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A recent global report says India brings up the rear on most critical fronts to fight the disease In 2015, India accounted for nearly 2.8 million (27%) of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world, and 0.48 million (29%) of the 1.8 million TB deaths globally. Yet, India brings up the rear on most critical fronts to fight the disease. This has been clearly highlighted by the ‘Out of Step’ report. Released recently by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Stop TB Partnership, the report surveyed 29 countries that account for 82% of the global TB burden. Lag in practice, policy Correct and timely diagnosis of TB is the first step in treating the disease and preventing its spread. Unfortunately, both the private and public sector in India heavily rely on smear microscopy as the initial diagnostic test. This is despite smear microscopy’s ability to diagnose only about 50% of the positive cases. The over-reliance on the century-old method becomes particularly worrying...

A staggering 130 new amphibians have been discovered in the Western Ghats since the year 2000. So what does this mean for science? Dusk descended slowly in tones of grey and ink blue: just what wildlife biologist Robin Abraham and his team were waiting for. It was dark in the freshwater swamp they were standing in, under the dense canopies of enormous evergreen Myristica (native nutmeg) trees. Water trickled quietly under a mesh of half-foot-high aerial Myristica roots. Flicking off leeches and swarming mosquitoes, and undistracted by the strong, muddy smell of wild elephants in the vicinity, the team combed the drenched ground and bushes with a torch for some rather under-appreciated denizens of these forests—frogs. And then they heard it: a call they had never heard before. Trk...trrrrrr. Trk...trrrrrr. A faint call from a low-hanging vine. The team huddled in excitement: a roughly 5 cm long, rust-brown arboreal frog with little bulbous toe tips and yellow-tinted eyes. It was ...

The impacts of annual ban on trawl fishery will be assessed The marine ecosystems of eastern Arabian Sea would soon become the stage for a series of biogeochemical and biological studies, which are expected to throw light into the ocean dynamics and economy. The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi, and the Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management – Project Directorate, Chennai, both functioning under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, have drawn up a three-year-programme to study the coastal seas of western India. The researchers have primarily identified health of sea, carbon credit, biological productivity, trawl ban effects and oceanography as the thrust areas for the research. Under the category health of sea, the researchers would assess ecosystem status of western coastal India for biological resources which are influenced either by natural processes or man-made effects. The green house gas emissions from the ecosystems would be assessed for r...

Augmentin combines an antibiotic and an inhibitor, thus being effective against TB Bacteria develop resistance against a drug only when they are exposed to it or when the drug is misused. But now, a team of researchers from India has found whether and how drug resistance can develop against a candidate drug called Augmentin even before the drug is approved for treating patients with drug-resistant TB. Augmentin is currently undergoing clinical trials in patients with drug-resistant TB; it is already being used for common bacterial infections. Besides deciphering the mechanism by which TB bacteria can develop resistance against Augmentin, the researchers have found ways of overcoming this potential resistance mechanism, thereby making Augmentin a potentially powerful drug to treat both multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). The beta-lactam class of antibiotics such as penicillin, ampicillin and amoxicillin is one of the most widely used class ...

They may overtax kidneys and reduce muscles’ ability to recover, say studies Taking ibuprofen and related over-the-counter painkillers could have unintended and worrisome consequences for people who vigorously exercise. These popular medicines, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, work by suppressing inflammation. But according to two new studies, in the process they potentially may also overtax the kidneys during prolonged exercise and reduce muscles’ ability to recover afterward. Anyone who spends time around people who exercise knows that painkiller use is common among them. Some athletes joke about taking “vitamin I,” or ibuprofen, to blunt the pain of strenuous training and competitions. Others rely on naproxen or other NSAIDs to make hard exercise more tolerable. NSAID use is especially widespread among athletes in strenuous endurance sports like marathon and ultramarathon running. But in recent years, there have been hints that NSAIDs might not hav...

Diagnosis is complicated due to challenges associated with sample collection While detection of tuberculosis (TB) in children remains a challenge, it has now emerged that Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) TB is higher among children than expected. This has been described as a “worrying trend” by the Union Health Ministry. As many as 5,500 of over 76,000 children tested in nine cities have been diagnosed with TB. Nine per cent of these paediatric TB cases have been diagnosed to have MDR TB, according to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) that conducted the tests in collaboration with the Central TB Division under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP). Unique initiative FIND initially started a unique initiative for diagnosing paediatric TB in four cities of Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata from April 2014 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It has now scaled up the project to include additional five citie...

A Mumbai-based study on to track dengue biomarkers can help curb deaths drastically Ever wondered why one dengue patient recovers at home with simple symptomatic line of treatment while another may battle for life in an intensive care unit (ICU) with severe complications? The extremely varied prognosis of the mosquito-borne disease has intrigued the medical fraternity for a long time. Tracking dengue biomarkers To find answers, the civic-run Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Laboratory at Arthur Road in Mumbai has tied up with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay to track down some biomarkers in order to predict how dengue will progress in a particular patient. If all goes well, these biomarkers can drastically change the disease management and help in curbing dengue deaths. “The idea is to establish molecular signatures for complicated dengue cases and thus have sound knowledge of the disease progression in different individuals suffering from the disease,” says Dr. Jayan...

Regulator to expedite approvals for generics to damp prices The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s moves on generics are a storm warning for pharma. In a bid to combat high prices, new commissioner Scott Gottlieb will expedite reviews of generic-drug applications to promote competition. The changes will batter the likes of Valeant and Cardinal Health, and cast a cloud over branded drug makers. The FDA traditionally left questions of pricing to pharma firms, but a political uproar about gouging has prompted a rethink. Companies have jacked up the prices of branded and generic drugs needed by AIDS patients, premature infants and cancer victims, among others in some cases by 100-fold or more. Mallinckrodt’s drug for infantile spasm, which cost about $40 a vial around the turn of the millennium, is now over $30,000. Such behaviour has crept into the $85 billion-a-year U.S. generic market. The Government Accountability Office found about one-fifth of the generics it surveyed had a...

In the 1950s, a drug called thalidomide was given to pregnant women to control morning sickness. The drug, a teratogen — an agent or factor which causes malformation of an embryo — was responsible for the birth of thousands of disabled babies who had reduced or missing arms and legs. As a rule, birth defects such as these are rare and sporadic events. Thalidomide was different as it caused an epidemic of birth defects. As case after case was reported, the human tragedy became evident from the plight of disabled babies and their helpless parents. There was a realisation that preventing birth defects and providing care to newborns with severe disability is a public health responsibility, requiring a range of specialised services. Parents required information on the disabling condition as well as access to rehabilitation services. This included guidance on home management of the baby. Contact with other parents was needed to overcome stigmatisation and guilt and receive further advice on...

A national registry of primary immunodeficiency disorders offers hope for early diagnosis and treatment When he was three years old, R. Sai Monesh, now seven, was diagnosed with a rare condition: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis or HLH, a life-threatening condition, in which the body’s immune system cells attack healthy tissue. “He was constantly ill: he had loose motions, fever and vomiting and at one point was hospitalised for a month with a 108°F temperature,” says his mother, R. Rajeshwari, who works as a domestic help. Six months ago, Sai Monesh underwent a bone marrow transplant at a private hospital in Chennai — his father, a construction worker, was the donor — and is now recovering. What are PIDs Sai Monesh’s condition is one of the over 300 types of primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs) — conditions that weaken the immune system, leaving patients susceptible to infections and health complications. Many people with PIDs are born with some of the body’s immune de...

Early-phase trials checking if antigen, positive in mice, works in humans A cholesterol-lowering vaccine has shown promise in mice, said researchers on Tuesday who announced they had started early-phase trials to see if it also works in humans. Such a treatment could offer a welcome alternative to statins, the main pharmaceutical choice today for lowering cholesterol in people at high risk of heart attack or stroke. The vaccine, dubbed AT04A, reduced cholesterol levels in trial mice by half, and reversed damage done to blood vessels due to plaque build-up by more than 60%, researchers said in a statement. Fatty diet The mice were given the vaccine after they were fed a fatty diet to resemble the high-cholesterol intake of a human Western-style diet. “Levels of cholesterol were reduced in a consistent and long-lasting way,” said study co-author Guenther Staffler of the AFFiRis biotech. This resulted in “a reduction of fatty deposits in the arteries and atherosclerotic damag...

Patients would not be denied diagnosis or treatment for want of an Aadhaar number, Sunil Khaparde, a senior Health Ministry official told “The Hindu”. Tuberculosis patients, hospitals and healthcare workers availing cash assistance from the government will need to register with the Aadhaar database by August 31, according to the Union Health Ministry. A gazette notification on June 16 says ‘…an individual eligible to receive the benefit under the Scheme is, hereby, required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication.’ The Scheme refers to the government’s Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). Since 2012, the government requires that patients diagnosed with TB and availing treatment be registered with Nikshay, a web-based application used by the authorities to track funds, treatment outcomes and health providers connected to the RNTCP. It is being implemented by State governments and Union Territory administrations via go...

Little evidence to suggest patients recover better if they lie on their back There is no significant difference in the disability outcomes for patients who have suffered acute stroke, whether they received treatment lying flat on the back with the face upwards or in a sitting-up position with the head elevated to at least 30 degrees. This is the conclusion of a major trial that involved over 11,000 acute stroke patients for a 90-day window. In the case of stroke patients, it is believed that lying flat may improve recovery by increasing blood flow in the main arteries to the brain, but there has been no clinical evidence. There has also been uncertainty over the role of head positioning after acute stroke and the potential risks of cardiopulmonary dysfunction and pneumonia infection. About 14 hours after the onset of stroke, the patients were made to lie in one of the two positions for 24 hours. The trial was carried out in 114 hospitals in nine countries, including India. The...

Scientists use virtual reality for therapy Scientists have developed a virtual reality (VR) technology that can relieve the sensation of phantom limb pain by tricking the brain into thinking that it is still in control of a missing limb. “The tactile representation of different body parts are arranged in the brain in a sort of map,” said Bo Geng, from the Aalborg University in Denmark. “If the brain no longer receives feedback from an area, it tries to reprogramme its signal reception map. That is the most common conception of how phantom limb pain occurs,” Ms. Geng said. Tests have shown that phantom limb pain can be relieved if the brain is tricked into thinking that the amputated limb is still attached to the body. By placing a mirror at an angle in front of the chest you can create the visual illusion that the body is symmetrical. The method has proven effective in a number of amputees and is the foundation for the new VR technology. By using VR it is possible to creat...

The heavy-lift GSLV Mark III rocket, slated to be launched by space agency ISRO tomorrow, would open up opportunities for India to launch 4-ton class of satellites of foreign countries, according to a senior space scientist. Tomorrow’s launch of the first developmental flight of the rocket is a “great milestone” as ISRO is almost doubling the capacity to launch satellite from 2.2-2.3 tons to 3.5-4 tons, former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said. “Today if India has to launch communication satellites beyond 2.3 tons, we have to go abroad (to launch them). We (will) have self-reliance in launching communication satellites (once GSLV Mk III becomes operational), and also we will be able to attract foreign customers,” he said. “It’s rather a simpler vehicle, and a vehicle with better payload fraction. And it’s going to be future workhorse vehicle (of ISRO),” he said. Mr. Radhakrishnan was closely associated with the GSLV Mk III programme, approved in 2000, as director of VSSC (Vi...

Gap between milk production and demand is what incentivises adulteration India may be the largest producer of milk in the world but is the milk really safe? A study which analysed samples in Delhi found that it contained “harmful adulterants”, the most common among them being starch, chlorine, hydrated lime, sodium carbonate, formalin and ammonium sulphate. Milk producers are known to use these substances to scrimp on milk portions and prepare “synthetic milk” by mixing urea, caustic soda, refined oil and common detergents. Adulterated milk is linked to a range of health hazards which include gastrointestinal disorders, renal and skin diseases, eye and heart problems, and cancer, according to the study which will be published later this month in the peer-reviewed Current Science. Results of study For their study, the researchers, led by Brototi Roy and colleagues at Maitreyi College in Delhi, randomly collected 75 milk samples (packaged and unpackaged) from different regions o...

Scientists study DNA from mummies found at a burial site DNA from mummies found at a site once known for its cult to the Egyptian god of the afterlife is unwrapping intriguing insight into the people of ancient Egypt, including a surprise discovery that they had scant genetic ties to sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists on Tuesday said they examined genome data from 90 mummies from the Abusir el-Malek archaeological site, located about 115 km south of Cairo, in the most sophisticated genetic study of ancient Egyptians ever conducted. The DNA was extracted from the teeth and bones of mummies from a burial ground associated with the god Osiris. The oldest were from about 1,388 BC during the New Kingdom, a high point in ancient Egyptian influence and culture. The most recent were from about 426 AD, centuries after Egypt had become a Roman Empire province. “There has been much discussion about the genetic ancestry of ancient Egyptians,” said archeogeneticist Johannes Krause of the Max P...

European study finds drug residues in high concentrations around specific pharmaceutical units in Hyderabad, but industry rebuts the claim The pharma industry in Hyderabad is polluting the environment with antimicrobials which in turn may contribute to a rise in drug-resistant infections, a new study published in the journal Infection alleges. Claiming that Indian authorities have not done enough to ensure efficient treatment of waste water discharged by the pharma industry, the study also calls upon European regulators to ensure enforcement of regulations during the manufacturing process. Water samples tested Hyderabad is a global market for bulk drug purchasing with 50% of India’s drug exports, pegged at over $3 billion, coming from the city. Researchers from Leipzig University Hospital, Germany, tested 28 water samples from difference places in the city, including sewage from around pharma manufacturing units in Patancheru-Bollaram Industrial Development Area on the outsk...

f the aircon isn’t set to Arctic temperatures in the office, and you simply don’t understand why you’re cold, read on Your body has an in-built thermostat, a sort of climate-control mechanism that helps regulate internal temperatures. It keeps you cool when temperatures soar in summer, and changes that up when the weather turns cold. But what when you’re cold even in hot weather? “It’s natural for a person to shiver when there’s an infection or a deficiency,” says Dr Sujit Kar Purkayastha, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Peerless Hospital, Kolkata. For instance, many women who get a UTI, shiver, and you may find your child buried under a quilt when she gets the flu. There is, of course, the rare case of cold intolerance, possible in some people who are abnormally sensitive to cold temperatures, but for most, there’s a underlying cause that can be cured. Hypothyroidism The thyroid gland regulates heat in the body. When the gland is underactive, the body metabolism goes down and a ...

In an attempt to raise awareness on conservation of tortoise and turtles, and on illegal trafficking, May 23 is celebrated as World Turtle Day. We take a look at various threats faced by the reptiles in India and the initiatives taken to save the animal. Smuggling One of the greatest threats facing turtles and tortoises in India is smuggling to East Asian and Southeast Asian markets. Many freshwater turtles and tortoises are considered delicacies just across the Bay of Bengal in Southeast Asia. TURTLEMOHAMMEDYOUSUF3jpg This has led to the creation of massive smuggling rings on the east coast of India that send live turtles to those countries. Some of these turtles are also smuggled to be kept as pets. In 2016 alone, 30,000 live turtles were confiscated from smugglers by the Indian government. In addition to live specimens, thousands of sea turtle eggs are dug up and sold as delicacies in Southeast Asian countries. West Bengal has become a focal point of the turtle smuggling t...