Archive for category: News

Israel: A recent study published in the prestigious American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine revealed that tonsillectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) does not increase the risk of obesity/overweight in adulthood. 

The study, conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center, supports tonsillectomy as the primary treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, emphasizing its health benefits and the lack of association with increased obesity risk in adulthood.

A tonsillectomy is surgery for tonsils removal. Tonsils are lumps of tissue on both sides of the back of the throat that protect the body from infections by helping the immune system. Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgeries kids and teens get.

Obstructive sleep apnea affects 6% of children and is associated with behavioural and learning difficulties. Tonsil surgery is the primary treatment for OSA. However, the medical literature and affected families have raised concerns about post-surgery weight gain and risk for obesity.

A new study by Prof. Aviv Goldbart, Prof. Ariel Tarasiuk, and Dr. Ran Abuhasira at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University and Soroka University Medical Center investigated the effects of childhood tonsillectomy on body weight in adulthood.

Their research discovered in 132 children that tonsillectomy (vs. 127 who chose not to perform surgery) did not increase the risk of obesity in adulthood. This long-term study followed children who underwent a whole night sleep study at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Unit of Soroka University Medical Center in 1998, utilizing the databases of Clalit Health Services.

This study supports tonsillectomy as the primary treatment for OSA, emphasizing its health benefits and the lack of association with increased obesity risk in adulthood.

Reference:

Aviv D. Goldbart , Ran Abuhasira , Adi Shiloh , Jacov Even-Tsur , and Ariel Tarasiuk, Childhood Adenotonsillectomy Does Not Increase the Risk of Being Overweight in Adulthood, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202311-2175LE.

A weekly injection of semaglutide was safe and reduced the amount of fat in the liver by 31% in people with HIV and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), according to a presentation at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver. This is the first clinical trial of semaglutide for MASLD in people with HIV. The research was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and conducted in the United States and Brazil by ACTG, a global clinical trials network focused on HIV and other infectious diseases. ACTG is funded by NIAID and collaborating NIH institutes. McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston also contributed funding for this study.

Previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, MASLD is characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in the liver that is not caused by alcohol consumption or viral hepatitis. Over time, fat deposits may cause inflammation and cellular damage, and can result in cardiovascular and liver disease. MASLD also is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. It is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the United States, and a leading reason for liver transplantation. An estimated 30-40% of people with HIV experience MASLD, slightly higher than the average among people without HIV. Semaglutide is an antidiabetic medication approved for use for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management.

The Phase 2b pilot study enrolled people with HIV and MASLD aged 18 years and older whose viral load—the amount of HIV in the blood-was suppressed to undetectable levels by antiretroviral therapy (ART). Participants were diverse with respect to ethnicity, race, gender, and age. Of the 49 participants included in the analysis, 40 (82%) were taking ART regimens containing an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, which is a class of antiretroviral drugs shown to be highly effective at suppressing HIV but associated with weight gain in some people.

Participants self-injected semaglutide on a weekly basis at increasing doses until they reached a 1 milligram dose at week four and participated in frequent safety monitoring visits. At 24 weeks, the study team assessed changes in participants’ liver fat content using a type of MRI specifically designed to measure the amount of fat in the liver. Participants experienced an average 31% reduction in liver fat, with 29% of participants experiencing a complete resolution of MASLD, meaning their liver fat decreased to 5% or less of overall liver content. They also experienced weight loss, reduced fasting blood glucose (the amount of sugar in the blood) and reduced fasting triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), consistent with effects observed in studies of semaglutide in people without HIV.

A separate analysis showed the volume of psoas muscle-a large muscle connecting the torso to the lower body-also decreased with no significant change in physical function. Semaglutide was generally well tolerated with an adverse event profile similar to that observed in people without HIV. The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal and included nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Two participants experienced more significant adverse events possibly related to semaglutide but were able to continue in the study. All participants completed the full 24 weeks of therapy at the originally prescribed dose.

These findings suggest that semaglutide is a safe and effective therapy for MASLD in people with HIV. The study may help inform healthcare decisions by people in consultation with their providers, as part of an approach to healthier aging with HIV over the life span. According to the investigators, additional research is underway to understand whether people with HIV experience any unique immunologic or inflammatory pathway changes while taking semaglutide therapy. 

Bengaluru: Discovering an illegal abortion racket that has been operating in the city for the last three years, the owner of the private hospital in Nelamangala has been booked for allegedly conducting 74 illegal abortions without the necessary authorization.

As of now, the doctor is on the run. The charges have been labelled against the hospital following allegations of performing illegal abortions since 2021 till date without obtaining a license under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act in violation of subsection (b) of section 4 of the Medical Abortion Act, 1971.

The racket was uncovered when District Family Welfare Officer Dr S.R. Manjunath visited the hospital for a routine inspection on January 26. The inspection was performed based on the complaints of the locals. 

Also read- Foetus Found In Toilet Of Ludhiana Hospital, FIR Filed

During the inspection, it was found that the hospital did not obtain a license for the 74 illegal abortion procedures in the last three years. Allegedly, it had not maintained records of the procedures performed, which is a gross violation under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

As per The Hindu news reports, the inspection team also found that the hospital had failed to keep any records of scanning reports or provide any information regarding procedures to the district authority. 

Moreover, it also emerged that the hospital recorded the abortion details in the operation theatre register instead of maintaining the record in a proper MTP admission register.

According to an Indian Express news report, the hospital was registered under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) however, it failed to keep records of the ultrasound reports in 90 per cent of the case sheets. As a result, the health department seized the Operation Theatre register as part of the ongoing investigation.

In light of these grave findings, the DHO approached the police for the registration of the case on February 20 and also submitted a detailed report to the Health and Family Welfare Department for further action.

Acting on the DHO complaint, the police registered a case and booked the owner of the hospital under 312 (causing miscarriage), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent), 315 (act done with intent to prevent child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth), and 316 (causing death of quick unborn child by act amounting to culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

An investigation is underway to trace the owner of the hospital and gather more evidence regarding the violations. 

Also read- Karnataka Doctor Who Allegedly Performed Around 900 Illegal Abortions Arrested

In a significant move to curb the menace of falsified drugs, the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana, has issued a Spurious Drug Alert and Stop Use Notice for all drugs claiming to be manufactured by ‘Meg Lifesciences’.

Taking up the issues being faced by the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) MDS candidates, the doctors under the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) recently wrote to the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and urged to postpone the exam, scheduled to be conducted on 18th March 2024.