Post graduates seats in India are much less than in the US. The distribution is Cardiology 250 (US 781); Diabetology/Endocrinology 50 (US 251); Gastroenterology 93 (US 433); Hematology 13 (US 523); Nephrology 84 (US 416); Neurology 159 (US 592) and Oncology 48 (508).
Only 250 new cardiologists are added to the pool in India with largest number of heart patients in the world.
It’s worse for diabetics. Even when the country is heading towards becoming the diabetes capital of the world, we have only 50 PG seats in endocrinology. The US, on the other hand, has 250 PG seats in this subject.
Tuberculosis is the sixth highest contributor to the number of deaths in India but the country has only 307 specialized doctors graduating in pulmonary medicine every year.
Cancer the most feared disease has only 47 seats in India. In contrast, the US has 508 seats.
On the other hand, there are 5,833 para–clinical PG seats in the country. Pathology tops with 1,201 MD seats, microbiology has 724 and community medicine 736, biochemistry has been allotted 481 seats and physiology 672.
Ganesh Chaturthi is observed every year in the month of Bhadrapad starting on Shukla Chaturthi (4th day of the waxing moon period) and lasts for 10 days ending on Anant Chaturdashi (14th day of waxing moon period).
Every festival in India is observed for a duration, e.g. Dusshera is preceded by 9 days of Navratra, Holi by 8 days of Holasthak etc.
Most of the festivals are in Chaturmas in Dakshinayan period because of relative negative state of mind during this period which is linked to longer nights and shorter days.
Ganesha is the Lord of removal of obstacles and 10 days duration signifies that whenever you are in trouble, follow the principle of Ganesh�s stress management and over a period of next ten days, you wil be able to solve your problem.
A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?"
"No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked.
"There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high.
"If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I know it and God knows it!"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its "landmark" report on the rising and lethal threat of antibiotic resistance, titled Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013. In its report, the CDC describes an infectious disease landscape in which 2 million people in the United States are sickened annually with antibiotic–resistant infections. The report estimates that at least 23,000 people a year die from antibiotic–resistant infections. An estimated minimum 250,000 illnesses and 14,000 deaths from C. difficile are directly related to antibiotic use and resistance. In the report, bacteria are prioritized into 1 of 3 categories: urgent, serious, and concerning. Urgent threats include carbapenem–resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), drug–resistant gonorrhea, and C difficile. Serious threats include methicillin–resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and nontyphoidal Salmonella infections. The "concerning" category includes group A Streptococcus, often referred to as "flesh–eating bacteria. The report also talks of a 4– part solution which includes: preventing infections, tracking resistance patterns, practicing antibiotic stewardship and developing new antibiotics and diagnostic tests.
An investigational submicron particle formula of the nonsteroidal anti–inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac (Iroko Pharmaceuticals LLC) was effective in reducing the need for opioid rescue medication in patients with acute postoperative pain, according to the results of a new study presented at PAINWeek 2013. The submicron technology reduces NSAID drug particles so that they become at least 10 times smaller than those with standard formulations, promoting absorption. Submicron particle technology increases the surface area of exposure and similar efficacy as standard diclofenac is obtained by using the lower dose.
The production of fructose from glucose in the liver contributes to the development of metabolic syndrome in mice, says a study published online September 10 in Nature Communications. The study compared wild type mice and two types of knockout mice incapable of converting glucose into fructose or degrading fructose in the liver. After 14 weeks of a diet of 10% glucose and regular food, the normal mice exhibited signs of metabolic syndrome –– an increase in energy intake and body weight, visceral obesity, fatty liver, elevated insulin and hyperleptinemia. The knockout mice that couldn't process fructose did not.
Men with low–risk prostate tumors who participated in a multifaceted lifestyle improvement program showed an increase in mean telomere length after 5 years, contrary to findings in a control group. Dean Ornish, MD, of the University of California San Francisco and the Preventive Medicine Research Institute (PMRI) in Sausalito, Calif., and colleagues report in their study that among 10 patients who volunteered for the intervention, the ratio of telomere to single–copy human beta–globin gene length increased from baseline by a median of 0.06, whereas in 25 similar patients who underwent active surveillance for cancer and no other particular intervention, the ratio decreased by a median of 0.03.
The FDA has approved a generic version of the oral metastatic colorectal cancer drug capecitabine (Xeloda). It will be marked by Teva Pharmaceuticals USA in 150 mg and 500 mg doses. Common adverse events seen in clinical trials for the drug include diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea, as well as oral pain, redness, swelling, and sores. Other events were hand–foot syndrome, fever, and infection. Additionally, capecitabine is packaged with a boxed warning to avoid co–treatment with blood thinners, which may cause serious adverse events.
The oral administration of probiotic products to infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease was associated with improved outcomes, including better survival. Among 100 infants given Bifidobacterium lactis plus inulin or placebo, 8% of the active treatment group developed sepsis compared with 28% of the placebo group. The Turkish study also found that use of the probiotic also appeared protective against necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), as five cases occurred in the placebo group and none in the active treatment group. Moreover, mortality was almost three times higher in the placebo group (28% versus 10%).
The risk of having a stroke in the year after myocardial infarction (MI) has dropped over a 10–year period in patients with and without diabetes, but the decline was particularly marked among diabetic patients suggesting that they gained more from the greater use of secondary preventive medication. As per a new study by Stina Jakobsson, Herzzentrum Ludwigshafen, Ostersund, Sweden, The decreased ischemic stroke rate in both patient groups over time may be explained by a reduction in established risk factors for stroke and increased use of secondary preventive treatments after MI. The results were presented at the recent European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2013.
In infective endocarditis, in patients where no localized infection is seen, the source may be from minor trauma, oral cavity or genital or urinary infection.
Oral dexamethasone for 5 days reduced hospital stay for infants with bronchiolitis and eczema or a family history of asthma, according to results from a placebo–controlled trial published online September 16 in Pediatrics. In the study, dexamethasone was added to salbutamol in infants at risk for asthma, based on eczema or a family history of asthma in a first–degree relative.
Use of new evidence–based delivery room guidelines was associated with significantly improved outcomes for very low birth weight infants, according to the results of a single–institution study published online September 16 in Pediatrics. Sara B. DeMauro, MD, MSCE, from the Department of Pediatrics, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the lead researcher noted that events during the first moments of an infant’s life can have lasting effect, especially for those born very prematurely. Specifically, 3 aspects of newborn care that require prompt attention in the delivery room are thermoregulation, respiratory management, and oxygen delivery.
All doctors should diagnose and treat venous thromboembolism, which include deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, said Padma Shri & Dr. B.C. Roy National Awardee Dr. KK Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India & National Vice President–Elect IMA. These are potentially fatal conditions that occur when a blood clot that’s formed at one point of the venous circulatory system detaches and travels to the lungs.
A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot, which usually forms in the veins of the leg, obstructs the pulmonary artery in the lungs or one of its branches. This can cause acute right heart failure or sudden death.
The problem of deep–vein thrombosis gained notoriety when passengers on long–haul flights develop deep vein thrombosis and lung embolism now called as "economy–class syndrome." It results from long hours of minimal movement i.e. airline passengers sitting in their seats for hours and not being able to move. Treating the condition at an early stage can help save lives and prevent complications such as pulmonary embolism or recurrent deep vein thrombosis.
A simple aspirin tablet taken a few hours before take–off thins the blood during long periods of inactivity. The number of victims would fall significantly if more passengers followed this advice.
Patients at severe risk for thrombosis should be given injections with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), a form of prophylaxis already in common use in hospitalized patients.
Answer for yesterday’s Mind Teaser: (b) Home remedies used to treat pain.
Correct answers received from: Dr PC Das, Dr VP Thakral, Dr Ayyavoo Erode, Dr K Raju.