Throat Slit, Radiologist murdered at St Stephens Hospital Delhi, Fellow Doctor Suspected

New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a resident doctor has been found murdered with his throat slit at the prestigious St Stephen’s Hospital, New Delhi. The doctor, now identified as Dr Sashwat Pandey was a third-year postgraduate student with the radiology department of the hospital.

The body of the deceased was recovered in the morning from the retiring room of the hospital, with his throat slit. He was found in a pool of blood by an attendant after which he made a PCR call at 9 in the morning, following which an FSL and Crime team on the spot

Police authorities informed that they are probing the role of colleagues and are questioning Pandey’s friends. Investigations are also on to discover the actual motive of the murder and see if a failed relationship could be behind the murder.

“His throat was found slit with a surgical blade. As per the preliminary investigation, the suspect appears to be a fellow doctor and an acquaintance of the deceased,” a senior police official told PTI

No arrests have been made so far.

Meanwhile shocked by the doctor’s death, more than 50 doctors staged a sit in protest at the hospital as they demanded that the culprit be arrested within 24 hours and have asked for a complete shut down of OPD and Casualty wards. Doctors are blaming the hospital authorities for lack of security inside the hospital.

Editors pick, Hospitals & Diagnostics, State News

August 25, 2017

Contraceptive pills effective in Rheumatoid arthritis risk : BMJ

Taking the contraceptive pill, particularly for seven or more consecutive years, is linked to a lowered risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, finds research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

But no significant link was found for breastfeeding a practice that has been associated with a protective effect after accounting for various potentially influential factors, the findings show.

According  to a new study by  Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases it has been found that women who take the oral contraceptive pill are protected from going on to develop arthritis in later life. This has led scientists to believe  hormonal and reproductive factors may contribute to the underlying cause.

Rheumatoid arthritis an autoimmune systemic disease which mainly attacks the joints, most often the knees, hands, and wrists but it can also affect the lungs, heart, eyes, and other parts of the body. It develops between the ages of 40 and 50 and  affects up to 1 percent of people worldwide.It occurs when the body’s immune system targets joints such as the wrists and ankles, causing painful swelling, and is twice as common in women as it is in men.

 Researchers  believe that hormonal changes prompted by the pill may decrease the risk of suffering from the painful disease.In the study it was  found that using the common contraceptive method for seven or more years was associated with a 19 per cent lower chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis.Women who had stopped using the pill still appeared to benefit from a protective effect, enjoying a 13 per cent lower risk of the condition.The data for the study was drawn  from 2,809 women with the disease and compared it with the medical records of 5,312 women randomly selected from the general population. The data from the Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis (EIRA) included women aged 18 and above, living in a defined area of Sweden between 1996 and 2014.

All participants had given blood samples, so the researchers could check for a blood marker for rheumatoid arthritis called anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs).

It was found that current use of contraceptive  pill was linked to 15 percent reduced risk, while past use was linked to 13 percent reduced risk.The researchers suggest that there could be a “dose-response” effect: using oral contraception for more than 7 years was linked to a 19 percent ler risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, even for women who tested negative for ACPAs.

In this present study it was therefore concluded  that women who had ever used oral contraceptives had a significantly decreased risk of developing RA .

Although a lower risk was also found among women who had breastfed at least one child, this was not significant after potentially influential factors were accounted for.

This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, added to which the researchers were unable to glean any information about the dose or type of oral contraceptive the women used.

But the number of participants was large, and a wide range of potentially influential factors was looked at, the researchers point out.

Details 

Long-Acting Injectable HIV Regimens Show Promise

July 24, 2017-  Long-acting injectable therapy for HIV appears to maintain viral suppression as effectively as daily oral treatment, according to an international, industry-funded, phase 2b trial. The results were presented on Monday at the International AIDS Society annual meeting and published in the Lancet.

Nearly 300 previously untreated adults who achieved HIV viral suppression during 20 weeks' treatment with oral cabotegravir plus abacavir-lamivudine were randomized to continue oral therapy or switch to intramuscular injections of long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine every 4 weeks (2 injections) or 8 weeks (3 injections). Cabotegravir is an experimental integrase strand transfer inhibitor.

At 32 weeks after randomization, rates of continued viral suppression were similar in the three groups: 91% with oral treatment, 94% with 4-week injections, and 95% with 8-week injections. At week 96, viral suppression rates were 84%, 87%, and 94%, respectively. There were no serious, drug-related adverse events.

HIV expert Dr. Paul Sax commented, "The importance of this study is that many patients with HIV have expressed interest in alternatives to taking medications daily, and the results confirm that this is feasible. However, as this regimen is currently configured — with the manufacturer planning to seek FDA approval for two non-self-administered injections every 4 weeks — it is unlikely to be broadly adopted until there are less frequent or more easily given strategies."

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Every Hour Matters After Rape: At the hand of Medical Officer

Every Hour Matters after rape to prevent many lifelong physical and mental health consequences. This is a visual timeline of what you need to know about the short window of time available to access critical services.

Labor & Delivery Unit Management & Maternal Outcomes

Labor and delivery unit management varies dramatically across and within hospitals in the US, with some proactive management practices potentially associated with increased risk of primary cesarean delivery and maternal morbidity, a recent study found. Primary nurse and physician managers at 53 diverse hospitals across the US were interviewed and a management measurement instrument was developed. Patient-level regressions were constructed to assess the independent association between 3 management themes (management of unit culture, patient flow, and nursing) and maternal outcomes. Researchers found.

• Proactive management of unit culture and nursing was associated with a significantly higher risk of primary cesarean delivery in low-risk patients (relative risk [RR] 1.30).
• Proactive management of unit culture was also associated with a significantly higher risk of prolonged length of stay (RR, 4.13), postpartum hemorrhage (RR, 2.57), and blood transfusion (RR, 1.87).
• Conversely, proactive management of patient flow and nursing was associated with a significantly lower risk of prolonged length of stay (RR, 0.23)                                                                                                                                                                                  

Source