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Medical Voice 23rd May 2020

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Dr KK Aggarwal    23 May 2020

Study identifies new strategy for diabetes treatment

Washington D.C. [USA]: A new study has found how a once-popular but largely abandoned treatment for Type 2 diabetes could be used again in combination with another drug to eliminate problematic side effects.Rosiglitazone, sold under the brand name Avandia, won Food and Drug Administration approval in 1999 and became a leading treatment for Type 2 diabetes, capable of increasing insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance....read more

CMAAO Corona Facts and Myth Buster 102 - Pregnancy

888: Pregnancy and COVID-191.Pregnant women should follow the same recommendations as non-pregnant persons to avoid exposure to the COVID virus.2.Pregnant health workers in the third trimester, especially those ≥36 weeks pregnant, must stop face-to-face contact with patients.3.Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in pregnant women are similar to those in nonpregnant individuals. ....read more

The Science of Power

Power is the ability to influence others to get a work done the way you want it.We have seen evolution in the way power works. There was a time when Brahmins ruled using the power of knowledge; then came the era of Kshatriyas, who ruled using the physical power. This was followed by the era of Vaishya ruling the world with the power of money and a time will come when Shudras will rule with the power of their work. ....read more

Healthcare News Monitor

Strides Pharma to conduct trials in India for potential COVID-19 drug

Reuters

Indian pharmaceutical company Strides Pharma Science Ltd (SRID.NS) said on Thursday it has got regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials of antiviral drug favipiravir, considered a potential treatment for COVID-19. The Bengaluru-based company has received approval from the Drug Controller General of India to conduct trials of favipiravir in the country, Strides Founder and Non-Executive Chairman Arun Kumar said on a post-earnings conference call, without giving any more details. Strides’ announcement comes after Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GLEN.NS) said last month it became the first pharma company in the country to get the nod to conduct favipiravir trials. The Mumbai-based company has initiated late-stage clinical trials and expects study results by July or August. Favipiravir is manufactured under the brand name Avigan by a unit of Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp (4901.T) and was approved for use as an anti-flu drug in the country in 2014. However, on Wednesday, Kyodo News reported that so far there has been no clear evidence of efficacy for Avigan in treating the novel coronavirus in some clinical trials. Strides late on Wednesday posted a fourth-quarter consolidated net loss of 2.07 billion rupees ($27.35 million), as it booked a 1.13 billion rupees write down of inventory and other expenses related to withdrawal of ranitidine products. The company’s shares rose as much as 5.3% to a two-week high in early trade, but pared some gains and were last up 1.8% at 0430 GMT.

Machines For Testing Drug-Resistant TB Now Allowed For COVID-19 Cases: Top Medical Body

NDTV- PTI

Diagnostic machines used for testing drug-resistant tuberculosis can now be used for screening and confirmation of COVID-19 cases, the apex health research body, ICMR, said.As part of its efforts to ramp up the testing capacity, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had approved the use of TrueNat system for conducting coronavirus tests on April 10, while recommending it only as a screening test. Now, the ICMR has issued revised guidelines for TrueNat testing for COVID-1, saying the "TrueNat system is now a comprehensive assay for screening and confirmation of COVID-19 cases". According to the guidelines, all samples of suspect COVID-19 should be first tested by the E gene screening assay. All negatives are to be considered as true negatives. All positive samples should be subjected to confirmation by another step. The step 2 is RdRp gene confirmatory assay. All samples that test positive by this assay must be considered as true positive. No further RT-PCR based confirmation is required for samples that are positive after step 2 of the assay," the revised guidelines stated. All positive and negative results must be reported to the ICMR portal in real time manner.

COVID-19: Govt says recovery rate up, few patients need hospital support; Domestic flights to resume next week

Outlook

Amid mounting worries about a deep recession due to the coronavirus lockdown, authorities on Wednesday announced plans to resume domestic flights from next week and also asked the entertainment industry to restart shoots and post-production activities. The nationwide COVID-19 tally in the meantime crossed 1.1 lakh with over 5,000 new cases getting detected during the day. The Union Health Ministry said the recovery rate among those having tested positive has risen to nearly 40 per cent, from about 7 per cent before the lockdown began on March 25. It also said that hospital support was needed by less than 7 per cent patients. In its morning 8 AM update, the ministry said the COVID-19 death toll has risen to 3,303 after 140 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, while the number of cases across the country rose by more than 5,600 to reach 1,06,750. However, a PTI tally of figures announced by different states and union territories, as of 9.15 PM, put the nationwide tally of confirmed cases at 1,10,590 and the death toll at 3,355. This showed 5,092 new cases since Tuesday night and 210 more fatalities, while the recoveries also increased by over 3,000 to 44,757. During a press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the total active COVID-19 cases now stands at 61,149 in the country and 42,298 people have recovered. The current recovery rate stands at 39.62 per cent while it was 7.1 per cent at the beginning of lockdown, he added. The nationwide lockdown was initially imposed for a 21-day period till April 14, but later got extended till May 3 in the second phase and then for another 14-day third phase till May 17. A two-week-long fourth phase is now underway till May 31, but with several restrictions having been relaxed to boost economic activities. Announcing further relaxations, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday that domestic flights will resume in a calibrated manner from May 25, two months after the services were shut due to the coronavirus. The minister, however, did not mention any update for international flights, which have also remained shut during the lockdown, barring for special flights being operated to bring back stranded Indians and expatriates from abroad. The Union Home Ministry also said later in the night that domestic air travel has been removed from the list of prohibited activities during the lockdown. The aviation sector has been among the worst hit by the pandemic as various countries, including India, decided to suspend commercial flights completely to curb the spread of the virus. Several Indian carriers have resorted to pay cuts, layoffs and leave without pay for their staff members. Similar is the situation for many other sectors, while a huge manpower shortage is also looming large due to the return of lakhs of migrant workers to their native places after being rendered jobless, and even homeless in most cases, from most of the industrial clusters across the country where they were working before the lockdown.

Doctor who raised concerns over PPE shortage admitted to mental hospital

BBC News

An Indian doctor who was suspended after raising concerns about a shortage of masks is again in the spotlight after officials committed him to a mental hospital. BBC Telugus V Shankar reports. Dr Sudhakar Rao, an anaesthetist with 20 years of experience, made national headlines over the weekend for the second time in two months. A series of videos that went viral show him and police facing off on a highway in the southern city of Visakhapatnam, where Dr Rao lives and works. Authorities say he was sent to a mental hospital after. The news follows reports of Indian doctors facing a backlash after speaking out about shortages of protective gear or lack of preparation in hospitals. What happened to Dr Rao? The videos, which have been shared widely on social media and WhatsApp, show a confusing chain of events from Saturday. Dr Rao is first seen shirtless, sitting inside his car by the side of the road, and screaming at police. In another video, he is lying on the road with his hands tied behind his back as a constable hits him with a baton. Police said the constable has been suspended, pending an inquiry. In what is likely to be the last video, officers bundle the doctor into an auto rickshaw in front of bewildered onlookers. But before he was taken away, Dr Rao spoke to local journalists, who had gathered by then to find out what was going on. He said he had been stopped and forced out of the car by the policemen. "They snatched my phone and wallet. They hit me," he alleged. His detention has sparked huge controversy. Social media users and others criticised the state governments handling of the situation. Opposition parties have weighed in, accusing the police of excessive force.

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