Does Drinking Coffee reduce the risk of getting prostate cancer ?

October 17, 2021October 2, 2021

Yes

A study in the BMJ open journal reports that “Higher coffee consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer”

The authors further report that “the risk of prostate cancer was reduced by nearly 1% for each extra one cup of coffee per day”

But a word of caution!

Almost every week there are newspaper reports of studies exploring associations between “various food/drink” with “various cancers/diseases” and some of them conflicting and confusing.

So conclusions of most individual studies relating to food and drink need to be taken with a dose of healthy scepticism.

Telegraph: Advanced prostate cancer sufferers less likely to die if they are heavy coffee drinkers, study finds
A single cup can reduce the chances of contracting the disease by as much as one per cent, researchers claim.

Chen X, Zhao Y, Tao Z, et al. Coffee consumption and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ Open 2021;11:e038902. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038902

Jacobsen BK , Bjelke E , Kvåle G , et al . Coffee drinking, mortality, and cancer incidence: results from a Norwegian prospective study. J Natl Cancer Inst 1986;76:823–31.pmid:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3457969

Nomura A , Heilbrun LK , Stemmermann GN . Prospective study of coffee consumption and the risk of cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1986;76:587–90.doi:10.1093/jnci/76.4.587 pmid:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3457196

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and the authors views are not in way intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Is it safe to combine Flu Vaccines and COVID vaccines?

October 4, 2021October 2, 2021

Yes, according to a recent U.K. study which assessed the combination of Flu vaccines and COVID vaccines.

The well designed study found the combination to be safe. The study also found “the side effects of giving both vaccines together were generally well tolerated and acceptable”

There is a worry that Flu might cause severe problems this year compared to last year.

Everyone’s attention has been focused on COVID booster and many old people have not been thinking much about their yearly Flu shots.

It is important that elderly have the flu shots this year.

It is important to note that it is not unusual to combine vaccines. Lot of childhood vaccines are combined safely for many decades.

References

Guardian. Flu and Covid jabs safe to be given at same time, study finds

Safe for people to get flu and Covid jabs at same time, says study
Clinical trial finds reported side effects mainly mild to moderate.
ByNina Massey, PANick WoodMax Channon
00:15, 1 OCT 2021

ComFluCOV vaccine study

Study Summary slides

The Safety and Immunogenicity of Concomitant Administration of COVID-19 Vaccines (ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2) with Seasonal Influenza Vaccines in Adults: A Phase IV, Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial with Blinding (ComFluCOV)

CDC. Combination Vaccines. Fewer shots, but same protection

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting the blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.

New Pill for COVID

October 2, 2021October 2, 2021

A new antiviral pill for COVID is very promising. It may be used widely to control the infection in people suffering from early stages of illness.

But the pill does NOT seem to work very well in people with severe illness.

It is important to note that “Prevention is better than cure”. That’s why using COVID vaccines to prevent the disease in first place is a better option.

COVID Vaccines will continue to play the lead role in controlling the COVID pandemic.

The antiviral pill by the made by the company Merck is likely to become the first approved oral medication effective against coronavirus. But other companies, including Pfizer, are also developing new oral antiviral medications.

Dexamethasone and other steroid pills, which can help COVID illness, do NOT have direct antiviral activity.

Overall, this antiviral pill is another promising step towards complete normality.

References

BBC Covid antiviral pill can halve risk of hospitalisation
By Jim Reed
Health reporter

Guardian. Covid antiviral pill halves hospitalisations and deaths.
Merck’s antiviral drug, molnupiravir.
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
Fri 1 Oct 2021 15.56 BST

To Boost or not to boost ?

September 28, 2021September 28, 2021

U.K. has started offering booster vaccines.

People aged 50 years and over, health and social care workers and younger people at risk are being offered a booster dose of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Firstly, it has to be pointed out that it is not uncommon to offer booster vaccines with various other viral illnesses.

Secondly, the Data from Israel does support a role for COVID booster vaccines.

On the other hand, some people feel the case for booster is overstated.

The decision by U.K. Govt seems to be a reasonable and pragmatic one considering that the rate of new COVID infections is still high.

References

Guardian Opinion
The message from Israel is clear: Covid booster shots should be standard
David O’Connor
Mon 27 Sep 2021 11.47 BST

NEJM. Protection of BNT162b2 Vaccine Booster against Covid-19 in Israel
Yinon M. Bar-On, M.Sc., Yair Goldberg, Ph.D., Micha Mandel, Ph.D., Omri Bodenheimer, M.Sc., et al.
September 15, 2021
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2114255

U.K. Govt Guidance
COVID-19 vaccination: a guide to booster vaccination
Published 16 September 2021

BMJ. Editorials
Covid-19 vaccination: evidence of waning immunity is overstated
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2320 (Published 23 September 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n2320

Daily Mail. UK’s daily Covid cases rise 5% in a week to 37,960 as hospital admissions and deaths continue to fall – amid fears FOURTH wave may have already began with cases starting to spill over from children to their parents. By Emily Craig Health Reporter For Mailonline and Luke Andrews Health Reporter For Mailonline
12:35, 27 Sep 2021 , updated 16:44, 27 Sep 2021

New treatment for Prostate cancer

September 24, 2021September 24, 2021

At the recent ESMO congress, new data was presented showing that upfront treatment with Abiraterone helps patients liver longer.

Hormone injections plus Chemotherapy is standard of care for new diagnosed advanced prostate cancer ( doublet treatment).

A French trial ( PEACE 1) explored the use of Abiraterone in this setting. The investigators found that a “triplet treatment” of Abiraterone + Chemotherapy + Hormone injections would make people live substantially.

This is likely to become standard of care in near future.

Another U.K. trial ( STAMPEDE) assessed Abiraterone in the High risk but less advanced prostate cancer. The study found that adding Abiraterone to the other treatments can improve survival of prostate patients.

This again is likely to become standard of care.

References

Possible changes in the standard of care for metastatic and non-metastatic prostate cancer. 19 Sep 2021. ESMO Congress 2021

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting the blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.

Immunotherapy improves survival of patients with Advanced Cervical cancer

September 20, 2021September 19, 2021

Advanced Cervical cancer, that cannot be cured by surgery or radiotherpy, is usually treated with chemotherapy.

A study assessed the effectiveness of immunotherapy in combination with standard chemotherapy.

The results were presented at the ESMO (European Medical Oncology Conference) on 18th Sept 2021.

The combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy is remarkably better and makes patients live longer.

This is likely to become the standard of care now.

References

Presidential Symposium 1 (ESMO Congress 2021). KEYNOTE-826 trial met its dual primary endpoints.

Risks and benefits of COVID vaccines in 12 to 15 year olds

September 19, 2021September 18, 2021

Previously, the UK vaccine expert committee (JCVI) decided that would NOT advice COVID vaccines to healthy 12 to 15-year-olds because the “direct individual benefit” to their health was only marginal.

But the Chief Medical officers have decided the other way now. The UK Government is now offering 12-15 year olds COVID vaccination and believes that this is the way out of the pandemic.

This is a very finely balanced decision. Decision seem to have been made on “public health grounds” rather than “individual” benefit.

In England, children aged 12 to 15 will be offered one dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine ( one dose instead of the usual two doses so as to minimise risks).

Lot of Vaccines offered for many other childhood illnesses have much greater benefit than COVID vaccines.

A nice article in Guardian by a Paediatrician discusses the benefits and risks of COVID vaccines in the 12 to 15 year olds. Boys seem to be more at risk of Heart side effects compared to Girls.

It would be difficult decision for lot of parents with healthy children.

References

Guardian. As a paediatrician, I believe it’s right to vaccinate young people aged 12 to 15
Russell Viner
There are no simple solutions to Covid, but children themselves will, on balance, benefit from being vaccinated. Russell Viner is a paediatrician and professor at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
Tue 14 Sep 2021 14.31 BST

BMJ. Covid-19: Vaccinating children will help end pandemic, says minister
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2254 (Published 14 September 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n2254

Daily Mail. It makes you think…’ Holly Willoughby finds herself conflicted about son Harry, 12, getting the COVID-19 vaccine as she’s caught between debating doctors on This Morning. By Andrew Bullock For Mailonline
13:19, 14 Sep 2021 , updated 14:28, 14 Sep 2021

How many people get long-COVID?

September 18, 2021September 17, 2021

Immediately after a COVID infection, people can be very sick and in some people, hospitalisation and death can occur.

Even after recovering from a COVID infection, some people can have fatigue, breathlessness, muscle ache, brain fog and other symptoms which can persist for many months. This persistence of symptoms is known as long COVID.

Previously, it was feared that a high percentage of people may go on to develop long COVID. A previous estimate suggested that as many as 1 in 10 people may develop long COVID.

Now , an ONS survey suggests that far less people may develop longer COVID. It is mow estimated that 1 in 40 people may have long COVID after recovering from a COVID infection.

References

BBC news. Long Covid less common than feared – ONS study.

BMJ. Long covid clinics should be run as research hubs. BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1996 (Published 20 August 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1996

BMJ rapid response. S Sundar. Loss of smell due to COVID-19 presents a rare opportunity for a natural experiment to study the obesity pandemic. 20 August 2021

Galleri cancer test: an exciting new test for cancer

September 17, 2021September 16, 2021

Galleri test is a new type of blood test for cancer. The test promises to revolutionise cancer diagnosis.

Trials have started in UK to see how well the test works in real world.

Within a few years, we should be able to see early results.

Just because a cancer can be diagnosed early, it does not automatically mean that it will make patients live longer.

Let’s say, a person is diagnosed with a serious cancer at age of 60 yrs and dies of cancer at age of 65 yrs.

Any test that detects the cancer early ( before the age of 60) should make this person live longer than 65 years.

If the test , for example, detects the cancer at the age of 55 instead of 60, but the person still dies of cancer at 65, then it is a worthless test.

Hopefully, the trial will thoroughly analyse the outcome to see whether the test is of overall benefit.

References

Galleri™ Test

NHS launches world first trial for new cancer test. 13 September 2021

BBC news. Galleri cancer test: What is it and who can get it? 13 Sept 2021

Traffic noise and dementia

September 13, 2021September 16, 2021

Can the noisy traffic outside your home increase your risk of getting dementia ?

Possibly yes.

A study from Denmark looked at “exposure to road traffic and railway noise” and “risk of dementia” in later life.

They found “traffic noise” is associated with risk of dementia.

A word of caution though!

This study does NOT conclusively prove that noise caused dementia. In science, association does not prove causation.

It is known that some people with hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia in later life.

It is possible that people with hearing loss were NOT bothered with traffic noise and carried on living in places with traffic noise.

On the other hand, people with good hearing were bothered by traffic noise and moved away from areas with traffic noise to live in a quieter area with less traffic noise.

This natural human behaviour could have affected the results of this study from Denmark

So, it may appear, at first glance, that traffic noise caused dementia. But deeper examination shows that the results of Denmark study are not conclusive and more confirmatory studies are needed.

References

Residential exposure to transportation noise in Denmark and incidence of dementia: national cohort study
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1954 (Published 09 September 2021)Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1954

Dementia.org: The Connection Between Hearing Loss And Dementia

NHS blog. Keeping your ear to the ground on dementia

Hearing loss and the connection to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia
By American Heart Association News.

Ivermectin for COVID-19 : what’s the evidence?

September 9, 2021September 12, 2021

Ivermectin tablets are used in human beings to treat a disease called onchocerciasis (river blindness) and various infections caused by parasites. It is also sometimes used for “difficult-to-treat’ scabies. Ivermectin is also used as skin cream for certain skin conditions.

Ivermectin tablets are used in veterinary medicine to treat various parasitic infections.

There is genuine scientific interest in evaluating Ivermectin as a COVID treatment. But the evidence is not good enough for widespread use outside the clinical trials.

Unfortunately, there is widespread promotion of ivermectin in certain countries and there is a significant risk that people may be harmed by this promotion. (Side effects: Ivermectin data sheet).

That’s why the FDA and European regulators have advised against the use of Ivermectin outside clinical trials.

References

BNF Ivermectin

BBC news. Ivermectin: Oklahoma doctor warns against using drug for Covid treatment

Ivermectin for preventing and treating COVID-19
Maria Popp et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021.

eMC. Soolantra 10mg/g Cream

NICE. Difficult-to-treat scabies: oral ivermectin
Evidence summary [ESUOM29] Published: 18 March 2014

EMA advises against use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 outside randomised clinical trials

FDA. Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19.

Ivermectin_Patient Information leaflet Download

COVID vaccination of 12-15 year olds: benefits vs risks

September 7, 2021September 5, 2021

Should young teenagers have the COVID vaccine?

At present, this is a difficult question to give a straightforward answer.

For most of “middle to old age” people, the benefits of COVID vaccines are far greater than potential side effects from vaccines.

On the other hand, in case of 12-15 year olds, the benefits are marginally better than risks and individual circumstances need to be taken into account.

UK’s vaccine advisory body is called JCVI. ( Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation ).

JCVI on Friday declined to recommend universal vaccination of all 12-15 year olds. This is because the chances of children becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 is very small. This needs to be balanced against a tiny risk of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart in young people due to the vaccines. It is a matter of weighing up disease versus vaccine.

But, this does not mean COVID vaccines are not being given to 12-15 year olds.

USA, France, Italy, Israel and Ireland are offering vaccines to this group.

In U.K., vulnerable children with heart and lung problems, blood disorders, diabetes and various other diseases are eligible for the COVID vaccine. Children living with extremely vulnerable adults are also eligible.

Parents with healthy 12-15 year olds have a difficult choice to make in the coming weeks.

References

BMJ news. Covid-19: JCVI opts not to recommend universal vaccination of 12-15 year olds
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2180 (Published 03 September 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n2180

BBC news. Covid: What do parents think about vaccinating children?
By Jennifer Meierhans & Kris Bramwell
BBC News

BBC news. Scientists not backing Covid jabs for 12 to 15-year-olds
By Philippa Roxby and Nick Triggle
BBC News

BBC news. Why vaccinating all teens is a difficult decision
By Philippa Roxby
Health reporter

Gov.U.K. Guidance
Coronavirus (COVID-19): antibody testing
Updated 22 August 2021

NHS. Antibody testing to check if you’ve had coronavirus (COVID-19)

Is Moderna COVID vaccine better than Pfizer Vaccine?

September 6, 2021August 31, 2021

Are all COVID Vaccines equally effective ?

Probably not.

But until recently there has been hardly any direct clinical studies comparing different vaccines.

A recent study conducted in Belgium compared the Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines.

The study looked at antibody responses following vaccination in Health care workers. Antibody levels were measured prior to vaccination as well as 6 to 10 weeks after the second dose.

Higher antibody levels were observed in people vaccinated with Moderna vaccine compared with those vaccinated with Pfizer vaccine.

Future research is needed to see how these differences affect the general population.

Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are based on same technology (mRNA based vaccines).

If significant differences exist between between vaccines of same technology, then it is likely that differences would exist between vaccines of different technology (eg Pfizer vs Astra Zeneca).

The public health authorities would need to decide whether booster vaccinations should be done with a different vaccine.

References

Bloomberg. Moderna Creates Twice as Many Antibodies as Pfizer, Study Shows
By Jason Gale
31 August 2021, 03:54 BST

JAMA Research Letter
August 30, 2021
Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response Following Vaccination With BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273
Deborah Steensels, PharmD, PhD1; Noella Pierlet, MSc1; Joris Penders, MD, PhD1; et al . JAMA. Published online August 30, 2021. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.15125

(mRNA-1273 is Moderna Vaccine and BNT162b2 is Pfizer vaccine).

Daily Mail. ALL over-50s will get Covid booster shots by autumn: People who got AstraZeneca ‘are set to be offered a Pfizer jab’ in new vaccine drive because it is more effective against Indian variant. By Katie Feehan For Mailonline and Glen Owen for The Mail on Sunday
10:12, 01 Aug 2021 , updated 18:02, 01 Aug 2021

Are booster vaccines the way out of this pandemic?

September 5, 2021September 4, 2021

Vaccination promised a straightforward way out of the pandemic. Protection from TWO doses of vaccine initially promised to end the pandemic.

Israel led the way in mass vaccination. Infection rates plummeted and life seemed to be returning to normal.

But infection rates then started rising in Israel and Israel was forced to use booster vaccines for high risk population.

It is now hoped that the THIRD booster vaccines would provide a way of keeping COVID infections at a manageable level.

Only time will tell whether this strategy would be successful!

References

BBC Covid: What Israel tells us about the way out of the pandemic
By Rachel Schraer
Health reporter

Sky News. COVID-19: Scientists say vaccines could control pandemic … After two doses of Pfizer, there was a 70% reduction in all cases and a 90% drop in symptomatic cases, new data shows. Friday 23 April 2021 09:08, UK

Can mild air pollution be deadly ?

September 4, 2021September 4, 2021

Heavy Industrial air pollution can be harmful to health.

Can even a mild level of air pollution be harmful to health?

Yes !

A study published in BMJ reports that “outdoor air pollution is associated with increased risk of death even at low pollution levels below the current European and North American standards and WHO guideline values”.

City dwellers need to be careful !

References

BMJ Research
Long term exposure to low level air pollution and mortality in eight European cohorts within the ELAPSE project: pooled analysis
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1904 (Published 02 September 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1904

Are teachers at higher risk of catching COVID ?

September 3, 2021September 2, 2021

No.

Generally, Children are known to spread viral infections easily among themselves due to close contact in confined environments.

Most children in schools are not vaccinated against COVID.

Opening of schools in Scotland has recently increased COVID infections.

So there is an understandable worry that teachers may get more COVID infections.

A recent study published in BMJ is reassuring.

Compared to other adults, teachers were NOT found to be at increased risk of severe COVID or at increased risk of hospital admission with COVID-19

References

BMJ Research.
Risk of hospital admission with covid-19 among teachers compared with healthcare workers and other adults of working age in Scotland, March 2020 to July 2021: population based case-control study
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2060 (Published 02 September 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n2060

BBC News. Covid in Scotland: Return of schools ‘fuelling’ record case numbers

Bladder radiotherpy

September 2, 2021September 1, 2021

Bladder cancer can be cured by Radiotherpy.

Bladder cancer surgery is a very tough operation and not everyone is medically fit to undergo the procedure.

Radiotherapy is an excellent alternative treatment to bladder surgery.

A potentially curative course of radiotherpy typically involves daily Radiotherpy given for many weeks. Typically in U.K, the radiotherpy is given either over 4 weeks or 6.5 weeks.

The 4-week course of Radiotherpy has been recently reported to be better by eminent U.K. oncologists in a paper published in the highly esteemed Lancet Oncology.

We had some reservations and our views were published in the American Journal specialising in Radiotherpy.

References

Macmillan. Bladder Radiotherpy.

A Choudhury, N Porta, E Hall, et al.
Hypofractionated radiotherapy in locally advanced bladder cancer: An individual patient data meta-analysis of the BC2001 and BCON trials
Lancet Oncol, 22 (2021), pp. 246-255.

Radiation Dose and Fractionation for Bladder Cancer. In Regard to Dinh et al. Santhanam Sundar MRCP, FRCR
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Paul Symonds MD, FRCR
University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

Share Link:
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1dfje1Hx528Si2 ( link expires link October 19, 2021 )

COVID-19: Disease versus Vaccine

September 1, 2021August 30, 2021

Two contrasting news about COVID vaccine and disease recently.

First, a New Zealand woman dies after COVID vaccine. Death was attributed to heart inflammation caused by the vaccine.

Second, a 40 year vaccine-sceptic dies of COVID disease and sadly, leaves behind a pregnant wife.

How to interpret this information?

Remember everyday life is full of risks. Almost nothing is risk free. People balance risks and benefits everyday for most things in life. The same approach should be used for COVID vaccines.

It is understandable that some people are worried about side effects of vaccines. These concerns are REAL There is still lot unknown about long term efficacy and side effects of COVID vaccines.

If you are worried about vaccines and yet to have the vaccine, do note that the available evidence indicates that it is in your interests to have the vaccine.

If you are a vaccine sceptic, do NOT believe everything that is said on social media. Sometimes people put wrong information on social media. Sometimes people post information that is out of context.

What to do?

Ignore information that is not directly relevant to COVID vaccines.

Do NOT mix politics with Vaccines.

Beware that social media can make you paranoid about COVID vaccines.

Read official information. Available scientific evidence now indicates that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccine far outweighs the risks for vast majority of adults.

In particular, if you are above 50 years, do consider having the vaccine as a matter of urgency without further delay.

This is because in England, the Schools and Universities are going to open this month. Data from Scotland shows that COVID cases will spike after schools and Universities open.

Be selfish and do what is right for you and your family. Do not worry about “loss of face” on social media because you have changed your mind about vaccines.

Live to post another day !

Stay safe and be careful even after vaccination. No vaccine give you 100% protection.

References

BBC News. New Zealand woman dies after receiving Pfizer vaccine.

BBC News. Staffordshire Covid sceptic Marcus Birks dies in hospital.

Daily Mail. BBC presenter Lisa Shaw, 44, died due to incredibly rare blood clot complications caused by AstraZeneca covid vaccine three weeks after she had first jab, coroner rules. By Katie Weston and Joe Davies For Mailonline.
11:29, 26 Aug 2021 , updated 13:46, 26 Aug 2021

Daily Mail. Hillsong member, 34, who tweeted ‘got 99 problems but a vax ain’t one’ dies after month-long battle with COVID-19 and final ‘pray for me’ message. By Emily Crane For Dailymail.com
14:17, 23 Jul 2021 , updated 18:41, 23 Jul 2021

Daily Record. Mum-of-three dies after suffering rare reaction to AstraZeneca vaccine
The 47-year-old developed blood clots on her brain – causing a catastrophic stroke – and her fiance Mark Tomlin has now spoken of the devastating impact her death has had on him and five-year-old son Orson.
By Dan Martin Kaitlin Easton
17:46, 27 JUN 2021

MHRA. COVID-19 vaccines: updates for August 2021.

GOV. UK Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread . Last updated
27 August 2021

CDC. Vaccines for COVID-19.

BBC News. Covid in Scotland: Return of schools ‘fuelling’ record case numbers

Cereals and Sausages, Chips and Candies, increase risk of Inflammatory bowel disease.

August 30, 2021August 21, 2021

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is life long bowel disease. It consists of two types of diseases. One is called Crohn’s disease and another is called ulcerative colitis.

Crohn’s disease is a type of bowel disease which causes inflammation of the whole digestive tract from mouth to the end of back passage.

Ulcerative Colitis is a bowel disease which causes inflammation of the large bowel and back passage only.

What exactly causes Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative colitis is not fully understood.

A recent study in BMJ reports that high intake of ultra-processed increases risk of inflammatory bowel disease.

Ultra-processed food means processed meat, cold breakfast cereal, various types of sauce, soft drinks, refined sweetened foods (eg, candy, chocolate, jam, jelly, brownies, pudding), chips, ice cream, commercially prepared pastries, biscuits, fruit drinks, sweetened foods and soft drinks.

References

Association of ultra-processed food intake with risk of inflammatory bowel disease: prospective cohort study
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1554 (Published 15 July 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1554

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Are mind numbing jobs associated with dementia ?

August 22, 2021August 21, 2021

Yes.

It’s the principle of “use it or lose it”.

Body muscle strength can be lost quickly if it is not used. That’s why many people try to go to Gym and exercise regularly.

The same principle seems to apply to the brain.

People who are using their brain regularly with stimulating jobs are better off than people who are doing mind numbing jobs when it comes to dementia later in life.

So if your are not using your brain that much in your job, perhaps you need a “brain Gym” outside your work !

References

BMJ Research: Cognitive stimulation in the workplace, plasma proteins, and risk of dementia: three analyses of population cohort studies
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1804 (Published 19 August 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1804. https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1804

BBC. Dull jobs really do numb the mind

Daily Mail. A boring job really CAN make you brain dead: Lack of stimulation ‘affects memory and concentration later in life’

Health problems in middle age

August 11, 2021August 3, 2021

A recent British study reports that nearly a third of middle-aged adults have at least two Health issues.

This is very a depressing statistic.

Lot of people seem to suffering from high blood pressure, mental ill-health and back problems.

It’s important that people take time to look after themselves even if work and life in general is stressful.

It is also important to note that COVID affects people with underlying health issues much more badly.

On the other hand, middle aged people who have health issues should not despair. They are not an exception and think of themselves as very unlucky.

They can see that lots of other people are also suffering. They should get on with their lives and make it better.

This may sound a bit odd at first glance. But some people do find it reassuring to know that lots of other people are also suffering with same health issues.

For example, Some of prostate cancers patients are relieved when they learn that hundreds of thousands of people are out there, living for many years, after a cancer diagnosis. They are not alone.

Cancer Research U.K. website says this: “An estimated 280,500 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1991 and 2010 were alive in the UK at the end of 2010”

References

BBC news. Chronic health issues for third in late 40s – study

BMJ. Features of 20 133 UK patients in hospital with covid-19 using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol: prospective observational cohort study
BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1985 (Published 22 May 2020)
Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1985

Cancer Research U.K. Prostate cancer incidence statistics ( prevalence)

Macmillan Cancer Support and National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service. Cancer Prevalence UK Data Tables(link is external). London: NCRAS; 2015.

Prostate Cancer U.K.: Support Groups.

Can Vaccinated people spread the disease to others if they get a COVID infection?

August 8, 2021August 8, 2021

Yes.

Normally Vaccines that are highly effective (for various other diseases) prevent most vaccinated people from getting the infection completely.

But that does not seem to be the case with COVID vaccines.

The COVID vaccines are highly successful in preventing severe COVID, hospitalisations and deaths. But they seem to be a bit less effective in preventing people from catching mild COVID infections.

So if a vaccinated person gets a mild COVID infection, can they pass it onto others?

Yes, they can.

This is an important fact for people with vulnerable family members and friends.

If you have mild symptoms, do get tested and be extremely careful when you are with your vulnerable family members ( elderly parents, grandparents etc).

You can pass COVID to them even if you do not have much symptoms.

As vaccines lose some effectiveness over a period of time, do NOT assume that double vaccination would protect your vulnerable family members.

A recent Public Health England report indicates that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people with COVID infection are equally infectious and capable of spreading to others.

A similar report was also published from USA recently.

The end is not in sight yet. Be careful when you are with vulnerable family members !

References

Nature. COVID vaccines slash viral spread – but Delta is an unknown.
Smriti Mallapaty

CDC. How Vaccines work.

CDC. Diseases that Vaccines prevent.

U.K. Public Health England. SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England: technical briefing 20. Ref: PHE publications gateway number: GOV-9220. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1009243/Technical_Briefing_20.pdf

USA. BMJ. Covid-19: Delta infections threaten herd immunity vaccine strategyBMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1933 (Published 02 August 2021)Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1933

Coffee and dementia: Good or bad ?

August 7, 2021August 7, 2021

Bad !

According to a recent large study which analysed ‘habitual coffee consumption in 398,646 UK Biobank participants aged 37–73 years’.

The study found that “High coffee consumption was associated with smaller total brain volumes and increased odds of dementia”.

In particular, consumption of >6 cups/day was associated with 53% higher odds of dementia compared to consumption of 1–2 cups/day.

A word of caution applies to all ‘food and disease’ association reports. Almost every week there are newspaper reports of studies exploring associations between “various food/drink” with “various diseases”. Some of them are conflicting and confusing with a positive study followed by a negative study !

This study report is no different in that respect.

A previous review published in 2017 concluded that ‘Drinking Coffee was often associated with Health benefits than harm for a range of health outcomes’.

The 2017 review in particular concluded that ‘Coffee consumption reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease’.

So how to make sense of these two conflicting study reports ?

A 2021 negative report versus a 2017 positive report.

One can look for quality of studies, pedigree of authors and further confirmatory studies .

But there are no easy answers.

Everything in moderation is perhaps the most sensible thing when it comes to Food and Drink.

References

High coffee consumption, brain volume and risk of dementia and stroke. Nutritional Neuroscience.
An International Journal on Nutrition, Diet and Nervous System. Published online: 24 Jun 2021
https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2021.1945858

BMJ Minerva.
Calcification in arteries . . . and other stories
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1901 (Published 05 August 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1901

BMJ. Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes
BMJ 2017; 359 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j5024 (Published 22 November 2017)
Cite this as: BMJ 2017;359:j5024

When will the COVID Virus go away?

August 3, 2021August 3, 2021

The bad news is that it looks like that the virus is NOT going away any time soon.

COVID Vaccination has been tremendously successful in preventing people from getting severe disease.

A couple of months back, it was hoped that “Herd immunity” (Wide spread protection) caused by Vaccination would make the virus go away.

But recent news from Massachusetts, USA indicates that Vaccination is NOT going to produce herd immunity and make the virus go away.

Lot of Vaccinated people do get infected and the only good news is that “the vaccines offer strong protection against severe disease”

China fights to contain a new outbreak in Wuhan now. There is a possibility of further outbreaks elsewhere as well. That can create favourable conditions for new variants to emerge .

So don’t be surprised if new variants emerge in winter and COVID is still the headline news early next year !

References

BMJ. Covid-19: Delta infections threaten herd immunity vaccine strategy
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1933 (Published 02 August 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1933

BBC news. 3Aug 2021. Wuhan: Chinese city to test entire population after virus resurfaces
By Yvette Tan

BBC. Covid: ‘Israel may be reaching herd immunity’
By Rachel Schraer
Health reporter
Published14 April

BMJ News
Covid-19: What new variants are emerging and how are they being investigated?
BMJ 2021; 372 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n158 (Published 18 January 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;372:n158

Pfizer COVID Vaccine: How much efficacy is lost every month?

August 2, 2021August 2, 2021

COVID vaccines lose some efficacy over time.

How much ?

Pfizer vaccine has been reported to lose, on average, about 3% efficacy every month.

An updated trial report of the Pfizer vaccine says that “ Pfizer vaccine efficacy decreased from 96% to about 84% over 4 months.

The results of this study certainly indicates that booster vaccines are needed for the winter months to prevent another wave of deaths.

References

BMJ News. Covid-19: Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy declined from 96% to 84% four months after second dose, company reports
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1920 (Published 30 July 2021)Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1920

BMJ News. Covid-19: Millions could be offered booster vaccinations from September
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1686 (Published 02 July 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1686

Thomas SJ, Moreira ED Jr., Kitchin N, et al. Six month safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA covid-19 vaccine.medRxiv2021 [Preprint].

Why COVID Vaccine boosters may be necessary during winter ?

August 1, 2021July 31, 2021

Vaccine boosters may be offered to adults, particularly vulnerable adults, during this winter.

Why?

Two reasons.

1. The amount of protective antibodies produced by a person’s body after vaccination seem to fall after a few months. This may mean that that some protection is lost and that some vaccinated people may become more vulnerable to COVID infection during the winter wave. A booster would benefit.

2. The COVID vaccines may also have reduced protection against new variants. A booster using an updated vaccine may give better protection.

References

Guardian. Vaccines and immunisation.
UK scientists back Covid boosters as study finds post-jab falls in antibodies
Exclusive: Waning antibody levels are possible warning sign of lower protection in months after vaccination.
Ian Sample Science editor
@iansample
Thu 22 Jul 2021 12.45 BST

Guardian. Rates of double-jabbed people in hospital will grow – but that does not mean Covid vaccines are failing.
Ian Sample Science editor
@iansample
Thu 22 Jul 2021 16.34 BST

Daily Mail. Pfizer says booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine extends protection and is being updated to target Indian ‘Delta’ variant. By Mary Kekatos Acting U.S. Health Editor For Dailymail.Com
22:23, 08 Jul 2021 , updated 23:32, 08 Jul 2021

Daily Mail. Are these the numbers scaring Boris? Study shows 29% of the 42 people who have died after catching the new strain had BOTH vaccinations as cases soar another 40%. By James Robinson for MailOnline
14:08, 13 Jun 2021 , updated 12:22, 14 Jun 2021

How long does covid-19 immunity last?
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1605 (Published 30 June 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1605

Vaccine for the obesity pandemic !

July 25, 2021July 25, 2021

As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic , there is another pandemic that been going on for decades without any end in sight.

The other pandemic is obesity !

Obesity has caused far more deaths than the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vaccines promise to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a vaccine can sort the obesity pandemic ? It does not need to be rhetorical question or wishful thinking.

An article in Science magazine reports an association between obesity and a type of body immune cell called macrophages. This raises the possibility of using immunotherapy for obesity.

There is also another tantalising possibility. Behaviours, emotions and eating wrong type of food are often blamed for obesity. What if the entire scientific thinking about obesity is wrong?

In the past, another widespread condition used to be blamed on wrong food and stress. Stomach ulcers used to be very common and very distressing. Modern stressful life, emotions and wrong type of food were universally blamed for stomach ulcers. Then an Australian team proved stomach ulcers were due to an infection. Now stomach ulcers are routinely treated by antibiotics!

Obesity is common among the disadvantaged people in society. All types of infections are common in disadvantaged people. So it is not beyond the realms of plausiblity to hypothesise (suggest) that obesity could be caused by an infectious agent that affects food intake in some way, by possibly affecting sense of taste or smell of smell or feeling of fullness after eating (satiety).

If an infectious agent (e.g bacteria, virus or prion) is indeed found to be responsible for development of obesity, then the vaccines would provide a very easy way to prevent obesity.

Please note: The science magazine article on immunotherapy is based on excellent, high quality scientific work. But the possibility of an infection being responsible for obesity is merely a scientific hypothesis or scientific suggestion. It is based on a personal hunch. It is NOT based on any direct high quality scientific data at this stage !

References

Science Magazine. An anti-obesity immunotherapy? https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6550/24

BBC. Over a million hospital admissions for obesity
By Sophie Hutchinson
BBC News

Do COVID vaccines cause heart inflammation?

July 23, 2021July 22, 2021

Yes

COVID Vaccines have caused heart inflammation in a small minority of people.

But that does NOT mean Vaccines have to be avoided.

The benefits of vaccines are far higher than risk of side effects for vast majority of adult population.

People have not stopped traveling by car because of risk of road accidents. This is because benefits considerably outweigh the risks !

References

BBC news. Heart inflammation link to Pfizer and Moderna jabs
By James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent

BMJ. News Analysis.
Covid-19: Should we be worried about reports of myocarditis and pericarditis after mRNA vaccines?
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1635 (Published 24 June 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1635

A new blood test for cancer

July 19, 2021July 13, 2021

Cancer cells can float in a person’s blood. But finding them, in the past, used to be like “looking for a needle in a haystack”.

But new smart technology promises to detect these cancer cells easily and much early before a person develops symptoms. Detection of cancer cells at an early stage may be helpful for some patients.

A recently published study in the journal “Annals of Oncology” reports exciting results.

A Californian company called Grail has developed a blood test which seems to have a high degree of accuracy for detection of multiple cancers.

Times newspaper reports that “The NHS will begin a pilot scheme of the test with 140,000 people this year. If that is successful it will be used for millions of patients by 2025”

A word of caution though.

Just because something could be diagnosed early does not always mean that it is a good thing.

The most important thing is whether the early diagnosis can lead to better cure rates and a better quality of life.

If a test detects a cancer early but has no meaningful effect on quantity or quality of life, then it is not a good thing.

For example. Up to 80% of men have prostate cancer which can now be detected by a simple blood test called PSA. There is a good reason why we are NOT using the simple PSA test in every 80 year old.

Most 80 year old men die WITH prostate cancer rather than DUE to prostate cancer.

So why diagnose a cancer that is not causing symptoms if it is not going to make person live longer !

REFERENCES

Times. New blood test, created by Californian company Grail, detects cancers among over-50s. Kat Lay, Health Editor. Friday June 25 2021, 12.01am, The Times.

Clinical validation of a targeted methylation-based multi-cancer early detection test using an independent validation set. E A Klein et al. Ann Oncol. 2021.

Guardian. Blood test that finds 50 types of cancer is accurate enough to be rolled out.
Diagnostic tool being piloted by NHS England shows ‘impressive results’ in spotting tumours in early stages
Blood tests’ development could help the NHS further.
Nadeem Badshah and agency
Fri 25 Jun 2021 06.00 BST

Daily Mail. NHS trials ‘holy grail’ blood test that can spot 50 kinds of cancer: Ground-breaking check that can accurately detect two thirds of deadly cancers early in healthy people could save thousands of lives a year. By Victoria Allen Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail
00:00, 25 Jun 2021 , updated 10:04, 25 Jun 2021

NHS. Should I have a PSA test?

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Would COVID Vaccination become mandatory for all adults ?

July 13, 2021July 13, 2021

It is unlikely to become mandatory in most western countries. It almost certainly would not become mandatory in USA, where Vaccination seems to become tangled with highly divisive politics.

But it is not an impossible scenario in European countries.

It is possible that more countries would follow the example of Turkmenistan, which has a policy of “no jab, no job”

Also, it does not have to a direct government policy.

If the governments change the law to allow businesses to demand vaccination proof, then indirectly vaccination becomes mandatory for most people.

Private Businesses and Travel industry may decide to make vaccination mandatory for their employees and customers so as to avoid further disruption to their business.

In countries, such as Israel and U.K., where there is already high uptake of vaccination, a change in Law may not be needed at present.

But if the present surge in infections continue, and variants emerge, Governments may change their approach.

References

BMJ. Covid-19: Turkmenistan becomes first country to make vaccination mandatory for all adults
BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1766 (Published 12 July 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1766

Daily Mail. Get ready for Covid jab passports at busy pubs that don’t do enough to tackle infections, warns Boris Johnson. By Daniel Martin Policy Editor For The Daily Mail
23:54, 12 Jul 2021 , updated 01:47, 13 Jul 2021

Daily Mail. Pingdemic pandemonium! Chaos at airports and on the railways as key workers are ordered to go into self-isolation by controversial app. By David Churchill, Transport Correspondent For The Daily Mail
23:51, 12 Jul 2021 , updated 23:59, 12 Jul 2021

Daily Mail. It IS full steam ahead on freedom day: Boris Johnson puts faith in the public’s common sense on July 19 – even though some doctors and scientists want to delay it. By Glen Owen and Anna Mikhailova For The Mail On Sunday
22:00, 10 Jul 2021 , updated 01:52, 11 Jul 2021

Do poor sleepers die early ?

July 10, 2021July 10, 2021

Yes !

If someone feels they are not having regular refreshing sleep, then it is bad news.

In a very large U.K. study, involving 487,728 people, the following question was asked: Do you have trouble falling asleep at night or do you wake up in the middle of the night?

About a quarter of people in study answered “never/rarely”; just under half answered “sometimes” and less than one-third reported “usually”.

The people in study were followed up for many years (mean follow-up time = 8.9 years)

The people who reported frequent sleep disturbances (“usually” category) were found to be at risk of dying early.

The risk was highest in those with both diabetes and frequent sleep disturbances.

It needs to be seen whether the sleep disturbance by itself led to early death or whether people who are going to die early have medical problems that cause them to have disturbed sleep !

Sleep well. Don’t compromise sleep time !

References

Associations between sleep disturbances, diabetes and mortality in the UK Biobank cohort: A prospective population-based study
Malcolm von Schantz, Jason C. Ong, Kristen L. Knutson
First published: 08 June 2021
https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13392

( UK Biobank study participants experiencing sleep disturbances: 24.2% “never/rarely” ; 47.8% “sometimes” and 28.0% “usually”)

BMJ Minerva. Cognitive decline . . . and other stories. BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1545 (Published 24 June 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1545

People who have trouble sleeping are at a higher risk of dying early – especially diabetics

NHS. Why lack of sleep is bad for your health

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Would we be having a third dose of COVID-19 Vaccine as a Booster ?

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021

Yes, it is a possibility that a third booster dose of COVID vaccine would be offered later this year.

Vaccination has been tremendously successful so far. But it is too early to declare victory against the virus.

Data from Israel indicates that the current Pfizer vaccine, although still highly active, offers less protection against delta variant.

In June, the vaccine was found to be just 64 percent effective in preventing coronavirus infection whereas during May, when the delta strain was less prevalent, the vaccine was 94.3% effective.

So if more variants emerge, then vaccine boosters may be particularly needed for the vulnerable people.

References

Ministry data said to show Pfizer shot blocks majority of serious Delta cases. Figures reportedly indicate vaccine less effective against contagion from variant, but hospitalizations remain low; officials said weighing use of Moderna for 2nd dose for over 18s. By AMY SPIRO
Today, 10:23 am

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Should you elect to wear masks when restrictions are lifted ?

July 5, 2021July 4, 2021

U.K. is on course to lift almost all COVID restrictions in mid July 2021.

A U.K. minister has said that “wearing masks” would become a personal choice.

Just because there is a choice, it does not mean it is always good for you.

Government decisions are often made not only with scientific facts but also with economic and political considerations. Compulsory masks may not be liked by a section of society and Government has to take that into account in a democratic society.

Personally electing to wear masks in crowded public places could be sensible for the following reasons.

– There is some debate about the extent of protection a person gets wearing masks following the Danish mask study. But no robust scientific study has shown significant harm from wearing masks. So it is better to be safe and wear masks even if the extent of protection is debatable.

– Infections are rising now and luckily, vaccines seem to have protected most people from getting severe COVID. But Vaccines are not 100% effective. Moreover, when infection rates go up further and society opens up more, there is a risk of variants emerging that may be partially vaccine resistant. So wearing masks may provide some protection.

– Not all people get poorly when they get COVID. But these people with COVID can still pass infection to other vulnerable family members and people who don’t have the protection from vaccines. So wearing a mask can stop people with mild COVID from spreading the infection to others.

– Some people do not want to wear masks because they think they are not at risk of death or hospitalisation. Remember, COVID related problems affect different people in different ways. Lot of people do recover from COVID without major problems. But some people do develop long-term symptoms from COVID. So it is better to wear masks for COVID protection.

References

1. BBC news. Covid-19: Masks will become personal choice, says Robert Jenrick
By Emma Harrison & Kathryn Snowdon
BBC News

2. Bloomberg. Face Masks in England to Become ‘Matter of Personal Choice’
By Andrew Atkinson
4 July 2021, 09:47 BST
Updated on 4 July 2021, 11:14 BST

3. Daily Mail. SAJID JAVID: The economic arguments for opening up Britain are well known. But, for me, the health case is equally compelling. By Sajid Javid For The Mail On Sunday 22:02, 03 Jul 2021 , updated 23:13, 03 Jul 2021

4. BBC news. Covid-19 in the UK: How many coronavirus cases are there in my area?
By The Visual and Data Journalism Team
BBC News

5. Daily Mail. Face masks do NOT protect the wearer from coronavirus, but will stop them from infecting other people, Danish study finds. By Mary Kekatos Senior Health Reporter For Dailymail.com and Reuters
15:26, 18 Nov 2020 , updated 18:02, 20 Nov 2020

6. BMJ. Danish mask study: masks, media, fact checkers, and the interpretation of scientific evidence. BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4919 (Published 23 December 2020)
Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4919

7. NICE. COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19
NICE guideline [NG188] Published: 18 December 2020

8. Coronavirus: When can we stop wearing face masks or coverings?
By Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

9. Science. Implications of defective immune responses in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated organ transplant recipients. Peter S. Heeger, Christian P. Larsen, Dorry L. Segev

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Is Aspirin useful for COVID-19 ?

July 4, 2021July 3, 2021

Many drugs, which are commonly used for other diseases, have been tried in COVID

Aspirin was also tested and it was NOT helpful

Covid-19: Aspirin does not improve survival for patients admitted to hospital, trial reports
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1475 (Published 08 June 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1475

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Do face masks prevent COVID illness ?

July 3, 2021July 4, 2021

Yes, good masks may help to reduce infections that are spread by airborne particles.

But not all masks are the same.

Cloth masks were promoted during 2020 when the proper surgical masks were in short supply . The effectiveness of cloth masks are not well studied and they are of varying quality depending who made them and how well they were made.

Properly manufactured surgical masks are better than home made cloth masks. But how much protection they can offer is a matter of scientific debate. Surgical masks have been found to give some protection against other respiratory viruses in past. But a recent Danish study found no significant benefit against COVID among the general public.

The high quality FFP3 masks which filter most of the inhaled air is superior to normal surgical masks. A recent study from Cambridge found that Heath care workers who used FFP3 masks had better protection from COVID compared to normal surgical masks in the Hospital.

Overall, clean, well manufactured masks are likely to of some benefit to the public rather than wearing no masks at all. In the hospital setting, FFP3 masks seem to provide superior protection to Health care staff working with COVID patients.

And most importantly people have to understand that masks are not to be used alone. Masks got to be used along with protective measures such as social distancing and Hand-washing.

References

CLOTH MASKS

BMJ. Covid-19: What is the evidence for cloth masks? BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1422 (Published 07 April 2020)
Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1422

DANISH STUDY- SURGICAL MASKS

Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers : A Randomized Controlled Trial
Henning Bundgaard et al. Ann Intern Med. 2021 Mar.

BMJ. Danish mask study: masks, media, fact checkers, and the interpretation of scientific evidence. BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4919 (Published 23 December 2020)
Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4919

BMJ. The curious case of the Danish mask study
BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4586 (Published 26 November 2020)
Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4586

Daily Mail. Face masks do NOT protect the wearer from coronavirus, but will stop them from infecting other people, Danish study finds. By Mary Kekatos Senior Health Reporter For Dailymail.com and Reuters
15:26, 18 Nov 2020 , updated 18:02, 20 Nov 2020

Spectator (magazine) https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/do-masks-stop-the-spread-of-covid-19-

Full fact.org. Danish study on mask efficacy only tells us half the story. 24 NOVEMBER 2020

Forbes. Lead Researcher Behind Controversial Danish Study Says You Should Still Wear A Mask
Leah Rosenbaum. Forbes Staff 18 Nov 2020. Critics of mask-wearing policies used a Danishstudy on mask-wearing to bolster their claims such policies are ineffective, but scientists, including those involved with the study, disagree.

JAMA Insights
February 10, 2021
Effectiveness of Mask Wearing to Control Community Spread of SARS-CoV-2
John T. Brooks, MD1; Jay C. Butler, MD1
Author Affiliations
JAMA. 2021;325(10):998-999. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1505

CAMBRIDGE REPORT ON HIGH QUALITY MASKS

BMJ. Covid-19: Upgrading to FFP3 respirators cuts infection risk, research finds
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1663 (Published 29 June 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1663. https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1663

BBC news. Covid: Masks upgrade cuts infection risk, research finds
By David Shukman
Science editor

Guardian. Cambridge hospital’s mask upgrade appears to eliminate Covid risk to staff
Hospital infection study shows use of FFP3 respirators at Addenbrooke’s ‘may have cut ward-based infection to zero’
Nicola Davis and Denis Campbell
Tue 29 Jun 2021 10.49 BST

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Should we continue to wear masks and be cautious in public places after July 19th ?

June 29, 2021June 29, 2021

Yes, we should be cautious after the freedom day on July 19th and this is for the following reasons.

1. Vaccines are highly effective but they are NOT 100% effective.

2. Two doses are needed for full protection. Even though, more than two third of adults have had atleast one vaccine, only about half the U.K. population had double vaccination so far.

3. Vaccine Protection against New COVID variants may NOT be as good as it is now. For instance , vaccines are slightly less effective against the delta variant particularly after first dose.

4. Vaccine protection may decrease over time and Vaccines may not give the same level of protection as months pass by.

4. Being cautious now, may helps us to avoid lockdowns during Autumn and would help to save Christmas !

Of course, some people may feel strongly against any compulsory restrictions and hence it should not be made compulsory.

People, who are comfortable at being cautious, can try to wear masks and practice as much social distancing as possible in public places.

References

BBC News. Covid-19: End of England’s Covid rules still set for 19 July
By Hazel Shearing
BBC News

Daily Mail. Freedom Day ‘will see virtually ALL Covid curbs axed’: Ministers prepare full unlocking on July 19 with masks, social distancing and work from home advice dropped to save shattered businesses – but date will NOT be brought forward. By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline
08:29, 23 Jun 2021 , updated 14:52, 23 Jun 2021

Daily Mail. Now Jacob Rees-Mogg joins the calls to DITCH masks as soon as restrictions are lifted: Three Cabinet members break ranks to urge PM to ditch face coverings amid calls for clarity. By Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor For Mailonline and James Tapsfield Political Editor For Mailonline
17:40, 24 Jun 2021 , updated 19:56, 24 Jun 2021

Guardian. Vaccines are not magic bullets – we’ll still have to take precautions
Zania Stamataki
To make the most of England’s vaccination rollout we may need to keep wearing masks even after restrictions are lifted
Dr Zania Sta. Tue 22 Jun 2021 06.00 BST

Public Health England. Press release
Vaccines highly effective against hospitalisation from Delta variant
New analysis by PHE shows for the first time that 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. Published 14 June 2021

Public Health England (page 39).
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: technical briefings
Technical briefing documents on novel SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Last updated
25 June 2021

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Immune responses and immunity to SARS-CoV-2.
(last update 18 May 2021)

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Can someone who had both COVID vaccines still die from COVID-19?

June 27, 2021June 27, 2021

Yes, even after having both the vaccines, there is still a small risk of dying from COVID-19

Why?

This is because the vaccines are not 100% effective.

People who had both the vaccines can still get COVID-19 infection. A unlucky few of those who get an infection can still die from COVID-19.

Recent reports indicate that about half of deaths in U.K. are in people who had at least one dose of COVID vaccine.

The good thing is that the overall number of deaths is VERY LOW compared to the high number of deaths at the peak of pandemic when vaccines were not available.

Vast majority of infections do still occur in the unvaccinated individuals. ( PHE document- page 13 & 14)

The Guardian newspaper has got a good article on this topic.

One has to hope that vaccines do NOT lose their effectiveness over time.

We have to hope that more new variants do NOT emerge as there is a possibility that Vaccines may be less effective against new variants emerging in future.

References

Guardian.
Why most people who now die with Covid in England have been vaccinated
David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters
Sun 27 Jun 2021 08.00 BST

Public Health England. Research and analysis
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: technical briefings.
Technical briefing documents on novel SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Last updated 25 June 2021. (page 13 and 14)

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Was the Kent variant more dangerous than the original Wuhan variant ?

June 16, 2021June 15, 2021

Yes, the Kent variant who got a foothold in December was far more dangerous.

A recent study in BMJ reports that “the risk of hospital admission is higher” for people infected with the Kent variant compared with the original wild-type Wuhan variant of Coronavirus.

This higher severity seems to be specific to adults older than 30 years.

The current variant spreading in U.K. (delta a.k.a Indian variant) may not cause widespread havoc, like the Kent variant, due to the lock down and wide spread vaccination.

One has to hope that we do not get any variants that breaks the protective shield of COVID vaccines.

BMJ Risk of hospital admission for patients with SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7: cohort analysis
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1412 (Published 15 June 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1412

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Is drinking alcohol within guideline amount safe ?

June 14, 2021June 1, 2021

No !

It would be a shock for many to hear that “No amount of alcohol is absolutely safe”.

A team at Imperial College London analysed MRI scans of heart, brain and liver of people who drink alcohol. They found that higher alcohol consumption was related to smaller brain, weaker heart and fatty liver.

They reported that “there is no ‘safe threshold’ below which there were no toxic effects of alcohol.

Previously other studies have also reported that there is no safe limit for alcohol!

In 2018, a Lancet study reported that the risk of death and risk of cancers increased substantially with increasing levels of alcohol consumption; and there was no safe limit below which there was no risk.

The message is “Avoid alcohol”

If you can’t, then atleast drink as little as possible.

References:

Alcohol consumption in the general population is associated with structural changes in multiple organ systems. Evangelos Evangelou, Hideaki Suzuki, Wenjia Bai, Raha Pazoki, He Gao, Paul M Matthews MD, PhD, Paul Elliott. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65325

Does Drinking Within Low-Risk Guidelines Prevent Harm? Implications for High-Income Countries Using the International Model of Alcohol Harms and Policies
Adam Sherk et al. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2020 May

Lancet. GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators
Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.
Lancet. 2018; (published online Aug 23.)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Do people in U.K. trust the COVID vaccines?

June 4, 2021June 4, 2021

Yes, a very high percentage of U.K. people trust the COVID-19 vaccines.

A recent report in BBC says that U.K. is the most trusting nation with regards to COVID-19 vaccines.

The survey found that 87% of survey respondents in U.K. had faith in the COVID jab.

This survey involved more than 68,000 people and hence the results are highly reliable.

This high level of faith is certainly helping the U.K. Government as it rolls out vaccines for most of adult population.

The U.K. Government, in particular, the “Public Health England” deserves credit for keeping the U.K. people well informed.

References :

BBC News. UK ‘most trusting’ country on Covid vaccines

BBC News. Covid-19: More than half of UK adults have had second jab. By Dulcie Lee

NATURE Journal. News.
Trust in COVID vaccines is growing. 10 February 2021

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Are many NHS staff reluctant to have COVID-19 vaccines?

June 2, 2021June 1, 2021

No !

Vast majority of health care workers already had the COVID vaccine. Only a small minority have vaccine hestitancy.

A recent study found that about 90% of staff had at least one dose of the vaccine within 2 months of vaccine roll out. That is very impressive.

This study ( published in Lancet Journal) found that vaccines are very effective in reducing infections.

But the study also showed what we know already. Vaccination does not give 100% protection.

Everyone, in particular, health care staff need to continue with other COVID precautions such as masks, distancing and regular washing as advised by Government.

Reference: COVID-19 vaccine coverage in health-care workers in England and effectiveness of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against infection (SIREN): a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Published:April 23, 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00790-X

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Have People died after COVID-19 vaccines ?

May 30, 2021May 29, 2021

Yes, people have died after having COVID-19 vaccines.

Recently, a BBC Radio Newcastle presenter, Lisa Shaw was reported to have died after the Astra Zeneca COVID vaccine. Her family is blaming the COVID vaccine for causing clots and ultimately her death.

In India, a Popular Tamil actor and comedian died within 48 hours of receiving a COVID vaccine. His vaccination was broadcast live on TV to encourage public uptake of vaccination but his unfortunate death after vaccination probably ended up causing vaccine hesitancy in some people.

A news article in BMJ reports that the “Pfizer-covid-19 vaccine is “likely” to have been responsible for at least 10 deaths of frail elderly people in nursing homes in Norway”.

But, the most important thing to remember is that deaths are rare after COVID-19 vaccines.

Yes, there are true distressing accounts of vaccine side effects. But what you do not hear is the benefit most people have from vaccines.

Millions of people received vaccines so far with vast majority having no major side effects.

Consider this for context. Think about plane accidents. Millions of people travel by plane without any problems. If People fly safely and reach their destination, it is not headline news. People do not go around saying that they have traveled safely by plane and that they are alive !

But a aeroplane accident which happens rarely is front page news. It would be all over the 24 hour TV news channels across the world. Plane accidents are utterly and unimaginably devastating for those individuals and families involved. But the rare plane accidents do not make most other people avoid flying. The accidents do not mean that no one should travel by plane. The travel by planes has far more benefits than risks for majority of population.

Same with COVID vaccines. Serous Side effects are headline news even if they are very uncommon and rare. The available data indicate benefits are much greater than risks.

So think carefully before you refuse a vaccine.

References

Guardian. Lisa Shaw death: BBC presenter had blood clots after AstraZeneca jab, family says
(Radio Newcastle broadcaster had severe headaches a week after vaccine and fell seriously ill days later, relatives say).
Lisa Shaw
Lucy Campbell
Thu 27 May 2021 18.36 BST

BMJ. News. Covid-19: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is “likely” responsible for deaths of some elderly patients, Norwegian review finds
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1372 (Published 27 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1372

BMJ. Research. Effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines on covid-19 related symptoms, hospital admissions, and mortality in older adults in England: test negative case-control study
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1088 (Published 13 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1088

BMJ. News. Covid-19: Risk of cerebral blood clots from disease is 10 times that from vaccination, study finds
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1005 (Published 16 April 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1005

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Vaccine Hesitancy

May 29, 2021May 29, 2021

Worries about vaccines are nothing new. Anti_vaccination groups were formed in 1860s when small pox vaccination was made compulsory. Even when small pox was causing untold devastation, some people were opposed to it.

The Vaccine hesitancy of 19th century is somewhat excusable. Some of the worries were real, and not much was known about the safety of small pox vaccine at that time. Lot of people were ill-informed and did not have access to good sources of information. They didn’t know the immense potential of the vaccination to eliminate distressing diseases.

Vaccines have now successfully eradicated small pox. Many other devastating infectious diseases such as polio have been controlled in many countries across the globe due to the vaccines.

Some of the vaccine hesitancy in west is because western people are not fully aware of the devastating power of infectious diseases (at least until COVID-19 came to the world in 2020).

Vaccine hesitancy is also sustained by “confirmation bias” . Confirmation bias is the tendency of human beings to seek information that confirms what they believe in. If you distrust vaccines, you go looking for information that confirms you beliefs and you disregard information that proves vaccines are hugely beneficial.

Some people wish for a 100% safe vaccine. But there is no such thing as completely risk free vaccine. It is true Vaccines can cause serious side effects. It is true that Vaccines can cause long term side effects. It is true that Vaccines can rarely cause life threatening side effects and even deaths.

It is normal to worry about side effects of vaccines. But the potential for side effects should not be the reason to decline vaccination.

One has to look at benefits as well as risks. Some people focus on everything bad that can happen as a result of vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccines had an unusually short development period. This is because of the pandemic. The available evidence indicate that the benefits of the vaccines are far greater than risks. It is true that there is no long term safety data. But in the middle of a pandemic, which has caused untold misery to millions, waiting for perfect long term data is not an option.

If you are sceptical about vaccines, please do focus on benefits as well as risks. Do not focus on risks only.

References

BMJ. Practice Pointer. Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy. BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1138 (Published 20 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1138

BMJ. News. Covid-19: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is “likely” responsible for deaths of some elderly patients, Norwegian review finds.
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1372 (Published 27 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1372

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Is PTSD over diagnosed?

May 26, 2021September 3, 2021

Some Soldiers from world war one, suffered from what is then known as “shell shock”

“Shell Shock” would have been very devastating when there was less recognition of that condition.

Fast forward a few decades, a committee of wise men and women, relabelled the condition as “Post Traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD)

The criteria for diagnosis of PTSD is much wider and all encompassing, with inclusion of trauma from road accidents and crime as well as indirect exposure to trauma through professional attendance at a crime scene or site of an accident.

There is concern whether PTSD is now over-diagnosed. There is a debate at the BMJ journal. Please do read my views and submit your views through the rapid response section.

References:

BMJ Head To Head.
Is PTSD overdiagnosed?
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n787 (Published 05 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n787

S Sundar. Rapid Response: Over diagnosis hurts those most in need.

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

U.K. approach to vaccination proven to be the right one. Is it Luck or Foresight?

May 25, 2021May 23, 2021

UK government wanted as many people have “some” degree of protection against the COVID-19 rather a only few people having “full” protection against COVID-19.

A recent paper published in BMJ validates the U.K. approach even though it was initially criticised by WHO ( world health organisation)..

Is it Luck or Foresight that U.K. Govt got it right? Probably both but more foresight than luck. Perhaps a cappuccino cup of foresight sprinkled with chocolate of luck.

Guardian. No data to support UK delay of vaccines’ second dose, says WHO.
Sarah Boseley Health editor
Tue 5 Jan 2021 19.48 GMT

Daily Mail. UK should feel ‘vindicated’ over its ‘brave’ decision to delay second doses of Covid vaccines, World Health Organization official says. By Sam Blanchard Deputy Health Editor For Mailonline. 13:29, 08 Feb 2021 , updated 15:03, 08 Feb 2021

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not in way intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Should chemotherapy be used before radiotherpy for bladder cancer?

May 24, 2021May 23, 2021

Yes, chemotherapy given before surgery or radiotherapy for invasive bladder cancer improves cure rates and survival rates.

But there is also strong U.K. data to show that Chemotherapy given along with Radiotherapy is useful because it makes radiotherapy work better .

Should chemotherapy be given before radiotherapy and then followed by more chemotherapy along with radiotherapy ?

There is lot of scientific debate on this question and well known U.K. experts are favouring this “double chemo” approach in-spite of inconclusive new data published in the European Urology journal.

The NICE guidelines on bladder cancer also favours this approach of “double” chemotherapy ( before as well as along radiotherapy).

It is a question that ideally needs to addressed in clinical trials .

Read my views expressed in a letter published in the Journal European Urology

Reference: Re: Syed A. Hussain,
Nuria Porta, Emma Hall, et al. Outcomes in Patients with Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Followed by (Chemo)radiotherapy in the BC2001 Trial. Eur Urol 2021;79:307–15

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

How effective are the COVID vaccines against the new Indian variant?

May 23, 2021May 23, 2021

Everyone in U.K. hoped that we have turned the corner with this pandemic after the recent spike in infection from the Kent Variant,

But now comes the Variant from India. (the scientific name is B1.617.2 variant of concern).

The Indian variant appears to be more transmissible but no evidence yet that the Indian variant is inherently more deadly than the Kent variant.

Naturally, we are in a better place now than last year because of the vaccination.

But there is some evidence that spontaneous changes (mutations) in the B.1.617.2 variant virus may make it partially resistant to antibodies produced by vaccines.

So how effective are the current vaccines against this Variant from India?

Lab testing shows that the current vaccines can be still effective against the Indian variant but may not be highly effective as it is against the Kent/U.K. variant.

PHE data shows that after two doses, Pfizer vaccine is 88% effective against Indian variant compared to 93% effectiveness against the Kent strain.

After two doses, AstraZeneca jab is 60% effective against Indian variant compared to 66% effectiveness against the Kent variant.

But after the first dose, both vaccines were only 33% effective against Indian variant compared to around 50% efficacy against the Kent strain.

The vaccine protection is better with two doses of vaccine and that’s why the Govt is speeding up second vaccine dose in affected areas.

Fingers crossed, hope this strategy works !

References

BMJ. Covid-19: Caution urged while lockdown eases in England because of vaccine success
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1203 (Published 11 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1203

BMJ News Covid-19: UK cases of variant from India rise by 160% in a week
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1315 (Published 21 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1315

U.K. Govt. Most vulnerable offered second dose of COVID-19 vaccine earlier to help protect against variants. From: Department of Health and Social Care. Published 14 May 2021

Telegraph: Two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine provide over 80 per cent protection against Indian variant, PHE study finds.

Guardian. India Covid variant: is it a threat to the UK’s reopening plans?
Ian Sample Science editor
@iansample
Fri 14 May 2021 11.19 BST

Daily Mail. UK is in a ‘very good position’ against Covid variants as Pfizer says there is NO proof current jab needs updating to fight mutant strains. By Luke Andrews Health Reporter For Mailonline
16:30, 10 May 2021 , updated 18:12, 10 May 2021

Daily Mail. How deadly is India’s Covid variant and is it REALLY behind explosion of cases? Scientists say ‘perfect storm’ fuelled nation’s crisis and mutant strain just had a ‘head-start’ – as study shows vaccines DO work against it. By Connor Boyd Assistant Health Editor For Mailonline
16:26, 27 Apr 2021 , updated 08:17, 28 Apr 2021

Collier, DA et al. SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 sensitivity to mRNA vaccine-elicited antibodies. Nature; 11 March 2021; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03412-7

BBC. What is the India Covid variant and will vaccines work?
Soutik Biswas
India correspondent

BBC. Covid: Increasing confidence jabs work against Indian variant
By Doug Faulkner
BBC News

ONS. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: 21 May 2021 (“early signs of a potential increase in the week ending 15 May 2021”)

BBC. Covid: Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs effective against Indian variant – study
By Dulcie Lee
BBC News

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

How effective is a single dose of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine?

May 22, 2021May 22, 2021

UK government wanted as many people have “some” degree of protection against the COVID-19 rather a only few people having “full” protection against COVID-19.

So the U.K. government delayed the second dose of Covid vaccine for 12 weeks.

Some people have now been offered two vaccines but still there are many people who were yet to have the second dose. They would be wondering how effective a single dose of the vaccine is. How much protection they have now.

A recent paper published in BMJ provides very encouraging news .

With Pfizer vaccine, vaccine effectiveness reached 61% after 4 to 5 weeks of the first dose.

With AstraZeneca vaccine, vaccine effectiveness reached 73% after 5 weeks of first dose.

This data is very reassuring

But the data also stresses the importance of having the second dose for further protection.

Please do make a note that (a) vaccines do take a few weeks to be become effective after the first dose (b) no vaccine is 100% effective and (c) we also do not know how long this protection from vaccine will last.

BMJ. Effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines on covid-19 related symptoms, hospital admissions, and mortality in older adults in England: test negative case-control study
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1088 (Published 13 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1088

BMJ. Public health impact of delaying second dose of BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 covid-19 vaccine: simulation agent based modeling study
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1087 (Published 12 May 2021)
Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1087

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not in way intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Can Mistletoe control cancer?

May 17, 2021May 1, 2021

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

No, there is no good clinical evidence to show that Mistletoe therapy improves life expectancy or quality of life of cancer patients.

Laboratory studies have indicated that Mistletoe might have some clinical activity. But activity seen in lab setting is not good enough for using it in actual patients.

The popularity of mistletoe extracts continues unabated despite their unproven efficacy in oncology.

The clinical evidence does not support use of Mistletoe as a standard therapy for cancer.

Mistletoe is best used as Christmas decoration only !

References:

1. Mistletoe and cancer: controversies and perspectives. Patrick J Mansky. Semin Oncol. 2002 Dec.

2. Is Mistletoe Treatment Beneficial in Invasive Breast Cancer? A New Approach to an Unresolved Problem. Peter Fritz et al. Anticancer Res. 2018 Mar.

3. Molecular mechanisms of mistletoe plant extract-induced apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in vivo and in vitro. Georg Seifert et al. Cancer Lett. 2008.

4. From ill-defined extracts to the immunomodulatory lectin: will there be a reason for oncological application of mistletoe?H J Gabius et al. Planta Med. 1994 Feb.

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

New treatment for Cervical cancer

May 15, 2021May 16, 2021

Advanced Cervical cancer which has come back after surgery or radiotherpy is usually treated with chemotherapy.

There is a new immunotherapy treatment option for all advanced cervical cancer patients now .

At the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO 2021) virtual conference, an international team of investigators, presented trial data regarding this new immunotherapy drug called cemiplimab.

One group of patients in the trial received the immunotherapy drug cemiplimab every 3 wks and another group of patients received intravenous chemo (pemetrexed, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, irinotecan or topotecan).

Cemiplimab significantly improved survival of patients and was better than chemotherapy.

This new immunotherapy drug cemiplimab is already being used for skin cancers and vulval skin cancers. Very soon, it would be used in cervical cancer patients.

Reference

ESMO 2022 Virtual Plenary Resources:
RANDOMISED PHASE III TRIAL DATA ON THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF CEMIPLIMAB AS OPPOSED TO CHEMOTHERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH PROGRESSIVE ADVANCED CERVICAL CANCER. Presenter: Krishnansu S. Tewari, USA; Discussant: Mansoor Mirza, Denmark;

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not in way intended to be a substitute for professional advice.