Express News Service
KOCHI: Last week, the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) had to be temporarily shut down, after as many as seven patients admitted for surgery tested Covid-19 positive. The severity of the situation can be highlighted by the fact that patients who have undergone surgery are highly prone to contagious diseases, including Covid, as their immunity level is likely to be low.
In a bid to reduce the chances of further spread among patients admitted to surgical intensive care units in various hospitals, Kochi-based startup Asimov Robotics has stepped in to save the day with their ‘Sevabot’ a robot that can transport medicines and consumables to and from the ICUs, thus reducing human interaction in the critical care unit. The product is an advanced version of Karmibot, the humanoid developed by Asimov to reduce human role in Covid wards.
In a study published in Gastroenterology – Researchers at Osaka City University and The Institute for Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, report the intestinal bacterial and viral metagenome information from the fecal samples of patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI). This comprehensive analysis reveals the bacteria and phages involved in pathogenesis in rCDI, and their remarkable pathways important for the recovery of intestinal flora function.
Study reveals mechanism behind “Fecal Microbiota Transplantation”
Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) occurs in the gut and is caused by the Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium, C. difficile when its spores attach to fecal matter and are transferred from hand to mouth by health care workers.
Patients undergoing antibiotic treatment are especially susceptible as the microorganisms that maintain a healthy gut are greatly damaged by the antibiotics.
Treatment of rCDI involves withdrawing the causative antibiotics and initiating antibiotic therapy, although this can be very challenging. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is considered an effective alternative therapy as it addresses the issue from the ground up by replacing the damaged microflora with a healthy one through a stool transplant.
General physician Parvaiz Sajad Shah examines a patient at the Bandipora district hospital | Picture credit: Athar Parvaiz
On a chilly November morning, 54-year-old Arsheeda Akhtar lay under a thick blanket at Srinagar’s Khyber Hospital, waiting patiently for her dialysis session to end. She has been under dialysis for the last five years. Her family, most of whom are labourers, have already spent a lot of money on the treatment.
Under the Ayushman Bharat programme, a government health assurance scheme for low income groups, Akhtar was entitled to free dialysis at the hospital. But since March 2020, her Ayushman Bharat golden card stands cancelled due to “fraud”. The family is now struggling to find the money.