Morning MEDtalks with Dr KK Aggarwal 10th September 2018

TEDx Video: Doctor-patient relationship:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9ml1vKK2DQ

Teleportation is now real. Teleportation is the transferring of matter or energy from a point to another without having it move through physical space. In quantum physics, it has been proved in real life experiment. A team of scientists from Yale managed to do. The study was published in Nature.

A quantum computer has the potential to efficiently solve problems that are intractable for classical computers. However, constructing a large-scale quantum processor is challenging because of the errors and noise that are inherent in real-world quantum systems. A solution was to use a different way of organization, which can be found in nature: it’s called modularity. Cells use compartmentalization to create a whole, and scientists can use this approach to manage the errors in quantum calculations. But for this solution to work, they first had to teleport a quantum gate that would allow interactions with no error while the transfer is made. This idea was a theory back in the 1990s, and the team at Yale has finally demonstrated it in an experiment.

High systolic BP variability associated with poor functional outcomes in intracerebral hemorrhage. A registry study conducted at four stroke centers has suggested that controlling BP variability, and not intensive control of BP, was the better option in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Older age and female sex were two pre-hospital factors that were independently associated with high systolic BP variability after controlling for hemorrhage volume, pre-morbid modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and Glasgow Coma Scale scores. High systolic BP variability was associated with a 17% higher adjusted risk of 90-day severe disability and death. These findings were presented at Hypertension 2018, jointly sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Society of Hypertension in Chicago.

Level of preparedness: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating two American Airlines flights after passengers on board complained of flu-like symptoms, as reported in USA Today on Thursday. Twelve passengers on two different American Airlines flights between Europe and Philadelphia reported flu-like symptoms when they arrived in the US. All 250 passengers from both flights were held at the airport for medical review as a precaution. The 12 sick travelers had sore throat and cough but no fever. The remaining travelers were then allowed to continue with their journey.

Dr BN Srinivasa Murthy, Horticulture Commissioner in the agriculture ministry has written to Harvard University, demanding that one of its professors retract her statements describing coconut oil as “pure poison”. He has sought corrective measures from Harvard, apart from a retraction.

My Views (References taken from uptodate.com)

1. The evidence for an increase in HDL-C with coconut oil comes from animal studies and small, nonrandomized studies of virgin coconut oil (Nutr Hosp.2015;32:2144).
2. Virgin coconut oil is made using controlled temperature methods to retain the greatest amounts of phytosterols, tocotrienols, tocopherols and other biologic active compounds in contrast to refined coconut oil
3. Virgin oil may contain from 8 to 29 mg gallic acid equivalents per 100 g oil; in contrast, the refined counterpart contains about 6 mg equivalents per 100 g.
4. Saturated fatty acid content (92%) exceeds that of butter.
5. Saturated fatty acids in coconut oil (primarily lauric, myristic) raise LDL-C concentrations (J Clin Invest. 1988;81:300).
6. High fat coconut oil can reduce lipoprotein (a) levels by 5 percent (J Nutr. 2003;133:3422), but there is no recommendation to sue coconut oils to improve lipid levels.
7. In a review of eight clinical trials and 13 observational studies, coconut oil raised total and LDL-C more than cis unsaturated plant oils but less when compared with butter ( Nutr Rev. 2016;74:267). There is no current recommendation to use coconut oils to improve lipid levels.

Butter Update (Heart Care Foundation of India)

1. HCFI recommends a mix of oil, butter and ghee in daily diet with consumption of less than ½ kg per adult person per month.
2. Very low intakes of saturated fat (< 7% of total calories) is also bad and is linked to higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke (Lancet. 2017; 390:2050) due to possible increased cerebral vascular fragility.
3. Butter has 80% fat, 15% water and 5% protein. 11% of the saturated fatty acids are short-chain, the most common being butyric acid, which reduces gastrointestinal inflammation.
4. HCFI recommends total fat consumption of 20-35% of total caloric intake with total saturated fat (solid at room temperature) consumption up to 10% of total calories.
5. When choosing saturated fats, one should choose one with added n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA, DHA and alpha linoleic acid (both reduces cardiac risk by 10% (Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96:1262).
6. Trans fatty (hydrogenated) acid consumption should be kept as low as possible. Trans fats contribute to heart disease, while n-3 (and perhaps n-6) polyunsaturated fats are protective.
7. HCFI recommends limiting trans-fat to less than 2 g per day. Natural dairy trans fats are healthy.
8. Zero trans fats = Up to 0.5 g of trans fat in one serving.
9. Also, one should consume < 6 g of common salt per day, fruits/vegetables ( > 5 servings), grains (whole replacing refined), limited sugary beverages or sweets.

Doctors at the state-run Osmania general hospital in Hyderabad wore helmets to work on Saturday as a sign of protest against poor condition of the hospital infrastructure. Along with the doctors, nurses and other staff members also wore helmets while taking care of the patients and carrying out their everyday duties. The protest intended to bring authorities attention towards the dilapidated state of the government-run hospital. The staff had earlier conducted out-patients checkup under trees to show protest... (ET Healthworld, Sept. 9, 2018).

Controlling and eventually eradicating the Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease, also known as sheep and goat plague, which has nearly 90% fatality rate among the animals it infects – will also strengthen food security and nutrition, improve resilience of pastoralists, as well as contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “Small ruminants are the primary livestock resource of about 300 million poor rural families in developing and emerging countries … Eradicating PPR is fundamental for building a safer and more sustainable world,” highlighted the agency’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva.

Dr KK Aggarwa

lPadma Shri Awardee

Vice President CMAAO

President HCFI