Emirates Airlines has announced additional flights for some routes under strict conditions. Passengers will be able to fly from Dubai to Frankfurt, Manila, Shanghai, Sao Paulo and London Heathrow in May. The special flights will be for people wishing to return home and Emirates Airlines informed that passengers wishing to travel to Shanghai, should contact Chinese embassy in UAE.

The flights will be one-way. Only citizens of the destination countries and passengers who meet the entry requirements of the destination will be allowed to board the flights. Emirates informed that special safety measures will be required for all the flights.

Emirates will pre-allocate seats for passengers for their safety. No cabin baggage will be allowed on these special flights. Passengers should arrive at the airport, three hours in advance.

As per official statement from the airline, the following flights will operate during May. If the authorities change the flight schedules due to developing situation and easing of lockdowns in different regions, Emirates will update customers about new schedule.

Flights from Dubai to Frankfurt are scheduled to operate on May 2, 4, 6, 9, 11 and 13.
Emirates will fly from Dubai to London Heathrow on May 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 and 14.
Flights to Manila will operate on May 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15 and 16.
Flights for Sao Paulo on May 3, and to Shanghai on May 2.

Emirates added that passengers are required to apply social distancing guidelines during their journey and wear their own masks when at the airport and on board the aircraft.

The researchers at Northwestern University, led by assistant professor Ramille Shah along with her postdoctoral fellow Adam Jakus, have developed a synthetic “hyperelastic” bone tissue produced with 3D printable ink. This invention was a result of over 100 interviews conducted by the researchers of the University with surgeons who complained of the bone graft material generally used, to be too brittle.

The material invented was able to fuse with new natural bone after being experimented upon rodents and a rhesus macaque. The results were published in Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday which says that its strength can enable it to be used in a femur while its flexibility can enable it to squeeze through a small incision.

Though there is a long time for the synthetic bone to be tested on people, if it proves its ability, it could be used in bone fractures, craniofacial procedures, bone fractures, or anterior cruciate ligament (ACR) or rotator cuff injuries. Also, if the material is able to grow with the patient, it could be employed in children as well.

Jakus, with an academic background in explosive materials and metallurgy, says his inspiration of the extrusion process to manufacture goods like bricks, toilets, etc., inspired the team to approach the experiment with the idea of combining materials used in bioengineering along with industry production approaches.

The layers are bound together by the team’s printer by using layer upon layer of a compound composed of a biodegradable polyester and hydroxyapatite.

Since the hyperelastic bone can be printed with a 3D printer, the need to heat the material is not needed, saving it from turning brittle. The body parts can be printed within minutes or hours, the process being fast and viable on a large body, making the manufacture hopefully cheap and feasible enough to be used in hospitals and for the deprived and underprivileged sections of the world. The ink can also be stored for a year.

Statins work great when it comes to lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart events. They are considered to be a safe option, but a new study has found that there are other ways as well to lessen the levels of cholesterol, including change in diet, surgery to shorten parts of the intestines and taking different drugs.

A research paper published in JAMA has unveiled that researchers have scanned 49 trials that involved nine different ways to lower cholesterol levels in over 300,000 people.

The cholesterol-lowering strategies fell into four main categories, including statins, other options that work akin to statins but are not statins like diet and drug ezetimibe, the new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs like PCSK9 inhibitors and the drugs like fibrates and niacin that increase HDL levels and lowers LDL levels in the circulation.

Study’s lead researcher Dr. Marc Sabatine, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital was of the view that statins and the options that worked like statins, but in reality they are not, lessened the risk of heart events by around the same amount.

The fibrates and niacin did not show any decline in heart events and the PCSK9 inhibitors have proven to be beneficial. The study findings are considered to be motivating. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology has mentioned in its guidelines in 2013 to focus on statins as a first-line therapy.

Sabatine was of the view, “If you look at older versions of the guidelines, there was a focus on getting LDL cholesterol down through a series of different options”. The findings will prove beneficial for those who cannot tolerate statins.

Mental health disorder is considered to be the most common childhood disease. A data suggests that one in five adults suffer from it, but then also there is not much level of understanding or compassion about the disease.

It is not something new that people having mental illness have been seen under the light of negativity. They are actually discriminated and owing to this reason, people suffering from it avoid seeking medical help or discuss the condition with others.

Kana Enomoto, principal deputy administrator of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said that the societal outlook results into behavior and policy that make life more difficult for those having mental health issues.

Enomoto affirmed that it all depends on how you treat a person with mental illness. Despite being repeatedly said that people with mental illness should be not be looked upon with discrimination, the condition is these people are more likely to face legal action than receiving medical help.

The current scenario is that there is more number of people with mental illness in jails than in hospitals. Rather than receiving help, they are blamed for carrying out violence. Also, they have higher rates of homelessness.

For past 400 years, fear has driven mental health discrimination. In fact, in the 1700s, people having psychological conditions were put behind bars owing to their different behaviors as at that time authorities concerned did not know what else they can do.

Though things have changed in comparison with earlier days, there are still many targets to be achieved. A study has shared that even doctors do not take mental health as seriously as they should. There is a need to bring changes in thought process of people.