
Experts warn of risks in unsafe plastic surgeries
Speaking at the event, renowned Dubai-based senior plastic surgeon Dr Sanjay Parashar said, 'Plastic and aesthetic surgeries are highly complex.
It's important to know how to address issues if they occur and to identify the root cause. Post-treatment infections are a risk, and preventing them is essential, he added.
'Liposuction, cosmetic surgeries, facial corrections (like nose, chin, cheeks), and hair transplants are extremely delicate and must be handled with utmost care, prioritising patient safety.'
Dr Gurukarna Vemula, managing director of a plastic surgery centre, said it was important for patients to do a background check of the plastic surgeons they would visit for treatment.
He cautioned that 'many problems arise when untrained practitioners perform such treatments. Some hair transplant patients develop scalp infections; Botox, fillers, and laser treatments can also have side effects. To avoid these, patients must choose the right doctor.'

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The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bengaluru firm in talks with A.P. govt. to launch helicopter emergency medical services in State
International Critical Care Air Transfer Team (ICATT), a Bengaluru-based air ambulance services company, initiated discussions with the Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) for launching its integrated helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) to fast-track trauma care services in the State. It conducted aero-medical drills in several Indian cities and is collaborating with the GoAP and leading tertiary hospitals to showcase HEMS, according to an official release. ICATT deploys flying ICUs — helicopters and aircraft equipped with advanced ICU infrastructure, surgical tools, and a trained aero-medical team. These airborne units are capable of delivering critical care at the site of trauma, particularly along highways, rural belts, and semi-urban areas, within the crucial golden hour, significantly improving the chances of survival for accident victims. Under HEMS, trauma victims and critically ill patients will be airlifted free of cost, ensuring timely access to lifesaving care. ICATT's air ambulance service, which is an India-specific adaptation of the U.K.'s HEMS model, has been successfully operating the government-funded PM Shri Air Ambulance Seva in Madhya Pradesh (M.P.). ICATT planned to replicate that model in other States by bringing together key departments including Fire Services, Police, and first-responder ambulance units to form a seamless emergency medical network. Prior to the M.P. contract, ICATT conducted aero-medical rescue operations in the deep jungles of the southern parts of Chhattisgarh and saved the lives of CRPF jawans who were fighting the Naxalites. ICATT founding directors Rahul Singh Sardar and Shalini Nalwad stated that HEMS represents a significant disruption in the emergency care landscape. In countries like the U.S.A., U.K., and across Europe, air ambulance teams were a standard part of trauma care. ICATT would bring to India the same global standard of care, where such services were not just desirable but essential. With access to advanced medical facilities still limited in many parts of the country, it (ICATT) believes that the introduction of HEMS would play a crucial role in reducing road accident fatalities and improving emergency response outcomes.


Mint
5 hours ago
- Mint
ChatGPT gave children explicit advice on drugs, crash diets and suicide notes, claims shocking new report
A new investigation has raised concerns that ChatGPT can provide explicit and dangerous advice to children, including instructions on drug use, extreme dieting and self-harm. The research, carried out by the UK-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and reviewed by the Associated Press, found that the AI chatbot often issued warnings about risky behaviour but then proceeded to offer detailed and personalised plans when prompted by researchers posing as 13-year-olds. Over three hours of recorded interactions revealed that ChatGPT sometimes drafted emotionally charged suicide notes tailored to fictional family members, suggested calorie-restricted diets with appetite-suppressing drugs, and gave step-by-step instructions for combining alcohol with illegal substances. In one instance, it provided what the researchers described as an 'hour-by-hour' party plan involving ecstasy, cocaine and heavy drinking. The CCDH said more than half of 1,200 chatbot responses were classified as 'dangerous.' Chief executive Imran Ahmed criticised the platform's safety measures, claiming that its protective 'guardrails' were ineffective and easy to bypass. Researchers found that framing harmful requests as being for a school presentation or a friend was often enough to elicit a response. 'We wanted to test the guardrails. The visceral initial response is, 'Oh my Lord, there are no guardrails.' The rails are completely ineffective. They're barely there, if anything, a fig leaf,' said Imran Ahmed, the group's CEO. OpenAI, which operates ChatGPT, said it was working to improve how the system detects and responds to sensitive situations, and that it aims to better identify signs of mental or emotional distress. However, it did not directly address the CCDH's specific findings or outline any immediate changes. The maker of ChatGPT, said, 'Some conversations with ChatGPT may start out benign or exploratory but can shift into more sensitive territory. Teen reliance on AI raises safety fears The report comes amid growing concern about teenagers turning to AI systems for advice and companionship. A recent study by US non-profit Common Sense Media suggested that 70 per cent of teenagers use AI chatbots for social interaction, with younger teens more likely to trust their guidance. ChatGPT does not verify users' ages beyond a self-reported date of birth, despite stating that it is not intended for those under 13. Researchers said the system ignored both the stated age and other clues in their prompts when providing hazardous recommendations. Campaigners warn that the technology's ability to produce personalised, human-like responses may make harmful suggestions more persuasive than search engine results. The CCDH report argues that without stronger safeguards, children may be at greater risk of receiving dangerous advice disguised as friendly guidance.


Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why, to tackle the stray dog problem, it is important to make pet owners accountable, too
The Supreme Court on Monday (August 11) directed the Delhi government, civic bodies, and authorities of Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad to round up and move stray dogs to shelters, underlining the urgency in tackling the 'grim situation'. A Bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said: 'Infants and young children, at any cost, should not fall prey to rabies. The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs. No sentiments should be involved.' For many, the intervention of the top court has come as a major relief. But the intervention may not produce the desired effect without also making pet owners accountable. This is because the plight and the menace of stray dogs in India are a direct consequence of irresponsible pet rearing. There are more than 60 million stray dogs in India. Very few of them survive disease and vehicular accidents to die natural deaths. Also, someone is bitten by a dog in India every 10 seconds. This works out to more than 3 million bites a year, of which around 5,000 turn out to be fatal. Dogs spread more than 60 diseases to people. Rabies alone claims at least two human lives every three hours. More than 15,000 tonnes of dog poop and 8 million gallons of dog pee – a major health and environmental hazard – is discharged on Indian roads and fields daily. India's pet dog population was estimated at 30 million in 2024. The population of pet dogs, along with India's dog food market, has grown at 10-15% per year over the last five years. The size of the Indian pet dog industry, currently worth Rs 300 crore, is projected to double by 2030. There are upscale dog hotels such as Critterati in Gurgaon, and dog grooming parlours such as Scoopy Scrub in Delhi, Fuzzy Wuzzy in Bengaluru, and Tailwaggers in Mumbai. Companies such as Bajaj Allianz and Future Generali offer dog health insurance. While cherishing their 'best friends' at home, Indians have been far less kind to them on the street. Historically, there have been efforts to eliminate the stray dog problem by means including electrocution, poisoning, shooting, or just clubbing them to death. But long before the killing of dogs became an animal rights issue, it had become evident that short of elimination en masse, this would not have a lasting effect on the population of strays. As food becomes increasingly abundant (garbage dumps, and individual and organised feeders), the partial elimination of the stray population reduces the competition for resources and boosts breeding. Thus came the idea of sterilisation. Since 1992, NGOs such as Chennai-based Blue Cross of India, and various governments have carried out Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes in several cities. In 2001, the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules were notified under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. However, unless at least two-thirds of a canine population is sterilised within a small (typically 6-12 months) window, ABC drives fail to have any stabilising effect. With the job left to a few NGOs, every Indian city has struggled to achieve the target that requires neutering hundreds of stray dogs every day for months. But even if that mark is hit, stray dog populations may still continue to increase. There is no national law in India that requires dog owners to register their pets. A few cities have such rules, but enforcement remains shoddy. It is not mandatory to get pets sterilised or vaccinated either. Since owners are not accountable for their dogs or their dogs' pups, hundreds of unwanted pet dogs and pups are abandoned on the street daily. Also, thousands of pet dogs are allowed to roam or break free and breed with street strays. In consequence, even as governments and NGOs continue to neuter a few dogs on the street, pet dogs, thanks to callous owners, add to the stray population. This is also why the so-called 'Indian street dog' is mostly mongrels of various crossbreeds. The solution, experts say, is to have ABC drives target pedigreed pets with high breeding frequency. The government could offer incentives to owners to get their pets registered and sterilised. A steep tax may be levied on breeding pets. The problem with petting without owning Equally irresponsible is the trend of petting dogs outside the home. In all cities, neighbourhood good samaritans feed stray dogs on the streets outside their homes or workplaces. This has the same effect as petting, and turns stray dogs territorial and aggressive. Such feeding has also created monsters of monkeys in many parts of India. Over the decades, governments cutting across party lines have sponsored the feeding of stray dogs by various organisations. In The Ecology of Stray Dogs: A Study of Free-ranging Urban Animals (1973), possibly the most authoritative work on the subject, Alan Beck wrote: 'Loose or straying pets and stray (feral) dogs are different. True stray dogs form somewhat stable packs… are more active at night and cautious about people. In general, straying pets have smaller home ranges and [are] active when people are.' This is why abandoned or proxy pet dogs on the street are more likely to be aggressive towards people who do not pet (or feed) them. Thus, not only do some pet owners contribute to the growing population of strays, they also bear responsibility for many dog attacks on people. Anticipating resistance from some quarters, the Supreme Court warned on Monday that any individual or organisation coming in the way of implementing its order would face legal action. It may widen its gaze to make pet owners and proxy pet feeders accountable when it hears the matter again after six weeks. Jay Mazoomdaar is an investigative reporter focused on offshore finance, equitable growth, natural resources management and biodiversity conservation. Over two decades, his work has been recognised by the International Press Institute, the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, the Asian College of Journalism etc. Mazoomdaar's major investigations include the extirpation of tigers in Sariska, global offshore probes such as Panama Papers, Robert Vadra's land deals in Rajasthan, India's dubious forest cover data, Vyapam deaths in Madhya Pradesh, mega projects flouting clearance conditions, Nitin Gadkari's link to e-rickshaws, India shifting stand on ivory ban to fly in African cheetahs, the loss of indigenous cow breeds, the hydel rush in Arunachal Pradesh, land mafias inside Corbett, the JDY financial inclusion scheme, an iron ore heist in Odisha, highways expansion through the Kanha-Pench landscape etc. ... Read More