New Delhi, August 8th, 2018 :
Suggestions on amendments in the provisions of the Preconception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) (Six Months Training) Rules 2014 by Heart Care Foundation of India
- In the proposed change it is clearly mentioned that the said 6 months training will prepare the MBBS doctor to conduct the prenatal diagnostics only. It should be further clearly specified that the said 6 months training is not applicable for any other diagnosticand the medical registered practitioners are not required to undergo the said 6 months training or any competency-based exam under the said rules if he or she is not undertaking prenatal diagnostics. Also, that Geneticists are exempted from undertaking the said training.
- The registered medical practitioners who are not undertaking prenatal diagnostic test should not be required to undertake the said 6 months or competency-based exam provided they furnish an undertaking that they shall not undertake prenatal diagnostic test.
- The said rule 9 (as mentioned in the title: Changed criteria to be made prospective) should clarify that the said rule is prospective in nature and not retrospective. The text of the clause accordingly needs to be changed and the new MBBS doctors should undertake the said 6 months training and not the existing MBBS doctors who have been undertaking prenatal diagnostic test.
Based on this prospective clause the existing registered medical practitioners who are conducting prenatal diagnostics ultrasound procedures in a Genetic Clinic or Ultrasound Clinic or Imaging Centre on the basis of one-year experience six-month training should be exempted from undertaking the said training provided they have been allowed to prenatal diagnostic test earlier. Also, the said existing medical practitioners should not be required to undertake competency-based exams.
Lower the bad cholesterol as much as possible
The clinical benefit for every 1 mmol/L reduction in LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol was the same with statins or any of the nonstatin medications (combined relative risk reduction, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.71 – 0.87; P < .001), the researchers note in a study published online August 1, 2018 in JAMA Cardiology.
Extra fat around your belly poses a unique health threat
A study from the UK reported in the March 6, 2018 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association took body measurements of the participants (aged 40 to 69 years) and then kept track of who had heart attacks over the next seven years. During that period, the women who carried more weight around their middles (measured by waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, or waist-to-height ratio) had a 10-20% greater risk of heart attack than women who were just heavier over all (measured by body mass index, or BMI, a calculation of weight in relation to height).
A larger waist-to-hip ratio, in particular, appeared to be a bigger heart attack risk factor for women than for men. The analysis showed that compared with BMI, waist-to-hip ratio was 18% stronger as a heart attack predictor in women vs 6% stronger in men.
Limit screen-based recreational media at home, says AHA
Screen time from computers, phones, tablet computers, video games, TV and other screen-based devices is associated with an increased amount of sedentary behavior in children and teens leadint to overweight and obesity, according to a new scientific statement “Sedentary Behaviors in Today’s Youth: Approaches to the Prevention and Management of Childhood Obesity” released by the American Heart Association (AHA) published in the journal Circulation.
Though TV viewing by children and adolescents has declined, the recreational use of other screen-based devices, such as smart phones, tablet computers and others has resulted in a net increase in screen time overall.
The AHA recommends not more than 1-2 hours of recreational screen time daily for children and teenagers.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
Vice President CMAAO
President HCFI