Health Bulletin 09/February/2024

Here are the top health news for the day:

Speech recovery by music for stroke patients at AIIMS: Experts

Stroke remains the second-leading cause of death and the third-leading cause of death and disability combined. Aphasia or the loss of language function, can be caused by brain damage due to stroke in 21-38 percent of acute stroke patients, as per neurology experts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Early and timely speech and language rehabilitation can aid in a better recovery, they said.

Music therapy has been shown to improve verbal fluency in various parts of the world.

However, in India, there is a lack of similar adaptive strategies, as per experts.

The Department of Neurology, AIIMS, New Delhi, in collaboration with IIT-New Delhi, is conducting a study on the customization and adaptation of the treatment strategies that such patients need for the recovery of their global speech and language functions.

This will be provided free of charge to the patients under the ICMR-funded study.

For the full story, check out the link given below:

Delhi AIIMS Uses Music Therapy For Speech Rehabilitation In Stroke Patients

Doctors oppose NMC rules over 75% attendance and leave rights

Opposing the National Medical Commission's (NMC) rule of insisting on 75% attendance for the medical college faculties, and resident doctors, the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Association (TNGDA) has recently written to the President of the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of NMC.

The association highlighted that such a mandatory requirement regarding the percentage of attendance deprives the faculties and residents in medical colleges of their legitimate leave rights. Therefore, TNGDA urged NMC to withdraw the concerned rule and instead insist on the maximum limit of vacancy-days for each post and each cadre in all departments. The association has also opposed the enforcement of AEBAS.

As per the NMC rules, the undergraduate and postgraduate medical colleges imparting medical education must ensure that their faculties have 75% attendance of the total working days.

For the full story, check out the link given below:

75 Percent Attendance Deprives Faculties Of Legitimate Leave Rights: Doctors Oppose NMC Rules

NMC issues notice to revoke 948 expired bank guarantees for medical colleges

Aiming to expedite the process of returning expired Bank Guarantees (BGs) to medical colleges, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has released a list of 948 expired bank guarantees asking the concerned medical colleges to approach the bank to get them revoked.

The Apex medical commission has requested the banks concerned to revoke the expired BGs mentioned in the list immediately to the concerned medical colleges/institutions to the MARB, NMC.

Before revoking the BGs, the Banks have been advised by NMC to cross-check the list attached with the public notice available on the NMC website.

For the full story, check out the link given below:

Revoke 948 Expired Bank Guarantees: NMC Issues Notice For Medical Colleges, Banks, Releases List

Erectile dysfunction drugs show potential in Alzheimer’s prevention

A groundbreaking study published in the February 7, 2024, online issue of Neurology suggests a potential link between erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs and a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, offering a glimmer of hope in the quest for new treatments to combat this debilitating condition. While the study does not establish causality, its findings are significant, shedding light on a possible avenue for Alzheimer’s prevention.

Conducted over five years and tracking 269,725 men, the research revealed that individuals prescribed ED medication exhibited an 18% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease after adjusting for various factors. These drugs, initially designed to treat high blood pressure, demonstrate promise in potentially staving off Alzheimer’s, but further investigation is necessary to validate these results and uncover the underlying mechanisms behind this association.