Phase I clinical trial of Zika vaccine to begin next month

Tests, which involve 48 adults, will be randomised and placebo-controlled

Bharat Biotech International Ltd in Hyderabad will start the Phase I clinical trial of Zika virus

vaccine (MR 766) in two centres in India next month.

“We have already got the approval from DCGI [Drug Controller General of India] in March

to carry out the Phase I clinical trial,” says Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing

Director of Bharat Biotech.

Dose ranges

It will be a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial involving 48 adults, both men

and women (who are not pregnant). Each volunteer will receive two vaccine doses on days 0

[the starting day] and 30 and will be followed-up for a year for both safety and immune

response. Three different dose ranges will be tested.

There will be three arms in the trial, and each one will recieve one of the three different dose

ranges.

The Phase I is being initiated based on the promising results in animals trials. In the animal

trials, two doses of the vaccine made using an African Zika virus strain conferred 100%

protection against mortality and disease in mice. The protection was the same when the mice

were infected with an Asian and an African Zika strains.

While the viral load was “undetectable” in the case of vaccinated mice, the amount of virus in

unvaccinated mice shot up four days after being infected.

Source : The Hindu

Banning online pre-natal sex determination content dangerous: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that a general ban on all online content about

prenatal sex determination will curtail the fundamental right to know of a genuine

information-seeker who is driven by curiousity.

“Prenatal sex determination ads is an offence. But a general prohibitory order against all

online information pertaining to sex determination is dangerous. We will be curtailing the

right to know under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution,” a three-judge Bench led by Justice

Dipak Misra observed orally.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said there was a distinction between the right to know of an

information seeker and the purely commercial objectives of those who post online sex

determnation ads to make money.

"The search of the information seeker is protected by the right to know," Mr. Rohatgi

submitted.

"Yes. Curiousity is fundamental to the right to know and you cannot curtail it with a direct

order," Justice Misra observed orally.

"Yes, there should be a restriction on sex determination ads. But can we smother choice of a

person to gain information? Right to know is a fundamental right. If we pass a general type

order, that is likely to offend Article 19(1) (a)," Justice Misra asked.

The court asked for Mr. Rohatgi's assistance and allowed advocate Sanjay Parekh, counsel

for petitioner Sabu Mathew George, to effectively address the court on the question as to

whether the ban on sex determination advertisements under Section 22 of the Prenatal and

Pre-Conception Sex Diagnostic Techniques Act is restricted only to paid advertisements.

The court will hear them on April 13.

Senior advocates Harish Salve and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for search engines

Yahoo and Google, said intermediaries are not directly responsible for people uploading

content online.

Mr. Singhvi submitted that banning these ads should not restrain the "innocent searcher."

In February, the court ordered Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to immediately set up their own

in-house expert bodies to keep tabs and delete prohibited online prenatal sex determination

ads.

The court said the intent of the order was to make these search engines “responsive to Indian

law.”

Source: The Hindu

ET By Invite - You can Fence Yourself against Swine Flu

The number of swine flu (H1N1) cases in the first three months of this year has already

crossed the total num ber of cases reported in all of 2016. This reporting of cases only

represents the tip of the iceberg because of two reasons -clinically it is impossible to

differentiate H1N1 from normal flu and the lab facility to conduct the test is not freely

available (may not be needed too).

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

No other organism can claim to have taken these words more seriously than the flu virus. By

the unique mechanism of Antigenic Shift and Drift -change in the structure of viral protein to

hoodwink the host defence -the flu virus reinvents itself into a more lethal form than the

existing strain. This resultant loss of defence memory of the host results in rapid and

devastating spread of flu from time to time, lead ing to a pandemic. The influenza virus is of

three types A,B & C. Only the influenza A virus can affect species other than human beings,

including birds and animals. H1N1 virus is a Type A influenza virus with a reassortment of

human, avian and swine proteins, hence it is called the Swine Flu Virus.

SPREAD

People who have flu can spread it one day before they have any symptoms and as many as

seven days after they get sick. Kids can be contagious for as long as 10 days.

I) DIRECT SPREAD `Droplet' Spread

Droplets containing the virus produced when coughing, sneezing and talking get deposited in

the mouth, nose and eyes.

II) INDIRECT SPREAD

Touching the mouth, nose and eyes after touching contaminated surface.

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for a few hours (that is, on desks, chairs, door handles,

etc).

SYMPTOMS

The symptoms are similar to those of seasonal flu. They are fever, cough, sore throat, muscle

aches, joint pains, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting. Patients may experience some or all of

these symptoms and may be contagious before symptoms are seen.

HIGH-RISK GROUPS

Children below five years of age and adults over 60 are at a greater risk of contracting the

infection. Being in crowded places, at tending to someone with flu, caring for the sick and

being exposed to school or hospital environments add to the risk Those pregnant, obese,

diabetic, having cardiovascular disease, asthma and COPD should be extra cautious.

TREATMENT

Reassuring the public that H1N1 is not fatal in all cases and that most cases respond to simple

measures is important. Early recognition of complications of respiratory distress is also

crucial.

Most patients do not require any specific measures and are treated as normal flu cases. Based

on the associated risk factors and presence of warning symptoms, other patients are

categorised into A, B and C.

Besides supportive treatment, categories B and C should be treated with antiflu medication; it

is important to recognise and treat the complications as well.

Some of the same antiviral drugs that are used to treat seasonal flu also work against H1N1

swine flu. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), peramivir (Rapivab), and zanamivir (Relenza) are the drugs

that are effective. It is important to note that these drugs work best when used within 48 hours

of onset of symptoms.

We should discourage the routine use of antiflu drugs. The overprescription of these

medicines is most often unnecessary and starting beyond 72 hours may not be helpful.

Antibiotics are useful only in case of secondary bacterial infection.

PREVENTION

While swine flu isn't as scary as it seemed a few years ago, it's still important to protect

yourself against it. Here are some things you can do to stay healthy:

A) VACCINE

Flu vaccine can be taken as a shot or as a nasal spray. The injections have more predictable

response compared to sprays.

B) OTHER METHODS

i) Wash your hands periodically with soap and water. You can use an alcohol based hand

sanitiser too.

ii) Cover your nose and mouth while coughing and sneezing.

iii) Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

iv) Avoid people who are sick.

v) Mask, as a prevention of spread, is more useful when the patient wears it rather than close

contacts wearing it.

vi) Close contacts (of H1N1 cases) can take oseltamivir once a day for 10 days, after

consulting a doctor.

Resting at home when sick is the most important thing to do to minimise the spread in the

community and for a speedy recovery.

Source: The Times of India

This contact lens can detect diseases

Scientists have developed contact lenses embedded with transparent biosensors that could

help monitor blood glucose levels and trace diseases without tests.

Bio-sensing lenses are based on technology used to make smart phones with more vivid

displays. Researchers from Oregon State University first developed an inexpensive method to

make indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) electronics. They then used the approach to fabricate

a biosensor containing a transparent sheet of IGZO field-effect transistors and glucose

oxidase.

When they added glucose to the mixture, the enzyme oxidised the blood sugar. The pH level

in the mixture shifted and triggered changes in the electrical current flowing through the

IGZO transistor. Researchers then created nanostructures within the IGZO biosensor that

were able to detect glucose concentrations much lower than found in tears. The biosensors

could transmit health data to smartphones, said Gregory Herman.

Source: The Times of India

Spine-stimulating device helps paralysed man move

US scientists have helped a man intentionally move his paralysed legs, stand and make

steplike motions for the first time in three years, by using electrical stimulation on his spinal

cord and intense physical therapy .

It marks the first time a patient intentionally controlled previously paralysed functions within

the first two weeks of stimulation, researchers said. The results offer evidence that a

combination of this technology and rehabilitation may help patients with spinal cord injuries

regain control over previously paralysed movements.

“We're really excited, because our results went beyond our expectations,“ said Kendall Lee,

director of Mayo Clinic's Neural Engineering Laboratory in the US.

The 26-year-old patient injured his spinal cord at the sixth thoracic vertebrae in the middle of

his back three years back. He was diagnosed with a motor complete spinal cord injury ,

meaning he could not move or feel anything below the middle of his torso.

The study started with the patient going through 22 weeks of physical therapy . He had three

training sessions a week to prepare his muscles for attempting tasks during stimulation. After

a three-week recovery period from surgery, the patient resumed physical therapy with

stimulation to enable movements.

Source: The Times of India

Nearly 13 million people in India suffer from autism

Parents of young children with autism go into denial, refusing to believe the diagnosis,
leading to delays in therapy to help the child integrate into mainstream schooling.

Around 1 in 89 children between the ages of two and nine years in India suffer
from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Based on the 2011 census data, this will mean 2.2
million children in that age group in India are autistic. If extrapolated, this means at least 13
million people in India live with the condition.

But, what is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
ASD is an umbrella term for people living with development disorders that impairs
communication – speaking, gesturing and listening – and makes them have limited interests
or repetitive behaviour.
ASD remains a very misunderstood diagnosis.

“There is a stigma attached to the disorder. What people need to understand is that if
diagnosed early and the child receive adequate help then they can contribute to the society,”
said Shefali Gulati, chief of child neurology department at All India Institute of Medical
Sciences. DO YOU SUSPECT AUTISM? “If a child does not look at playthings being
shown, if they do not smile, if they do not respond to their name, they might be autistic.
Parents must consult their paediatrician,” said Dr Gulati.

“When a baby starts talking late, parents and grandparents explain it by saying that other
babies in the family were slower in development. But they should not keep waiting.
Sometimes parents bring their child to a doctor when they are five years old,” she added.
Early intervention can help children with autism to lead normal lives, experts said. “That
way, children can learn age-appropriate activities from specialists and psychologists,” said Dr
Krishan Chugh, director of paediatrics at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon. IS IT
IN THE FAMILY? The cause of autism spectrum disorders is still unknown, but it has been
observed that boys are 4.5 time more likely to get autism than girls.

The risk of autism also increases if there is one child in the family who has autism. “The risk
of a second child being autistic increases by 7% if a couple has had an autistic daughter and
by 4% if they have had an autistic son. The chances of having an autistic child increases by
25-30% if both children are born with autism,” said Dr Gulati.

“This, however, does not mean that there has to be a history of autism in the family in
previous generations. But, it has been established that in 10–15% of families with autistic
children there is history of behavioural problems,” she added. BARRIERS TO
TREATMENT Awareness, acceptance of diagnosis and receiving proper care at the right
time are some of the barriers to diagnosis and treatment of children with ASD.

“Awareness, even among physicians, was very less even 20 years ago. Also there were
several nomenclatures for various conditions. This has changed over the time. Also, there is
no objective blood test or scan to determine whether a child is autistic. A specialist can just
observe the child and put 2 and 2 together,” said Dr Chugh.

Parents also refuse to believe in the diagnosis, leading to delays in therapy. “The problem is
now there is Dr Google. Many parents Google symptoms and say that their child is not
autistic. However, every autistic child shows different symptoms and parents are not willing
to accept the diagnosis,” he said.

And even after children have been diagnosed, integrating them to the mainstream education
system can be a challenge.

“Special educators are needed and various resources to train the children in areas that they
face difficult in are required. However, there is a dearth of them in India,” said Dr Mukta
Vasal, chief child and adolescent psychologist and co-founder of ‘Mom’s Belief

Source: Hindustan Times