Azathioprine Pulse Therapy in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis:

Treatment available for treating psoriasis of joint are able to clear the lesions but relapse is common. While treating psoriasis with Azathioprine Pulse Therapy, it was observed that the involvement of joints (arthritis of small and big joints) also cleared. To see whether intermittent high dose (IHD) and continuous low dose (CLD) azathioprine given to clear psoriasis also clear the joint involvements and produce prolong/permanent remission.

Methods                            

Six out of 60 psoriasis patients treated with azathioprine pulse therapy (APT) had joints involvement. All received azathioprine pulse therapy for treating psoriasis which contain azathioprine 500 mg given on three consecutive days and was repeated every month on the same date along with azathioprine100 mg orally in between the IHD. The entire treatment was divided into four phases. Phase I, continued till clearance of all lesions of psoriasis. In phase II nine more APT is given. In phase III only azathioprine100 mg was continued for 9 months. In phase IV azathioprine100 mg was also stop and patients were followed up without any treatment for any recurrence till the end of the study.

Result

Six patients with joint pain and arthritis cleared in 1–12 months and are in remission since 35–95 months

.

Conclusions

Thus azathioprine pulse therapy regimen is able to put psoriatic arthritis into prolong/permanent remission.

Courtesy:  www.apollomedicaljournal.net

Stay Healthy Working Mom’s Diet

Mothers play multiple roles to meet the obligations of work, family and society. They have an important role in influencing health decisions of entire families (from infants to the elderly) and shoulder the responsibility for their mental and physical well-being, especially children. Given these demands on their time, working mothers are known to compromise their personal health. The dual responsibility of work and home prevents them from taking time for relaxation and exercise. This is especially true of young mothers who may not have family or reliable external support. While it is important to pursue career aspirations, it is equally important for women to maintain good health.

Here are six simple steps to stay healthy:

Eat balanced meals. Eating healthy food like fruits, green leafy vegetables and lentils keep a person energetic and also healthy as they do not have artificial fats and sugars. Do not be sedentary or sit at a desk all day long. Moving around and exercising for at least an hour a day will help in weight loss. 

Exercise at least three times a week; preferably opt for an aerobic exercise like swimming or cycling. Sleep well. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night to feel refreshed in the mornings. Practice moderation in food and drink as it reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity. Schedule a visit with your doctor once a year and have a health check.

A new study revealed that "Moms who work full-time are healthier at age 40 than moms who stay at home, work part time, or moms who find themselves repeatedly out of work." Read more at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249299.php

You are the most important link in your family's good health. Make sensible life style choices and keep that link healthy.

Courtesy: www.apolloclinics.com 

Present Innovative Technology Healthcare Devices

This week will focus on few of the innovative healthcare devices which are changing or will change the way we get treatment.

Needle-Free Diabetes Care: 

Diabetes self-care is a pain and I mean literally. Considering insulin therapy is the best we can provide for the patient and as we all know insulin can be administered by injections only. Apart from that, it brings the constant need to draw blood for glucose testing. Continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps are today's best options for automating most of the complicated daily process of blood sugar management – but they don't completely remove the need for skin pricks and shots. Neither have they protected you from infection, fatty degeneration and local skin lesions. 

But there's new skin in this game. Echo Therapeutics (Philadelphia) is developing technologies that would replace the poke with a patch. The company is working on a transdermal biosensor that reads blood analytics through the skin without drawing blood. The technology involves a handheld electric-toothbrush-like device that removes just enough top-layer skin cells to put the patient's blood chemistry within signal range of a patch-borne biosensor. The sensor collects one reading per minute and sends the data wirelessly to a remote monitor, triggering audible alarms when levels go out of the patient's optimal range and tracking glucose levels over time.

If this innovation is coming to everyday market, we can truly see a needle free diabetic treatment.

A Valve Job with Heart

The Sapien transcatheter aortic valve is a life-saving alternative to open-heart surgery for patients who need new a new valve but can't endure the rigors of the operation. Manufactured byEdwards Life Sciences (Irvine, CA), the Sapien has been available in Europe for some time but is only now finding its first use in U.S. heart centers—where it is limited only to the frailest patients thus far. 

The Sapien valve is guided through the femoral artery by catheter from a small incision near the grown or rib cage. The valve material is made of bovine tissue attached to a stainless-steel stent, which is expanded by inflating a small balloon when correctly placed in the valve space. A simpler procedure that promises dramatically shorter hospitalizations is bound to have a positive effect on the cost of care. Apollo hospitals is one of the leading HealthCare service provider in India with Innovative Technology support for patients for all kinds of health problems and also emerged as an Educational institution  which provides many PG, diploma, Certification courses for all medical Care professionals and graduates. For Diabetes management course details at Medvarsity online ltd visit us.

Source: https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/bioengineering/top-5-medical-technology-innovations

Do you know about Hepatitis C ??

Hepatitis C is the one of the brothers of the hepatitis family which consists of Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and others. Hepatitis C caused by the hepatitis C virus. It’s called the silent nosocomial infection as patients usually don’t acknowledge the early symptoms effects.

Symptoms of Hepatitis C include:

·         Jaundice 

·         Stomach pain

·         Loss of appetite

·         Nausea

·         Fatigue

It mimics other common Jaundice related disorders and most commonly Hepatitis A, E.

Hepatitis C

How do someone Get Hepatitis C?

You get the hepatitis C virus from the blood or body fluids of an infected person. Commonly occurs due to negligence in clinical set ups who don’t adhere to regulations of safe blood transfusions. Body fluids transferred via sexual contact can also cause this.

How it is circulated from one human body to another?

·         Blood transfusion by infected blood.

·         Sharing drugs and needles

·         Having sex, especially if you have an STD, an HIV infection, several sex partners, or have rough sex.

·         Being stuck by infected needles

·         Through birth from a mother to a child

·         Organ transplant

·         From Maternal transfer during pregnancy

Are There Any Long-Term Effects of Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C

What's the Treatment for Hepatitis C?Liver cirrhosis

The latest is a once-daily pill called Harvoni that cures the disease in most people in 8-12 weeks. It combines two drugs: Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and ledipasvir.

Other options include taking a combination of Sovaldi, Olysio (simeprevir), interferon which is taken by injection, and/or ribavirin (which comes as a liquid, tablet, or capsule).

Side Effects of Hepatitis C Treatment

·         Flu-like symptoms

·         Fatigue

·         Hair loss

·         Low blood counts

·         Trouble thinking

·         Nervousness

·         Depression

Hepatitis  Treatment

Latest Development in hepatitis C vaccination in India

Natco is the first company in India to get approval for generic sofosbuvir tablets, 400mg, from Drugs Controller General (India)," says the company in its filing. Sofosbuvir is a medicine used for chronic hepatitis C infection and sold globally by Gilead Sciences, Inc, under its brand Sovaldi. Natco will market generic sofosbuvir under its brand HEPCINAT and through strategic partners in India. It plans to price its generic medicine at an MRP of Rs 19,900 for a bottle of 28 tablets and expects to launch in India very soon.

Sources and extracts from: www.webmd.com, http://www.thepharmatimes.in/

Quick Facts About EBOLA VIRUS

  What is an Ebola?

Ebola is a virus disease—also called Ebola haemorrhagic fever. It was discovered by scientist the virus in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The virus gets its name from the Ebola River near where five strains of the virus were found.

Ebola Virus

  Does Ebola Spread through direct contact?

Ebola is not an airborne virus unlike common cold or flu. Instead, the Ebola virus spreads from coming into direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, or infected objects—such as needles, clothing or bedding. Body fluids include urine, faeces, saliva, mucus, vomit, breast milk, and semen. The virus can enter the body through broken skin or mucous membranes in your mouth, throat, nose, eyes, genitals or anus. 

 Diagnostic issues

Difficult to diagnose as it mimics common flu along with fever, cold, body ache. In some cases, external bleeding may happen which are dangerous and the patient may struggle to survive without intensive care. Incubation period is 2 to 21 days.

Symptoms Of  Ebola

 What is the treatment plan for Ebola

Doctors treat patients with supportive measures which includes giving IV fluids and electrolytes, providing oxygen, maintaining blood pressure, treating other infections, and relieving symptoms. 

Currently, no specific drug is available. There are Ebola vaccines in developmental stage of research.

 Is it a fatal disease?

A person’s recovery depends on the strength of their immune system and the supportive care they receive. Early diagnosis is crucial. Once people recover from Ebola, they have antibodies to the disease which protects them for at least 10 years. Usually people with low body defence such as; Geriatrics, Paediatrics, AIDS patients, DM, etc., are vulnerable to this disease.

Avoiding Direct Contact Is the Main Prevention

For public, avoiding contact with blood, bodily fluids, and contaminated objects is the main way to prevent Ebola. Careful hygiene is the best way to avoid any infectious health risk. Also, alcohol and bleach based disinfectants quickly kill the Ebola virus.

For healthcare providers, the standard precautions—gowns, gloves and masks—are always a must, regardless of a person’s health status. Healthcare workers and others caring for a patient with Ebola must take extra precautions including isolating the patient, wearing full coverage protective clothing, and practicing proper infection control. 

Is Ebola Rare?

Ebola is a rare, but serious viral disease. In the nearly 40 years since its discovery, there have been about 25 outbreaks in African countries. About 2,500 people were infected during all these outbreaks. Compare that to the 2012 U.S. outbreak of whooping cough when nearly 50,000 people got sick in one year, and you can see how rare Ebola is. The current Ebola outbreak in Africa is getting widespread attention because it is larger than previous outbreaks and affects multiple countries.

Is It Safe to Travel With Someone Sick With Ebola?

People with Ebola have to have symptoms to spread the disease. Before symptoms develop, people aren’t contagious. You must come into direct contact with bodily fluids after a person exhibits symptoms. Being on an airplane or in an airport with a person infected with Ebola who does not have symptoms is a low-risk situation. This means it’s unlikely that you would acquire the infection. 

Is There a Vaccine for Ebola?

Symptoms Of Infections

Currently, there is not a vaccine in use for Ebola, but scientists are working on one. A vaccine works by stimulating the immune system to fight off a specific infection if or when it occurs. Vaccines act to prevent the disease instead of treat the disease. The National Institutes of Health recently announced that a new vaccine is in early clinical trials to see how safe it is in people and if it stimulates the immune system. 

Source:http://www.healthgrades.com/conditions/6-things-you-need-to-know-about-ebola