SHOCKING - Two hospital workers spend FOUR HOURS pinned to MRI machine by metal oxygen tank that was catapulted across room when device's giant magnet was turned on

Two hospital workers spend FOUR HOURS pinned to MRI machine by metal oxygen tank that was catapulted across room when device's giant magnet was turned on

• Pair were working at the Tata Memorial Hospital in New Delhi, India
• Porter Sunil Jadhav, 28, carried the large oxygen tank into scan room
• He and technician Swami Ramaiah, 35, became pinned to instrument
• Hospital chiefs launched an investigation over last month's incident
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By DAN BLOOM FOR MAILONLINE and AGENCIES

PUBLISHED: 15:19 GMT, 29 December 2014 | UPDATED: 16:12 GMT, 29 December 2014

Two hospital workers spent four hours pinned between a highly magnetic MRI machine and 

a metal oxygen tank.

The 4ft tank was pulled across the room by the machine's magnetic field at Tata Memorial Hospital in New Delhi, India, leaving porter Sunil Jadhav and technician Swami Ramaiah seriously injured.

Hospital authorities launched an investigation into the incident, which was reportedly exacerbated when staff found they were unable to demagnetise the machine.

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Painful: Two hospital staff (pictured) were pinned between an MRI scanner and an oxygen tank in New Delhi 

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Fracture: Sunil Jadhav, 28, reportedly misunderstood instructions to fetch an oxygen mask for the doctor

The incident last month was triggered while a patient was being wheeled in for a routine scan 

in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.

The 28-year-old porter was asked to fetch an oxygen mask but thought he was being asked 

to fetch a whole tank, the Mumbai Mirror reported.

It was drawn across the room, pinning him and the technician to the machine and fracturing 

his elbow.

The technician, 35, suffered damage to his lower abdomen described in one report as a punctured bladder and severe bleeding.

Normally the incident could have been over within seconds, but the machine's emergency 

shut-off switch failed to work, hospital authorities said.

That meant the men were trapped for four hours, during which both fell unconscious and were treated for their injuries while still pinned to the machine. 

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Treatment: Technician Swami Ramaiah, 35, remained in hospital after suffering a punctured bladder

A team of rescuers was called and at one point 20 people tried to pull the cylinder out with a rope they had attached to the end, according to local reports. 

Eventually, they were rescued after a technician from manufacturer General Electric managed to deactivate the magnetic field, a hospital spokesman said.

Hospital deputy director Dr Sudeep Gupta said in a press statement: 'We are taking up the issue of the equipment malfunction with General Electric in an appropriate manner.

'One of the men has suffered a fracture in elbow and has been operated on. The other suffered muscular injury to the lower limbs and will take a few weeks to recover.'

MRI scanners use powerful magnetic fields to manipulate protons in the water molecules which make up much of the human body.

Radio-frequency waves are then directed at the patient to determine the position of the protons and how they have 'lined up' under the magnetic field, building up a detailed picture of different types of tissue in the body.

The magnetic fields needed are so strong that MRI scanners always bear explicit warnings that they should not be kept near any metal objects, even paperclips.

MRI scanners tend to have a magnetic strength of between 1.5 and 3 Tesla - compared to just 0.005 Tesla for a fridge magnet. 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2890088/Two-hospital-workers-spend-FOUR-HOURS-pinned-MRI-machine-metal-oxygen-tank-catapulted-room-device-s-giant-magnet-turned-on.html#ixzz3NJJmj39M 

SHOCKING - Irish judges allow medics to 'switch off life support machine that is keeping baby alive inside pregnant woman who has been clinically dead since December 3'

Irish judges allow medics to 'switch off life support machine that is keeping baby alive inside pregnant woman who has been clinically dead since December 3'

• The woman in her 20s was declared clinically dead in on December 3
• The High Court in Dublin heard that the baby still has a heart beat
• Under the Irish Constitution, the unborn have equal rights to the mother 
• The High Court today ruled life support could be switched off  
• The 18-week pregnant woman suffered a brain in injury on November 29
• Maintaining life support was described as a 'distressing exercise in futility' 
• The baby's legal team has confirmed it will not appeal today's decision
• The court ruled that the woman's family would not have to pay costs    
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By DARREN BOYLE FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:05 GMT, 26 December 2014 | UPDATED: 14:43 GMT, 26 December 2014

The Irish High Court has said doctors may switch off the life support machine of a pregnant woman who has been clinically dead since December 3.

The Dublin-based court heard submissions on Christmas Eve on behalf of the woman, her family, her partner, the baby and the hospital involved - none of which can be named for legal reasons.

Members of the woman's family waited in court as Judge Nicholas Kearns ruled that 

continuing with life support was a 'distressing exercise in futility'.  

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High Court president Nicholas Kearns, pictured, ruled that the life support machine could be switched off

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The High Court, pictured, ruled today that keeping the baby alive would be a 'distressing exercise in futility'

The woman's father and her partner were forced to take a case to the High Court after the hospital involved refused to switch off life-support because medics found the baby still had a heartbeat.  

Following the eighth amendment of the Irish Constitution, the unborn are given the same constitutional rights as the mother.

The mother, who is in her 20s, suffered a catastrophic brain injury on November 29 after falling over in a hospital bathroom. She was transferred from that hospital, which is outside Dublin, to a specialist centre in the capital for assessment.

Following tests, it was determined on December 3 that she was brain dead. She was returned to the original hospital who insisted on continuing life support despite the objections of her family.

Medics in the case feared they would be prosecuted if they switched off the life-support system because there still was a foetal heart beat, despite medical evidence that there was very little chance the baby would be born alive.

Members of the woman's family have sought to switch the equipment off to preserve her dignity. 

The High Court heard that the woman's two small children have been told that their mother 'is being looked after by the nurses "until the angels appear".'

The three-judge panel, comprising president of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, 

Ms Justice Marie Baker and Ms Justice Caroline Costello, gave their decision in Dublin in a 

29 page ruling at lunchtime. 

The baby's legal team announced that it will not be appealing the decision to the Supreme Court.

In a landmark ruling, Dublin's High Court said keeping the young mother alive would deprive 

her of dignity in death and subject her father, partner and two young children to 'unimaginable distress' in a 'futile exercise'.

The panel of judges said it was in the best interest of the unborn child to authorise the withdrawal of life support in what was a 'tragic and unfortunate case'.

The High Court added that it was a case of 'great public importance', and that the woman's family and partner would not have to pay costs for taking the case. 

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Members of the woman's family have sought to switch the equipment off to preserve her dignity

In a 29-page written judgement, Justice Kearns said: 'The court is satisfied, in the circumstances of this case, that in the best interest of the unborn child, it should authorise at 

the discretion of the medical team the withdrawal of ongoing somatic support being provided 

in this tragic and unfortunate case.

'It will accordingly make a declaration and order to that effect.'

Mr Justice Kearns and his two colleagues ruled: 'To maintain and continue the present somatic support for the mother would deprive her of dignity in death and subject her father, her partner and her young children to unimaginable distress in a futile exercise which commenced only because of fears held by treating medical specialists of potential consequences.'

The court ruled: 'The condition of the mother is failing at such a rate and to such a degree that 

it will not be possible for the pregnancy to progress much further or to a point where any form 

of live birth will be possible.' 

The High Court heard that the woman had developed a number of infections and her brain was beginning to rot.  

Paul Connors, communications director with the HSE, said it was a very welcome decision at the end of a very traumatic number of days for the woman's family.

He said: 'Certainly, it brings a great degree of clarity to these particular situations.'

Ireland's Health Minister Leo Varadkar said he would be carefully examining the implication of the ruling. 

'I wish to convey my heartfelt sympathies to the family and partner of the woman at the centre 

of this case at this most difficult time - particularly given the season,' he said.

'This case and the judgement will need to be carefully examined before I can make any further comment on it.

'In the meantime, I would ask that the privacy of this family is respected, at this so difficult and challenging time.'

The High Court heard that the woman suffered a head wound in a bathroom fall in hospital on November 29 after being admitted for nausea and headaches.

A catastrophic fluid build-up in her brain led to her being declared clinically dead four days later.

Such is her physical deterioration since then that one of her children was left very distressed 

at her appearance when she last saw her, the High Court was told.

Dr Frances Colreavy, an intensive care specialist, had told the court she inspected the woman's body on Monday and found it unrecognisable compared to a photo of her by her bedside.

Having practised medicine for decades in Ireland and Australia, she had never witnessed a clinically-dead person being kept on life support for so long, the court was told.

She said the woman's blood was becoming increasingly toxic.

Dr Peter McKenna, former master of Dublin's Rotunda Maternity Hospital, said if the 

treatment was not halted it would go 'from the extraordinary to the grotesque'. 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/article-2887596/Judges-decide-switch-life-support-machine-keeping-baby-alive-pregnant-woman-clinically-dead-November-29.html#ixzz3N1C3eq9p 

SHOCKING - Ten-year-old boy mutilated and sacrificed in witchcraft ceremony by Indian worker who thought he could use magic to make his wife pregnant

Ten-year-old boy mutilated and sacrificed in witchcraft ceremony by Indian worker who thought he could use magic to make his wife pregnant 

• Victim, identified as Pranshu, was found murdered in a sugarcane field 
• Police reportedly said he had been mutilated in a witchcraft ceremony
• The murder happened in Pilibhit in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh 
• Neighbour allegedly said he killed him to help his wife become pregnant
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By SAM MATTHEW FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 13:13 GMT, 24 December 2014 | UPDATED: 18:45 GMT, 24 December 2014

A 10-year-old boy was mutilated and sacrificed in a witchcraft ceremony, police have reportedly said.

An Indian worker is alleged to have told officers that he murder the boy, identified as Pranshu, 

a third year standard student, in a bid to help his wife become pregnant, the Times of India said.

The body of the child was found by his father in a sugarcane field in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with mutilated ears and heels two days after he went missing.

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The boy was mutilated and sacrificed in the witchcraft ceremony that took place approximately in Pilibhit in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh

When the grim discovery was made in the village of Rooppur Kamalu, in Pilibhit, on November 23, it was initially thought he had been attacked by animals.

Officers only launched an investigation after the post mortem examination revealed the boy had been murdered.

Pranshu had been reported missing by his family on November 21. 

A local man, named only as Durgesh, who was said to have been a neighbour of the victim, was later arrested, the Times of India reported.

The wife of the arrested man is due to be quizzed by officers, it has been said.

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The scene of the murder in Pilibhit is approximately 300km away from Dehli, which is pictured above

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2886237/Ten-year-old-boy-mutilated-sacrificed-witchcraft-ceremony-Indian-worker-thought-use-magic-make-wife-pregnant.html#ixzz3MtQhB0Vb 

PEOPLE - Chinese woman tries to sell her one-year-old daughter on the street in order to pay husband's £10,000 medical bill

Chinese woman tries to sell her one-year-old daughter on the street in order to pay husband's £10,000 medical bill

• Ni Qiong was pictured in Fuzhou offering to sell her baby daughter
• The mother-of-three was raising money for her husband's medical bill
• Zhou Xinggui, a builder, has severe injuries after falling from scaffolding
• Doctors will not operate on him until the family pay £10,000 for his surgery
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By COREY CHARLTON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:32 GMT, 16 December 2014 | UPDATED: 13:45 GMT, 16 December 2014

A woman has been found attempting to sell her baby daughter on the streets of China in order to pay her husband's £10,000 medical bill.

Ni Qiong was photographed roadside in Fuzhou, China, with a written sign imploring pedestrians to purchase her one-year-old daughter.

She and her husband, Zhou Xinggui, are both migrant workers, but he is currently in hospital needing surgery after falling off scaffolding.

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A distressed Ni Qiong pictured on the street attempting to sell her one-year-old daughter to raise money for her husband's surgery

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Despite remaining on the street for four hours, no pedestrians offered to purchase her daughter

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Ni Qiong pictured in hospital with her husband Zhou Xinggui and their three daughters, including one-year-old Xiao Dong, who she has offered up for sale

Zhou worked as a builder and needs to undergo surgery but doctors will not operate on him until the couple pay the 100,000 Yuan (£10,000) fee.

His wife's sign read: 'Please buy my daughter. My husband is waiting for surgery fees in the hospital as his boss ran away. I would like to see my daughter and save my husband.'

According to That's Magazines, she was also in possession of another poster that stated: 'Boss fled after industrial accident and we don't have the money for treatment. I'm willing to sell my child to save her father.'

Many locals who witnessed her in distress were sympathetic to her plight.

Although some gave her money, no-one offered to purchase her daughter in the four hours she sat in the street with the sign, the magazine reported. 

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Here she is pictured with her eldest daughter gathering up bank notes she was given by sympathetic strangers

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The young child for sale breaks down in tears. In the background is her father, who needs surgery after falling from scaffolding

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Ni Qiong's oldest daughter carries her one-year-old sister through the halls of the hospital where their father is bedridden

Only last year were a young Chinese couple were prosecuted after allegedly having sold their baby daughter to raise money for an iPhone and other luxury goods.

The couple were accused of placing anonymous advertisements in newspapers suggesting they would be willing to part with their baby - unborn at that stage - in exchange for 50,000 Yuan (£5,000).

Police in Shanghai charged the couple with human trafficking after accepting money for the baby, who was born at home and still only weeks, or months old, when sold.

Despite claiming to have been acting in the baby's best interests, prosecutors said after having received the money, which was deposited in their bank account, the couple went out on a spending spree, using part of the proceeds to buy an iPhone.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2875955/Chinese-woman-tries-sell-one-year-old-daughter-street-order-pay-husband-s-10-000-medical-bill.html#ixzz3M4WeD5e2 

"BOSS" - 999 workers in Scotland Yard call centre claim bosses are following them to the toilet to enforce strict 'five-minute' rule

999 workers in Scotland Yard call centre claim bosses are following them to the toilet to enforce strict 'five-minute' rule 

• Workers say bosses sometimes check the time they spend on toilet breaks
• Some claim they are followed to the toilet if they are found to have taken too long
• Call handlers at Metropolitan Police have complained to Police Federation
• 'Monitoring' put in place after some workers 'took ages' on their breaks, it is claimed
• Scotland Yard confirmed that 'time off the operation floor was monitored'
• But spokesman said it was 'unaware' of bosses following workers to toilet
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By JULIAN ROBINSON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:31 GMT, 16 December 2014 | UPDATED: 13:21 GMT, 16 December 2014

Emergency call handlers at the largest control centre in Britain are being followed to the toilet - to ensure they do not spend too much time away from their desks, it has been claimed.

Workers handling 999 calls to the Metropolitan Police in London have told bosses that they work to a 'five minute' rule when going to the toilet - and that the time they take is sometimes monitored.

Those found to be taking longer than the 'allotted time' on a regular basis claim they are sometimes followed to the toilet, where supervisors wait outside until the worker comes out - before 'logging' the time taken.

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Workers handling 999 calls to the Metropolitan Police in London have told bosses that they work to a 'five minute' rule when going to 

the toilet - and that the time they take is regularly monitored

The control rooms, staffed by 2,000 police staff and police officers, are based at three locations in London, in Lambeth, Hendon and Bow.

Workers have complained to the Police Federation - which represents the UK's 130,000 officers - and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents 7,500 police staff working for the Met, about the monitored breaks.

Staff at the command centres - collectively called the MetCC - handle 999 calls and 101 calls from the public, taking around 4.5million calls each year.

Given the huge volume of calls, supervisors at the MetCC are cracking down on time staff and officers spend away from their desks.

It is believed the 'monitoring' was put in place after some workers 'took ages' and checked Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on their mobile phones while they were away from their desks.

One worker, who asked not to be named, said: 'Of course some workers take the Mick and go to the loo for ages and come back with funny stories about what pals are up to on social media.

'They are the exception rather than the rule and they are behind this ridiculous monitoring that is going on now.

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Those found to be taking longer than the 'allotted time' on a regular basis claim they are sometimes followed to the toilet, where supervisors wait outside until the worker comes out (file picture)

'There have been some instances when workers have been confronted by supervisors (about how long they have been away from their desk) as soon as they open the loo door.'  

John Tully, the chair of the Met Police Federation, said he was aware that toilet breaks were 'an issue' for control room workers.

He told Police magazine this week: 'I know they are very strict on breaks and have heard about the monitoring of toilet breaks.'

He also said that officers at MetCC found it 'extremely difficult' to take holidays and were getting 'completely exhausted'.

He added: 'Officers have said that at times it is virtually impossible to go on leave or have any time off, which can lead to people getting completely exhausted.'

A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed that 'time off the operation floor was monitored', but said it was 'unaware' of supervisors following workers to the toilet.

A spokeswoman for the Met's Territorial Policing Unit said it was looking at boosting morale at the MetCC, saying it was organising a 'Christmas jumper day' and 'cake-bake' to raise spirits.

She added: 'Control rooms are an unusual policing environment, as the operating procedures of call centres need to be run in conjunction with emergency response.'

Chief Superintendent Pippa Mills, who took over the Operation Command Unit (OCU) in March this year, said: 'We have done lots of consultation with officers and staff to identify those issues which would improve morale and working conditions.

'As OCU commander of such a large and diverse team, I value the close but "critical friend" relationship I have with the PCS and Federation.' 

Government guidelines say workers have the right to one uninterrupted 20 minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than 6 hours a day.

A spokesman from London-based employment law experts Astute HR said although there were 'no specific rules' to say how long people could spend on toilet breaks, employers were obliged to allow people with medical conditions to have adequate time away from their desks.

He added that employers, who often set out their rules for toilet breaks in the terms of their contracts, had to be mindful of data protection and health and safety legislation when monitoring workers' activities.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2875910/999-workers-Scotland-Yard-call-centre-claim-bosses-following-toilet-enforce-strict-five-minute-rule.html#ixzz3M4GrDW5L 

Mystery of the strange rumbles in Italy solved: Bizarre tremors are traced back to CEMENT MIXERS in factories

• Italy is Europe's largest producer of cement with nearly 60 factories
• Vibrations created by plant machinery is blamed for shaking half of Italy
• Sensors detected up to 100 tremors a day close to one plant in Varese
• Factory machinery was found to be causing vibrations up to 18 miles away 
• Cement factories use giant steel balls and mills to crush rock into powder
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By RICHARD GRAY FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:49 GMT, 9 December 2014 | UPDATED: 12:37 GMT, 9 December 2014

Mysterious rumbles thought to be coming from strange activity deep beneath the ground in Italy have been traced to a rather more mundane source - machinery in cement factories.

Scientists have been baffled by a series of tremors that were being detected by Italy's extensive network of seismic sensors in recent years.

They had attributed the vibrations to movements of magma bubbling near the surface of the Earth's crust beneath the country, despite occurring in areas that were not volcanically active.

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Geologists detected 342 tremors with epicentres within 150 metres (492 feet) of a cement plant in Ghigiano, Umbria in northern Italy, 

a location that is not volcanically active yet was being hit with mysterious rumbles

But now geologists believe they have found a more concrete answer for the weird seismic activity - the country's extensive network of cement factories.

Italy is one of the largest producers of cement in Europe and has at least 57 full cycle plants and dozens more processing plants.

The researchers now believe that these enormous factories could be responsible for producing vibrations across almost half of the country.

They calculated that each factory can shake the surrounding countryside up to 18 miles away.

Dr Diana Latorre and her colleagues at the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcananology in Italy said that thousands of tremors, or microearthquakes, are recorded very year in Italy.

However, they said their findings suggest that many of these are not natural.

Dr Latorre said: 'We have shown that these signals are not due to earthquakes, neither to quarry blasts since they have different spectral properties with clear harmonic signature and low-frequency content.

'Looking at the time distribution, it appears that low frequency event occurrence is often characterised by a regular behavior, suggesting a human control of these sources.

'In a single cement plant, there are several machines capable of inducing tremors to the ground. 

'Each of these machineries involves strong vibrations - some of them are installed underground to minimize the outdoor effect, possibly increasing the coupling to the ground below.

'If we assume that every cement factory produces seismic vibrations detectable in an area of at least 1250 km, a radius of 20km, to 2800 km, radius 30km, we find that a very significant portion of Italy (23% to 51%) is affected by industrial noise as that analyzed in our study.' 

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The National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanaology seismic sensors detected thousands of low frequency tremors between 2010 and 2012 (marked by red dots), so researchers focused on events in the black boxes and were able to trace them to cement factories (marked 

by green diamonds) in Varese (VR), Pordenone (PN), Padova (PD), Arezzo (AR), Gubbio (GB), Sesto Campano (SC), Potenza (PZ), 

Matera (MT), and Ragusa (RG)

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The vibrations appeared to follow regular patterns, often becoming less frequent in August and at night

Italy is one of the most seismically active regions in the Mediterranean as it sits on the boundary where the Eurasian continental plate meets the African continental plate.

A small tectonic plate, known as Adriatic Plate formed around the boot of Italy between 140 and 70 million years ago and resulted in many of the active volcanoes that are dotted around the country.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanaology monitors these with a network of 350 seismometres that are capable of detecting tremors with a magnitude of just 0.5.

For years scientists have been unable to explain thousands of low frequency tremors that were occuring in parts of the country where there should be little or no activity.

In 2008, Geologists attempted to explain this as vibrations coming from magma filled cracks in the upper crust. 

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Italy sits at the boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates where the small Adriatic plate (marked by red dotted line) is being deformed, causing volcanos to appear in the south of the country

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Italy has 57 full cycle cement factories and dozens of other processing plants invovled in the industry that could be responsible for thousands of mysterious tiny tremors that have been detected around the country

However, Dr Latorre and her team found the signals from these events seemed to centre around cement factories and seemed to match vibrations from industrial activity.

The researchers analysed the patterns of hundreds of low-frequency rumbles detected by seismic sensors around the country over three years.

In one example they discovered 342 events had their epicentre within 500 feet of a cement factory in Ghigiano, in Umbria.

This factory, run by the firm Colacem, has the capacity to produce around 1.25 million tonnes of cement a year. 

At another site around Caravate, in Varese, northern Italy, seismic sensors more than 4 miles away from the Colacem cement factory detected up to 100 of low frequency rumbles a day. 

These tended to be limited to one to three months of the year, however. At other sites, the researchers detected up to 250 events a day. 

The researchers, who have published their findings in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, also found that fewer tremors occurred at night and at weekends.

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The scientists examined the location of seismic events (red dots) detected by sensors (yellow triangles) and analysed the pattern they produced on seismographs (middle). Green diamonds show the position of huge cement plants operating in the same areas, which appear to be the epicentres for the tremors

There were also periods when the tremors were more intense, usually at times when the factories are thought to be most active such as the winter and less activity during the summer months. 

Nationally Italy produces between 29 million and 48 million tons of cement a year with its factories using a range of heavy machinery to crush and grind the raw material into the final product.

These include using enormous rotary kilns that are hundreds of metres long, mills that use conical rollers to crush the raw rock and cement mills that steel balls to turn the product into powder.

However, details of when and how these are used is often limited as the companies do not publish their production schedules, according to the researchers. 

Dr Latorre said that although the tremors were generally less than Magnitude 1 on the Richter Scale, it was important to understand their source to help monitor seismic activity in Italy.

She said: 'We still believe that in Italy geological processes might generate unconventional earthquakes and tremors due to fluid mobilization in the mantle and in the crust. 

'However, in such a complex and noisy environment, ongoing investigations searching for natural tremors, should take into account and isolate all possible sources of man-made noise.' 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2866764/Mystery-strange-tremors-Italy-solved-Bizarre-rumbles-traced-CEMENT-MIXERS-factories.html#ixzz3LRKNeZsi