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Journal of Neonatal Critical Care and Anesthesia is an open-access peer-reviewed journal committed to publishing high-quality articles in the field of Neonatal Anesthesia and common health problems of newborns and neonates. The journal is owned by the NAS (Neonatal Anesthesia Society) and published by the Scientific Scholar.

New Delhi: The viral social media post claiming that Nashik-based Pulmonologist Dr. Kailash Rathi was attacked by a “Jihadi”, a Muslim person using a sickle is a fake.

While the viral post on X (formerly Twitter) is trying to give the issue a communal angle, the reality is that Dr. Rathi was brutally attacked inside a hospital in Maharashtra over a monetary dispute by the husband of a former colleague, a Hindu man.

The horror was captured on a CCTV camera and the viral video shows that the attacker struck the 49-year-old doctor around 18 times with a sickle on last week. Thereafter, the doctor, a chest physician and critical care specialist, was admitted to a local hospital in a critical condition.

The Claim: 

The disturbing video of the accused attacking Dr. Rathi went viral on social media as members of the medical fraternity and general public alike expressed their shock over the brutality of the attack.

However, one such viral post claimed that the doctor was attacked by in Nashik’s Suyog Hospital by a Jihadi attacker, giving it a communal look. The rough Hindi-to-English translation of the X post states, “Take heart and watch today’s most heart-wrenching video••••••••* *In Maharashtra, Nashik’s Suyog Hospital, a Jihadi attacker entered the ICU and attacked Dr. Kailash Rathi with a sharp weapon, due to multiple indiscriminate attacks in 30 seconds.”

Fact Check: 

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the brutal and horrifying attack on Dr. Rathi. The Panchavati police arrested the accused, who has been identified as Rajendra More, a Hindu. The police secured custody for seven days after producing him in the city court. 

The accused and his wife, who is a former colleague of the doctor, have been booked by police based on a complaint of the victim’s wife.

Therefore, the claim that the doctor was attacked by a “Jihadi”, a Muslim man is misleading. There was no communal reason for the attack. In reality, the doctor was attacked by the husband of a former colleague, who is Hindu by religion.

Also Read: Nashik Shocker: Pulmonologist Dr Kailash Rathi brutally Attacked 18 Times with Sickle, critical in ICU

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified antibodies targeting a hard-to-spot region of the influenza virus, shedding light on the relatively unexplored “dark side” of the neuraminidase (NA) protein head. The antibodies target a region of the NA protein that is common among many influenza viruses, including H3N2 subtype viruses, and could be a new target for countermeasures. The research, led by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Vaccine Research Center, part of NIH, was published today in Immunity..

Influenza, or flu, sickens millions of people across the globe each year and can lead to severe illness and death. While vaccination against influenza reduces the burden of the disease, updated vaccines are needed each season to provide protection against the many strains and subtypes of the rapidly evolving virus. Vaccines that provide protection against a broad range of influenza viruses could prevent outbreaks of new and reemerging flu viruses without the need for yearly vaccine reformulation or vaccinations.

One way to improve influenza vaccines and other countermeasures is to identify new targets on the virus’s surface proteins in “conserved” regions-portions that tend to be relatively unchanged between different strains of the virus. Influenza NA is a surface protein containing a globular head portion and a narrow stalk portion. The underside of the NA head contains a highly conserved region with targets for antibodies-known as epitopes-that make it vulnerable to antibody binding and inhibition of the virus, as well as not being impacted by mutations common in drug-resistant strains. This region is termed the “dark side” due to its partially hidden location and relatively unexplored characteristics.

The researchers isolated human antibodies that target the NA dark side from the blood of two people who had recovered from influenza type A subtype H3N2, a major subtype of seasonal flu viruses. In lab tests, the antibodies inhibited propagation of viruses from subtype H2N2, the subtype that caused pandemic influenza in 1957-58, and H3N2 viruses from humans, swine, and birds. The antibodies also protected mice from lethal infection by a subtype H3N2 virus when given to the animals either one day before or two days after infection, showing that the antibody may treat and prevent influenza in this model.

The scientists analyzed the structure of two of the antibodies while bound to NA using advanced microscopy techniques known as cryogenic electron microscopy. Each antibody targeted different, nonoverlapping regions of the dark side, demonstrating that this region has multiple areas that may be useful to explore for countermeasure development.

These findings show that the NA dark side has unique, previously untapped epitopes that could be applied to the development of new vaccine and therapeutic strategies. They suggest that antibodies targeting the NA dark side could be useful in combination with antivirals or other types of antibodies for interventions against influenza, as they are effective against influenza viruses with drug-resistant mutations. The researchers also note that NA dark side targets could be included in the next generation of broadly protective vaccines against influenza.

Reference:

Lederhofer, J. et al. Protective human monoclonal antibodies target conserved sites of vulnerability on the underside of influenza virus neuraminidase. Immunity. DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.02.003(link is external) (2024).

USA: The researchers from Rice University in Texas, US, have developed a rapid, accurate test that could be a game changer for diagnosing malaria, especially in areas with limited access to healthcare facilities.

The test, which is significantly faster and easier to use than traditional tests, can help healthcare providers quickly identify and treat severe cases, potentially saving lives. By enabling early detection and appropriate management of malaria cases, the disease burden can be reduced and can improve patient outcomes in Africa and beyond. 

The work is published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

Malaria remains a significant global health challenge with an estimated 247 million cases and more than 600,000 deaths annually, the majority of which occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The most severe form, cerebral malaria, has a high mortality rate, particularly in children under 5 years of age.

Current rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria provide only a binary result-positive or negative-often missing asymptomatic infections and lacking the sensitivity needed to detect severe cases early. Molecular assays, while more sensitive, are expensive, time-consuming and require specialized equipment and trained personnel, making them impractical for widespread use in resource-limited settings.

To address these challenges, a team led by mechanical engineer Peter Lillehoj of Rice’s Brown School of Engineering, created a microfluidic point-of-care (mPOC) immunoassay for quantifying a malaria parasite biomarker, Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2), in whole blood.

The device features two diagnostic modes for detecting PfHRP2 at low and high concentrations, making it useful for various diagnostic applications, including the detection of asymptomatic infection and the prediction of disease outcomes. Test results are available in just 15 minutes and can be accessed on a smartphone app, developed by the research team.

“The mPOC immunoassay was designed to be simple, accurate and field-deployable, making it suitable for use in rural and remote health centers in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Lillehoj, associate professor of mechanical engineering. “Unlike traditional tests, this device does not require plasma separation, pipetting, complicated sample processing or long incubations, making it easy to use even by minimally trained health care providers.”

In testing conducted in Malawi, the mPOC immunoassay demonstrated similar accuracy to a commercial PfHRP2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, while being 12 times faster and simpler to use. The ability to quickly and accurately diagnose malaria, particularly cerebral malaria, at the point of care could lead to early identification and treatment of severe cases, according to Lillehoj.

“In areas with limited access to health care facilities, our test could be a game-changer,” he said. “It can help health care providers quickly identify and treat severe cases, potentially saving lives. By enabling early detection and appropriate management of malaria cases, we can reduce the burden of the disease and improve patient outcomes in Africa and beyond.”   

Reference:

Li J, Saidi AM, Seydel K, Lillehoj PB. Rapid diagnosis and prognosis of malaria infection using a microfluidic point-of-care immunoassay. Biosens Bioelectron. 2024 Apr 15;250:116091. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116091.