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Top 5 Latest Healthcare Innovations

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 04:57:07 +0000

Dr. Avantika Batish compiled Top 5 healthcare innovations

1. NovioSense – The device that can be kept in the eyes to monitor sugar levels

IEEE spectrum has discovered a recent study that seems promising for the Dutch startup Noviosense’s own wearable glucose monitor that measures tears by sitting in one’s lower eyelid. The result was close to 95%accuracy to the levels of glucose as recorded in blood. Therefore, the newly developed glucose monitor can be placed in the lower eye lid to measure glucose level in tears.It works by tapping into basal tears or a continuous stream of tears that do not require stimulation.The spring coil can rest in the eyelid for long periods and will not be displaced even if users’ rub their eyes.

Though the innovation seems to be another milestone in the management of diabetes which presently is painful, inconvenient or sometimes tedious but the study had a drawback. The sample size consisted of only six people. Noviosense will need to conduct more tests to further prove the device’s validity and reliability.

SOURCE: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

2. Sensors to detect milk adulteration

According to a recent research published in the Food Analytical Methods Journal, IIT Hyderabad has developed a sensor-chip based detector system to detect adulteration in milk. This helps to measure the pH levels of milk through an indicator paper that changes color due to acidity of the milk. Currently,methods like chromatography and spectroscopy are used to detect milk adulteration, which are quite expensive, so the researchers at IIT used a relatively cost-effective process called ‘electro spinning’ to produce halochromic paper-like material made of nano- sized nylon fibres and load edit with a combination of three dyes.

They have also developed algorithms that can be incorporated on the mobile phones to accurately detect the color change. The algorithm captured the colors of the sensor strips after dipping in milk using the mobile phone camera and the data was then transformed into pH ranges. On testing with milk spiked with various combinations of contaminants, they found near-perfect classification with accuracy of 99.71%.

In order to get comprehensive milk quality check systems that can be incorporated in mobile phones or any other hand aids the team now aims to study the effects of mobile phone cameras and lighting on detection efficiency and hopes to develop sensors for other physical properties like conductivity and refractive index and integrate them with the pH detection unit.

SOURCE: www.timesnownews.com

3. TestCard: A card sized urine test at home

The UK-based Med Tech Startup Test Card has created a postcard- sized urine test that can be done at home and is very much similar to a pregnancy test, which is analyzed by an accompanying app to provide immediate results.The postcard has an embedded, pull-out urine test. The urine test has no electronic component involved in its usage. The postcard test is likely to be launched in the UK in April 2019. In the near future, TestCard also plans to screen diabetes products in India.

4. IOTA Bioscience creates body sensor smaller than sand grain

An American biotechnology Startup, Iota Biosciences founded in 2017 by Carmena and Michel Maharbiz has recently raised 15 million dollars for its in body sensor which is smaller than sand grain.

The University of California in a micro electrode research developed the sensors called ‘neural dust’ which then transfers the data wirelessly from inside the body.The Co-CEOs hold exclusive rights to neural dust technology which offers revolutionary therapeutic applications for various chronic health conditions from inflammation to motor disorders and eventually cognitive impairment.

The advantage of this small-sized sensor is that it uses ultrasound avoiding any danger that is associated with wire and battery-provided implants. Since they are smaller and can be implanted deeper into the human body than traditional ones available, neural dust can interfere directly with specific nerve clusters allowing more precise diagnostics and treatments. Iota’s devices can concurrently record information and stimulate nerves giving near instantaneous closed-loop therapies that could better treat diseases from the inside out.

SOURCE: TimesNow

5. Wand… Pacemaker for the brain

Scientists at University of California have created a wireless device called ‘WAND’ which works like a pacemaker for the brain and may aid in the treatment of disorders like epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. Wand is a neuro stimulator that can monitor and stimulate the brain with electric current. This device is autonomous and can simultaneously stimulate and record electrical signals in the brain.

About the author

Dr. Avantika Batish, working as the Director Strategy and Healthcare at International Health Emergency Learning and Preparedness. She is also a guest faculty for MBA (HR) and MBA Healthcare Management at various B-Schools and is a soft skills trainer.

Top 3 Latest Healthcare Innovations for the month of May

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Gallstones: The Truth Underneath

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 08 May 2019 10:54:58 +0000

The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped pouch situated at the undersurface of the liver which secretes a greenish fluid called “bile” which aids in digestion. Gallstones are the most common disease of the gallbladder. Technically, we call this disease “cholelithiasis”.

About 80% of gallstones patients are asymptomatic, i.e., show no visible symptoms. Gallstones are usually discovered incidentally during abdominal ultrasound scans done for another cause. The most direct and effective course of treatment is surgery which provides excellent results. Gallstones can be divided into three main types: cholesterol, pigment or mixed stones. In the Asian populations, the majority of them are pigment stones.

Causes

The process of gallstones formation is quite complex and many areas remain unclear. Obesity, high-calorie diets and certain medications (e.g. oral contraceptives) can increase secretion of cholesterol and can saturate the bile and added incomplete emptying of the gallbladder can cause these stones. Hence, to avoid inevitable recurrence of gallstones, the whole gallbladder must be removed surgically and not just the stones.

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Symptoms

Patients usually have pain in the upper abdomen, feel nausea and vomiting. A few patients may even have this for months with intermittent relief periods without any symptoms. Patients can come with acute symptoms which may warrant surgery. The treating surgeon diagnoses it with an ultrasound scan and visible symptoms.

Earlier, the gallstones were worrisome causing jaundice due to lack of awareness among the patients and delayed approach to the doctor as they believed that these stones can be melted. Unfortunately, these stones, unlike the urinary stones, cannot be melted or crushed into pieces and removed. With the advent of new surgical laparoscopic (camera) approaches, patients can be easily discharged on the next day of surgery with a completely normal diet with minimal pain and small scars. A person can function very well without a gallbladder. So, do not hesitate to approach your nearest surgeon if you suffer from gallstones and get yourself treated as it’s a completely curable disease.

About the Author

Dr. Jayadatta Pawar is a general surgeon. She is currently involved in doing private practice and shares a keen interest in creating awareness about public health.

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FIRST DIGITAL BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 10:43:43 +0000

Breast Cancer has been ranked as the number one cancer among Indian women with age adjusted rate as high as 25.8 per 100,000 women, as per the latest statistics published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology. Bengaluru has ranked third with age adjusted incidence rate of carcinoma of the breast found as high as 34.4 per 100,000 women. Projections for India suggest the number of breast cancer cases will likely go as high as 1,797,900 by 2020. Though there has been an increase in health check-ups among women recently and we can still see that screening is low on priority even in major cities.

Cytecare hospital is the first hospital in the city to introduce Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (popularly known as 3D-Mammography) for women.

Mammography continues to be the only screening test proven to decrease mortality from breast cancer. However, 2D mammography is less accurate in women with dense breasts for whom cancer may be masked by overlapping breast tissue. When a 2D mammogram detects an area of concern, radiologists further investigate with a diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound or biopsy. Looking at the same breast tissue in 3D, the radiologist may now be able to see that the abnormality on 2D mammogram in fact represents normal breast tissue. This avoids further investigation in large number of patients undergoing routine screening.

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3D mammography or Tomosynthesis is a special kind of mammogram that uses several low dose x-rays obtained at different angles to create multiple images or “sequential slices” that step through the breast tissue and allows radiologists to see more clearly. The breast is positioned and compressed in the same way as for a 2D mammogram but the x-ray tube moves in a circular arc around the breast. It takes less than 10 seconds for the scan. The information from the x-rays is sent to a computer, which produces a focused 3 D digital image of the breast.

There is no organised national or regional breast cancer screening program in India. Naturally, majority of those involved in women’s health are not aware of the available technology and expertise in the field of breast cancer diagnosis. Needless to say, women undergoing screening have little understanding of the tests or the results thereof.

In contrast to the western world, breast cancer incidence is much higher in premenopausal age group (<50 years) in India. As compared to both screen film and Computed Mammograms (older but most widely used technologies), 2D and 3D Digital Mammography has significantly higher accuracy in cancer detection in younger women and in women with dense glandular breasts. This will have large impact on decreasing the number of women undergoing unnecessary recalls or biopsies. It is most important to avoid anxiety in women opting for screening tests. 3D mammography serves as an excellent problem solving tool and reduces misdiagnoses. Contrary to common practice, ultrasound alone has significant limitations as a screening tool and must always be combined with a 2D or 3D Digital Mammogram. The x-ray dose of 3D mammography is comparable to that of a 2D mammogram. Therefore the cumulative dose of the combined screening is still below the FDA regulated limit and found to be safe and effective for patient use.

Incorporating this aspect Cytecare hospital’s breast imaging services are complete with Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT or 3D Mammogram), Full Field Digital Mammogram (FFDM), Stereotactic and Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy (VABB).

3D mammography has shown to reduce percentage of missed cancers by 15%. More recent studies show about 30% increased 3D mammography sensitivity and specificity compared to 2D Mammography with a recalls reduction in screening by approximately 40%.

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Read all the issues of InnoHEALTH magazine:
InnoHEALTH Volume 1 Issue 1 (July to September 2016) – https://goo.gl/iWAwN2
InnoHEALTH Volume 1 Issue 2 (October to December 2016) – https://goo.gl/4GGMJz
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 1 (January to March 2017) – https://goo.gl/DEyKnw
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 2 (April to June 2017) – https://goo.gl/Nv3eev
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 3 (July to September 2017) – https://goo.gl/MCVjd6
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 4 (October to December 2017) – http://amzn.to/2B2UMLw

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FETAL MEDICINE TREATMENT

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 07:59:37 +0000

Fetal medicine makes treatment of abnormalities in the unborn child possible

Medical advancements in heart treatments have taken giant steps and is poised to treat congenital problems in the heart of a fetus today. However, due to a severe lack of awareness in India about what problems can be detected at fetal stages, expectant mothers are in oblivion about the health of their unborn child. This leads to an uniformed decision and many children are born with challenges that could have been detected and treated even before they were born.

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In India where Fetal medicine is still an upcoming discipline, the pregnant women aren’t much aware about its scope from diagnosis to therapy. Fetal medicine pertains to the use of Ultrasound, genetic tests, MRI etc. in the pregnancy period to determine the health of the newborn. Though fetal experts in India usually restrict themselves to treating complications of Identical twins, bladder outlet obstruction , fetal anaemia , the horizon for diagnosis has touched the Western mark. The motive is diagnosis of birth and chromosomal defects as early as possible so as to offer a fair chance to the couple on deciding fate of pregnancy. Fetal echo-cardiography is one worth mentioning which can pick up most early manifesting cardiac problems in the unborn in expert hands.

Fetal medicine practitioners try to spread awareness and say that one needs to see a fetal medicine specialist if they have any of the following conditions:

• Recurrent pregnancy loss/ death of baby in womb/death immediately after birth or delivery before date.
• Mothers who’s blood group is Rh negative
• Known genetic disease in family
• Pregnancy with previous child or family member affected by thalassemia/ haemophilia etc
• Pregnancy with h/o fever with rash/chickenpox
• Pregnancy with Diabetes/high BP/heart disease//Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren’s syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis
• Pregnancy with hepatitis/ cancer/seizure/organ transplant
• Pregnancy with slow growth of fetus.
• Pregnancy with previous history of structural defect in the baby in previous pregnancy or in the family
• Pregnancy with previous history of mental retardation or heart defects in previous pregnancy or in the family
• IVF conceived pregnancy

Latest studies reveal that approximately 3-4% of pregnancies are diagnosed with a fetal defect. This can either be a genetic defect or a structural defect. With a lack of awareness in mothers; lack of exact diagnosis and monitoring this can result in a severe mental or physical handicap in a new-born and can prove to be traumatic for the family and pose a significant mental burden on the new mother. So India, now is the time to look up, ask and use the available expertise to join hands for the healthy next generation.

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EXPANSION AND INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 08:19:58 +0000

Apollo Sugar Clinics on expansion mode

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Apollo Sugar set up by Apollo Hospital group in collaboration with pharmaceutical company Sanofi, plans to set up 100 clinics by the end of 2018 and 300 clinics over the next three years. It currently operates 52 clinics across India. It aims at providing quality comprehensive diabetes care under one roof at cheaper rates. Apollo Sugar is focusing on tier-2 cities and rural areas for expansion. Right now, it is operating in metro cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

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According to estimates of Union Health Ministry, the total spending on diabetic care is about Rs 1.5 lakh crore per annum in India and every patient spends about Rs 30,000 a year on diabetic care.

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ICESENCE3

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IceCure Medical’s IceSence3 has been used by US doctors since 2011 to remove benign breast lumps in a 10-minute ultrasound guided procedure that penetrates the tumor and engulfs it with ice. The system is being clinically tested over the next few years against small malignant breast tumors as well. The procedure is done in a doctor’s office, clinic or breast center, and the patient can get up and leave afterward with no recovery period or post-care.

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TOTAL LIFT BED

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VitalGo Systems’ Total Lift bed is the world’s only hospital grade bed that can elevate a patient from a lying to a fully standing position and all points in between for treatment and transfer with no lifting required of the caregiver. Total Lift beds are used in the acute-care and home-care markets in the United States.

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