By Health In Five Writer
Rx – Recipere
Dr. Faheem Younus, Chief of Infectious Diseases, University of Maryland UCH
“The (Covid) Test positivity <5% indicates decent outbreak control. This is where we stand:
Australia 0%
India 1.8%
Pak 5.6%
Turkey 8.4%
UK 10.%
Sweden 12%
Indonesia 17.5%
South Africa 32%
Argentina 32%
Mexico 42%
The vaccine need is proportional to test positivity. If people adapt & embrace the vaccine, we can crush this Pandemic in 2021. Taiwan/HK/Vietnam have proven that the pandemic can be crushed with the first three steps of the Pandemic Control Pyramid. Even without a vaccine.
Step 1: Clear public messaging
Step 2: Public compliance with precautions
Step 3: Ubiquitous tests/isolate
Step 4: Treatments/Vaccines
Potential treatment for an aggressive form of lung cancer
Researchers at the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) have discovered a new metabolic vulnerability in a highly aggressive form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These findings could pave the way for new treatments for patients with mutations in two key genes — KRAS and LKB1. Patients whose tumors contain both of these mutations, known as KL tumors, have poor outcomes and usually do not respond to immunotherapy. Understanding how specific combinations of mutations promote tumor growth and metastasis may allow us to design tailored therapies for patients,” says Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at CRI.
Bird Flu Detected In HP, MP, Kerala, Haryana & Rajasthan
Himachal Pradesh became the fifth Indian state — after Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Kerala — to confirm cases of avian flu after 1,800 migratory birds were found dead in the state’s Pong Dam Lake in the Kangra district. The four states of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh declared on Tuesday, 5 January that they are on high alert against bird flu.
Maharashtra govt to implement e-Aushadhi Portal
As per media reports, the Maharashtra government has finally issued order to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to implement e-Aushadhi Portal, a web based supply chain management system to improve supply chain of medicines in District Drug WareHouses (DDWH), Sub Stores and further Drug Distribution Centers (DDC). The biggest achievement of the portal has been the reduction in the cost of medicines by 20% or more, which has further enabled the department to procure more medicines in the same budget.
Routine eye imaging may help identify cognitive disorders in cases of diabetes
Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have shown that routine eye imaging can identify changes in the retina that may be associated with cognitive disorders in older people with type 1 diabetes. These results may open up a relatively easy method for early detection of cognitive decline in this population, providing better ways to understand, diagnose and ultimately treat the decline, said George L. King, MD, Joslin’s Chief Scientific Officer and senior author on a paper about the study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
BIRAC invites research proposals from biotech start-ups
The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under its Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) scheme has invited research proposals from potential entrepreneurs from biotechnology start-ups, or academicians, scientists, researchers, and medical degree holders, biomedical engineering graduates to pursue a promising technology idea and establish and validate proof-of-concept (POC) for the idea. As part of this scheme, successful BIG Innovators receive up to Rs. 50 lakh for research projects with commercialisation potential with duration of up to 18 months. The last date for submission of proposal is February 15, 2021.
