Ten Best TEDMED 2011 Videos And Takeaways

TEDMED is a medical technology conference eagerly awaited by all of us. In 2011, it was held in Feb-March at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, but the videos have only recently been uploaded on YouTube.

You can watch the Top 10 videos here.

Also check out this PowerPoint about Top 10 takeaways from the TEDMED 2011 gathering:

10 TEDMED 2011 Takeaways from Luminary Labs

View more presentations from Luminary Labs

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• Exploring What We Don't Know at TEDMED 2011 (rwjfblogs.typepad.com)

Council of Indian Medicine sets deadline for MGR varsity on syllabus

The tussle between the Tamil Nadu MGR Medical University and the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) has got bitter with the council serving a deadline on the varsity to spell out its stance on the syllabus for students of Indian systems of medicine.

The council wrote a letter on October 5, demanding reversal of the university's decision to remove allopathic content from the syllabus for courses on Indian systems of medicine, within 15 days. CCIM, the apex body for Indian medicine had earlier threatened to withdraw recognition for all courses on Indian medicine being conducted by the university.

The university had promised to withdraw another of its controversial decision - to remove the 'surgery' part from the name of the degree - but has been silent on reinstating the removed portions of the syllabus.

The university had decided that undergraduate students of traditional medicine course will not study allopathic contents including surgery, pharmacology, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology.

Following this, on August 17, CCIM secretary P R Sharma wrote a letter to the university stating that the university would be violating provisions of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970 if it deletes contents from the syllabus fixed by the council. State health minister V S Vijay had held a meeting with the university officials, Indian medicine experts, students and health department officials and announced that the university will neither tamper with the syllabus nor change the nomenclature of the degree.

But the university registrar Dr Sudha Seshayyan in a reply to CCIM on September 14saidthe university has decided not to alter the nomenclature of undergraduate degree in Indian medicine and homoeopathy courses. In a letter dated October 5, P R Sharma has asked the university to inform the CCIM about the action taken on the issue of syllabus revision within 15days. ACCIM official said the council would derecogonise all Indian medicine courses if the university does not oblige. The university decision will be vital for the students, who have threatened to go on an indefinite strike on October 20 if the university does not invalidate its syllabus revision.

Link: Original Article

In a first, college to teach medicos with mannequins

COIMBATORE: A new methodology of using third generation robotic mannequins instead of patients in imparting medical education has come into being at PSG Institute of Medical Science and Research here on Saturday. This is the first in India, according to PSG medical college director Dr Vimal Kumar Govindan.

Addressing media persons here, Govindan said the innovative way of using 3G mannequins to teach medicos on how to treat patients would be accessible to all the 2,000 students of its group institutions from now onwards. The mannequins made of Norwegian technology would respond to medical care as the same way as that of an actual patient, said Govindan.

"The 3G technology will be enough to help students to learn the first lessons on treating patients. They can also get training on emergency procedures starting from injections to many of the serious cardiac and other health issues over the mannequins," he added.

The mannequins are being made in such a way to have practical training on accident care, maternity care and other medical emergency care. The students can conduct the procedures on these models and the teachers could comfortably explain the corrections, without having embarrassing them in front of patients.

"The major factor which comes as a relief to both the students as well as the patients is that, the students will not have to learn in front of the patients who definitely feel uncomfortable," said Dr S Ramalingam, the principal of the PSG medical college.

The whole idea according to Dr G Dhanabhagyam, the co-ordinator of the programme, is that they have great expectations on the output as they have methodologies to create and monitor the processes.

"From a nearby room, the faculties will be with the help of computers creating medical situations on the 'patient' models. The students will then have to respond with the right procedure. The monitor kept adjacent to the 'patient' connected with the wires will show the recordings as in actual situations. So students can easily understand the various situations they are into and later easily evaluate them," according to Dr G Dhanabhagyam.

The electronic models are equipped in such a way that 'emergency situations' can be created with the computerized mechanisms prompting students to respond appropriately. Mannequins to teach various usual issues were installed.

"There are models for delivery to all the usual everyday emergencies which a medical professional have to encounter routinely," told Dr P Jayakrishnan, an anesthetist. He accepted that the technology will be limited with many of the routine issues faced by the medicos.

Link: Original Article

Approve MBBS syllabus at earliest: CBSE to Min

Even as the Union Health Ministry deliberates on the fate of the All-India Common Entrance Test (CET) for MBBS courses, the CBSE has asked it to approve the syllabus at the earliest so that it can finalise prospectus etc for the examination scheduled for May 13, 2012.

The CBSE is entrusted with conducting the test for the largest entrance test for CET which is also known as National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for undergraduates (NEET-UG). The course which has been prepared and released by the Medical Council of India (MCI), however, still awaits nod from the Health Ministry in view of severe opposition from some states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. These states have cited difficulty in holding the examination from 2012.

Racing against time as only five months are left for the CET for admission to all medical colleges across the country, the CBSE has shot off a letter to the Health Ministry saying that timing is crucial as it involves the fate of the lakhs of students.

“The Ministry needs to notify the NEET-UG at the earliest so that we can prepare the prospectus and other logistics accordingly. What if they seek last minute changes in the course. We cannot give wrong information in the prospectus?” said sources in the CBSE.

CBSE was zeroed in for conducting tests as it has the experience of conducing the largest entrance test in India - AIEEE for engineering entrance which close to 11 lakh students take every year.

The CET, since its announcement last year has been mired in the controversy with the MCI and the Health Ministry at loggerheads over its implementation. While the MCI claims the CET with one test for UG medical admissions would avoid stress to students, the Ministry has remained undecided about it citing opposition from the states.

Presently, lakh of students, sit for different tests, including the All India PMT which the CBSE conducts and various state-level medical entrance tests in over 300 colleges including 180 in private sector.

A common test will check private colleges from charging exorbitant sums for admitting students, says the MCI. One test will ensure quality students entering medical education because states would be obliged to fill seats in their respective jurisdictions with students who figure in the All-India merit list. They would be free to prefer students from their areas but they won’t be able to compromise on merit, says the medical education regulator.

Link: Original Article

Delhi gets first family clinic on Britain's NHS model

Family doctors might make a comeback in the country with Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit Saturday launching the first-of-its-kind family health clinic based on Britain's National Health Services (NHS) model. “Access to quality, affordable healthcare has been a huge issue in the country and there is a huge gap which the government alone cannot fill. Such projects will reach out to both urban and rural communities,” Dikshit said at the launch.
The clinic — set up by private firm Pathfinder — in Janakpuri area of west Delhi would work through a general physician and nurses in the clinic.

The low-cost primary health care provider will charge Rs 100-300 for the first consultation and is aimed at boosting the primary healthcare system at a local level where tertiary care centres may not be required.

"The centres will also focus on areas such as immunisation, cervical screening, minor surgery, family planning, integrated health-ayurveda, palliative care, district nursing, and diagnostics among others,” said Hardev Pall, director, Pathfinder Health India.

Link: Original Article

Plan to relax ban on sex determination tests draws sharp reactions

The Planning Commission’s proposal for relaxing ban on sex determination tests has evoked sharp reactions favouring and disapproving it. The proposal envisages relaxing rules for sex determination of the foetus but giving incentives to stakeholders and mothers, if it is a girl child, to ensure safe delivery.

The National Commission on protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson, Shantha Sinha, fully agrees that the government should ensure the safety of the foetuses through its network of anganwadi workers, anuxiliary nurse midwives, and accredited social health activists (ASHAs).

The question of adoption is to be interpreted as taking charge of the health of a woman, tracking every pregnancy from the time of conception to the time the child is at least two years old whether boy or girl child. The Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act alone is not sufficient to combat foeticide.

However, the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has strongly condemned the Planning Commission’s proposal to promote the “adoption” of unwanted female foetuses in a bid to stem the continuous decline in child sex ratios.

It should be noted that the ban on sex selection was achieved after a long struggle by women’s and health rights organisations, in the face of stiff opposition from certain sections of the medical profession who have utilised existing son preference to earn huge amounts of money by indulging in sex selective practices, a statement issued by the president Shyamali Gupta and general secretary Sudha Sundararaman said.

The Planning Commission’s regressive move, made in the name of “flexibility and choice” tantamounts to accepting the argument that sex selection is a matter of “freedom of choice”, which has already been struck down by the courts while upholding the PC&PNDT Act. However, both the 2001 and the 2011 Census reports have clearly shown that the implementation of the Act has been tardy.

It is most unfortunate that the Planning Commission is actually proposing to undermine existing legal safeguards, by making this preposterous proposal that will only encourage the virtual abandonment of a large number of girl children. It is well known that conditions of most orphanages and remand homes are insecure and deplorable, and innumerable cases of physical and sexual abuse, trafficking, etc. have come to light. The solution is not to “incentivise” the adoption of female foetuses, but to encourage the birth of girls with a slew of economic and social measures that will help to root out the discrimination faced by them.

We demand that the proposal should be immediately withdrawn. The AIDWA plans to petition the Planning Commission and the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, HRD, Panchayati Raj and Information& Broadcasting in this regard.

The Human Rescue Team (a live knowledge network for human rescue from institutions from India and abroad) on Saturday said it was “legally opposing” the proposal of relaxed sex determination of foetus as it violated the medical ethics and reasonably endangered the girl child.

In a petition filed with the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Women, National Commission on Protection of Child Rights and the Prime Minister’s Office, the team said it found the idea erroneous. “We are also afraid that an arbitrary relaxation in sex determination tests and attached incentives may cause a tremendous increase in female foeticides and even run the risk of projecting girls as a money earning mechanism that may be an uncalled burden on national economy.”

Link: Original Article

Superbug scare meant to hit Indian medical tourism

The scare abroad over the superbug or NDM-1 (New Delhi Metallo beta lactamase) last year was deliberately created to tarnish India's image as a medical tourism destination, says VM Katoch, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

"A hype to create some kind of a scare about superbug theory obviously helps some countries," Katoch, who is also secretary in the department of health research, told IANS.

He said there was nothing unusual. "The superbug has been known for years. The scare obviously suited some interest groups abroad. We have always stressed greater precautions and care in levels of hygiene and sanitary conditions in our hospitals."

Katoch was in Agra to attend a conference on advances in molecular techniques and their application in health and diseases.

The conference was jointly organised by the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and nature, life sciences department of Agra College and the National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases, Agra.

Katoch did not see any new threat or condition to raise an alarm on the superbug issue.

"Health facilities and treatment in India are fairly good and affordable and there has been a discernible interest in citizens of several countries to take advantage of available medical advances in our country," he added.

The director general of ICMR informed the conference that work on the malaria vaccine was in an advanced stage of trial.

In October, Delhi Health Minister A.K. Walia downplayed the threat of the superbug in the capital and said the prevalence of the infection was "very low" and could not be termed "alarming".

"There is a very low prevalence of NDM-1 infection which exists as confirmed in tests conducted in the ICUs of a number of hospitals. It is between the range of 0.04 percent to 0.08 percent which cannot be stated as alarming," Walia said.

Reports from a British Medical journal had earlier alleged the presence of a bacteria with multi-drug resistant gene NDM-1 that was resistant to almost all antibiotics.

The journal later reported in a study that the NDM-1 was found in Delhi's sewage and drinking water. Scientists feared the spread of the enzyme worldwide due to its high antibiotic resistance, to fight which nothing has been developed so far.

While the health ministry has not admitted on the impact of the NDM-1 on public health, it has been mulling over an antibiotic policy that will also address the issue of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in the country.

Officials from the health ministry had said the naming of the enzyme after 'New Delhi' was an attempt to malign India as the superbug was found in many countries, not just India.

Link: Original Article

40% medicos fail first-year exams

CHENNAI: From topping exams to failing, it has taken them less than a year. Months after acing their 12th standard exams, nearly 40% of all first-year medical students in 27 colleges across the state have failed. They will take the exams again in February 2012 to be promoted to the second year.

This year, the failure percentage has increased by 3-11% in anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, the subjects that first-year students are taught.

The increase is largely attributed to changes in exam and evaluation policies. Unlike in previous years when students would get 40 marks as grace, this year not more than five grace marks were awarded as per Medical Council of India guidelines. Some 221 students benefited from the grace marks this year.

Also, in 2011, a student had to pass all the theory, oral and practical exams. Earlier, a student only needed a combined score of 50% from the two anatomy papers, but this year he/ she had to get 50% in each.

Earlier this year, the academic board of the Dr MGR Medical University fixed the passing minimum in each component of the examination, and this came into effect from August 2011. Deans and principals of all affiliated colleges were informed eight months before the examinations. "We had to do this to build better doctors. Medicos can't afford to leave out portions in choices. They can't say I failed in anatomy first paper but scored high in the second paper. It does not work," said university vice-chancellor Dr Mayilvahanan Natarajan.

Changes in exam and evaluation rules have led to this year's increase in the failure percentage of first-year medical students, academicians say. While these procedural changes may have contributed to this year's spike, a high percentage of first-year students fail every year, they add.

The dean of Madras Medical College (MMC) Dr V Kanakasabai agrees with the medical university's examination reforms, such as awarding fewer grace marks, but insists on better school education.

"We get the cream of students into our college. The quick dip in academic performance has something to do with the quality of students coming into medical colleges. They probably are so used to rote-based learning that they simply can't adapt themselves so quickly to concept-based learning," he said. At MMC, where seats get filled hours after counselling for admissions begins, nearly 17% of students failed in anatomy this year.

Every year, the fight to enter medical colleges gets tougher with more and more students scoring better in their class 12 examination. Unlike other states, students in Tamil Nadu are admitted to colleges based on their score in class 12. The state government feels eliminating common entrance will give rural students a chance to get into medical colleges. Senior doctors like Dr Rajasekaran feel that it's important to test students' aptitude before they are admitted to medical colleges and that can be done only through a common medical test. Among the 2008 batch of students who appeared for the break batch exam in February 2010, only 45% of the students passed in physiology. "We really don't know if they even like to study medicine or if they are pushed into it by parents," he said.

The reasons could be systemic, too. First year courses are considered non-clinical and the faculty of these courses is in short supply. For instance, there are less than 10 forensic experts for 17 medical colleges across the state. "Students are used to being spoon fed. In many medical colleges, they would only brief students on topics in almost all non-clinical subjects," said Dr G Ravindranath, who heads the Doctors Association for Social Equality.

Added to these are the new challenges of a professional education. From being school students, they are suddenly considered adults and thrown into a high-pressure environment of long hours, late nights and unsupervised lives. Living in hostels could add to the suddenness of the change that's taken over them. "Many students are forced to move to cities. Some come from villages and small towns. They have to adapt a lot. They tend to miss out on academics while they are adapting," said Dr Ravindranathan.

TIMES VIEW

Faculty and eminent doctors are not surprised that students with near-perfect scores in class 12 do poorly in the first year medical exams. Inching up, the failure rate stands at 40% this year. The current increase is attributed to a change in exam rules which gives fewer grace marks and requires students to pass all subjects. But the problem is deeper and systemic. The failure of students exposes the limitations of the school education system. Toppers coming from TN are reared in rote-based learning whereas professional education requires conceptual learning. School education is clearly in need of an overhaul

Link: Original Article

How Effective Are Antibiotics For Acne?

There are many known causes of acne and one of the most common one is the hormonal effect on pilosebaceous unit which is where hair, sebaceous gland and hair follicle is situated.Treating acne can at times be frustrating since if you fail to get the right medications, you will spend a lot of time and money while trying to get a product which can wipe out the condition.

The mechanisms in which antibiotics work:

There are several mechanisms in which antibiotics work. The first one is to ensure that there is a decrease in the number of bacteria which is found around the follicle area. The antibiotics also ensure that the chemicals which are produced by white blood cells are not irritating and also help reduce the amount of free fatty acids that are found in the sebum area. This goes a long way to ensure that the inflammatory response is reduced drastically.

There are many brands of antibiotics for acne treatment. Some of the commonly used ones are:

Tetracycline

Tetracycline is commonly used when treating acne. The recommended dose is 500 mg taken twice a day until when a significant improvement is noticed. Afterwards, the dose can be cut by half a day or its use halted altogether. To act effectively, the antibiotics for acne should be taken when no food has been eaten as this helps in improving its effectiveness. Someone who eats frequently may not find this type of antibiotic to be an ideal choice. Children under the age of 9 years and pregnant women should not use this antibiotic to treat acne.

Doxycycline

This is a perfect choice for those people who cannot tolerate tetracycline or erythromycin. The dosage is between 50 to 100 grams twice within a day and there is need to take it with food lest it causes nausea and discomfort. Other than nausea, some of the side effects include sensitivity to the sun and may also cause the occurrence of sunburns.

Erythromycin

This drug has many advantages over Tetracycline since it comes with anti-inflammatory properties that helps in reducing the redness associated with lesions and also helping kill bacteria. It can also be taken together with food without destroying its effectiveness hence those people who cannot make it through the entire day without food will find it to be an ideal choice. The dosage which is taken depends on the extent in which you have been affected by acne. The dosage lies between 250-500 mg within a day. Although it could cause nausea and discomfort, pregnant women can also use it.

Minocycline

This is an antibiotic which have been in use to treat acne for many years. Some of the side effects which are associated with this drug include nausea, dizziness, changes in skin pigmentation and teeth discoloration. People who have used Minocycline for longer will experience some changes in the appearance of their skin and teeth. It should be known that antibiotics may cause yeast infection in many women and many of the oral antibiotics for acne may make birth control pills ineffective.

Acne is a very troubling disease for those who suffer from the effects of this annoying condition. With severeacneproducts.com, you always have a unique way to discover how to treat this condition. Sandra Wellington is an expert writer on matters of skin health and has many years of experience in writing on this subject.

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