Smartphone app reliable aid for detection of frontotemporal lobar degeneration: JAMA

UCSF-led research shows smartphone cognitive testing is comparable to gold-standard methods; may detect FTD in gene carriers before symptoms start.

A smartphone app could enable greater participation in clinical trials for people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a devastating neurological disorder that often manifests in midlife.

Research into the condition has been hampered by problems with early diagnosis and difficulty tracking how people are responding to treatments that are only likely to be effective at the early stages of disease.

To address this, a research team led by UC San Francisco deployed cognitive tests through a mobile app and found it could detect early signs of FTD in people who were genetically predisposed to get the disease but had not yet developed symptoms. These tests were at least as sensitive as neuropsychological evaluations done in the clinic.

The study appears in JAMA Network Open.

More than 30 FTD clinical trials are underway or in the planning stages, including one that may become the first drug approved to slow progression in some gene carriers. Researchers hope the new mobile technology will hasten the work.

“Eventually, the app may be used to monitor treatment effects, replacing many or most in-person visits to clinical trials’ sites,” said first author Adam Staffaroni, PhD, clinical neuropsychologist and associate professor in the UCSF Department of Neurology and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences.

FTD is the No. 1 cause of dementia in patients under 60, with up to 30% of cases attributed to genetics. It has three main variants with symptoms that may overlap. The most common causes dramatic personality shifts, which may manifest as lack of empathy, apathy, impulsivity, compulsive eating, and socially and sexually inappropriate behavior. Another affects movement, and a third impacts speech, language and comprehension, which is the variant that Bruce Willis is reported to have. In rare cases, FTD triggers bursts of visual creativity.

FTD is not easy to diagnose

As with Alzheimer’s disease, patients with FTD are believed to be most responsive to treatment early on, ideally before their symptoms even emerge. “Most FTD patients are diagnosed relatively late in the disease, because they are young, and their symptoms are mistaken for psychiatric disorders,” said senior author Adam Boxer, MD, PhD, endowed professor in memory and aging at the UCSF Department of Neurology.

“We’ve heard from families that they often suspect their loved one has FTD long before a physician agrees that is the diagnosis,” said Boxer, who is also director of the UCSF Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia Clinical Trials Program.

The researchers tracked 360 participants with an average age of 54 enrolled in ongoing studies at ALLFTDcenters and UCSF. About 90% had data on disease stage. These included 60% who did not have FTD or were gene carriers who had not yet developed symptoms, 20% with early signs of the disease and 21% with symptoms.

Software that can detect a waning ability to plan

Staffaroni and Boxer collaborated with software company Datacubed Health, which developed the platform, to include tests of executive function, such as planning and prioritizing, filtering distractions and controlling impulses. In FTD, the part of the brain responsible for executive functioning shrinks as the disease progresses.

The rich data collected by the app, including voice recordings and body movements, enabled the researchers to develop new tests that eventually could help with early diagnosis and monitoring of symptoms.

“We developed the capability to record speech while participants engaged with several different tests,” said Staffaroni. “We also created tests of walking, balance and slowed movements, as well as different aspects of language.”

FTD researchers say they are closer to finding treatments that may eventually slow the progression of the disease, which is fatal. These include gene and other therapies, such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), to increase or decrease the production of proteins that are abnormal in gene carriers.

Although there are currently no plans to make the app available to the public, it could be a boon to research.

“A major barrier has been a lack of outcome measures that can be easily collected and are sensitive to treatment effects at early stages of the disease,” said Staffaroni. “We hope that smartphone assessments will facilitate new trials of promising therapies.”

Reference:

Staffaroni AM, Clark AL, Taylor JC, et al. Reliability and Validity of Smartphone Cognitive Testing for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(4):e244266. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.4266.

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Novel BCG sock predicts diabetes patients benefiting from gait training to prevent foot complications: Study

An electronic sock that detects an unhealthy walking style linked with diabetes and poor circulation shows promise for preventing foot ulcers and amputation.

The novel research is set to benefit the many patients with diabetes who have clogged arteries in the legs and is presented for the first time at EHRA 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Study author Dr. Ki Hong Lee of Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea said: “Diabetes can affect the way people walk, also known as their gait. Patients with diabetes tend to put pressure on the metatarsal area of the foot, rather than the heel. This way of walking encourages ulcers, which can become infected and lead to amputation. Identifying walking issues early using an electronic sock would enable patients to learn a healthy walking style and prevent serious foot problems.”

Around 1 in 10 people-537 million in total-have diabetes worldwide, putting them at a two- to four-fold higher risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and peripheral artery disease compared to their healthy peers. Foot problems are common in diabetes. High blood sugar damages the nerves and blood vessels, with symptoms including numbness, tingling, pain, and loss of feeling. The symptoms can be difficult to detect in the early stages, meaning that cuts and ulcers may develop and become infected. The combination of an infection and poor blood flow makes healing difficult and can lead to gangrene and, ultimately, amputation.

This study examined whether a sock fitted with a ballistocardiogram (BCG) sensor could distinguish between healthy people and patients with diabetes. A BCG detects body motion as the heart ejects blood, and could potentially be used to measure heart rate and pressure exerted on the feet when walking.

The study enrolled 20 patients with diabetes and 20 controls without diabetes. All participants wore the BCG sock for 40 seconds while standing and 40 seconds while walking to measure heart rate and to assess pressure distribution on the foot. At the same time as wearing the sock, participants had an electrocardiogram (ECG) assessment of heart rate using a small patch attached to the wrist and a single electrode adhered to the chest. ECG is the gold standard tool in cardiology for measuring heart rate.

The purpose of the heart rate measurement was to assess the accuracy of the BCG sock as a measurement tool relative to ECG, the gold standard method. For this analysis, ECG values in each study participant (patients and controls) were compared with BCG values in the same participant. The researchers found that the heart rate measurements by the BCG sock and ECG were almost same, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 (95% confidence interval 0.99-1.00).

The foot pressure distribution measurements were performed to discover whether the BCG sock could 1) detect differences between patients with diabetes and healthy controls, and 2) detect differences between patients with diabetes according to whether or not they had damage to the nerves or blood vessels. Nerve damage was classified using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI), while blood vessel damage was classified using the ankle-brachial index (ABI).

Regarding the BCG comparison between patients and healthy controls, this showed that patients with diabetes exerted higher pressure in the metatarsal area of the foot while walking compared to participants without diabetes. For the BCG comparison between patients with diabetes, the researchers found that compared to patients without blood vessel damage (ABI score of 0.9 or higher), those with blood vessel damage (ABI score less than 0.9) exerted significantly greater pressure on the metatarsal area of the foot during walking and less pressure on the heel. There was no significant difference in foot pressure distribution measurements between patients with or without nerve damage.

Dr. Lee said: “The novel BCG sock produced accurate measurements of heart rate as indicated by the nearly identical values as ECG. The pressure measurements showed that the sock could identify patients with diabetes, and could also pinpoint patients with diabetes and poor circulation. Taken together, the results suggest that the electronic sock could be an easy, non-invasive way to find patients with diabetes who could benefit from gait training to prevent foot complications.”

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Paravertebral and Erector Spinae Blocks Effective in Preventing Postherpetic Neuralgia, claims study

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) remains a challenging condition to manage effectively in clinical practice. Recently, paravertebral block (PVB) and erector spinae block (ESPB) have emerged as novel techniques for treating acute herpes zoster (AHZ) and potentially preventing its progression to PHN. A recent study was published in the Journal Of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology. The study was conducted by Patil A. and colleagues.

PHN, a debilitating complication of herpes zoster, is characterized by persistent neuropathic pain following the resolution of the acute rash. Conventional treatments often provide inadequate relief, prompting the exploration of alternative interventions such as regional nerve blocks like PVB and ESPB.

In a prospective randomized controlled study, 60 patients with AHZ-related pain were enrolled and assigned to three groups: Control (standard treatment), PVB (standard treatment with PVB), and ESPB (standard treatment with ESPB). Efficacy was assessed at 15, 30, and 60 days post-treatment, with the primary endpoint being the proportion of patients experiencing adequate pain relief and allodynia resolution.

The key findings of the study were as follows:

  • Incidence of PHN post-study: 45% in the ESPB group, 40% in the PVB group, and 80% in the control group (p = 0.022).

  • Proportion of patients with pain relief: higher in the PVB group compared to the ESPB group (not statistically significant, p = 0.749).

  • Mean pain score on day 60: 2.45 (±3.05) in the ESPB group, 2.15 (±2.7) in the PVB group, and 4.3 (±2.27) in the control group (p = 0.003).

Both PVB and ESPB demonstrated effectiveness in treating AHZ-related pain and preventing its progression to PHN. While the incidence of PHN was lower in both block groups compared to standard treatment alone, the PVB group showed a trend towards superior pain relief.

Paravertebral and erector spinae blocks are promising interventions for managing AHZ-related pain and reducing the risk of developing PHN. These findings suggest that incorporating regional nerve blocks into the treatment regimen may improve outcomes for patients with AHZ. Further research is warranted to validate these results and optimize the use of PVB and ESPB in clinical practice.

Reference:

Patil, A., Vyshnavi, S., Raja, T., Shastry, V., Thammaiah, S. H., & Archana, K. N. (2024). A Randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of ultrasound-guided erector spinae block and paravertebral block in preventing postherpetic neuralgia in patients with zoster-associated pain. Journal of Anaesthesiology, Clinical Pharmacology, 10.4103/joacp.joacp_82_23. https://doi.org/10.4103/joacp.joacp_82_23

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Medical Negligence During PCNL Surgery: Jaipur’s Manipal Hospital, Doctor Slapped Rs 15 Lakh Compensation

Jaipur: Holding a Jaipur-based Manipal Hospital and its doctor guilty of medical negligence during the Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) procedure, a District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Jaipur recently directed them to pay Rs 15 lakh compensation to the patient, who faced major blood loss after the surgery.

Further, the consumer court also directed them to pay the complainant the cost of treatment i.e. Rs 3,10,000 and another Rs 50,000 as litigation costs.

The matter goes back to 2022 when the patient approached the treating hospital with complaints of stomach pain. The doctor advised the patient to undergo sonography and the report revealed that there was a stone of around 13 mm in the ureter of the left kidney and some smaller stones in the other kidney.

It was alleged that the doctor further advised the patient to immediately undergo a PCNL operation. The doctor had allegedly informed that the complainant would be discharged in no time and the stones would be removed through laser operation so that he would not face any problems.

However, after the surgery, when the staff of the hospital was removing the catheter/urine bag, a lot of blood and blood clots were coming out with the urine. Later, the patient was discharged after a few days. However, after 4-5 days, he had to be readmitted in an emergency due to excessive bleeding with urine. Again, the complainant was admitted for Post PCNL/Sepsis and bleeding.

After being treated for a few days at the hospital, the patient was once again discharged. However, he did not get any relief from pain after the laser surgery.

The complainant alleged that during the surgery, a pseudoaneurysm occurred in the lower pole of his left kidney- there was a hole in the lower pole of the left kidney after the PCNL surgery. Due to this, blood was coming out of the urinary bladder of the patient and clots were being formed.

Consequently, the patient was treated at two other hospitals and a doctor at the 3rd hospital removed the blood clots. Despite this, his health continued deteriorating and the patient was referred to a senior consultant urologist who is an expert in the matter. Finally, filing the consumer complaint, the patient demanded Rs. 3,10,000/- spent due to the negligence of the opposition parties and compensation amount for mental agony and complaint expenses etc.

On the other hand, the hospital and the doctor denied all the allegations of negligence and submitted that in a PCNL process, the kidney tube or nephrostomy is removed after the urine has cleared, which usually happens within the next 48 hours after surgery. After this, sometimes there is leakage of urine from the site of removal of the tube, which stops on its own within the next 24 hours.

It was submitted that the patient remained comfortable throughout and there was no complaint of pain during this period. They further claimed that standard medical treatment was given to the patient, there were no complaints/pains at the time of discharge and the urine was also clear.

They submitted that the patient was instructed not to strain or move to urinate and to avoid movement as this increases the risk of bleeding. Despite this, the bleeding began after the patient allegedly made vigorous attempts to urinate. Blood in the urine accumulates in the bladder and can obstruct urine flow leading to urinary retention and swelling in the lower abdomen. Thus a catharsis is required to relieve urinary retention. Bladder Irrigation is started to wash out the blood clot inside it to prevent blood clot from forming inside it. Referring to this, the hospital and doctor claimed that there was no error on their part.

The consumer court noted that the patient’s stone was operated on by the treating hospital and doctor and after removal of the catheter, the patient started bleeding profusely. It observed that when the doctor operated on the patient, Pseudoaneyrsym occurred in the lower pole of his left kidney, due to this, blood was coming into the urinary bladder of the patient. 

It was further observed that the patient was treated at another Hospital where the doctor gave an injection in the urinary tract, inserted several wires and after operating closed the hole in the kidney. Only after this, the patient got some relief. However, still, the issue of urine not coming out freely was not solved. Later, the patient had to seek further treatment at other hospitals. He also developed a high fever and the doctor at the 3rd hospital allegedly said that the high fever was due to infection. 

Therefore, the consumer court held that the operation was carried out negligently by the treating hospital and doctor and due to the surgery, a hole was made in the kidney. Observing that this act comes under the category of deficiency of service, the consumer court accepted the complaint and ordered the doctor and the hospital to pay Rs 3,10,000 i.e. the amount spent by the complainant for his treatment.

Apart from this, the consumer court also directed the hospital and the doctor to pay Rs 15,00,000 as compensation for mental anguish and Rs 50,000 towards litigation costs.

To view the order, click on the link below:

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/jaipur-consumer-court-235921.pdf

Also Read: Kidney Stones Removal: NCDRC holds doctor guilty of negligence

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Eli Lilly Gets CDSCO Panel Nod To Import, Market Anti-cancer Drug Selpercatinib

New Delhi: Advising to conduct the Phase IV clinical trial, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has granted approval to the pharmaceutical major Eli Lilly to import and market the anti-cancer drug Selpercatinib 40 mg and 80 mg.

The expert panel recommended the grant of permission to import and market Selpercatinib Capsule 40mg and 80mg for the indication:

 Adult patients with metastatic RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

 Adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic RETmutant medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) who require systemic therapy.

 Adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic RET fusion-positive thyroid cancer who require systemic therapy and who are radioactive iodine refractory (if radioactive iodine is appropriate).

This came after the drug major Eli Lilly presented its proposal for a grant of permission to import and market Selpercatinib Capsule 40mg and 80mg along with the Phase IV clinical trial waiver before the committee.

Selpercatinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. Selpercatinib is used to treat locally advanced or metastatic (cancer that has already spread) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose tumors have RET fusion-positive genes.

The mechanism of action of selpercatinib is as a Rearranged during Transfection (RET) Inhibitor, Cytochrome P450 2C8 Inhibitor, and Cytochrome P450 3A Inhibitor, and P-Glycoprotein Inhibitor, and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein Inhibitor, and Multidrug and Toxin Extrusion Transporter 1 Inhibitor.

At the recent SEC meeting for Oncology held on 19th and 20th March 2024, the expert panel reviewed the proposal presented by the drug major Eli Lilly for the grant of permission to import and market Selpercatinib Capsule 40mg & 80mg along with the Phase IV clinical trial waiver.

After detailed deliberation, the committee recommended granting permission to import and market Selpercatinib Capsule 40mg & 80mg for the indication:

 Adult patients with metastatic RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

 Adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) who require systemic therapy.

 Adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic RET fusion-positive thyroid cancer who require systemic therapy and who are radioactive iodine-refractory (if radioactive iodine is appropriate)

However, the committee did not recommend the Phase IV clinical trial waiver.

Accordingly, the expert panel suggested that the firm should submit the Phase IV Clinical Trial protocol within 3 months of approval for further consideration by the committee.

Also Read: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Gets CDSCO Panel Nod to Study FDC of Relugolix, Estradiol, Norethindrone Acetate

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PG medicos in Karnataka allegedly not getting stipend Despite NMC directive

New Delhi: Despite the guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) asking medical colleges to pay stipends to postgraduate medical students from private medical colleges, the complaints regarding non-payment of stipends remain unsolved.

According to a recent report by Education Times, Navodaya Medical College, Raichur, and Kanda Bande Nawaz Medical College Gulbarga are a few of the medical colleges where the medicos are not receiving any stipend. Raising the issue, Right to Information (RTI) activist Sharanabasappa Ambesinghe claimed that there is an ongoing stipend scam going on across the country. “We have started a pan-India protest to highlight this issue and regulate it,” he said.

Recently around 100 PG students at a private medical college in Sullia, Karnataka complained of non-payment of their monthly stipend by the college authorities. Claiming that the college authorities did not consider their continuous demands and requests for stipends, earlier this week, the PG medicos decided to stage a protest against the management of the institute if their stipends were not released.

Earlier, PG medicos enrolled at a private medical college in Sullia alleged that despite the guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the State Government regarding stipend amounts, the college management was not adhering to these directives.

Even though the guidelines state that the PG doctors are entitled to receive Rs 45,000, Rs 50,000, and Rs 55,000 for their first, second, and third years, respectively. However, students have revealed that they are only receiving Rs 10,000, Rs 12,500, and Rs 15,000 for the corresponding years.

Also Read: Promised Rs 45000, paid only Rs 10,000: PG Medicos of private medical college allege stipend irregularities

Speaking to the Education Times, RTI activist Sharanabasappa Ambesinghe opined that there is an ongoing stipend scam going on across the country and added, “Private medical colleges are cheating the students in Karnataka by not paying the stipend or paying less than the stipulated amount. There is no transparency in the system. The students want to take up the issue but cannot as the college management threatens them with academic penalisation. The NMC must make surprise visits and seek audit reports to regulate such malpractice. Every month the college deposits the stipend amount in the bank accounts of students, the record of which is usually shown to the NMC. However, it later withdraws the amount from their accounts through cheques collected from all of them in advance. And, the college has it on record to prove that the stipend amount has been paid regularly.”

Earlier activist Ambesinghe had alleged a similar stipend scam at Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College, run by Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society (HKES). Claiming that the PG medical students at the concerned medical college had not been getting a full stipend by the college, Ambesinghe had demanded police investigation into the matter.

Activist Sharanabasappa Ambesinghe had demanded that the Kalaburagi Police should take cognisance of the issue, register a case against the college authorities and conduct an investigation into the alleged irregularities.

Such stipend scams are being reported when the NMC guidelines clearly state that PG medicos at the private medical colleges should be paid a stipend at par with the stipend being paid to the PG students of Government institutes, in that particular State/UT.

Also Read: Uniform Stipend for all PG Medicos in a particular State, UT: NMC

Medical Dialogues had last year reported about the glaring disparities in the amount of stipend paid to the Undergraduate and Postgraduate medical students across the country.

As per the data regarding the students admitted through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) examination 2022, which is available on the official website of the Commission, there were glaring disparities in the stipend paid to the Junior Resident doctors across the institutes in a state and also across the country.

The data revealed that the minimum amount of stipend (Rs 20,000 or less than Rs 20,000 per month) is paid to the resident doctors pursuing their postgraduate medical education in medical colleges located in States like Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile recently releasing the final Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (PGMER 2023), which were published in the official Gazette on 29.12.2023, the National Medical Commission (NMC) introduced uniformity in the amount of stipend paid to the PG medicos in a particular State/UT.

The Commission specified that the PG medicos who are pursuing degree, diploma or super-speciality courses should be paid a stipend at par with the stipend being paid to the PG students of Government institutes, in that particular State/UT.

This came as a major relief for all the PG  medicos since they have been demanding a uniform stipend policy for a long time. There have often been complaints from the resident doctors of private medical institutes that they are paid a meager amount of stipend, compared to the stipend being paid in the Government institutes.

In fact, NMC had previously warned to take strict action against the medical colleges for non-compliance with the provisions of the Regulations of PGMER, 2000 if complaints regarding stipend irregularities were received.

Commenting on the issue, a senior NMC official informed Education Times, “Stipend is mandatory for all medical students. The Commission has formed strict laws against stipend irregularities but corruption continues to rule the roost. NMC conducts physical inspections annually to check the accounts in all medical colleges. Sometimes, the stipend allotted to medical colleges does not reach the students. Many a time, private medical colleges give a stipend to their students but take it back from them by increasing the tuition fees. If any written complaint comes to NMC, action against such medical colleges will be taken immediately. The institutes will be fined and the licence can also be cancelled.”

NMC issued the warning after conducting a survey, where the responses gathered from 10,178 PG medical students revealed that altogether 2110 PG students of various private medical colleges across the country were not receiving any stipend.

While 4288 students stated that they were not being paid equal stipend with the students of government medical colleges in the respective states, 1228 students submitted that the stipend paid to them by colleges/institutes was taken back by the management.

Also Read: 2110 PG medicos not receiving stipend: NMC issues stern warning to Private medical colleges

Despite such warnings issued by the Apex Medical Regulator, the complaints regarding non-payment of stipend to PG medical students from private medical colleges continue. 

Speaking to Medical Dialogues in this regard, the President of the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) Dr. Aviral Mathur said, “Last month, a medical college in the Southern part of India protested on the same issue. Our association receives several similar complaints. However, the issue used to be much more prevalent previously and after the active participation of NMC, the number of such instances have come down to a major extent. Still, such practices are ongoing in the private medical colleges and universities. While some of the students belonging to the private medical institutes claim that they do not receive any stipend, some say that they are receiving lower amounts and some of the students allege that the college authorities take back their stipend after paying the amount to them. Several institutes take money in advance from the students during admission and later pay monthly stipend from the amount collected from the students. Therefore, on paper, everything looks clean and clear.”
“Most of the time, these issues do not reach NMC as the students fear the management too much. On the other hand, such instances are considerably lower in Government Medical Colleges because the medicos commence protest against the authorities,” he further added.
When asked about the possible solution to the problem, Dr. Mathur added, “NMC needs to be proactive in its approach when inspecting the medical colleges. It has to talk to the students because on paper everything is clear and there is no way to prove that the colleges are not paying stipend.”

Meanwhile, the issue of non-payment of stipend to the MBBS interns across the country is now being considered by the Supreme Court. Recently, the Apex Court directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to to submit the details of the stipend paid to MBBS interns in all the medical colleges across all States within four weeks.

Also Read: Submit Details of Stipend paid to MBBS Interns by Medical Colleges in All States: SC Directs NMC

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Many cancer drugs remain unproven 5 years after accelerated approval, says Study

The promise of early access to potentially life-saving drugs through the US Food and Drug Administration’s accelerated approval program often comes with high hopes for patients battling debilitating or fatal diseases. However, a recent study sheds light on the reality that many of these drugs fail to demonstrate significant benefits within a reasonable timeframe.

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a cancer specialist and bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania, underscores the urgency of obtaining definitive answers about the efficacy of accelerated approval drugs within five years. “Thousands of people are getting those drugs. That seems a mistake if we don’t know whether they work or not,” he emphasizes.

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Delhi Health Infrastructure: Key takeaways from Panel recommendations

Taking note of problems affecting the healthcare services at the Government-run hospitals in Delhi, a committee constituted by the Delhi High Court recently submitted its interim report listing the immediate, short term and long-term measures required to be implemented for the betterment of the system.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that earlier this year, expressing displeasure over the “misleading” information provided to it on the functioning of medical equipment in GTB hospital, the Delhi High Court had advised the State to constitute a committee of doctors to examine the hospitals run by the city government to come up with a solution. These directions were issued by the Court while considering a PIL initiated by it on its own in 2017 concerning the issue of the non-availability of ICU beds and ventilator facilities in government hospitals in Delhi.

For more information, click on the link below:
Delhi’s Health Infrastructure: Here Are 10 Key Takeaways From Panel’s Recommendations

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Heart disease and depression may be genetically linked by inflammation

Coronary artery disease and major depression may be genetically linked via inflammatory pathways to an increased risk for cardiomyopathy, a degenerative heart muscle disease, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital have found.

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More premature babies born following Swedish parental leave policy

The introduction of a policy protecting parental leave benefits in Sweden in 1980 had unintended consequences on child health. The policy led to an increase in premature birth rates. This is shown by a study from researchers at Stockholm University, published in JAMA Pediatrics.

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