Aarogyapath Blog – Page 35 – SCM for Healthcare

Transforming patient outcomes with AI in Healthcare

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 7, 2022
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Synopsis

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare can increase the speed, efficiency, and effectiveness of global health systems to help patients and clinicians

The digital transformation has begun. The demand for healthcare across the world is acute and growing. Ageing populations and disruptions due to Covid-19 have accelerated the growth and adoption of digital healthcare technologies.

Groundbreaking technologies have expanded the scope of what’s possible. Through developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, medical devices are advancing disease management by empowering clinicians to personalise medicine like never before. Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that can increase the speed, efficiency, and effectiveness of global health systems. AI-powered technologies provide real-time data by providing newer insights into the human body to create solutions that help patients and clinicians.

One of the most promising applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare is its integration into diagnostic imaging analysis. One such example is the GI GeniusTM intelligent endoscopy module from Medtronic. As per GLOBOCAN 2020, colorectal cancer is the 7th deadliest cancer in India among men and women.I Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for colon cancer screening. By using AI to analyse images gathered during a scan, physicians can identify conditions more quickly, promoting early intervention.The module empowers physicians to detect and treat colorectal cancer by using AI to scan every image taken during a colonoscopy in milliseconds and alerts physicians to the presence of lesions — including small, flat polyps that can easily go undetected by the human eye.

Designed to be a powerful new tool in the early detection of colorectal cancer, the system relies on highly effective algorithms to sort through tremendous amounts of data for insight-driven care. These AI solutions are designed to give healthcare professionals the time and tools they need to deliver better care to more people worldwide.

We have a wealth of technology at our fingertips, and we must harness it to address the challenges of today. Medtronic’s vision continues to be informed by its fundamental goal of bringing disruptive innovations in healthcare technology, and advancements in AI can help make healthcare work better for everyone.

How to survive a heart attack: life-saving tips everyone should know

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 6, 2022
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Getting a heart attack can leave anyone helpless and hapless. However, if you and people around you are already aware of the first aid steps to follow, you may just save a life. Heart attacks can happen suddenly due to a lack of blood to the heart. Quick action will give treatment the best chance of working. Here’s how to survive a heart attack or help someone who is having one.

Dr. Grant Reed, an interventional cardiologist and director of Cleveland Clinic’s STEMI program, says, “The No. 1 indicator of how well you’re going to do after a heart attack is how fast you recognize your symptoms.”

Apart from the classic chest pain/discomfort/pressure symptom, heart attacks can present differently in men and women, and in people with certain pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes. Some of these include bad indigestion or nausea, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and feeling generally unwell.

Doctors recommend that if you feel any of the above symptoms, even if you aren’t sure that it’s a heart attack, you should nevertheless call an ambulance immediately.

A lot of patients ignore their symptoms, and so by the time they come to the hospital, their heart muscle has already died, Dr. Grant Reed adds. There’s a strong relationship between when you start to have your heart attack and how fast doctors can open up the blocked coronary artery that’s causing it. The shorter the time, the better the outcomes.

If you’re having heart attack symptoms and have access to aspirin, Dr. Joel Beachey, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin recommends taking a full dose of 325 mg after calling the ambulance. If you have baby aspirin, which comes in an 81 mg dose, take four of those.

Taking aspirin can help break down some of that blood clot which forms inside your arteries, which blocks the blood flow in the artery during a heart attack. Doctors also recommend chewing it instead of swallowing, so that it gets into your system faster

If you think you’re having a heart attack, immediately call an ambulance instead of driving yourself to the hospital. You may lose consciousness and hurt yourself or others on the road, which is why it is best to not take the wheel.

In case someone around you suffers a heart attack, it is better to call an ambulance instead of driving them yourselves as you may not be able to help them if their symptoms worsen on the way. Plus, you could get distracted from driving properly and might risk an accident.

Ambulances are also helpful in the sense that the paramedics in the ambulance can provide the best and fastest care on the way to the hospital, including some treatment.

Begin CPR if the person is unconscious

If the person having a heart attack isn’t breathing or you don’t find a pulse, begin CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to keep the blood flowing. Make sure you call for emergency medical help first and then begin the CPR. The hands-only CPR requires you to push hard and fast on the center of the person’s chest in a fairly rapid rhythm — about 100 to 120 compressions a minute — until the paramedics arrive.

Indonesia approves first home-grown COVID vaccine for emergency use

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 5, 2022
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The Indovac vaccine has been developed by Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma and the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine.

Indonesia has approved its first domestically-produced COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for people over 18, the chief of the country’s food and drugs agency (BPOM) was quoted by news media as saying on Wednesday. The Indovac vaccine has been developed by Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma and the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine.

Penny Lukito, the head of BPOM, was cited by news portal CNN Indonesia as saying the approval was “given as a primary vaccine for adults. “Penny and a Bio Farma spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bio Farma said this month it would produce 20 million doses of the vaccine in 2022 and 100 million doses by 2024. It has also said it has sought a halal certificate – which would make the vaccine permissible under Islam – from relevant authorities. Indonesia is the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation.

Bio Farma chief Honesti Basyir said earlier this month that the vaccines were intended to “help reduce the nation’s dependency on imported vaccines,” adding 80% of Indovac is locally-sourced.

Indonesia, which reported one of the highest transmission rates of COVID-19 in the world last year, has used vaccines produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech as well as Moderna Inc. Bio Farma has said it has also sought an emergency use approval from the World Health Organization (WHO). Indonesia is also developing another home-grown vaccine called Inavac.

Protein could be used to produce life-saving antifungals: Research

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 4, 2022
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Their findings, published in te journal eLife, not only have implications for drug development, they also provide important insight into the evolution of an ancient growth control pathway found in all multicellular organisms.

Researchers have discovered a protein that is responsible for controlling cell growth in yeasts. Since humans and yeasts have remarkably similar cellular mechanisms, teasing out the differences presents drug developers with new targets for treatments.

Yeast cells and human immune system cells rely on surprisingly similar chemical reactions to know when to grow. University of Arizona scientists have identified subtle differences between the two cell types that could help spur the development of antifungal drugs that are able to attack disease-causing yeasts in the body while sparing the immune system.

Their findings, published in the journal eLife, not only have implications for drug development, they also provide important insight into the evolution of an ancient growth control pathway found in all multicellular organisms.

Protein could be used to produce life-saving antifungals: Research

It is well known in the scientific community that a conglomerate of proteins called TORC1 — short for Target of Rapamycin kinase Complex 1 — controls the growth of cells in everything from humans to yeasts. But researchers have now identified and named the protein that triggers this process in yeasts — a nutrient sensor and TORC1 regulator they named Ait1. When working normally, Ait1 shuts down TORC1 in yeasts when cells are starved for nutrients, blocking cell growth.

“Ait1 is kind oflike a hand holding TORC1 in place, with a finger that reaches over the top and flicks TORC1 on and off depending on how many nutrients a cell has,” said study co-author Andrew Capaldi, an associate professor in the UArizona Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and BIO5 Institute member.

The Capaldi Lab is interested in determining how cells sense stress and starvation and then decide how fast to grow. Understanding how TORC1 is triggered in different organisms is important for developing treatments for a wide variety of diseases.

TORC1 was originally discovered in yeast, but it is also critical for the activation of cells in the human immune system to mount a response. When TORC1 isn’t working as it should, it can trigger the development of cancer, diabetes and various neurological disorders including epilepsy and depression.

“If TORC1 is too active, it can give rise to cancer or epilepsy. If it’s underactive, then it can cause depression,” Capaldi said. “We call this Goldilocks regulation.”

But the fact that human bodies depend on the same TORC1 pathway as yeast presents a problem.

Capaldi said if scientists develop drugs that inhibit the growth of disease-causing yeasts by controlling TORC1, “we are in big trouble since TORC1 also controls the growth of human immune cells and more.”

“As an example, you can block the growth of yeast very easily using rapamycin — a drug that binds directly to and inhibits TORC1 — so that would fight any infection well,” Capaldi said. “However, that very same drug is regularly used in transplant patients to suppress their immune system, so that would be a disaster.”

The researchers found that while the TORC1 pathway is very similar in yeast and humans, humans don’t rely on Ait1 to regulate TORC1. So, drugs that specifically target Ait1 should inhibit the growth of yeast and not human immune cells.

Ait1 has only evolved in the last 200 million years, which is relatively recent in evolutionary terms. About 200 million years ago a TORC1 regulator called Rheb seems to have disappeared from the cells of various organisms exactly when Ait1 evolved.

Government to launch national tele-mental health programme, toll-free helpline number soon

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 3, 2022
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Synopsis

The government is preparing to launch a national tele-mental health programme and a toll-free helpline number soon, reported PTI. This is likely to enable wider access to mental health assistance across the country. The national tele-mental health programme (NTMHP) was first announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2022-23.

The government is preparing to launch a national tele-mental health programme and a toll-free helpline number soon, reported PTI. This is likely to enable wider access to mental health assistance across the country.
The national tele-mental health programme (NTMHP) was first announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2022-23.

“The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages. To better the access to quality mental health counselling and care services, a ‘National Tele-Mental Health Programme’ will be launched,” she had said.

This will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence, with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) being the nodal centre and the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIITB) providing technological support.

As part of the programme, at least one tele-MANAS (Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Nationally Actionable Plan) cell would be established in each state and union territory and there will be five regional coordinating centres, reported PTI citing official sources.

A toll-free helpline number will also be set up across the country, allowing callers to select the language of choice for availing services. The calls would be routed to tele-MANAS cells in the respective state and union territory, the source stated.

According to a Lancet study published in October last year, the percentage increase in the prevalence of clinically significant depression and anxiety disorders due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was estimated to be approximately 35 per cent in India.

There has been a 10 per cent rise in the number of suicides reported in 2020 in India as compared to 2019, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
A study published this year by Dr Rajesh Sagar, professor of psychiatry at AIIMS, stated that India has a huge burden due to mental health problems with one in every seven persons estimated to be suffering from a clinically diagnosable mental disorder.

Further, the COVID-19 pandemic had significant direct and indirect negative effects on the mental health of the entire population, he said in his study titled ‘National Tele-Mental Health Program in India: A step towards mental health care for all?’

The study stated that the vision of tele-MANAS involves linking these new tele-mental health centres with the existing network of locally available mental health resources at nearby centres of excellence, medical colleges, district hospital and other mental health services run by the central and/or state governments.

This will help in providing immediate mental health care to a person in acute psychological distress and facilitate continuity of care by making appropriate referrals to nearby specialised mental health services depending upon the person’s convenience and severity of the mental health problem, it said.

The NTMHP also envisions linking tele-mental health services with other health-related schemes and services provided by the government under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (national digitalisation of health records and services) and the e-Sanjeevani platform (national tele-consultation service).

The effects of COVID-19 on mental health are prevalent. Long-term social distance protocols, fear of illness, death and future unpredictability, loss of educational and employment opportunities, economic downturn, and high work stress environment experienced by frontline healthcare workers have all been raised as concerns regarding the impact on mental health, Dr Sagar said.

“Social media misinformation and excessive screen time have become major issues in a society that is growing. Increasing common mental disorders at an alarming rate is a trend seen today (PTSD, anxiety, depression, suicidality, substance abuse, and post-Covid syndrome).

“Much stress brought on by infection prevention and control because of lockdown, self-isolation, and quarantine has led to a detrimental effect on mental health,” PTI quoted him as saying.

“Although toll-free numbers and telepsychiatry consultations have had a favourable impact on people’s decisions to seek care, prioritising the need of the most vulnerable individuals when allocating resources for mental health care is crucial,” he said.
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Medical Updates Medicine & Health

Follow this five-step guide to good health in 2022

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 1, 2022
No Comments on Follow this five-step guide to good health in 2022

As the pandemic rages on, people are continuing to focus on their health and well-being. A large aspect of a healthy lifestyle depends on the kind of food you eat, how physically active you are and if you follow a good sleeping pattern.

Akshay Modi, the managing director of Modi Naturals Ltd, says people usually end up cutting down on their sugar intake after being diagnosed with diabetes, avoiding fried food because of cholesterol, and exercising and gaining a lot of weight.

“With a bit of caution and care, like consuming sugar and oil in moderation and exercising regularly, they can keep themselves from falling prey to these concerns,” he says.

He lists five simple steps that can help a person take a more proactive approach to lifestyle and health; read on.

Follow this five-step guide to good health in 2022

1. Engaging in a physical activity

Physical activities give flexibility and power to the body to function seamlessly in today’s world, where much time is spent in front of screens. Be it a refreshing morning jog or an intensive workout, there are a number of options to choose from. Sports and dancing are great options, too. Activities like yoga and meditation provide physical as well as mental well-being. Hiking and cycling are some other interesting activities to undertake.

2. Knowing your nutrients and ingredients

It is important to consume different nutrients and vitamins. Making smart swaps for everyday food helps enhance the nutrition values of your meals. Rice can be swapped for quinoa, whole wheat for ragi, sunflower oil for olive oil. It’s also important to know your ingredients, especially edible oil which is used in each and every meal. It’s also important to buy organic products and to eat at home.

3. Sleep schedules

A poorly-rested body can’t function well physically or mentally. A good night’s sleep is crucial for your body to get the much-needed rest and recovery time. Following a sleep schedule and getting enough hours help reduce stress and increase productivity throughout the day. Ideally, an adult should be sleeping for 7-8 hours at a stretch. Too less or too much sleep is not good. Quick power naps during the day can also be considered. The timing is also important. Sleeping at different hours each day is not ideal.

4. Learn stress management techniques

Stress causes severe damage to our heart. Stress management is something that one needs to learn for themselves. To-do lists and priority lists are recommended for people with anxiety. Indulging in fun activities, dedicating time for hobbies, going on trips can help give you a break from your everyday routine. Stress can also heighten emotions which can make one lose control, and hence stress management requires maintaining positive relations with people around you.

5. Break free of bad habits

Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption are known to cause chronic illnesses such as cancer. While an occasional glass of wine may actually promote your health, uncontrolled consumption of alcohol and heavy smoking can lead to many short term and long term health issues.

World Heart Day 2022: Simple habits to keep your heart healthy

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date September 29, 2022
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“Indians and Southeast Asians are at a higher risk of contracting a heart condition than their Western counterparts,” said Dr Prashant Pawar, consultant cardiologist.

Actor-comedian Raju Srivastava’s death, after being hospitalised for over 40 days, has once again highlighted the high fatality rate caused by heart diseases. Across the world, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the leading causes of mortality. An estimated 17.9 million people perished due to CVDs in 2019, contributing to 32 per cent of deaths globally. Out of all the people who died from CVD, 85 per cent suffered a stroke and heart attack. Further, a quarter of these CVD deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Keeping these statistics in mind, experts stress on the enormous need for awareness about the prevention of heart disease. As such, World Heart Day is an incredible platform to spread awareness about how people can prevent cardiac issues and reduce the burden caused by this condition, said Dr Prashant Pawar, consultant cardiologist, Fortis Hospital Vashi. “Since the heart is crucial to a person’s survival, it is important to keep it healthy with a well-balanced diet, adequate sleep, and stress busters like meditation and yoga coupled with daily physical exercise while avoiding things like smoking and alcohol that can damage its arteries,” said Dr Pawar.

Lack of physical activities

According to National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health, a lack of physical activity can increase the risk of cardiac issues, even if a person does not have any other risk factors. Besides cardiac problems, being sedentary can also increase the likelihood of several other chronic diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.

Timely treatment is essential

Coronary arteries are only about 3-4 mm in diameter. Over time, a person consuming too many processed foods, including fatty and greasy items, can cause extreme damage to them. Additionally, if any significant heart artery is blocked for more than 30 minutes, it can impact the muscles in the heart, leading to a severe medical condition. This is a sign of a heart attack or cardiac issues; if a person suffers from it, they require immediate medical attention. In such a scenario, a common symptom is chest pain that must be brought to a doctor’s attention immediately.

The risk of blood pressure increases with age

Dr Pawar mentioned that in people above the age of 80, there is a 60 per cent chance of them having high blood pressure. This is mainly because as we get older, the arteries in our body get stiffer, affecting the blood pressure level. This can be true even for people with heart-healthy habits. Hence, the vulnerable population must monitor blood pressure regularly. A recent nationwide survey by ICMR has shown that 28 per cent of adults in India have hypertension, and nearly 77 per cent are undiagnosed, leading to a high burden of hypertension in the country.

The prevalence of coronary heart disease has increased in India

“Indians and Southeast Asians are at a higher risk of contracting a heart condition than their Western counterparts. This is evident in the prevalence of heart-related diseases that have substantially increased in rural and urban India over the past several decades. The rate of coronary incidences has risen from 1.6 per cent to 7.4 per cent in rural people and from 1 per cent to 13.2 per cent in urban populations. In 2021 there was a six-fold rise in cases related to cardiac issues in Mumbai,” Dr Pawar said.

Today, this condition claims as many lives each year as cancer, chronic lung diseases, accidents and diabetes combined. Some simple habits that can help you prevent a heart attack include the following

*Focus on a diet rich in fibre, high protein, and low fat.
*Have a hearty breakfast that keeps you full for the day. Your lunch and dinner should be smaller in comparison.
*Be physically active for at least 30 minutes daily, at least five days a week.
*Use the staircase whenever possible and avoid lifts. Alternatively, it would help if you also chose to walk small distances instead of using vehicles.
*Get adequate sound sleep for at least eight hours a day.
*Quit smoking and reduce alcohol consumption as far as possible.
*Practice stress busters like meditation, yoga, and breathing tactics.

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Medical Updates Medicine & Health

Can knee osteoarthritis be treated without surgery?

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date September 27, 2022
1 Comment on Can knee osteoarthritis be treated without surgery?

Knee osteoarthritis or knee joint pain is a non-inflammatory, degenerative joint disease that causes progressive loss of articular cartilage. “Cartilage is a strong, flexible tissue that helps avoids injury by preventing the bones from rubbing against one another,” said Dr Vivek Loomba, Consultant Pain Physician at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, adding that as the cartilage degrades and the bones rub against one another, it may lead to knee osteoarthritis. “It is one of the most common reasons for knee pain and disability in older adults,” he told.

Who is at risk?

Osteoarthritis of the knee is more common in “women than in males”. “Some other factors that can contribute to the condition of the knee include advanced age, being overweight or obese, previous knee injuries or surgery, and certain jobs that require constant knee bending,” he shared.

Symptoms

The primary symptom of knee osteoarthritis is pain. In addition to pain, patients may have swelling, knee stiffness, function-limiting knee discomfort, loss of flexibility, pain while resting or at night, cracking or grinding noise while moving their knee, and impact on walking distances.

How is osteoarthritis of the knee diagnosed?

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, the patients may require further tests like:
*Blood tests
*X- Ray
*Arthrocentesis: A clinical procedure that is performed using a sterile needle, to obtain synovial fluid to determine the cause of arthritis.
*Arthroscopy: A surgical method where a camera is inserted into the afflicted joint to obtain visual data of the deterioration caused to the joint because of OA
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

According to Dr Loomba, “Knee osteoarthritis develops slowly over years, interfering with daily activities and the ability to work. So, efforts should be made to stop the condition from getting worse by seeking early treatment.”

Can it be managed without surgery?

Most people suffering from knee osteoarthritis fear that they might have to undergo surgery to get relief from the pain and discomfort. However, there are several pain management options that can help in relieving the pain. As per Dr Loomba, various strategies for management of the condition include:

Non pharmacological

Exercise like walking, cycling, isometric and isotonic knee exercises.
Weight Reduction: Even a slight decrease in weight, by 2-5 kg, will help in decreasing the pain and degeneration of the knee joint.
Aquatic (water based) therapies.

pharmacological

Medications like acetaminophen, NSAIDS like ibuprofen or etoshine, local NSAIDS like Volini gel are used as first line management.
If the pain persists, weak opioids like tramadol (ultracet) can be prescribed.
In severe cases, stronger opioids like morphine can be added to the treatment regimen.

Intra Articular knee joint injections – This includes corticosteroid and/or hyaluronidase injections administered into the knee joint. The corticosteroid helps in decreasing inflammation while hyaluronidase provides lubrication.

Radiofrequency ablation: The radiofrequency ablation of the nerves supplying the knee joint is reserved for refractory cases, and may provide pain relief for up to 1 year. This procedure may serve as a boon for patients who are unfit or do not want to undergo knee replacement surgery.

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Government Guidelines Medical Updates Medicine & Health

New India prepared to deal with any threat in healthcare sector: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date September 26, 2022
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Synopsis

The difference has been made by the proactive planning of the prime minister, he said, adding health infrastructure is being propagated across the country via the PPP model with a microcosm of public hospitals mushrooming along with private medical colleges.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday underlined the need for de-politicising the discussions on health policy and infrastructure and adopting a more holistic approach across the whole spectrum of the populace. He also asserted that a new India is prepared to deal with any threat in the healthcare sector.

“A healthy India will be a wealthy India,” Mandaviya said speaking at the Public Affairs Forum of India’s (PAFI) 9th Annual Forum 2022.

He said the new India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an empowered nation and is well prepared to face any crisis.

The difference has been made by the proactive planning of the prime minister, he said, adding health infrastructure is being propagated across the country via the PPP model with a microcosm of public hospitals mushrooming along with private medical colleges.

Mandaviya said 22 AIIMS have been planned across the country to improve the tertiary level of health infrastructure.

Elaborating on the country’s management of COVID-19, he said the government had started efforts to understand the virus much before it came to India, and accordingly planned and prepared beforehand to face the pandemic.

Talking about why health infrastructure to GDP ratio is declining in India, Mandaviya said, “Every country has its own model specific to its people. In India, healthcare expenditure is lower as compared to other nations. Still, the Government is very much concerned about the health of its people and has assigned a budget of Rs 100 crore for each district to implement the Ayushman Bharat Scheme in the next five years.”

Giving the details of the PPP model in healthcare, Mandaviya said the government is following a holistic approach in planning and building healthcare models for the country.

He said the government is following two models for healthcare.

While under one it has launched the Nishchay Mitra scheme for the eradication of TB from India by 2025 and asked people to adopt nine lakh TB patients, under the second PPP arrangement, the Ayushman Bharat Scheme has been extended to 24,000 plus private hospitals, enabling business to private hospitals and ensuring healthcare for all.
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COVID-19 Medical Equipments Medicine & Health

Novel test can identify patients at risk of severe COVID-19

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date September 24, 2022
2 Comments on Novel test can identify patients at risk of severe COVID-19

The test proved over 90 per cent accurate at predicting patient outcomes for COVID-19 among over two dozen patients in intensive care and 100 patients from publicly available data, the researchers said.

Scientists in the US have developed a new genomic test that can predict a patient’s risk of developing severe COVID-19, an advance that could help doctors quickly begin tailored treatment. The test proved over 90 per cent accurate at predicting patient outcomes for COVID-19 among over two dozen patients in intensive care and 100 patients from publicly available data, the researchers said.

The test, called CovGENE, analyses genes expressed in a person’s blood to determine whether they may experience a severe disease course with increased risk of death, they said. “We have come far in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in the past two years. Regardless, we still struggle to identify patients at highest risk for severe disease,” said Alexandra Kadl, from the University of Virginia, US.

“Our study uses a gene-analysis approach to identify an immune cell signature, distinct from other respiratory illnesses, that correlates with worse outcomes,” Kadl said in a statement. The approach, described recently in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, has the potential to help evaluate patients’ immune profile with commonly, readily available tests to identify patients at risk for bad outcomes.

Such patients would benefit from closer monitoring and advanced therapies to aid their recovery, the researchers said. Immune profiling helps to understand why one person may differ from another in their immune response to a virus, looking specifically at the immune markers (proteins) and cells present over time. This analysis can help determine the likelihood of disease, individual response to a virus and the impact of vaccinations. CovGENE’s developer, AMPEL Biosolutions, is seeking to partner with a diagnostic testing company or pharmaceutical company to bring the approach to market as a simple PCR-based blood test.

“This unique collaboration with our colleagues from the University of Virginia has provided an easy and novel means to assess an individual patient’s response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and predict the clinical outcome,” said Peter Lipsky, AMPEL’s CEO, chief medical officer and co-founder. “Now that this unique approach has been validated, we look forward to its rapid development as a precision-medicine tool that can improve the outcome of patients with COVID-19 and reduce the number of hospitalisations, especially the most vulnerable,” Lipsky added.