Early Reports On Omicron Encouraging: Anthony Fauci

Even as the Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading across the world quickly, early reports suggest that it may cause less severe disease than the Delta variant, says Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, US.

Air Pollution Reduces 8 Years Of Life Expectancy In India

India registers 18 percent of deaths annually due to air pollution and related diseases, while nationwide socioeconomic inequalities persist in asthma diagnosis across India

Importance Of Adhering To Covid Appropriate Behaviour

As the efficacy of existing vaccines has been proven to be inadequate against Omicron, our only hope from the jab is to reduce the severity of the disease, highlighting the importance of adhering to covid appropriate behaviour

AstraZeneca's new covid drug AZD7442 shows 83% prevention and 88% treatment efficacy

AstraZeneca, which announced the latest data from Phase III trials of its new Covid-19 drug -- AZD7442 -- said both the prevention and outpatient treatment studies showed robust efficacy from a onetime intramuscular (IM) dose of the long-acting antibody combination.

VACCINES IN YOUR POCKET

DR. SAUMYA SWAMINATHAN Cheif Scientist, World Health Organisation

DIABETES, AT CLOSE TO 91 MILLION CASES, ACCOUNTS FOR 25% OF ALL NCDS IN INDIA

The disease incidence, which increases very rapidly in individuals above 35 years of age, accounts for 12.8 million DALYs, 6.7 million YLDs

EXPERTS PREDICT THIRD WAVE IN INDIA WITH MORE THAN A LAKH DAILY CASES IN FEBRUARY

The active cases have come down as compared July leveld, the threat of new variants is looming large.

END INEQUALITIES TO MEET THE TARGET OF ENDING AIDS

Forty years after the first AIDS case was reported, and 35 years since the first case in India, HIV still threatens us. Today, the world is off track from delivering on the shared commitment to end AIDS by 2030.

CONVENTIONAL LINEN IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CULPRITS IN HOSPITAL ACQUIRED AS WELL AS SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS

The ‘green colour’ linen is synonymous with hospitals, as it has been in use for centuries in hospitals world over, especially the conventional healthcare settings. But how many, even in the medical community, are really conscious about the responsibility for and the critical role of this piece of medical accessory in ensuring patient safety? Evidence from most hospitals in India indicates that not many are aware of the standards, and even if they are, not many bother with them. Again, going by real world experience, there exists another paradox. Though the actual cost of the repeated use of the linen is higher than the cost of single-use disposables (recommended in modernday care), it is still being used in a large majority of hospitals and clinics in India — because it is the convention. Therefore, transformation hesitance is more of a mindset issue rather than ignorance or economics. Most in the industry also oppose quality regulations in the country. In a market where hundreds of textile weavers and cloth merchants turned medical mask and accessory manufacturers overnight during the Covid pandemic, the market situation serves the unscrupulous minds who only eye the profits. However, there are a handful of local companies, besides the large organised players, who stick to quality products in this predominently price conscious market due to internal SOPs or pure commitment. For JAMES GEORGE, Founder and Managing Director at Kochi-based Careon Healthcare Solutions, it is more of a personal commitment. In a freewheeling interview with Editor CH UNNIKRISHNAN, George says that the primary reason behind the rise of unscrupulous players in the medical disposables market is lack of awareness among the users and the patients. Edited excerpts:

UK approves sotrovimab as new covid treatment for high risk adults

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the drug regulator of the UK, has approved sotrovimab, branded as Xevudy, a new biological drug to fight Covid-19. The drug was found effective to reduce the likelihood of hospital admission and death by about 79 percent in high-risk adults.

Is TB Losing Attention?

In sub-Saharan Africa and Elsewhere, We Need to Look Harder for TB

Critical Use Of Tractography In Removal Of Brain Tumours

Among Indian surgeons, it is rare to find the skilful art of using Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Fiber Tractography (DTI-FT), a novel MRI technique, to locate the facial nerve on the surface of the brain tumour before surgery

DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS: CHANGING PARADIGMS IN DIABETES CARE

With the emergence of DTx programs, doctors and healthcare staffcan extend their care and monitor a patient remotely for faster recovery

Remogliflozin, vildagliptin, metformin FDC approved for Type 2 Diabetes in India

Mumbai-based drumaker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals received approval for its fixed dose combination (FDC) of remogliflozin (100 mg), vildagliptin (50 mg) and metformin (500/ 1000 mg from the Drug Controller General of India.

FDA clears Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children

US drug regulator Food and Drug Administration has authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children between 5 to 11 years of age.

YOUNG MINDS THE MOST AFFECTED

11,396 CHILDREN DIED BY SUICIDE IN 2020, AN 18 PERCENT INCREASE FROM 2019 AND 21 PERCENT JUMP FROM 2018

FALCON STUDY SUGGESTS CHANGE IN WHO GUIDELINES ON SSI PREVENTION

Use of alcoholic chlorhexidine skin preparation and triclosan coated sutures to prevent Surgical Site Infection showed no additional benefits

THE COMPLEMENT - BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Despite a plethora of scientific literature available on SARSCoV2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, there are still uncertainties that impede identification of new therapies

ROLE OF NUTRACEUTICALS IN MODERN HEALTHCARE

With the pandemic teaching us the importance of overall nutrition, people are getting more flexible toward nutraceuticals

“WE WANT TO BE A LEADER IN GENETIC DIAGNOSTICS AS A DIFFERENTIATOR AND NOT AS A ME-TOO PLAYER”

TONY JOSE, Co-Founder and CEO of Bangalore- based genomics company Clevergene that claims unrivalled discovery-genomics and genetic diagnostics capabilities, had a personal reason to take a deep interest in genetics.

How Long Before Covid-19 Can At Least Be Curbed To The Endemic Stage?

Even as the prospect of COVID-19 turning endemic seems the likely long-term scenario for many countries, experts feel that even that will remain a distant dream for India

Beating The Pandemic: The Best And The Worst

Globally, countries followed effective measures and appropriate social behaviour along with the vaccine intervention have almost won the fight while many are their level best to adhere to the protocols are on the way to win. However several top nations, irrespective of their developed and developing economy and healthcare status, are still in the woods as the pandemic cautions seemed compromised at many levels. (Country, total cases and current daily average)

Learnings From The 2nd Wave Of Covid

PSA plants could be the answer to battle Supply and Purity challenges in Medical Oxygen

Liposomal Nanotechnology and its role in vaccine delivery systems

In the recent past, there have been many projects to develop sub-unit vaccines that are more effective and defined

CIDRAP RELEASES INFLUENZA VACCINES R&D ROADMAP TO IMPROVE FLU VACCINES

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, has released an Influenza Vaccines Research and Development Roadmap (IVR) to accelerate the development of improved seasonal influenza vaccines and the generation of broadly protective or universal influenza vaccines that could mitigate the impact of future influenza pandemics.

COVID-19 SEROLOGIC TESTING

IDSA GUIDELINES

COVID-19 UPDATES

CDC PANEL BACKS PFIZER VACCINE BOOSTER SHOT FOR ADULTS

Researchers find drug-resistant Malaria in Uganda

Researchers in Uganda analysed malaria patients and found a form of drug-resistant malaria disease, strengthening worries about the utilization of current drugs against the parasitic disease.

“CONNECTING THE PATIENT ON VIDEO WITH A DOCTOR IS NOT DIGITAL HEALTH, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT”

Digital health is the way forward for the world at a time when it is going through one of its most uncertain phases during which mobility has been affected, the economy is in peril and human health is in danger. In June, New York Stock Exchange saw the listing of a company that can truly impact the future of world healthcare in this context. UpHealth Holdings, Inc., which was born through a reverse merger of four companies, combines the four essential components of digital healthcare — a low cost, but accountable system of care, an integrated care management platform, a tech-enabled behavioral health service unit and a full-service e-pharmacy capability. The new entity, which began trading on the NYSE at $9.29 a share on June 10th, was formed by the merger of Glocal Healthcare, a social venture and one of India’s pioneer digital health companies, and three US-based entities Thrasys, BHS & Transformations, and MedQuest. The company focuses on the three As of future healthcare — access anywhere, affordability for everyone and accountability of health outcomes. The founder of Glocal Healthcare and the chief architect of this new global healthcare fusion, DR SYED SABAHAT AZIM — a physician and former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official, envisioned this a long time ago when he founded Glocal in 2010. Glocal was conceived as a social enterprise bringing quality healthcare to rural India through a combination of low cost primary and secondary care hospitals and digital dispensaries powered by technology. However, says he, the majority of the world, including people engaged in the service of healthcare, is yet to fully understand ‘digital health’ and ‘telemedicine’. Dr Sabahat says the term digital health is often misinterpreted even by healthcare providers, in an exclusive interview with Editor CH UNNIKRISHNAN.

SARS-COV-2 Re-Infection And Vaccine Development

The molecular mechanisms behind the human immune response to SARS-CoV-2 need to be examined thoroughly to design effective vaccines