Fairbank Disease: Fairbanks disease or multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) is a rare genetic disorder (1 in 10,000 births) which affects the growing ends of bones. Bones usually elongate by a process that involves the depositing of cartilage at the ends of the bones, called ossification. This cartilage then mineralizes and hardens to become bone. In MED, this process is defective. The …
Sotrovimab: It has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline with US partner Vir Biotechnology Inc. It is a monoclonal antibody drug that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, thereby preventing the virus from attaching to and entering human cells. It has been recommended for treating mild or moderate Covid-19 in patients who are at high risk of …
Baricitinib: It is part of a class of drugs called Janus kinase(JAK) inhibitors that suppress the overstimulation of the immune system. It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Now, it has been strongly recommended for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids.
Pig Heart Transplantation to Human: A US man has become the first person in the world to get a heart transplant from a genetically-modified pig. This is the first successful transplant of a pig’s heart into a human being. However, it’s too soon to know if the operation really will work. The earlier attempts of animal-to-human transplants or xenotransplantation have …
Pig Heart Transplantation to Humans – UPSC Prelims Read More »
Mud Crab Reovirus (MCRV): Mud Crab Reovirus (MCRV) is also known as Sleeping Disease. The virus belongs to the “Reoviridae” family. Reoviridae is a family of double-stranded RNA viruses. This virus has a wide host range including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, protists and fungi. Reovirus mainly infects connective tissue cells of the hepatopancreas, gills and intestine in …
IHU Variant: IHU is another variant of COVID-19 inducing coronavirus. The variant is a sub-lineage of the B.1.640. Hence, that’s why, it has been classified as B.1.640.2. It has been named IHU in reference to the institute to which the researchers belong. Till now, only France has reported a dozen cases. No other country has detected any new …
Molnupiravir: It is an anti-viral Covid-19 pill approved by Indian Drug regulator. Molnupiravir was initially developed to treat influenza. Now it is being repurposed as an oral antiviral candidate to treat Covid-19 patients. It works by introducing errors into the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ genetic code, which prevents the virus from further replicating. The drug has been cleared for …
Trans fats are a form of unsaturated fat associated with a number of negative health effects. Artificial trans fat is created during hydrogenation, which converts liquid vegetable oils into semi-solid partially hydrogenated oil. These fats are largely produced artificially but also occur naturally. The major sources of artificial TFAs are the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils …
Omicron is a new variant of COVID virus. This variant has been named as Omicron. Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa. The Omicron Variant might have evolved during a chronic infection of an immunocompromised person, possibly in an untreated HIV/AIDS patient.