World Haemophilia Day
Context :
World Haemophilia Day is observed on 17 April. The day aims to increase awareness of haemophilia, von Willebrand disease, and other inherited bleeding disorders. The increased awareness will increase better diagnosis and access to care for the millions who remain without treatment.
Theme :
The theme of 2020 World Haemophilia Day is “Get+involved”. The theme aims to help increase the awareness of inherited bleeding disorders and the need to make access to adequate care possible everywhere in the world.
History :
World Haemophilia Day was initiated by the World Federation of Haemophilia. The day has been observed since 1989 by worldwide patient groups. The date was chosen to honour the birth anniversary of the World Federation of Haemophilia founder Frank Schnabel.
Haemophilia :
Haemophilia is a disorder in which the blood doesn’t clot normally. This disease will cause excessive bleeding after injury damage. The symptoms of the disease include deep bruises, joint pain, and swelling, unexplained bleeding and blood in urine or stool.
Heamophilia is called a “royal disease”. The haemophilia gene was transmitted from Queen Victoria (who became Queen of England in 1837), to the ruling families of Russia, Spain, and Germany. The gene for haemophilia in Queen Victoria was caused by spontaneous mutation.
Haemophilia research began around 1900. The scientists found that human blood could be divided into groups or types. This discovery made blood transfusions much more successful. Scientists learned to separate blood into its major parts, plasma and red cells in 1930. In 1960s Dr. Judith Graham Pool discovered the cryoprecipitate process, which is the best way of stopping hemophilia bleeds ever seen.
Seismic Noise
Context :
Scientists at the British Geological Survey (BGS) have reported a change in the Earth’s seismic noise and vibrations amid the coronavirus lockdown.
These findings have come two weeks after seismologists at the Royal Observatory in Belgium observed a 30-50% fall in levels of seismic noise since schools and businesses were closed in mid-March.
Key Points :
- Seismic noise
- In geology (study of rocks), seismic noise refers to the relatively persistent vibration of the ground due to a multitude of causes.
- This noise includes vibrations caused due to human activity, such as transport and manufacturing.
- Scientists first observed this seismic noise — everything recorded on seismograms that cannot be attributed to earthquakes — at the end of the 19th century.
- It is the unwanted component of signals recorded by a seismometer and makes it difficult for scientists to study seismic data that is more valuable.
- Apart from geology, seismic noise is also studied in other fields such as oil exploration, hydrology, and earthquake engineering.
- Benefits of reduction in seismic noise
- Usually, to measure seismic activity accurately and reduce the effect of seismic noise, geologists place their detectors 100 metres below the Earth’s surface.
- Because, the seismic noise vibrations caused by human activity are of high frequency (between 1-100 Hz), and travel through the Earth’s surface layers.
- However, since the lockdown, researchers have said that they were able to study natural vibrations even from surface readings, owing to lesser seismic noise.
- Due to lower noise levels, scientists are now hoping that they would be able to detect smaller earthquakes and tremors that had slipped past their instruments so far.
- Usually, to measure seismic activity accurately and reduce the effect of seismic noise, geologists place their detectors 100 metres below the Earth’s surface.
source : economics times
post-intensive care syndrome
Context :
After leaving the ICU, many patients may suffer from what is known as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which can happen to any person who has been in the ICU.
What is the concern now?
As per the WHO-China Joint Mission report that examined 55,924 laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19, over 6.1 per cent were classified as critical, which means they experienced respiratory failure, shock and multiple organ failure. Many critical cases need ICU admissions.
Therefore, for some Covid-19 patients who needed intensive care, the journey to recovery is a long one.
What is post-intensive care syndrome?
PICS is defined as new or worsening impairment in physical (ICU-acquired neuromuscular weakness), cognitive (thinking and judgment), or mental health status arising after critical illness and persisting beyond discharge from the acute care setting.
- Such patients may experience neuromuscular weakness, which can manifest itself in the form of poor mobility and recurrent falls.
- Psychological disability may arise in a person in the form of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
What are the symptoms?
The most common PICS symptoms are generalised weakness, fatigue, decreased mobility, anxious or depressed mood, sexual dysfunction, sleep disturbances and cognitive issues. These symptoms may last for a few months or many years after recovery.
What causes PICS?
A combination of factors can affect aspects of an ICU survivor’s life.
- PICS may be induced if a person was on prolonged mechanical ventilation, experienced sepsis, multiple organ failure and a prolonged duration of “bed-restore deep sedation”.
- 33 per cent of the people on ventilators may develop ICU-acquired muscle weakness (ICUAW). Along with this, 50 per cent of those who develop sepsis and up to 50 per cent of the patients who stay in the ICU for at least one week are also prone to ICUAW.
- After leaving the ICU, over 30-80 per cent may develop problems related to cognitive function and other mental health issues, including difficulty in falling and staying asleep.
Source : indian express
AI-based Voice Tool to Detect Covid-19
Context :
A University in Rome (Italy) is conducting a pilot run for a patented Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tool developed by students and a professor from Mumbai, which they claim can test Covid-19 through voice-based diagnosis using a smartphone.
Key Points :
- The tool has already been tested on 300 individuals and has detected Covid-19 patients with 98% accuracy.
- The tool is based on a voice-based diagnosis through an app. It can find coronavirus from the tone of the voice.
- As someone speaks to the microphone on the app, the tool breaks down the voice in multiple parameters such as frequency and noise distortion.
- These values are then compared to a normal person’s values and the patented technique then determines if the patient is positive or not.
- Each human voice has 6,300 parameters, and only a few units, less than a dozen, specifically characterise individuals. The human ear, apart from colds, is not able to distinguish them, but artificial intelligence does.
- Each one of an individual’s internal organs is sort of a resonator, so if anyone has a problem with lungs or heart, this will be reflected in his/her voice.
- The current novel coronavirus cases could be detected this way.
Benefits of the voice-based diagnosis tool :
- This tool can be of great impact in doing the first level of screening to identify positives and only those who tested positive can go for the lab tests.
- This can reduce the current bottleneck on the medical infrastructure, and help the government to identify hotspot regions in advance.
- It is possibly the best way to reach out to the remotest part of India by testing through a smartphone, without the risk of exposure, both to the patient and the lab personnel.
- This voice-based diagnosis will fetch zero cost testing to the patient and no wait time.
Chitra GeneLAMP-N
Context :
It is a diagnostic test kit that can confirm COVID19 in 2 hours at low cost.
It has been developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, an Institute of National Importance, of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
How it works?
The confirmatory diagnostic test detects the N Gene of SARS- COV2 using reverse transcriptase loop-mediated amplification of viral nucleic acid (RT-LAMP).
The test kit is highly specific for SARS-CoV-2 N-gene and can detect two regions of the gene, which will ensure that the test does not fail even if one region of the viral gene undergoes mutation during its current spread.
Significance:
- The trial tests performed show that Chitra GeneLAMP- N has 100% accuracy and match with test results using RT-PCR.
- The detection time is 10 minutes, and the sample to result time (from RNA extraction in swab to RT-LAMP detection time) will be less than 2 hours.
- A total of 30 samples can be tested in a single batch in a single machine allowing a large number of samples to be tested each day.
source : pib