to assess the pattern and profile of substance use among school and college students.
The study is part of a national survey conducted last year.
"Total sample size for this survey would include 6,000 students and 2,000 college students. The report of this survey is expected to be received by November this year," he said.
The study covers cities like Srinagar, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Ranchi.
Elaborating on various actions being taken by the government to curb the drug addition menance, Gehlot said it has prepared a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for the period 2018-2025.
As part of the NAPDDR, the ministry is undertaking focussed intervention programmes in 127 high risk districts, he added.
During 2018-19, the government released Rs 112.33 crore for the programme while in the current fiscal an outlay of Rs 135 crore has been allocated, Gehlot said.
Initiating the discusson on the matter, RK Sinha said the problem of drug addiction has reached even villages with many children falling prey to the menace. He sought capital punishment for the people involved in drug trade.
Elamaram Kareem (CPI-M) said that efforts need to be put in to make the educational campuses more vibrant in order to check the problem.
TKS Elangovan (DMK) sought severe punishment for people involved in narcotics trade. D Raja (CPI) said the problem also needs to dealt at social level.
Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD), Veer Singh (BSP), Vijaysai Reddy (YSRCP), A Navaneethakrishnan (AIADMK), Ravi Prakash Verma (SP), Sushil Kumar Gupta (AAP), Shamsher Singh Dullo (Congress), Kahkashan Perween (JDU) and Ram Vichar Netam (BJP) among others, participated in the debate.
Moderate drinking was defined as 14 drinks or less per week for men and 7 drinks or less per week for women.
The study found that men and women who were lifetime abstainers had the highest level of mental well-being at the start of the study.
For women who were moderate drinkers and quit drinking, quitting was linked to a favourable change in mental well-being, showed results published in the journal CMAJ.
While the study was conducted on Chinese and American populations, experts have said that the results could apply to Indian populations too.
According to Naveen Kumar, Consultant Gastroenterology, Narayana Superspecialty Hospital in Gurugram, quitting alcohol even for a month could help in repairing the gut and metabolic system and alleviate its symptoms. It will help in boosting long-term health and can provide a healthier quality of life.
"Abstinence from alcohol is mandatory for a healthier brain and liver, a stronger immune system and heart, especially in women as alcohol effects are more harmfully serious on women, considering their metabolism and estrogen levels," Kumar told IANS.
In fact, anyone can benefit from sobriety because the potential benefits of alcohol do not outweigh its known harm and risks.
"Alcohol works in a way that may depress our central nervous system and may fluctuate our mood as it lowers the levels of serotonin in our brain. Regular consumption changes the chemistry of the brain and results in the depletion of our mental health," Mrinmay Kumar Das, Senior Consultant at Jaypee Hospital in Noida told IANS.
"To increase the brain volume and to deal with all sorts of situations, abstinence is required," he added.
BY BHARAT UPADHYAY
The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, is based on analyses of registry data, collected in the European database ESADA, on a total of some 20,000 adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). About 2 per cent of them also had a cancer diagnosis.
"It's reasonable to assume that sleep apnea is a risk factor for cancer or that both conditions have common risk factors, such as overweight. On the other hand, it is less likely that cancer leads to sleep apnea," said Ludger Grote, Professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
According to the researchers, advanced age was associated with elevated cancer risk, but adjusting the data for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking and alcohol consumption nevertheless showed a possible link between intermittent hypoxia at night and higher cancer prevalence.
The connection applied mainly to women and was weaker in men.
"Our results indicate a cancer risk that's elevated two- to three-fold among women with pronounced sleep apnea," Grote said.
The condition of sleep apnea is well known to the general public and associated with snoring, daytime fatigue, and elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in men, said the study.
This research paves the way for a new view -- that sleep apnea may possibly be connected with increased cancer risk, especially in women.
"Above all, the focus has been on the connection with one form of cancer: malignant melanoma. Cancer of the breast or womb may now become a new area. There may be a combined effect of female sex hormones and stress activation, induced by nocturnal hypoxia in sleep apnea, that can trigger cancer development or a weakening of the body's immune system," Grote concluded.
The report attributed the decline in what was considered to be one of the heaviest-drinking countries in the world to a series of alcohol-control measures implemented by the state, especially under then President Dmitri Medvedev, and a push towards healthy lifestyles.
According to the WHO, the drop in alcohol consumption was linked to a significant rise in life expectancy in the country.
"Alcohol consumption has long been recognised as one of the main driving factors of mortality in the Russian Federation, especially among men of working age," the report said, adding that from 2003 to now, both alcohol consumption and mortality rate decreased.
In 2018, life expectancy in Russia reached a historic peak, at 68 years for men and 78 years for women.
Alcohol-control measures introduced under then President Medvedev included advertising restrictions, increased taxes on alcohol and a ban on alcohol sales between certain hours.
Even as the entire nation has come together to observe 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi, Odisha is keen on opening new liquor outlets in every nook and corner just to enhance the economy, carped BJP deputy leader Bishnu Sethi at the Assembly today.
"It is unfortunate to see Odisha government trying to flood the State with liquor. I would like to ask the government what kind of respect is this towards Mahatma Gandhi that it has decided to increase the outlets. The fight is now between alcohol and Omfed milk and only time will say who among the two will sustain and emerge victorious in the battle. This is in fact horrible if the State government has devised this liquor-way to boost Odisha's revenue," said Sethi.
Congress too vented similar opinion. While MLA Moquim blamed the government for allegedly making the people alcoholic, senior leader Tara Bahinipati restated that the move is aimed at drawing more Percentage Commission (PC) from newly proposed liquor shops.
"Odisha government is trying to make people alcoholic. Even though crime rate has risen due to alcohol consumption, liquor shops are being opened here at an increasing rate. We will ensure no further liquor shops are opened in the State," said Congress' Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim.
#Odisha govt is trying to make people alcoholic. Even though crime rate has risen due to alcohol consumption, liquor shops are being opened here at an increasing rate. We will ensure no further liquor shops are opened in the State: Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim pic.twitter.com/XfqfOUpAoc
— OTV (@otvnews) November 13, 2019
Senior Cong MLA Tara Bahinipati rued, "This present government wants all farmers and labourers to die of alcohol consumption. At a time when women have been staging anti-liquor protests, the government has written to district Collectors to come up with proposals for one outlet in every village. I feel, the government will at least earn Rs 10-20 lakh per outlet as PC."
Even ruling-party MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik has urged the government to rethink about the proposal. "If we are raising our voices against opening of more liquor outlets, we must also ensure that this does not encourage illegal liquor trade. It is being argued that liquor is a revenue-generating source for the State. So, I would like to reiterate that the government should rethink and assess the proportion of profit and loss if new outlets are opened," requested Patnaik.
However, State Excise & Revenue Minister Niranjan Pujari said, "The proposal has been made for 2020-21 as current fiscal year's policy has already been drafted. There is no certainty however. A decision on this would be taken after budget."
Amidst all this, Kendrapara witnessed a massive anti-liquor protest today wherein women of Nageswarpur under Sadar police limits broke into a liquor shop and ransacked the property. Alleging that most of the families are getting ruined due to alcohol abuse, the agitating women demanded the district administration to immediately shut the liquor outlet.
In the study published in the journal Cancer, the overall cancer risk appeared to be the lowest at zero alcohol consumption. The elevated risk appeared to be explained by alcohol-related cancer risk across relatively common sites, including the colorectum, stomach, breast, prostate and oesophagus.
"In Japan, the primary cause of death is cancer," said one of the researchers Masayoshi Zaitsu from The University of Tokyo. "Given the current burden of overall cancer incidence, we should further encourage promoting public education about alcohol-related cancer risk," Zaitsu said.
The team examined clinical data on 63,232 patients with cancer and 63,232 controls matched for sex, age, hospital admission date, and admitting hospital. The data was gathered from 33 general hospitals in Japan.
All participants reported their average daily amount of standardised alcohol units and the duration of drinking.
One standardised drink containing 23 grams of ethanol was equivalent to one 180-ml cup of Japanese sake, one 500-ml bottle of beer, one 180-ml glass of wine, or one 60-ml cup of whiskey.
The researchers found an almost linear association between cancer risk and alcohol consumption.
A light level of drinking at 10-drink-year point, for example, one drink per day for 10 years or two drinks per day for five years would increase cancer risk by five per cent, the findings showed.
Those who drank two or fewer drinks a day had an elevated cancer risk regardless of how long they had consumed alcohol. Also, analyses classified by sex, drinking/smoking behaviours and occupational class mostly showed the same patterns.
(IANS)
The study also found that women who drink similar amounts increase by a third their chance of reaching that landmark.
The research from Maastricht University in Netherlands, also revealed that men who drink three shots of whisky or two pints every day are two-thirds more likely to reach 90 than the person who never drinks alcohol, reports thesun.co.uk.
For the finding, the researchers tracked the drinking habits of 5,500 people over two decades.
"Our analyses show significantly positive associations between alcohol and longevity in men and women," study lead researcher Professor Piet van den Brandt was quoted as saying by thesun.co.uk.
According to the researchers, one theory is moderate drinking is good for heart health. But too much drinking can be toxic.
However, the researchers claim their results do not mean non-drinkers should start drinking and they are being urged not to start drinking in a bid to live longer.
"The results should not be used as motivation to start drinking," the researchers said.
According to the researchers, National Health Service (NHS) guidelines recommend no more than 14 units of alcohol weekly - roughly six pints of beer or six standard glasses of wine.
However, Sir Ian Gilmore from Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: "There is no evidence to suggest non-drinkers should start for the good of their health."
(IANS)
The researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and School of Medicine (BUSM) did not find an amount of alcohol consumption that appeared 'safe' for bone metabolism in people living with HIV.
"As you get older, your ability to maintain adequate bone formation declines. These findings suggest that for people with HIV, alcohol may make this more difficult," said Dr Theresa W. Kim, assistant professor at BUSM in a paper published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Low bone density is common among people living with HIV, even those who have successfully suppressed their viral loads with antiretroviral therapy.
The finding highlights an under-recognized circumstance in which people with HIV infection often find themselves.
"Their viral load can be well controlled by efficacious medications while other health conditions and risks that commonly co-occur -- like substance use and other medical conditions -- are less well-addressed," said Dr Richard Saitz, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH.
The researchers used data from 198 participants in the Boston ARCH cohort that included people living with HIV and current or past alcohol or drug use disorder.
For the current study, the researchers analyzed participants' blood samples, looking at biomarkers associated with bone metabolism (a life-long process of absorbing old bone tissue and creating new bone tissue) and a biomarker associated with recent alcohol consumption.
"If I were counseling a patient who was concerned about their bone health, besides checking vitamin D and recommending exercise, I would caution them about alcohol use," said Kim.
(IANS)
A substance called ethanol or ethyl alcohol present in alcoholic beverages harms the immune system of an individual. Other toxic substances that smell like ethanol are also added to adulterated beverages.
Ethyl alcohol is also one of the key ingredients to prepare hand disinfectants that are in high demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Social media is filled with memes and messages around consumption of alcohol to kill viruses inside a human body, but the fact remains that consuming alcohol will increase the risk of contracting infections," said Santosh Kumar Enaganti, Senior Consultant Medical Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at Continental Hospitals.
"Liver is a sensitive yet vital organ and there are numerous risks like jaundice, cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer etc. caused due to heavy consumption of alcohol. In fact, binge-indulgence with alcohol results in significant bodily impairment. Hence, it is best advised to stay away from alcohol, avoid risks, at least during these times when a pandemic is knocking on the doors," he said.
Alcohol and smoking are associated with the dangerous progression of COVID-19. Those with existing liver disease and those above 60 years of age should be extra careful as these patients are more likely to have adverse outcomes if they contract COVID-19.
Read: Scientists Confirm Smell And Taste Loss As Early Signs Of COVID-19
According to Sudheer Vinnamala, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist and Therapeutic Endoscopist at KIMS Hospitals, Kondapur, liver diseases can result from several causes such as alcohol, viral infections (hepatitis B, hepatitis C), autoimmune drug/ medications etc.
"Every year about 10 lakh patients are newly diagnosed with liver cirrhosis around the world. Recent World Health Organization data shows liver disease-related deaths in India has reached 259,749 per year that is A2.95% of total deaths," said Vinnamala.
Liver disease ranges from mild spectrum of self-limiting illness due to infection or fat deposition in liver to the severe form with cirrhosis, acute or chronic liver failure requiring transplantation.
With advancing age and increasing epidemic of obesity, more and more people are now developing obesity-related liver disease called NASH or Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.
He pointed out that there is a shift from traditional infection-related liver disease to the 21st century causes like weight gain, decreasing exercise, increased alcohol consumption, increased incidence of diabetes and longer life expectancy leading to advanced liver disease in patients with multiple other comorbidities.
According to Vinnamala, people with suppressed immune systems due to immunosuppressive medication, over 60 years of age, people with other comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease or as a component of other illnesses are at elevated risk of both contracting COVID infection and having more severe disease.
While most patients with mild liver disease do not require any additional precautions other than social distancing and general safety measures, people with cirrhosis or those taking immunosuppressive medications such as steroids, and patients awaiting liver transplant or already those who have received one are at high risk of developing a severe form of the disease if they are infected with the coronavirus.
(IANS)
Also Read: COVID-19 Can Spread Even Before People Show Symptoms
When hungover, individuals have a reduced ability to retain information in their short-term memory - for example retaining a telephone number whilst taking a message at the same time. They also highlight impairments when it comes to individuals' ability to switch attention between tasks and focus on a goal. Such individuals face problem to plan or set goals and make decisions.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, the study highlights the true impact of heavy drinking and provides new evidence as to why hangovers cost the wider economy so much.
A recent report, which involved the same team, found that hangovers cost the UK economy 1.4 billion pounds a year in wasted productivity, including people working while hungover.
"We know that hangovers can have a big economic cost, but we did not know how hangover affects our ability to switch attention from one task to another, update information in our mind, and maintain focus on setting goals," said study lead author Craig Gunn from the University of Bath in the UK.
Read: Drinking Alcohol Will Not Protect You From COVID-19: WHO
"Our study asked participants to complete tasks measuring these processes when they had a hangover and again when they had not consumed alcohol. The results suggest that all of these processes are impaired by a hangover, which could have consequences for other aspects of our lives," Gun explained.
The latest study involved thirty-five 18 to 30-year-olds who had reported experiencing a hangover at least once in the past month.
Individuals completed measures which assessed their ability to switch attention between tasks, to update and process information from multiple sources and to guide and plan behaviour, whilst experiencing a hangover.
Few studies have explored how hangover affects key cognitive processes, the so-called 'core executive functions', which we use in daily life to planning, set goals and make decisions.
"Our data show that this impairment is likely the result of reduced capability in several core executive functions, which are important for tasks such as workplace performance and driving," said study senior author Dr Sally Adams.
(IANS)
Also Read: Exposure To Alcohol Ads Can Lead To Teenage Drinking
While observational studies have consistently shown that heavy alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of certain cardiovascular diseases, they often use self-reported data and are unable to determine the cause.
For the current findings, published in the Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine Journal Report, researchers used a different technique called Mendelian randomisation that identifies genetic variants with a known association to potential risk factors to determine the potential degree of disease risk.
"Since genetic variants are determined at conception and cannot be affected by subsequent environmental factors, this technique allows us to better determine whether a risk factor -- in this case, heavy alcohol consumption -- is the cause of a disease, or if it is simply associated," said study researcher Susanna Larsson from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
The research team analysed the genetic data from several large-scale consortia and the UK Biobank, which follows the health and well-being of 500,000 UK residents.
Results indicate that with higher alcohol consumption, a three-fold increase of peripheral artery disease, a narrowing of arteries that results in reduced blood flow, usually to the legs.
The findings showed that higher alcohol consumption can lead to a 27 per cent increase in stroke incidence.
They also found some evidence for a positive association of coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and aortic aneurysm.
"Higher alcohol consumption is a known cause of death and disability, yet it was previously unclear if alcohol consumption is also a cause of cardiovascular disease," Larsson said.
The study suggested the mechanism by which higher consumption was associated with the risk of stroke and PAD may be blood pressure.
The study, however, has some limitations.
According to Larsson, the prevalence of heavy drinking in the UK Biobank was low, and it is unlikely that the burden of increased risk of cardiovascular disease is restricted to heavy drinkers alone.
The researchers said the causal role of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular diseases other than stroke and peripheral artery disease requires further research.
(IANS)
Drunkorexia is a damaging and dangerous behaviour where disordered patterns of eating are used to offset the negative effects of consuming excess alcohol, such as gaining weight.
After examining the drinking patterns of 479 female Australian university students aged 18-24 years, researchers found that a staggering 82.7 per cent of students surveyed had engaged in drunkorexic behaviours over the past three months.
And, more than 28 per cent were regularly and purposely skipping meals, consuming low-calorie or sugar-free alcoholic beverages, purging or exercising after drinking to help reduce ingested calories from alcohol, at least 25 per cent of the time.
"Due to their age and stage of development, young adults are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviours, which can include drinking excess alcohol," said study researcher Alycia Powell-Jones from the University of South Australia.
Excess alcohol consumption combined with restrictive and disordered eating patterns is extremely dangerous and can dramatically increase the risk of developing serious physical and psychological consequences.
The study, published in the journal Australian Psychologist, was undertaken in two stages. The first measured the prevalence of self-reported, compensative and restrictive activities in relation to their alcohol consumption.
The second stage identified participants' Early Maladaptive Schemes (EMS) - or thought patterns - finding that that the subset of schemas most predictive of Drunkorexia were 'insufficient self-control', 'emotional deprivation' and 'social isolation'.
The researchers said identifying the early maladaptive schemas linked to drunkorexia is key to understanding the harmful condition.
These are deeply held and pervasive themes regarding oneself and one's relationship with others that can develop in childhood and then can influence all areas of life, often in dysfunctional ways. Early maladaptive schemas can also be influenced by cultural and social norms.
The findings showed that drunkorexic behaviour appears to be motivated by two key social norms for young adults - consuming alcohol and thinness.
"This study has provided preliminary insight into better understanding why young female adults make these decisions to engage in drunkorexic behaviours," Powell-Jones said.
(IANS)
More Relevant Stories: Frequent Drinking More Harmful Than Binges
Weekend binges as bad as regular junk food