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Morning MEDtalks with Dr K K Aggarwal 24th August 2018
New Delhi, August 24, 2018 :
Adding blood sugar and eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) to hs-cTnT(high-sensitivity cardiac troponin)level testing in the emergency department is more sensitive and specific for determining risk for myocardial infarction (MI) and death in patients with MI symptoms than hs-cTn testing alone as perPeter A. Kavsak, PhD, an associate professor from the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in August 20 issue of Canadian Medical Association Journal. Elevated blood sugar in patients with ST-segment elevation MI can indicate the patient is hemodynamically unstable, has a larger infarct size, and has increased risk for death within 30 days. Also,eGFR independently predicts major adverse cardiac outcomes in those with acute coronary syndrome.
The Supreme Court of India has said that the right to healthcare prevails over right to voluntary retirement by doctors in the larger public interestas medical services are part and parcel of right to life itself.Right to retire as a fundamental right can’t be supreme then the right to life, said the bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer in their judgment pronounced on Tuesday.”When services are required, denial of voluntary retirement is permissible under the rules applicable in the State of Uttar Pradesh”, the court said.
Moderation and variety are the answer when it comes to the use of edible oils. But when it comes to coconut oil it has been called as a “ pure poison”. Last year the American Heart Association (AHA) released a report advising against using coconut oil. Existing data showed the fat increased bad cholesterol in seven out of seven trials, just as butter, beef fat and palm oil. The fat in coconut oil is far more saturated (82%) than butter (63%) and beef fat (50%). Coconut oil is almost all saturated fat and if consumed alongside a diet high in saturated fats, you may be consuming well over the government recommended 20g per day for women and 30g per day for men. People are turning to coconuts as a guilt-free fat amongst a trend of low carb/high fat diets.
United we stand, divided we fall is a phrase well-known to us all. The power of unity is tremendous. Emphasizing this, Dr. Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, the Head of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat has said, “Combat against devastating effects of tobacco can only be won ‘if the UN stands united’. United Nations agencies must join forces at the policy level and refuse interference from tobacco companies in their programmes so the destructive impact of tobacco can be effectively addressed and lives can be saved.”
According to a report by WHO and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) “The Who Framework Convention on Tobacco Control An Accelerator for Sustainable Development”, it is estimated that up to one billion people could die from tobacco-related diseases this century. Currently, over seven million people die every year due to tobacco use. Tobacco costs the global economy over a trillion dollars annually in medical expenses and lost productivity. It also has environmental impacts –deforestation and soil degradation for tobacco cultures, as well as water and soil pollution from cigarette littering.
Back to the basics: Hand wash is the best. Clostridium difficile is a rising problem and is most often found in hospitals. It is responsible for 20% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and causes 29,000 annual deaths in the US alone. C. difficile survives alcohol-based sanitizers because of its hard shell. The only way to get rid of it is vigorous hand washing using soap, which flushes the bacteria down the drain.
“United to end tuberculosis: an urgent global response to a global epidemic” The first high-level UN meeting on TB seeks to accelerate the end of the disease. Heads of State will gather in New York on 26 September this year at the United Nations General Assembly first-ever high-level meeting on TB to accelerate efforts in ending TB and reach all affected people with prevention and care. The theme of the meeting is “United to end tuberculosis: an urgent global response to a global epidemic”.
It follows on from a very successful Ministerial Conference on Ending TB in Moscow on 16-17 November, 2017 which resulted in high-level commitments from Ministers and other leaders from 120 countries to accelerate progress to end TB.
WHO issues warning about West Nile Virus spreading across Europe. The WHO has reported a sharp increase in the number of European cases, – with a total of 22 deaths as a result of the infection, which has no prevention vaccine for humans.
Typhoid is not our problem alone. As per WHO about 21 million cases of typhoid occur annually worldwide and about 220 000 people die each year, most of them children. Majority of those affected are in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated 60% of cases of typhoid recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa are resistant to drugs.
When evaluating heart failure patients, ask for real time (RT)-3D echocardiography.Right ventricular dysfunction is linearly associated with increased heart failure risk independent of left ventricular ejection fraction as per an analysis in JAMA Cardiology.
Video to watch: TEDx Talk by Dr KK Aggarwal: Modern day doctor-patient relationship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
Vice President CMAAO
President HCFI
HealthySoch
