Morning MEDtalks with Dr KK Aggarwal 24th October 2018

Being unfit should be considered as strong a risk factor as hypertension, diabetes and smoking, if not stronger than all of them, according to a retrospective study of 122,000 people from Cleveland Clinic reported in JAMA Network Open. The study suggests that pure workaholics--many of whom are the type of people who never find the time to exercise--are creating worse conditions for themselves than some of the worst health habits and most common fatal conditions known to humankind.

The UN has launched a strategy to deal with workplace mental health issues and ways to maintain well-being of its staff by dealing with the stigma attached to it. UN staff struggling with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or other circumstances have reported feeling isolated and ashamed, with no-one to turn to for help, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday at the launch. "The UN can and must do better in supporting its staff, and it starts with the new strategy we are setting in motion," said Guterres. Noting that reducing stigma is the top priority, he said the staff would not feel prepared to seek help or disclose their feelings until stigma was overcome. "The strategy also underscores the need to care for each other, and to reach out to colleagues who may be in distress," he added.

Poor oral health is associated with higher BP. Poor oral health may interfere with blood pressure control in people diagnosed with hypertension. People with high blood pressure taking medication for their condition are more likely to benefit from the therapy if they have good oral health, according to new research published October 22, 2018 in the journal Hypertension. People with periodontal disease were 20% less likely to reach healthy BP ranges, compared with patients in good oral health. Systolic BP in treated patients with severe periodontitis was, on average, 3 mmHg higher than those with good oral health. Individuals with healthier gums have lower blood pressure and responded better to BP-lowering medications.

“Harit Diwali-Swasth Diwali” campaign was launched pan-India by Ministry of Environment on Monday keeping in view the detrimental effects of the firecrackers and also the importance of the Diwali festival. This campaign is merged it with “Green Good Deed” movement launched last year, in which children were advised to celebrate Diwali in an environment-friendly manner by gifting plant sapling to their relatives and friends along with sweets, undertake cleaning of houses, neighbourhoods, schools, collect old books and unused notebooks gift to needy children, donate old warm clothing, blankets to night-shelters and other homeless people. The children were encouraged to light up their houses and their schools with candles and diyas. 

‘Never give up’: UN chief’s message for 2018 UN Day, which falls on 24 October, Secretary-General António Guterres is urging the men and women of the UN, and those they serve, to “never give up” tackling the world’s many challenges. He said that, despite the odds and obstacles, and growing inequality “we don’t give up because we know by reducing inequality we increase hope and opportunity and peace around the world... On United Nations Day, let us reaffirm our commitment. To repair broken trust. To heal our planet. To leave no one behind. To uphold dignity for one and all, as united nations.”

A higher frequency of eating organic food was associated with a reduced risk for cancer, according to results from a large population-based observational study published online October 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Zika Update: 123 Zika cases in Jaipur. Six more people tested positive for Zika virus in Rajasthans Jaipur district Sunday, taking the total number of such cases to 123, a government official said. Of the 123 patients, around 105 have recovered after treatment, he said. The state health department also formed a five-member committee on Saturday to investigate, examine and track Zika virus disease in pregnant patients of first trimester. The committee will submit the report to the director public health from time to time, an order said. Most of the cases which have been reported are from Shastri Nagar area where fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out to prevent spread of the virus. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) is celebrating social entrepreneurs by empowering them to identify innovative health solutions to improve health and well-being in their communities. Through a rigorous six-to-eight-week curriculum funded by the AHA, entrepreneurs gained real-life knowledge in market positioning, brand development, fundraising and other functions to enhance their business models and demonstrate the viability of their projects.

Severe motion sickness and cybersickness--a type of motion sickness that stems from exposure to virtual reality--may be considered the same clinical condition, according to the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Eating vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could prevent macular degeneration, a common cause of vision loss in people over age 50. People who ate between 100 and 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) than people who ate less than 69 mg of vegetable nitrates each day. Spinach has approximately 20mg of nitrate per 100g, while beetroot has nearly 15mg of nitrate per 100g (Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics).

20 Nobel Prizes that changed medicine forever: Alexander Fleming, Ernst Chain & Howard Florey (1945) “For the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases” the discovery of penicillin was transformational and is perhaps the most well known scientific feat to be rewarded by the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Fleming’s research on what became known as penicillin provided the foundation for treating bacterial infections. Chain and Florey developed a more stable and purer form of penicillin, which could be used as a reliable pharmaceutical product.

Video to watch: TEDx Video: Doctor-patient relationship www.youtube(dot)com/ watch?v=i9ml1vKK2DQ

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President Elect CMAAO

President Heart Care Foundation of India