Monday, April 16, 2018

Ketamine has 'fast-acting benefits' for depression

Ketamine has "shown promise" in the rapid treatment of major depression and suicidal thoughts, a US study says.

Ketamine has a reputation as a party drug but is licensed as an anaesthetic.

The study found use of the drug via a nasal spray led to "significant" improvements in depressive symptoms in the first 24 hours.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists said it was a "significant" study that brought the drug "a step closer to being prescribed on the NHS".

The report by researchers from Janssen Research and Development, a Johnson and Johnson company, and Yale School of Medicine, is the first study into ketamine as a treatment for depression that has been done by a drug company.

It is being published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The trial looked at 68 people at imminent risk of suicide.

All patients were treated with a stay in hospital and anti-depressants.

In addition, half were given ketamine in the form of esketamine (part of the ketamine molecule) in a nasal spray and half were given a placebo.

The study found those using esketamine had a much greater improvement in depression symptoms at all points over the first four weeks of treatment.

However, at 25 days the effects had levelled out.

The study's authors suggest it could offer an effective rapid treatment for people severely depressed and at imminent risk of suicide and could help in the initial stages of treatment, as most anti-depressants take four to six weeks to become fully effective.

The nasal spray is now undergoing phase three trials before it can be licensed for treatment.

Potential for abuse

There were no reports of esketamine dependence or misuse in the trial but the authors warn that more research is needed on the potential for abuse of ketamine and say these should be looked at during subsequent trials.

Scientists in the UK are also studying ketamine as a treatment for depression taken intravenously.

Dr James Stone, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told the BBC the "interesting" US study confirmed the findings from successful studies into intravenous ketamine.

"The main reason for its significance is because this is being developed by a drug company and it's potentially quite likely that this medication might become available as a treatment available on the NHS for depression."

'Severe depression'

He said because it was being given as a nasal spray it was "much easier to administer" than intravenous ketamine and was "potentially quicker to give, so it means more people can be dosed at the same time" and you need less equipment.

Dr Stone said if it did go on to be prescribed on the NHS it would be aimed at people with severe depression as a second or third line of treatment if other drugs haven't worked and could be used for people instead of electroconvulsive therapy.

Prof Mitul Mehta from King's College told the BBC it was an "exciting" study.

"All the studies to date have been looking at intravenous use - there are some people who have explored oral ketamine but that doesn't appear to be as successful as intravenous so intranasal seems to be a really good halfway-house.

"It enters the body relatively quickly - it's not as fast as going straight into your bloodstream but not as slow as via the stomach and it's reasonably easy to control how much you give to a person. In that respect this is a really important study."

But he said far bigger studies are needed to look out for any rare side-effects.

Prescribed off licence

Because ketamine is licensed to be used by doctors as an aneasthetic it can be prescribed off licence for depression. This is happening in private clinics in the US and the UK.

But to be prescribed on the NHS, it would need to be licensed to be used as a treatment for depression.

In the UK, doctors have been trialling ketamine to treat depression since 2011.

Dr Rupert McShane, who has led a trial in Oxford, says ketamine can work on patients with depression "where nothing has helped before".

Last year he called for the use of ketamine to treat depression to be rolled out.

However, he called for a national registry to monitor its use.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Former UN official to support calls for referendum in Sri Lanka

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Adrianus (Ad) Melkert, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Dutch cabinet minister is joining an event to launch a campaign calling for a referendum for Tamils in Sri Lanka. This event titled “Yes to Referendum” is to be held in Canada today (April 15th).

This launch will be followed by several activities around the world, highlighting the importance of holding a Referendum to decide Tamils’ political destiny – thus finding a permanent solution to the protracted Tamil conflict in the island.

The event organised by the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) said that outcome of the referendum will be accepted.

At the same time, the TGTE believes that due to the rigid Sinhala Buddhist ethnocratic nature of the Sri Lankan State, only through independence can Tamils live peacefully and with dignity in the island of Sri Lanka. Mass killings of Tamils in 1958, 1977, 1983 and 2009 in Mullivaikkal, and the latest reports of rape camps of Tamil women run by the Sri Lankan military, are a testament to this belief and conviction.

TGTE pointed out that several protracted and violent conflicts around the world were successfully solved through holding referendums.

SLFP SHOULD QUIT GOVERNMENT, SAY GROUP OF SIXTEEN

by Uditha Kumarasingh-15 April, 2018

The 16 members of the SLFP who voted in favour of the No Confidence Motion (NCM) against the Prime Minister have firmly resolved that the SLFP should quit the Unity Government.

They said since 122 members of the Parliament have reposed their confidence in the Premier the UNP should be allowed to run their own Government. A resolution to quit the Unity Government was put to the SLFP Central Committee by MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and was readily seconded by S. B. Dissanayake. Addressing a media briefing at the SLFP headquarters on Thursday, April 12, former Social Empowerment and Welfare Minister S.B. Dissanayake said that the SLFP group which voted for the NCM proposed to the SLFP Central Committee meeting that the SLFP should quit the National Government.

He said that it was hoped that the party hierarchy would endorse the proposal. “We will continue to engage in our political activities with the Party Leader President Maithripala Sirisena.”

Former Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister Chandima Weerakkody said the final decision whether the SLFP should quit the National Government will be taken when the President returns to the country from the UK concluding the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
“We would, of course, extend our support to the UNP to continue the Government by fulfilling the legitimate role of the Opposition,” he said.

Former Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala said, in the true democratic sense, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should be allowed to run a UNP Government. We are at the firm stance that the SLFP should quit the National Government and sit with the Opposition to play our role.
Former Minister S.B. Dissanayake said by being in the Opposition, they would try their level best to form a broad political alliance to strengthen the SLFP and the UPFA.

He said, all those who are in the Joint Opposition (JO) are also their ‘blood relations’. When the SLFP Central Committee takes a unanimous decision to quit the National Government, the rest of the SLFP members who held portfolios will have to give them up.

Former State Minister of Highways, Dilan Perera said, if the SLFP quits the National Unity Government, a new Cabinet of Ministers will have to be appointed and the number of Cabinet Ministers should come down to 30. We hope even the Opposition Leader’s post will have to be changed if the SLFP is no longer there in the National Unity Government. Therefore, this decision to be taken at the SLFP Central Committee would pave the way to effect a series of political changes in the country. Perera said ,the National Government was formed for a period of two years through the consensus reached between the SLFP and the UNP. It is obvious that this experiment has failed. Even the people and we as the stakeholders in the Government have also felt this.

We hope even the President has realized the failure of the National Government.

Former State Minister Perera said when the SLFP Parliamentary Group met at the UPFA General Secretary Minister Mahinda Amaraweera’s residence on April 4, the majority of the SLFP members decided that they should vote for the NCM.

Three days prior to the NCM, all 41 SLFP members in the Government said the Prime Minister should quit his portfolio.

“We have to seriously consider to how they changed their position after three days. It is obvious, something peculiar has happened. But we decided to vote for the NCM because we act according to our conscience.”

Former Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said the majority of 26 SLFP members in the Government who abstained from voting for the NCM are fully with them. Of them, only a few members have issues so that we call upon them to stand with the UNP without further ruining the SLFP.

S. B. Dissanayake, Dayasiri Jayasekara, W. D. J Senevirathne, Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Susil Premjayanth, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Chandima Weerakkody, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardane, Dilan Perera, Anuradha Jayarathne, Sumeda G. Jayasena, T. B Ekanayake, Lakshman Wasantha Perara, Susantha Punchinilame, Tharanath Basnayake and Thilanga Sumathipala decided to vacate from their ministerial posts and leave the government on Wednesday, April 11

The Story of a Man who Built Five Cinemas

Veerappa Alagoo

Dr Devanesan Nesiah-April 14, 2018, 12:28 am

Dr. A.C. Visvalingam’s excellent article under the above title in The Sunday Island of February 25 is very valuable from many perspectives. Veerappa Alagoo and his family are members of the most disadvantaged and discriminated against of the major communities of this island. The story related to a minor employee of upcountry Tamil Origin working under R. Copland, then Superintendent of Nichola Oya Estate, Rattota. Veerappa Alagoo so impressed the Superintendent with his mechanical cum building contracting skills that he was provided with a small block of land near the estate factory to set up his own workshop. Alagoo responded promptly and set up a workshop together with living quarters for himself and his family on that land.

He also installed a sluice gate much higher up across a perennial streamlet to divert water and to generate power to operate a second hand turbine to power a fan driven blacksmith’s furnace, a lathe, a power hacksaw, a stand drill, a grinder and a mini electricity generator. All these increased his efficiency and greatly impressed his superintendent.

His second child was named Karuppiah. Although Karuppiah’s schooling was limited to grade 3 (Tamil medium only) in the local estate school (which was all that was available to him), he had inherited his father’s capacity for honest, intelligent hard work. He applied these qualities to excel in his father’s workshop and also went further to secure a license to drive the estate lorry. It was primarily Karuppiah who developed a passion to build a cinema hall after seeing a Tamil film named Chinthamani at a cinema hall 12 miles away in Matale.

Mr. Copland in due course was transferred to Mayfield estate, Hatton and he took with him Veerappa Alagoo who, in turn, took with him his son Karuppiah. A section of the family remained at Nichola Oya but tragically perished in a landslide. But the story related by Dr. Visvalingam is about the achievements of Veerappa Alagoo’s surviving progeny at Mayfield estate. In this context, the achievements of his progeny are most admirable and inspiring. Further, he has not only used his considerable skills and creative initiative but also systematically tapped a wide range of sources to achieve his ambitions. In particular; he has succeeded in passing down his drive, ambition and perseverance to at least the next two generations of his family.

The widely held theory of "The culture of poverty" does not seem to have significantly crippled him or the progress of his project. That theory had been used to explain the continued socioeconomic depression of certain underprivileged ethnic (including caste) groups in many parts of the world. These groups include Blacks and Native Americans in the USA, depressed castes and tribes in India, the Burakhin in Japan and expatriate plantation and mine workers across the globe. This theory has been elaborated by the distinguished Nigerian scholar Ogbu in his publication titled "Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities". In this publication Voluntary Minorities relate to individuals who have independently and individually migrated to better their prospects, and Involuntary minorities relate to communities who have collectively migrated as slaves or indentured labor to distant lands as well as to communities who had been conquered or designated as inferior and suppressed in their own lands. As elaborated by Ogbu, in addition to discrimination that may operate against both sets of communities, there are decisive psychological factors that differentiate between Involuntary and Voluntary minorities.

It is important to distinguish between ethnic discrimination impacting on both groups from the psychological factors that differentiate between the reaction of Involuntary and Voluntary minorities. Involuntary minorities tend to get depressed and helpless in the face of discrimination. Their frame of reference is this dominant population who enjoys opportunities denied to them. In contrast the Voluntary minorities had individually opted to migrate expecting discrimination but with the confidence that they would be able to overcome the discrimination and succeed. Their frame of reference is the condition of those whom they have left behind in their motherland. They are encouraged by the new opportunities available to them but not to those whom they have left behind. Moreover, it is the more adventurous and ambitious individuals or families who opt to migrate and, in consequence, their socioeconomic conditions may not only exceed those of people whom they have left behind but also, very often, the bulk of the population in the lands to which they have migrated.

For example, Asian migrants make up about two percent of the population of the USA but about 20% of the intake in to several of the elite universities. Similarly many of the migrants in to Norway were Sri Lankan Tamils of very low socioeconomic status but their children are, on average, way above the native Norwegian average in the elite universities and professions. In the USA, there is a wide discrepancy between the success achieved by Black immigrants of recent origin as against the descendants of slaves and Native Americans. In the case of the Burakhin, they continue to be depressed in Japan but those who have migrated to the USA have been as successful as other Japanese migrants. Both choosing to migrate and the very act of migration have made critical differences. Clearly, the difference cannot be due primarily to genetic factors.

Similarly in the case of Tamils who have come in to Sri Lanka as individual migrants over many centuries (viz the Ceylon Tamils) have been clearly more successful than the genetically similar indentured labor who came in to Sri Lankan plantations in the latter part of the 19th Century and the early 20th Century (viz upcountry Tamils). It would be interesting to trace the ancestry of Veerappa Alagoo; did they come as individual migrants or as indentured labor? It would also be interesting to trace the fortunes of his descendants in subsequent (third and fourth) generations. Perhaps Dr. A.C. Visvalingam can help us with information on these issues.

If indeed Veerappa Alagoo or his ancestors were Voluntary minorities and not indentured labor, it would be an inspiration to others of his community to achieve upward mobility, overcoming whatever discrimination they may encounter. In fact if the discrimination suffered by a people numbering over a million and constituting around a tenth of our population could amount to collective repression and explain their sustained socioeconomic depression. If their full potential could be realized it would benefit not only them but all of us. As a first step we should dismantle every rung of the edifice of discrimination that yet burdens them and hinders them from full integration in to the Sri Lankan Nation.

Some people vote not only for coconut husks but also for dog poo!

April 15, 2018

Responding to questions posed by journalists The Member of the Political Bureau of the JVP K.D. Lal Kantha said, “When we demanded a salary increase of Rs. 10,000 for state employees many asked us can the government give such an amount. We said we demand the salary increase the working masses should get; let the government decide whether to give or not. We launched a struggle to get the salary increase and winning this struggle was made easy as it was seen that no person would get a big majority in the presidential election. We were able to win Rs.3000 from Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa’s budget and Rs. 7000 from the ‘100-day government’ after Mr Maithripala Sirisena’s victory. We were able to win our demand without even a one hours strike by correctly choosing the slogan according to the political situation that prevailed in the country.

The trade union movement carried out a struggle against using funds from EPF and ETF for various investments. Roshen Chanka was killed in such a struggle. Many have forgotten these. The present government has abolished the pension right of state employees from 01.01.2016. If the government is commemorating the May Day they should give back the pension rights and other rights of the working masses. We hope to launch a struggle with the May Day to win the Rs. 6000 living allowance.

We were able to reach a certain solution for the SAITM issue. Medical students went back to their studies. The struggle was stopped on an agreement reached between the government and the Anti-SAITM People’s Wall. The government promised to abolish SAITM and solve the issue. However, there are certain areas that need to be solved. As such, the struggle may continue. We, as the JVP, took the stand that the students in SAITM too should get a justifiable solution.

The struggle of the non-academic employees of universities is very justifiable. The struggle continued as the government failed to take instant action.

Every time a political crisis surfaces in the country we, of the JVP, make it an opportunity to get victories for the people. We could get massive victories for the people when there was a political instability in the country in 2001. Due to the unstable political situation prevailing in the country we would launch the struggle to get the executive presidency abolished. We believe it would be a massive victory for the people in the country.

Cabinet ministers in our country have no shame nor do they have any morals. The people who vote for them too are responsible for their acts.

People who go to religious places during festivities pollute such places. How could such people be called intelligent? There are many people who are not intelligent in our country. Such people should take the responsibility of the crimes of the ministers they elect. This is why Bandula Gunawardena has said even a coconut husk can win elections in this country. There are people who are prepared to vote not only for a coconut husk but for dog poo as well.”

JVP May Day rally in Jaffna on May 1

Ishara Mudugamuwa-Thursday, April 12, 2018

Main rally on May 7:

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will hold a May Day rally in Jaffna on May 1 to commemorate International Workers’ Day. The main May Day rally and procession of the JVP will be held in Colombo on May 7 under the theme, ‘People’s Action for Social Justice and National Unity’.

Addressing the media yesterday at the JVP Headquarters, JVP Propaganda Secretary Tilvin Silva said most countries celebrate International Workers’ Day, often referred to as May Day. It is a celebration of labourers and the working class that is promoted by the international labour movement.

“This year’s Vesak falls on May 1, the same day as May Day. Therefore, due to practical reasons, we have decided to hold our main May Day rally in Colombo on May 7. However, respecting the May Day traditions, we have decided to hold a May Day rally in Jaffna to commemorate International Workers’ Day,” he said.

The Propaganda Secretary charged that some political parties hold May Day rallies by completely neglecting May Day traditions in order to fulfill their narrow political objectives.

He further charged that the UNP, SLFP and Mahinda Rajapaksa’s party have no ethical right to hold May Day rallies and that only the left wing political parties and the labour force have the right to celebrate it. “They just hold party rallies by hoisting flags with their party colours and not the red flag or hammer and sickle. They have completely distorted May Day traditions,” he said.

The May Day rally of the JVP will be held on May 7 at the BRC grounds with the participation of more than 50,000 JVP activists, he added.

Soil excavation racket continues in Minuwangoda

By Ashanthi Warunasuriya-Sunday, April 15, 2018

A soil excavation racket is continuing in Minuwangoda in collaboration with underworld members and regional politicians. Area residents and others revealed that the racket involves ransom, bribes and threats.

The racket, which has been operating for several years, had been highlighted in The Sunday Leader earlier as well.

Illegal soil excavation is said to be taking place, largely at Waliya Richard Watta, near the Yagodamulla cemetery, and behind the Kotugoda Post Office.

Area residents feared that heavy rain in the area could cause earth slips if the illegal soil excavation continues in this manner.

Residents keep their concerns to themselves a powerful politicians and underworld members are involved in or support the racket.

Sources said that illegal soil excavation taking place behind the Kotugoda Post Office is seen as a major operation. It is alleged that the soil excavated from the location is transported to construct the external stretch of the expressway by the Road Development Authority (RDA).

The Sunday Leader learns that between 9 a.m. to 4 pm, once every five minutes, trucks loaded with soil operate along the route in the area. The location has a small air-conditioned office in a container to inspect and control the process. The location lies on a large mountain connecting the Kotugoda Ariliya Uyana. Excavating soil in this manner from one side of the mountain poses a risk to the stability of the opposite end of the mountain and this can cause earth slips.

However, Divisional Secretary Mrs. K.A.S. Lakshreeni Gunathilake said that the soil excavation in the area is taking place with approval and is not illegal.

Underworld member ‘Pas Podda’ was accused of being involved in the racket.

The underworld member has been jailed over a murder. He was arrested for possessing the weapons used for the murder and was later sentenced to prison.

However, The Sunday Leader learns the underworld member is still leading the soil excavation racket from prison using the telephone number beginning with 075.

Sri Lanka Police warn public against bathing in natural waters as drowning deaths mount

Sun, Apr 15, 2018, 11:05 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Apr 15, Colombo: Sri Lanka Police request public to refrain from bathing in rivers and other such natural waters they are not familiar with as drowning incidents have increased in the recent past.

Police Media spokesman Superintendent of Police Ruwan Gunasekara said several drowning deaths have been reported lately.

According to the police 877 persons died from drowning and 727 deaths have been reported in 2017. In the first two months of 2018, 93 people have died from drowning.

Police Media Spokesperson says that most of these deaths are due to the carelessness of the victims.
The police warn that due to the prevailing rainy weather now, there is possibility of flash floods and sudden large water movements. Therefore, police request the public not to bathe in places that are not familiar to them and only get into the water and bathe in places where there are police lifeguards present.

The Police request the public to follow the instructions posted on the warning signs.

The Police Media Spokesman further said that the police lifeguards have rescued 94 lives in 2017 and 25 lives so far this year.

Rs. 20 mn worth of glyphosate seized

APR 12 2018

A 40 feet high container of banned agrochemical glyphosate worth Rs.20 million was seized by Customs officials at Orugodawatte this morning.

According to Customs spokesperson Sunil Jayarane the goods were declared as 934 bags containing 28,000kg of Dolomite.

Officers from the customs Preventive Gates Office who seized the goods discovered 17, 000kg of Dolomite worth Rs.300, 000 and 10,800kg of glyphosate worth Rs.20, 000,000.

Customs officials indicated that the goods had been imported from Indian and that it arrived in Sri Lanka during the first week of April.

Investigations are presently being carried out by Preventive Gate Office officers.

South Carolina contender for Congress condemns Israel’s massacres

Mal Hyman is more outspoken against Israel’s crimes than most Democratic politicians. (via Facebook)

Michael F. Brown-13 April 2018

Mal Hyman, a supporter of Palestinian rights, is again running for US Congress in the conservative state of South Carolina.

Tom Rice, a Republican, defeated Hyman, a professor at Coker College, in 2016. Hyman finished with just under 40 percent of the vote tally.

Undeterred, Hyman is running again. To stand against Rice in November, he will need to defeat three other Democratic contenders in the primary.

Hyman has not silenced himself on Palestinian rights in the past few weeks, but rather has been outspoken in voicing his alarm about Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza.

On 3 April he tweeted that Israel’s military had carried out “a massacre” the previous Friday when it shot and killed Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza participating in the Great March of Return.

Sending a strong message to potential voters, he added, “Since the US government is one of the biggest supporters of Israel, the onus is on us to send the message that these kinds of massacres go against every human rights principle.”

Mal Hyman

✔@Mal4Congress

There is only one way to describe IDF's actions: a massacre. Since U.S. government is one of the biggest supporters of Israel, the onus is on us to send the message that these kinds of massacres goes against every human rights principle.

2:31 PM - Apr 3, 2018

This sort of principled language on behalf of Palestinians is rare in American politics and may point to changestaking place in the Democratic Party over the Israeli subjugation of Palestinians.

Just six days later, Hyman was back at it again, tweeting his concern about the Israeli military shooting dead Palestinian journalist Yaser Murtaja.

Offering his condolences to Murtaja’s friends and family and challenging the US government for blocking a UN Security Council statement condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza for the second consecutive week, he asserted: “Israel’s actions have been inhumane. The US is the only country blocking Israel from having any accountability at the UN.”

Hyman followed up his concern about Murtaja’s death with a 12 April op-ed in Medium noting the journalist “had been meticulously covering the increasingly deteriorating situation.” In that piece he describes Israel’s “barricade” at the Israel-Gaza boundary as one that “segregates Jews from Arabs.”

Hyman does appear to fit squarely within the two-state paradigm, tweeting on 9 April, “We should join the rest of the world in calling for a good-faith negotiation.” Yet in his Medium op-ed he notes that for negotiations to be successful the US must “abandon its colonial mentality.”

View image on Twitter

Mal Hyman

✔@Mal4Congress

I offer my condolences to the friends and family of Yasser Murtaja. Israel's actions have been inhumane. The U.S. is the only country blocking Israel from having any accountability at the U.N. We should join the rest of the world in calling for a good-faith negotiation.

9:34 AM - Apr 9, 2018

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Substance

Hyman’s campaign website appears to put him well within the mainstream of Democratic Party thinking with its assertion that a “more balanced policy toward Israel and the Palestinians will diminish terrorist recruitment.”

There’s nothing groundbreaking with that statement and nothing that indicates he regards freedom and equality for Palestinians as one of the great movements for liberty in the 21st century.

The recent tweets and op-ed about Palestinians in Gaza, however, suggest there is far more substance to the man and his campaign than the website’s boilerplate would suggest.

An earlier op-ed – published in Medium during February – indicates that Hyman has a long track record of concern and mentions his first trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank occurred in 1973. He returned in 1989 with the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee to monitor the human rights situation during the first intifada in Jenin, Bethlehem and Gaza City.

He calls in that op-ed for a foreign policy more oriented around human rights and makes three demands of President Donald Trump: Ending Israeli expansion, ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and abandoning the plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

In the Medium op-ed from February, Hyman notes a more recent trip to determine if a two-state solution is still possible.

In responding to a Reddit question he describes himself as “a Jewish man and an activist who has done human rights work in the West Bank and Gaza three different times.”

Breaking with traditional Democratic language, he asserts, “Israeli settlements on the West Bank can only be called colonization, which calls to question our uncritical support for the Israeli government and weakens our national security.”

He adds: “I believe that a two-state solution is still possible. I would be one of the few members of Congress who has done human rights work in the West Bank, I can bring a new voice to the table that has not been traditionally heard.”

There’s no doubt Hyman’s eyewitness view of Israeli human rights abuses extending back decades is different and new. If other progressive candidates employ such language regarding Palestinian rights in the run-up to the November elections it will be a watershed moment in the Democratic Party.