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According to experts, a diabetic medicine appears to help obese patients lose weight dramatically. With a weekly dose of the medicine, the impact can be visible. The medicine has been hailed as a game-changer by specialists. Participants shed roughly 20% of their body weight throughout the course of a 72-week experiment. The New England Journal of Medicine has published the study. The multinational team of researchers claimed they divided 2,539 overweight or obese people into four groups in the study. For 72 weeks, one group received a placebo injection, while the other three received either 5mg, 10mg, or 15mg of tirzepatide, a novel medicine.

Every participant was required to eat low-calorie meals and exercise for at least 150 minutes each week. The individuals weighed an average of 104.8kg and 94.5 percent were obese. The bulk of the attendees were female and Caucasian. There was no one with diabetes.

Also Read: ICMR issues guidelines for management of type 1 diabetes amid Covid cases surge

After the end of the 72-week period, participants who were given 5mg of tirzepatide every week lost an average of 16.1kg, people given 10mg shed an average weight of 22.2kg and the group who had taken the 15mg lost an average weight of 23.6kg. The group which was given a placebo injection lost an average weight of 2.4kg.

Around 57 per cent of people given the highest dose shed 20% or more of body weight in comparison to 3% of people who were given the placebo. “We should treat obesity as we treat any chronic disease – with effective and safe approaches which target underlying disease mechanisms – and these results underscore that tirzepatide may be doing just that,” said Dr Ania Jastreboff of Yale University, who was the lead author of the research.

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On Monday, the Indian Council of Medical Research published recommendations for the management of Type 1 Diabetes.

“The guidelines come at a time when the COVID19 pandemic has disproportionately affected people with diabetes population, exposing them to a high risk for severe illness and mortality,” informed ICMR in a statement. The guidelines include a vast umbrella of topics including Epidemiology and Diagnosis and Guide for Differential Diagnosis, Drugs -Insulin and Others, monitoring of metabolic control, etc.

The recommendations were conceptualised and compiled by famous researchers and clinicians, including Dr Nikhil Tandon (HOD of Endocrinology & Metabolism, AIIMS, New Delhi), Dr V Mohan (Director, MDRF, Chennai), and Dr R S Dhaliwal (Head, Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, ICMR Hqrs).

Also Read: Cancer increases risk of developing diabetes: Study

The ICMR has produced guidelines for type 1 diabetes for the first time, having previously exclusively released guidelines for type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic illness in which the pancreas generates little or no insulin on its own.

Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent, generally affecting adults, and arises when the body develops insulin resistance or fails to produce enough insulin. Type 2 diabetes has increased substantially in countries of all income levels during the last three decades.

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On Monday, India saw a spike in COVID-19 cases, with 4,518 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry.

As infections spread, India’s active COVID caseload has risen to 25,782, accounting for 0.06 percent of the country’s total positive cases.

The health ministry reported today that the daily positive rate was 1.62 percent in the past 24 hours, while the weekly positivity rate was 0.91 percent.

With 2,779 recoveries in the last 24 hours hence, the total recoveries now reached 4,26,30,852. India’s Recovery Rate is currently at 98.73 per cent.

As per the health ministry, India conducted 2,78,059 COVID-19 tests in the last 24 hours. The country has so far conducted 85.29 crore (85,29,01,546) total tests so far, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data.

The country has administered more than 194.12 crore (1,94,12,87,000) vaccine doses so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. This has been achieved through 2,47,70,416 sessions.

India has also administered 3,66,62,905 precaution doses to all the beneficiaries so far.

Also Read: 12 cases of Omicron subvariants of Covid detected in Tamil Nadu

COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years began on March 16, 2022. So far, more than 3.44 crore (3,44,48,902) adolescents have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

However, the national capital on Sunday witnessed a drop in COVID-19 cases logging 343 new infections in the last 24 hours, as per the health bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department.

Meanwhile, as many as 12 people tested positive for the new subvariants of COVID BA.4 and BA.5 in Tamil Nadu, as per state Health Minister M Subramanian.

Notably, as India is witnessing a surge in the subvariants of Omicron, Dr Tarun Kumar Sahni, Internal medicine and hyperbaric Oxygen therapist at Indraprastha Apollo hospital clarified that the BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages are quite “mild” because they are behaving like other mutants of COVID-19.

He further said the variant of concern means a particular mutant that can quickly convert and become more serious and progressive than the other variants.

The health expert also stressed following the COVID-19 protocols including wearing masks.

BA.4 and BA.5 are subvariants of the Omicron variant circulating globally. These were reported first from South Africa earlier this year and are now reported from several other countries. These variants have not been associated with disease severity or increased hospitalization.

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Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a spiritual leader who is actively involved in raising food and nutrition knowledge, emphasises the need of a nutrient-rich diet in combating death rates amid the horrific COVID-19 epidemic that has swept the planet.

The pandemic, says Sadhguru “was a great opportunity for human beings to strengthen themselves physically, mentally and emotionally.” In an exclusive interview with ANI, Sadhguru said, ” I don’t want to give COVID that kind of significance. For me, COVID time was very good. It’s unfortunate that over six million people lost their lives during the COVID pandemic. Apart from that, the rest of it was a great opportunity for human beings to come to terms with themselves, face their own mortality, and strengthen themselves physically, mentally and emotionally in every way.”

According to Sadhguru, a nutrient-deficient diet is responsible for high mortality rates in COVID.

He said, “We need to understand why a simple respiratory tract infection is killing so many people? You don’t have to go to a top virologist, any doctor will tell you that if you don’t have Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, B6, B12, Iron foliate, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc in your diet, respiratory tract infection, a flue can kill you.”

For the spiritual leader Sadhguru, the reason behind nutrient-deficient food is weak soil.

“The nutrients are so low in the food that you are consuming. This is one of the reasons (behind deaths). And why in an affluent country like America, a maximum number of deaths are happening? Simply this, because the soil has become so weak”, he said.

Meanwhile, the spiritual guru advocates for yogic practices such as ‘Simha Kriya’ which is said to strengthen lung capacity and the immune system. Sadhguru also emphasises on eating a balanced and nutritious food to keep diseases at bay.

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According to state Health Minister M Subramanian, 12 patients in Tamil Nadu tested positive with the novel COVID Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

According to the Minister, 300 samples were forwarded to the Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, with 12 of them testing positive for the subvariants.

“Today morning we got info from CDFD that BA.4, and BA5 variants of COVID cases have been detected. So far 4 persons tested BA.4 variant positive while 8 people tested positive for BA.5 variant,” he said on Sunday.

However, Subramanian said that all the patients are healthy and are currently under the Health Secretary’s observation.

Also Read: Philippines detects 2 cases of Omicron subvariant BA.5

“Union Government officials will announce this information tomorrow. We are also observing the contacts of people who are all tested for new variants of COVID,” he said.

Meanwhile, since the subvariants of Omicron have been seen in India, Dr Tarun Kumar Sahni, an internal medicine and hyperbaric oxygen therapist at Indraprastha Apollo hospital, has explained that the BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages are “mild” because they behave like other COVID-19 mutants.

“The sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 are behaving the same as other mutants of COVID-19 variants. We have observed that it is quite mild. A few months ago, WHO said that BA.4 and BA.5 are variants of concern. The European countries have also recently called it a variant of concern,” Dr Kumar told ANI.

He went on to say that a variety of concern is a mutant that can convert fast and become more dangerous and progressing than other variants.

The health expert also emphasised the need of following COVID-19 standards, which include wearing masks.

BA.4 and BA.5 are Omicron subvariants that are propagating over the world. These were originally reported from South Africa early this year, and have now spread to a number of other nations. These variations have not been linked to increased illness severity or hospitalisation.

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Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, the founder of the Isha Foundation, stated on Sunday that gun violence in the United States was linked to juvenile mental health.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, he said that the violent culture in the US is rising because of the content of television shows, movies and video games. “Mental health and violence are very connected. I am asking — have we not made violence a very popular thing? A five-year-old is playing a video game. What do you think, he is doing? You think he is playing badminton; he is shooting somebody. Most of the time he is shooting something. From the age of five till 18, if I am that child, if I go on shooting on the screen when I become 18, would I like not to graduate to something more real?” said the spiritual Guru.

An 18-year-old opened fire in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 21 people, including 19 children and two instructors.

Sadhguru then related an instance, emphasising the growth of mental health issues following the COVID-19 epidemic.

“I met a lady psychiatrist; she said in my 20 years of practicing psychiatry, nobody ever came and asked this, but, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, many young girls came and asked her ‘can you suggest where we can learn yoga and bring some balance to our ourselves’. That search for inner balance has kind of touched people. A few people have hung on with it, others have just forgotten it, thinking that they can settle it with a glass of beer,” he said.

The founder of the Isha Foundation was recently in the United States as part of his ‘Save Soil Movement,’ a global campaign to raise awareness about decreasing soil health and encourage people to take action.

Sadhguru began the movement in March 2022, when he set out on a 100-day motorbike ride that took him through 27 nations. On June 5, the 100-day trip reaches its 75th day.

He stated there is a mismatch between millennials and their happiness and well-being, based on his experience riding a motorcycle throughout the United States and filming the culture there.

He also flagged the violence being promoted on various platforms. “Look at all the movies that you make, the television stuff that you make. If you and I have an argument, the only way is that I pick up something and crash it on your head or bash up your face or shoot you on the head. Isn’t this the way every disagreement is settled in most movies, television serials, and everything? We are setting up that example, this is the way of settling every argument, every disagreement, while the whole process of civilization is even if we fundamentally disagree with the basic aspect of the life — we can still sit down and talk it out, debate and if we cannot, we can move little away,” he said, adding “this is civilization, but, are we not reversing that in our television screen, cinema screen, and video games screen? Are we not seriously trying to reverse the basic process of civilization where instead of bashing your face, I can talk to you.”

Regarding gun violence in India, Sadhguru said, “It’s not on a large scale because only urban children in India get to do those things. Even in that, only a percentage of well-to-do children get to do those things. It’s not as widespread as in the US.”

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The World Health Organization (WHO) reported or identified 780 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox from May 13 and as of June 2 from 27 nations spanning four WHO regions that are not endemic for the monkeypox virus.

While the virus’s West African lineage has been identified from case samples thus far, the majority of confirmed cases with travel histories indicated travel to nations in Europe and North America rather than West and Central Africa, where the monkeypox virus is prevalent.

“Monkeypox was identified way back in 1958 in Congo, and it has surprisingly been localised only as an endemic disease in western as well as central African countries. Now this is an Orthodox type of virus, which is akin to viruses like small pox and chicken pox. But now the presentation is similar to what we see in patients who have chicken pox or measles, but the surprising thing about the virus is that the majority of the patients still do not give any history of travel to areas which are known to be endemic or from where the virus has already been reported,” Dr Anil Arora, Head of Department of Gastroenterology at Sir Gangaram Hospital, told Medically Speaking in an exclusive dialogue.

Manifestations of monkeypox

Explaining the manifestations of the virus, Dr Arora explains, “Like any viral infection monkey pox virus initially will first present with symptoms like anorexia, fever, myalgia, back ache, generalised body pain followed by development of skin rash. The rash mimics that of measles and as the clinician finds it difficult to distinguish between the two, this rash mimics chicken pox more than measles. Unlike measles that affects children, this will affect males between the age group of 20 to 40 years. We have to be careful with anyone who has been to a country that has reported Covid or is a part of animal husbandry business or with anyone who reports rash after a fever and myalgia, especially the males who are between 20 to 40 years of age. If you catch hold of it early to the health authorities, it can be contained not only for you but also for those who were in your contact and more vulnerable to the infection than you.”

An advise to those travelling abroad

Dr Anil Arora mentions good hand hygiene as the key to preventing monkeypox along with appropriate universal precautions like using mask even when travelling abroad.

“It is a viral infection which typically spreads like chickenpox or smallpox by the contaminated fluid. Monkeypox presents with a postural rash and the fluid or blood oozing from that skin legion including small droplets or even the bed on which the patient or the animal has been lying can be contaminating and important source of infection as well. The most important prevention technique is a good hand hygiene. If you are handling someone who with a skin rash or fever or handling an animal, please see to it that you adequately before touching your face or having food. Along with this, keep using a mask and we will be able to adequately ward off the threat of this monkeypox infection.”

Advising those who plan to travel abroad, he adds, “if you are travelling abroad, you have to continue with the same appropriate measures especially in countries like UK and France where a lot of cases have already been reported since you may be prone to the infection. A simple universal precaution will serve more than avoiding travelling abroad if it is necessary.”

No cases in India yet

“As of now, the Government of India has taken appropriate steps that any traveller who is coming to the Indian shores from countries with cases of monkeypox, they are being screened and diagnosed for symptoms of the fever and rash and in case there is a suspicion, their samples are being sent to National institute of Immunology at Pune. There has been no documented case of monkeypox infection in India for the time being, and let us hope that if we continue to take the adequate precautions and if we are aware of our health status, we may be able to ward off the epidemic,” says Dr Arora.

Also Read: Health Ministry releases latest guidelines on Monkeypox, read more for details, signs & symptoms

As per the WHO, Monkeypox endemic countries are Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana (identified in animals only), Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone. Benin and South Sudan have documented importations in the past. Countries currently reporting cases of the West African clade are Cameroon and Nigeria.

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Imagining a life with cancer is terrifying for all of us but the warriors who fight this battle everyday are worth being honoured. Therefore, every year on the first Sunday in June, the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation commemorates the day to spread awareness and information about the survivors of the deadly disease as well as celebrate them.

The importance of post-cancer care cannot be overstated. In order to have a healthy life, it is essential to adopt a good lifestyle. Some cancer therapy adverse effects endure. Some people return to their lives before to their diagnosis.

The challenge for each survivor is to figure out how to get back to normal life while adapting to the disease’s and treatment’s consequences.

In an interview with Medically Speaking, Dr Ravi Kant Arora, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology at the Fortis Escorts Hospital gives an insight into fighting cancer, post-cancer treatment and lifestyle as well as emotional care during and after cancer.

When we speak of cancer and cancer survivors, what helps us understand when this journey comes to an end?

Dr Ravi Kant Arora: When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, so in the Indian context, the whole family is diagnosed with cancer. Some cancers have treatment in the form of surgery, in the form of chemotherapy following surgery, or radiation after chemo. So, it’s a long journey. When treatment is completed, a routine needs to be followed for 5 years or 10 years. The journey starts from diagnosis and continues till the follow-up of about 10 years. After that, if the patient has no problems, we can say he/she is a cancer survivor.

You said, once a person is diagnosed, then the whole family is diagnosed, so in the context of women, tell us about the journey from diagnosis to the end of the follow-up process, especially if it is a woman diagnosed with something like breast cancer, as it is so common in our country.

Dr Ravi Kant Arora: In India, women are very important units of our family. That is the most important reason why the entire family gets affected in India if a woman gets affected by cancer. The entire family suffers, mentally, psychologically, and, in many cases, financially. The other way is that if a woman is aware or educated, she can tell her female friends the symptoms of cancer and help them to get an early diagnosis of cancer. So, in that way, we can prevent and help many people.

Also Read: Cancer increases risk of developing diabetes: Study

If we speak about prevention and knowledge, is that the key really to saving ourselves from cancer? It is possible that one cannot obtain assistance, but an early diagnosis is very significant. help us understand the significance of the knowledge around cancer and how early diagnosis can help a patient.

Dr Ravi Kant Arora: This is one of the focus areas where we oncology people stress, because if a patient is aware and knows about the symptoms of cancer, especially in women, where breast cancer is one of the major cancers, In India, 1 in 28 women develops cancer. So breast cancer is a primary cancer. If we talk about breast cancer, so if a lady has discharge which is watery in nature or bloody in nature or she has a lump in her breast, or in her armpit, or in her neck area, so these are some of the features. Through this, a woman can be made aware that something is not right with her and she can do a self-examination. If she is menstruating, then four days after her periods get over, she can examine herself while showering or in front of a mirror. Similarly, if a woman has stopped menstruating and she is beyond 50 years old and she develops some kind of bleeding from the vagina, then it is a very important aspect which she can’t ignore.

What can we say about the emotional aspect of the person who has been diagnosed or who is a survivor of cancer, like how they can manage their emotions?

Dr Ravi Kant Arora: Besides knowing how to diagnose cancer and how to contact health professionals early, it is also very important to understand how it is treated. So raising awareness about treatment is also very important, and if we are able to send the message that if they come earlier to health professionals, then their breasts can be saved, treatment doesn’t go on for long, the cost is low, and you can go back to enjoying your life and your work sooner. So this is also a very important aspect, and yes, one thing is that they should not be afraid about losing their breasts as we have so many techniques now to save the breasts or redesign them.

Why is it so important that we celebrate Cancer Survivor Day? 

Dr Ravi Kant Arora: Why do we say “celebrating cancer survivors” because they have gone through so much that people who haven’t even imagined it. They are the link. They are the narrators of treatment who can go and motivate and inspire people with the knowledge about the journey and the precautions that will decrease the load of cancer in society. People like you and me won’t be taken that seriously as compared to the one who has gone through this journey and goes out and shares the experience and motivates, so that is the most important thing that this day is dedicated to.

And to conclude, the testimony of the survivors is very important. It gives courage to the others and builds a community. We need to speak out and encourage everyone to get an early diagnosis because that really is the key to recovery. As you rightly said, we need to reduce the load from the system, which can happen only when people come forth and get checked.

According to a new study, cancer patients have a higher chance of getting diabetes.

‘Diabetes Care,’ a publication, published the findings. In Denmark, which has a population of about 6 million people, cancer is the top cause of death. More than 45,000 cancer cases were detected in 2019 alone. Fortunately, the most current figures show that cancer survival in Denmark has increased significantly. Nonetheless, many survivors’ quality of life is harmed by long-term repercussions and difficulties.

Higher diabetes risk associated with certain types of cancer

A recent study by researchers from Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, and the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports revealed that a cancer diagnosis was linked to an increased chance of getting diabetes. The study is based on unique epidemiological data from the CopLab Database, which is kept at the Center for General Practice at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Public Health.

Certain types of cancer were more likely than others to increase this risk. Associate Professor Lykke Sylow of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen, who is behind the study together with Professor Christoffer Johansen of The National Centre for Cancer Survivorship and General Late Effects (CASTLE) at Rigshospitalet and Professor Christen Lykkegaard Andersen from the CopLab Database at the Center for General Practice, states: “Our study demonstrates that there is an elevated risk of developing diabetes if a person is affected by lung, pancreatic, breast, brain, urinary tract or uterine cancers.”

The researchers looked at a large data set that included 112 million blood samples from 1.3 million Danes, with over 50,000 of them developing cancer. While the study does not provide conclusive answers as to why particular forms of cancer are linked to a higher risk of diabetes, the researchers do offer suggestions on which future research might be based.

Also Read: Time-restricted eating may decrease risk of cardiovascular disease in older breast cancer survivors: Study

“Various cancer therapies may contribute to an increased risk. Cancer itself can affect the rest of the body. We know that cancer cells are able to secrete substances that can affect organs and possibly contribute to an increased incidence of diabetes. This has been suggested in animal studies,” says Lykke Sylow.

Survivability increases without diabetes

The study also demonstrates that people diagnosed with cancer and subsequently diabetes do not generally live as long as patients who do not develop diabetes while experiencing cancer.

“Across all cancer sites we observed, that cancer patients without diabetes survived longer compared to cancer patients diagnosed with diabetes,” says Professor Christoffer Johansen from Rigshospitalet.

Overall, the study finds excess mortality of 21 per cent in patients who develop diabetes after being diagnosed with cancer. It is worth noting that the study encompassed all types of cancer and did not investigate the influence of diabetes on survivability in relation to individual cancer types.

Preventive initiatives and screening

Today, the screening of cancer patients for diabetes has yet to be incorporated into the healthcare system. If it could be shown that screening cancer patients for diabetes would lead to a higher quality of life and increased survival, this would be a good idea in the future:

“Our results suggest that it might be relevant to consider diabetes screenings in relation to those cancers where we found an elevated risk of the disease. That is to say, for patients with lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, uterine cancer, and urinary tract cancers. We have outstanding opportunities to treat diabetes and early intervention could have an impact on certain cancer patients,” states Professor Christoffer Johansen.

Associate Professor Lykke Sylow seconds his assertion, “It could be interesting to investigate whether screening helps cancer patients – both in terms of their chances of survival as well as their quality of life. As a preventive initiative, it might also be possible to recommend different types of exercise for people with cancer, ones that we know work effectively to prevent and treat diabetes. But my suggestions are to be taken in a long-term perspective and need to be tested,” she concluded.

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According to a new study, doctors’ attitude has an impact on their job and the risk of medical malpractice.

The study’s findings were published in the ‘British Medical Journal’ journal. Between 2013 and 2018, a study team lead by Dr Owen Bradfield and Professor Matthew Spittal analysed over 12,000 Australian doctors’ responses to the Medicine in Australia Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey.

Doctors who participated in the poll were asked about their age, gender, specialisation, personality, health, life satisfaction, working circumstances, and if they had ever been sued.

“This allowed us to analyse and correlate work, health and personality factors with a doctor’s risk of being sued,” Dr Bradfield said. Just over five per cent of the doctors surveyed reported being named in a medical negligence claim during this period. The findings were more pronounced for male doctors than females.

“It is critical that we try to better understand why some doctors are sued. A mistake by a doctor can have tragic consequences for patients and can be costly for the health system,” Dr Bradfield said.

“Patients who suffer harm from a medical error can sue the doctor concerned in order to seek redress, answers, and assurances that mistakes will not be repeated. Therefore, understanding why that doctor made a mistake and was sued can help us reduce medical errors and improve healthcare quality.”

Professor Spittal went on to say that previous research has shown that older male doctors who conduct surgical operations and have a history of complaints are at the highest risk of being sued.

“However, because not all older male surgeons are actually sued, we suspected that work, health, and personality factors might also hold the key to explaining these differences,” Professor Spittal said.

Dr Bradfield said the identification of additional risk factors could be important for employers, regulators and health practitioners who care for unwell doctors.

“We need to reduce doctor fatigue by addressing long working hours. We also need to create supportive work environments and target interventions that improve doctors’ overall well-being, such as through healthy lifestyles and positive psychology programs. This could reduce the risk of doctors being sued, and improve patient safety,” he said.

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