Indian military develops a kit,
detects swine flu in hours!
In a major breakthrough in detecting the deadly
swine flu virus that killed around 2,000 people in India in an outbreak this
year, a key military research centre has developed a kit that can detect the
virus in a matter of hours.
While current tests to detect the swine flu virus takes two to three days, the new kit delivers results in two to three hours, knowledgeable officials in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told IANS.
Developed by the Gwalior-based Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), the kit will also be cost-effective and is expected to be priced at around Rs.2,000 ($30), while the present tests can cost anything between Rs.4,500 and Rs.10,000 in the peak season.
"While conventional identification methods require time-consuming culturing and detection of anti-bodies, this kit uses a gene amplification method and is based on the principle of auto-cyclic strand displacement mechanism," a DRDO official aware of the developments told IANS on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
The DRDO, which leads defence research in the country, focussed on developing the kit in view of possible enhanced use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare (CBRN) in future, the official said.
"In case of a biological weapon being used, the first step to combat this is detection. Handy kits like these are being developed keeping that in mind," the official said.
Asked if the kit can be used on a large scale, the official said some firms have already been given the technology to develop the kits.
"Our role is to develop the technology. We have already handed it over to some interested manufacturers. It will now be up to the government to decide if it wants to use it at a larger level," the official added.
Swine flu has claimed well over two thousand lives in India till March this year with the total number of cases crossing the 33,000 mark, according to the health ministry. Rajasthan and Gujarat were the worst affected states.
Source:
www.timesofindia.com
22.05.2015
High BP driving heart diseases in
India
Hypertension or high blood pressure has been found
to be the most common cardiovascular risk factor in a study of outpatient care
in India.
Of the 68,196 patients from 10 cardiology outpatient departments included in the US-led study, hypertension was present in nearly 30 percent patients followed by other risk factors including diabetes, current tobacco use and high cholesterol.
Researchers used the American College of Cardiology's PINNACLE India Quality Improvement Programme registry to examine performance measures and outline areas for further improvement in cardiovascular care delivery.
The findings suggest that despite challenges, it is feasible to collect and study the quality of outpatient cardiovascular care in a resource-limited environment like India.
"This paper demonstrates the high potential for the American College of Cardiology and the PINNACLE registry to partner with cardiologists and help them improve the quality of outpatient cardiovascular care across the globe," said one of the study authors William Oetgen, executive vice president of science, education, and quality at the American College of Cardiology, a non-profit medical society.
There is a growing burden of cardiovascular disease in India, but only limited data is available on the quality of outpatient care for patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
As the second most populous country in the world, India is experiencing an increase in the more traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease due to a rise in behavioural risk factors, including tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor diet coupled with low levels of awareness, treatment and control of risk factors, the study noted.
The PINNACLE India Quality Improvement Programme is the first cardiovascular disease care data-collection and reporting programme implemented in the country, the researchers said.
Source:
www.timesofindia.com
22.05.2015
If you cant value a commitment made by someone else, your own
commitments lose their value too
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