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Showing posts with the label South African viral strain

Obesity epidemic of India

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Obesity in India is on the rise. It has reached enormous proportions. As I sit and count at airports, the number of women who look obviously overweight and obese, the figures I get is 8 out of 10. And this is around same in children of all sexes and around 6 in 10 men show clearcut overweight and obesity that is obvious even to naked eye. Anthropometric measurements might reveal more of them.  What are the likely causes? I have a theory that starts analysing these cases right from the 2000s or previous century. Junk food eating and sedantry lifestyle had already given an upward push to obesity in last century. And this also gave rise to diabetes mellitus in both men and women. Hence, such mothers also had diabetes in pregnancy. Some who did not have diabetes otherwise had gestational diabetes. From 2000 to 2026 prevalence of gestational diabetes has risen in india. It has even spread to rural areas and recent national data gives a figure of 22.4% which is almost 1 in 4 pregnant mot...

Double Trouble! Oregon COVID-19 strain has the backbone of the UK coronavirus variant strain B.1.1.7 and also the mutation of the South African virus variant!

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 Coronavirus is testing the medical fraternity. Over the past few months, it has undergone several mutations that are increasing its inter-human transmission capacity. And now to add to this list is another variant of the virus discovered in Oregon. It has the backbone of the variant virus from the UK ( B.1.1.7) and also has the mutation of E484K or “Eek” that are seen in the variants from South Africa, Brazil, and New York City. So it is double trouble!!! The Oregon variant of the coronavirus Scientists from Oregon have discovered a variant of the coronavirus bug that has the high transmission capacity of the UK strain and also resistance to vaccine-induced immunity problem of the South African strain. It is double trouble and a formidable combination. There is a growing concern about this finding though it was isolated only from one patient until now.  Genetic analysis has revealed that this strain has been acquired from the community and not developed de novo in the patient...