29th December 2020.
An excellent overview of the pathophysiology and management of COVID 19  in diabetics has been recently published.

17th November 2020.
Adherence to good sleep hygiene and a healthy sleep pattern reduces the incidence of heart failure according to this recently published article in the journal “Circulation”. This is common sense but its now experimentally proven as well.

8th November 2020.
You can now track the quality of sleep using only your smart phone (iPhone or android) with this useful app. It monitors sleep quality by sending out ultrasound waves from its speakers that track the movements of the body while asleep. The phone has to be kept about 6 inches above the chest for it to do the tracking accurately.

2nd November 2020.
Patients with COVID 19 are more prone to strokes due to blood clots in the smaller arteries and capillaries of various orgaons in the human body. Here is a recently published exhaustive review on the incidence of strokes in the COVID 19 patient.

27th October 2020.
A recently published study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports suggests that hard physical labour in Scandinavian males was associated with a significantly higher risk of dementia in later years. It is widely believed that physical labour is protective but there appears to be a distinct difference between hard labour during work and exercise during free time according to this study.

21st September 2020.
The US FDA orders recall of some brands of the hugely popular anti diabetic drug Metformin due to its potential carcinogenic (cancer causing) effects. The recalled brands were found to contain the potentially carcinogenic substance N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) above the acceptable limit. This should serve as  an eye opener for health care professional looking after diabetics.

15th September 2020
A useful online reference regarding the pandemic and the virus during these difficult times.

10th September 2020
A recent article published in the NEJM suggests that the use of face masks  in the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic could have a protective effect similar to the effect known as “variolation” that was used during the small pox pandemic. During the small pox epidemic, scabs from infected people was rubbed on to the skin of non infected people in an attempt to create a “small / minor” infection which could easily be overcome by the hosts normal defense mechanisms. Masks could prevent a large viral load from entering the body but may permit a very small number of particles to enter. These small virus loads could easily be handled by the bodies defense mechanisms and in the process the person could become immune to the COVID 19 virus.

5th September 2020
Children are commonly known to have asymptomatic COVID 19 infections.  Asymptomatic infections were considered to be inconsequential until a recent study found significant  cardiac damage that manifests a few weeks after an asymptomatic COVID 19 infection in children. This is an eye opener. Children need close monitoring even after an apparently asymptomatic COVID 19 infection to pick up and treat this damage early.

26th August 2020
Every individuals’s gut virus composition is as unique as their fingerprint, according to a unique study designed to to tabulate a comprehensive database of viruses in the human digestive system. According to a new study, published in the journal Cell Host Microbe,  most of these viruses are bacteriophages. This finding opens up a new frontier in altering gut flora beneficially, using viruses that are resident in the human digestive system and possibly target life threatening infections caused “super bugs” without the use of antibiotics.

15th August 2020
Super bugs (multi drug resistent bacteria) are an important cause for increased morbidity and mortality in the world today. Researchers struggle to identify newer antibiotics which can kill these super bugs. A new method to kill super bugs using micro ampere current could prove to be a game changer in this regard. According to a recent study published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, bacterial cell membrances could be disrupted by exposure to a very low amperage current (<100 micro amperes) for 30 minutes.

6th August 2020
A cytokine storm is a well known phenomenon associated with severe COVID 19 infection and is the cause of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and mortality in COVID 19 infections. According to a recent study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Tocilizumab (a drug used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis) could block IL6 and thus attenuate the severity of the cytokine storm and potentially reduce mortality in severe  COVID 19 infections.

1st August 2020
A meta analysis of multiple previous studies and reports recently published in the journal “Advances in Nutrition” confirms that a high intake of sugars sweetened beverages (SSB’s) is associated with a higher prevalance of cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality.

26th July 2020
Multi drug resistant  bacteria are common in current medical practice. Newer antibiotics are becoming scarce. As this problem rages across the world, a group of scientists are looking at some medieval treatment methods which may offer some solutions. Looking backward for a better future (however contradictory it may sound) may be the need of the hour.

20th July 2020
A new method of CT Scanning may significantly reduce the exposure to radiation by splitting the X Ray beam into smaller “beamlets”. This is done by a mask with small perforations placed in the path of the x ray beam. This significantly reduces radiation exposure to patients without compromising on the quality of the image.

12th July 2020
WHO confirms that the deadly Corona Virus can spread by airborne transmission. Read more ……

5th July 2020
Is the next pandemic on the way. There are two ominous signs which bring back memories of the bubonic plague of 1918. There are increased rat sightings in many parts of the world. A case of bubonic plague has been recently reported in China.

1st July 2020
A recent study conducted by the Duke National University of Singapore Medical School suggests that the humble, commonly used antiseptic betadine (povidone iodine) may be protective against COVID 19.

15th June 2020
Current evidence about the pandemic from a group of celebrated scientists in India.