What’s Next for Medical Writing? Top Trends Shaping the Industry

Our recent poll revealed that Artificial intelligence (AI) integration is anticipated to have the most significant impact on the future of medical writing. With a rapidly evolving healthcare industry, medical writers are expected to adapt to a dynamic environment shaped by technological advancements, patient-centered approaches, and globalization. This article delves into the trends that will shape medical writing in the coming years and what they mean for professionals in the field.

1. AI Integration: Shaping the Future of Medical Writing

The poll results indicate that a significant 60% of respondents believe AI integration will play a pivotal role in medical writing. This trend is expected given the growing impact AI is already having on the field. From automating literature searches to drafting clinical study reports, AI is improving efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.

Key Contributions of AI to Medical Writing

• Automated Content Generation: AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can draft sections of manuscripts, abstracts, and summaries. This reduces the time required for first drafts, enabling writers to focus on refining content and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation: Tools equipped with natural language processing (NLP) can extract and analyze data from clinical trials, research papers, and regulatory documents. AI simplifies complex data sets, helping writers present findings clearly and concisely.
• Grammar Check and Translation: AI tools are increasingly being used for grammar and style checks, ensuring documents adhere to linguistic and stylistic standards. Additionally, advanced translation technologies enable seamless multilingual content creation, breaking language barriers, and facilitating global communication.

AI’s role in medical writing extends beyond automation. It enables predictive analytics and personalized content creation, offering tailored solutions for diverse audiences, including healthcare professionals, regulatory bodies, and patients.

Challenges and Opportunities

While AI offers immense benefits, it also raises concerns about data security, ethical considerations, and the potential loss of human oversight in sensitive medical communications. However, these challenges present opportunities for medical writers to upskill and collaborate with AI, enhancing their roles as content strategists and quality controllers.

1. Evidence-based Writing: The Foundation of Credible Communication

Coming in as the second most influential trend, with 19% of the votes, evidence-based writing underscores the importance of accuracy and scientific rigor in medical communication. As healthcare decisions increasingly rely on data-driven insights, medical writers must ensure their content is rooted in robust evidence.

The Role of Evidence-based Writing

Transparency and Accountability: Evidence-based writing involves citing credible sources, ensuring transparency, and providing a clear trail of evidence supporting medical claims. This is crucial in regulatory documents, clinical trial reports, and healthcare guidelines.

Strengthening Healthcare Decisions: By presenting data from systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials, medical writers help healthcare professionals make informed decisions. This approach supports the development of effective treatments and interventions.

Adapting to New Data Standards

The demand for evidence-based writing is expected to grow as data-sharing initiatives and open-access publishing increase. Medical writers must stay updated on evolving guidelines and best practices for integrating and presenting evidence in various formats.

1. Patient Centricity: Putting Patients at the Center of Communication

With 17% of respondents highlighting patient-centricity as a key trend, it’s clear that the focus on patients is becoming more central in medical writing. This shift reflects a broader movement in healthcare toward empowering patients and ensuring they are active participants in their care journey.

What is Patient-centric Medical Writing?

Patient-centric medical writing involves tailoring content to meet the needs of patients, ensuring information is accessible, understandable, and relevant. This includes:

• Simplifying Medical Jargon: Translating complex medical terminology into lay language, so patients can understand their diagnoses, treatments, and clinical trial participation.
• Focusing on Patient Experiences: Including patient-reported outcomes and experiences in clinical trial reports and other medical documents.
• Developing Patient Education Materials: Creating leaflets, brochures, and digital content that inform and empower patients.

The Rise of Plain Language Summaries (PLSs)

One of the most notable developments in patient-centric medical writing is the increasing use of PLS. These summaries provide a clear and concise overview of complex medical research, making it accessible to non-specialist audiences. As regulatory bodies like the European Medicines Agency (EMA) emphasize the importance of PLS, medical writers are expected to play a pivotal role in their development.

1. Multilingual Content: Breaking Language Barriers

Though only 4% of respondents identified multilingual content as a top trend, its importance cannot be overstated. As healthcare becomes more globalized, the ability to communicate effectively across different languages and cultures is critical.

Why Multilingual Content Matters

• Global Clinical Trials: With clinical trials conducted across multiple countries, medical writers must produce documents that cater to diverse regulatory requirements and linguistic needs.
• Health Campaigns and Education: Multilingual content ensures that vital health information reaches diverse populations, promoting inclusivity and equity in healthcare.
• Regulatory Submissions: In regions like the European Union, regulatory submissions often require documentation in multiple languages.

Tools and Techniques for Multilingual Medical Writing

Advancements in translation technologies, including AI-driven tools, are making multilingual medical writing more efficient. However, human oversight remains crucial to ensure cultural nuances and context are accurately conveyed.

How AI Can Support Every Trend

AI plays a pivotal role in each of these emerging trends. In evidence-based writing, AI tools can swiftly analyze vast amounts of clinical data, enabling writers to identify and cite the most relevant evidence. For patient-centricity, AI can personalize content by analyzing patient feedback and tailoring educational materials to specific needs. In the realm of multilingual content, AI-driven translation tools ensure timely and accurate communication across languages, fostering inclusivity. AI is not only a driving force in its dedicated trend but also a supportive tool that enhances the effectiveness of every other emerging aspect of medical writing.

Implications for Medical Writers

The trends identified in our poll reflect a dynamic and rapidly evolving field. To stay ahead, medical writers must adapt and expand their skill sets:

• Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with AI tools and data analysis software will be essential as automation becomes more prevalent.
• Continuous Learning: Keeping up-to-date with evolving guidelines, best practices, and new trends like patient-centric and evidence-based writing.
• Cultural Competence: Understanding and respecting cultural differences will enhance the effectiveness of multilingual content.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Working closely with healthcare professionals, regulatory bodies, and patient advocacy groups to create impactful medical communications.

The Road Ahead

As we look to the future, it’s clear that medical writing will play an even more critical role in shaping healthcare communication. The integration of AI, the emphasis on evidence-based and patient-centric approaches, and the need for multilingual content will redefine the profession, offering both challenges and opportunities.

At Turacoz, we are committed to embracing these trends and equipping our team with the skills and tools to lead in this evolving field. Whether it’s leveraging AI for efficiency, adopting evidence-based methodologies, or focusing on patient-first communication, we are ready to meet the challenges of the future head-on.

For more information, reach out to us at info@turacoz.com

 

Importance of Professional Medical Writing Services in Healthcare

Medical writing involves the expertise to craft the healthcare content keeping in mind the audience you are catering to. This includes creating information for general readers seeking healthcare treatments who may not be familiar with medical terminology. For example, they might recognize terms like ‘high blood pressure’ instead of ‘hypertension’ or ‘high blood sugar level’ instead of ‘hyperglycaemia.’ Skilled medical writers transform complex medical terminology and clinical research data into accessible and easy-to-understand information for through a process known as medical communication.

Importance of Professional Medical Writing in Healthcare Content Creation

In today’s era of information and technology, professional medical writers play a crucial role in bridging the gap between complex medical information and diverse audiences. They create clear, accurate, and engaging healthcare content that enhances public awareness and education, ultimately fostering trust and engagement with healthcare organizations. Additionally, medical writers are pivotal in developing well-structured documentation to support regulatory approval processes for new treatments, ensuring adherence to strict guidelines and standards. Their expertise improves communication and drives advancements in healthcare and patient outcomes.

How Medical Communication Facilitates Regulatory Approvals?
A medical writer serves as a liaison between researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and the broader medical community. Different skill sets are required when you’re writing for a layman compared to a healthcare professional to make them understand some technical terms. The differences are mentioned below in the table.

On the other hand, when we craft professional documents for the stakeholders or regulatory agencies, we first prepare the templates having a certain style guide, and professional tone. The same document undergoes multiple quality check approvals so that not a single misplaced comma or ambiguous phrases can lead to any misunderstanding, that could compromise patient safety.

Some forms of professional medical writing include Clinical Report Writing, Regulatory writing, Scientific writing, Medical Education Writing, Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) Writing, Grant Writing, Medico-Marketing Writing, Technical Writing for Medical Devices, Editorial Services for journal publications, conference materials, poster presentations and so on.

Why Mastering Medical Writing is Crucial for Pharma Industry Success?

Failure to effectively communicate in above mentioned high-stakes documents can delay regulatory approvals, potentially leading to financial losses, wasted time, and reputational damage of the involved parties in the healthcare industry. Mastering medical writing is, therefore, an indispensable skill for anyone working in the pharma industry or about to enter the healthcare documentation writing services to ensure that no document gets stalled between agencies and research organizations.

**The Role of Medical Science Liaisons in Educating Physicians on Colorectal Cancer Advances**

 

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed form of cancer globally and is the second most common cancer-related cause of death worldwide.1,2 This makes CRC a major public health issue due to the great economic burden it places on countries. There is significant progress in screening, diagnosis, and therapy for CRC at present; however, prognosis is poor, and there are challenges.2 With rapid advancements in treatment, staying updated on new therapeutic developments is crucial. Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) play a vital role in bridging the gap between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals (HCPs) by providing scientific expertise, facilitating medical education, and ensuring the exchange of accurate, up-to-date clinical data and therapeutic guidelines.3

The growing importance of MSLs in oncology

MSLs are highly trained scientific professionals, often with advanced degrees in medicine, pharmacy, or life sciences, and are key members of the medical Affairs teams of pharmaceutical companies.3 They serve as a critical link between the pharmaceutical industry and the medical community, aiding in informed decision-making, fostering collaborations, and enhancing patient care.4

In oncology, where the treatment landscape evolves rapidly, MSLs play a key role in equipping physicians with the knowledge necessary to optimize patient care.

How MSLs keep physicians updated on CRC research

Colorectal cancer treatment has witnessed major advancements in recent years, including targeted therapies, immunotherapies, precision medicine and biomarker-based treatment, antibody-drug conjugate therapy, and novel chemotherapy.5 MSLs ensure that physicians stay informed on these innovations in the following ways:

1. Providing clinical insights

MSLs interpret and communicate complex clinical trial data, helping physicians understand the latest scientific breakthroughs and how new therapies compare with existing treatments in terms of efficacy, safety, and patient outcomes.6 Thus, MSLs serve as a bridge between the industry and HCPs or key opinion leaders (KOLs), facilitating a two-way exchange of scientific and clinical information. By keeping KOLs informed about the latest industry developments, MSLs help save their valuable time.4

1. Explaining mechanisms of action

With the rise of precision medicine, understanding the molecular mechanisms of novel drugs is crucial. MSLs educate physicians on how therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and combination regimen, work at a molecular level.

1. Navigating treatment guidelines

Organizations like the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) frequently update treatment guidelines. MSLs assist physicians in integrating these changes into clinical practice, ensuring adherence to the most recent guidelines.

1. Facilitating real-world data insights

Beyond clinical trials, real-world evidence plays a crucial role in assessing long-term treatment effectiveness and improving medical treatment.7 MSLs provide valuable insights into patient responses, adverse event management, and emerging real-world trends.

How MSLs bridge research and clinical practice

One of the major challenges in oncology is translating scientific research into practical, patient-centered care. MSLs address this challenge by:

1. Conducting peer-to-peer educational programs

MSLs organize advisory boards, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one meetings with KOLs to discuss recent advancements in the therapeutic area and their implications for clinical practice. MSLs gather insights from KOLs and help in guiding research and product development for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

1. Facilitating clinical trials

Oncologists often collaborate with pharmaceutical companies to enroll patients in clinical trials. MSLs help identify suitable studies, clarify eligibility criteria, and provide trial-related updates to oncologists.

1. Providing medical education resources

From whitepapers to webinars, MSLs curate educational content tailored to the needs of oncologists, ensuring they have access to reliable and relevant information.

1. Fostering multidisciplinary collaboration in CRC treatment

Colorectal cancer management requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving medical specialists such as medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists.8 MSLs play a crucial role in fostering collaboration among these specialties by:

• Encouraging interdisciplinary discussions on treatment sequencing and combination strategies.
• Addressing concerns related to emerging therapies, such as side effect management and patient selection criteria.
• Ensuring consistent communication between pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions to align treatment advancements with real-world patient needs.

Call to action: Recognizing the impact of MSLs in oncology

The Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month serves as a timely reminder to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions of MSLs in the fight against CRC. Turacoz proudly acknowledges and values the critical role MSLs play in advancing care and driving impact in the battle against CRC. Their expertise not only advances physician education but also enhances patient outcomes by ensuring that the latest medical innovations are seamlessly integrated into clinical practice.

By championing the role of MSLs, we can bridge the gap between research and real-world care, ensuring every patient with CRC receives the best treatment possible.

References

1. Klimeck L, Heisser T, Hoffmeister M, et al. Colorectal cancer: A health and economic problem. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology. 2023 Oct 1;66:101839.
2. Fadlallah H, El Masri J, Fakhereddine H, et al. Colorectal cancer: Recent advances in management and treatment. World journal of clinical oncology. 2024 Sep 24;15(9):1136.
3. Chen J, Burns G, Kelly C, Vanderhoef D, Johnson J. Medical Science Liaisons: A Guide for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 2024 Nov 1;20(10):105211.
4. García García C, Riosalido Montero M, Sastre V, González del Castillo A, Matesanz Marín A. The medical science liaison role in Spain: Opinion of the commercial department personnel. Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science. 2023 Sep;57(5):1030-9.
5. Alese OB, Wu C, Chapin WJ, et al. Update on emerging therapies for advanced colorectal cancer. American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book. 2023 May;43:e389574.
6. Theron P, Britland M, Holder D, Ikeda Y, Rewers RF, Tiku A. Promoting best practices for medical science liaisons position statement from the APPA, IFAPP, MAPS and MSLS. Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science. 2021 Nov;55:1139-44.
7. Moss B, Goodall EA, Maravic Z, et al. Real-world evidence research in metastatic colorectal cancer: raising awareness of the need for patient contributions. Future Oncology. 2023 Aug 1;19(26):1811-23.
8. Sievers CK, Kratz JD, Zurbriggen LD, et al. The multidisciplinary management of colorectal cancer: present and future paradigms. Clinics in colon and rectal surgery. 2016 Sep;29(03):232-8.

Advisory Board: Option or Compulsion

The privilege of having access to top-notch advice can increase the odds of success for an already established business and even for a startup. To achieve this, increased attention is being paid to advisory boards (1). Advisory board is a committee or group of business executives who are appointed by the owner or the management of an organization to provide leadership, support, and constructive feedback as well as providing recommendations on specific areas (2).

Selection of members of the advisory board is based on the expertise needed or voids needed to be filled within an organization. For example, an organization can hire a lawyer for legal matters, a public relation executive for branding and marketing purposes, an industry specialist for in depth business knowledge, and/or an investor for fundraising advice (3). Unlike the traditional board of directors, members of the advisory boards have no powers and obligations (4). The President or CEO of an organization typically reports to the board of directors, whereas, the instituted advisory board serves as an advocate, supporter, and resource for the president and/or CEO (5).

Although their influence on the management cannot be sidelined but they are never really involved in the decision making process and are not entitled to impose any obligations on the management of the organization (4).

Advisory board members are appointed under the following criteria (4):

• Do not represent owners and shareholders 
• Typically appointed by the managing director of the company 
• Functions independently without any obligations 
• Provide advice and assistance to the managing director 
• Possess versatility in the composition 
• Do not represent replacement to an official statutory board
• Never takes part in decision making process 
• A reservoir of business intelligence and insight due to experience.  

Depending upon the requirements of an organization, advisory board can be categorized as (5):  

• Informal advisory board: Organizations with limited budget usually have this type of an advisory board. These boards typically involve a group of volunteers with a very ad‑hoc style of discussion. Having such advisory boards can produce positive outcomes specially for the businesses that are in their germinal stage.
• Formalized advisory board:  It is recognized by having a presence of an independent chair, a charter, minutes and annual impact measurement. Primarily, this type of advisory board consists of two internal directors, a Certified Chair, and two external advisors chosen specifically to fulfill the priorities included in the charter. Meetings are held on a quarterly basis, whereas the chair and directors meet more frequently. 
• Formal project advisory board: This type of advisory board is instituted with some specific purpose and for a fixed period of time which could range from 3 to 18 months.
• Formal corporatized advisory board: This type of advisory board is somewhat similar to the formal project advisory board, in an organization where governance board is already in place. The charter in this type of board usually expresses the reporting mechanisms and where it stands in relation to the already established governance board. Multinational operations, commercialization, and innovation typically uses this corporatized board.

Although advisory boards are flexible in their composition, it is of great importance to provide a good infrastructure to the advisory boards, so as to make them work effectively. Some of the considerations while establishing an advisory board might include (6):

• First is to determine the mandate of the board. 
• Mandate should explicitly state the roles, responsibilities, and target the areas to be advised.
• Develop policies on how deliberations of the board would take place. 
• To have minutes of the meeting in order to confirm compliance of the advisory board with the mandate. 
• Organizations should have it on their websites the relationship that exist between the involved parties.
• There should be a formal agreement between the advisory board members and the organization.  

An advisory board could prove beneficial to a business or even to a startup, especially in situations where the owners do not possess much experience or intent to expand their knowledge base surrounding the business (7). In addition to this, an advisory board could provide an organization with the following advantages (8): 

• Increased credibility: With the help of an advisory board, a business/business owner can help increase legitimacy in the marketplace.
• A bigger network: With members from varied disciplines and with vast experience, advisory boards help organizations in expanding their network. For example, suggesting a vendor or selecting a new employee. 
• Focus on the future: While the organization is dealing with day-to-day operations, advisory board remain focused on future prospects for the organization.

Despite many advantages that an advisory board has to offer, it does have some concerns associated with it. One of the most important one is that it has no legal responsibility which might result in generating an advice which may prove to be unsafe for the business (7).  Instituting an advisory board may demand personnel and organizational investment (9). The members of the advisory board are usually required to work at little or no compensation which would result in indifference and/or lack of commitment towards the organization by the members of advisory board (7). It is quite common for an individual to be on a board with a different organization at the same time which can create a conflict of interest (7). 

While an advisory board does poses potential to provide a path for a superior corporate governance (1), it is of great importance to get the purpose fulfilled by instituting an effective and productive advisory board for an organization. Realizing the needs and having a target set is what makes an organization look for members to be on the board of an advisory panel. Only if managed efficiently, advisory boards can do wonders, if not, it can hamper the growth and reputation of the organization in the market.

We at Turacoz Healthcare Solution are equipped with expert level professionals for advisory boards and conference coverage. To read more about the services we provide, click here.

If you have any queries, email us at hello@turacoz.in 

Diabetes: Types, Symptoms and Treatment

According to statistics by the WHO, “The number of people with diabetes has risen from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014.” Also, “In 2016, an estimated 1.6 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes. Another 2.2 million deaths were attributable to high blood glucose in 2012.”

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease in which the body does not properly process glucose in blood for use as energy. This causes increased sugar level in the blood, eventually resulting in heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. In 2019, Approximately 463 million adults (20-79 years) are presently living with diabetes and is expected to touch 700 million by 2045. In India, about 73 million people suffer from diabetes, and this figure is likely to go up to 80 million by 2025, making it the 'Diabetes Capital' of the world. Presently, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death worldwide.

Diabetes can be classified into: type 1 diabetes caused due to autoimmune β-cell destruction of insulin producing pancreas, leading to absolute insulin deficiency), type 2 diabetes manifested by insulin resistance followed by relative deficiency in insulin secretion, Gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosed in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, specific types of such as neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young [MODY]), disease of pancreas such as cystic fibrosis and pancreatitis, and drug- or chemical-induced diabetes. In addition, over secretion insulin antagonistic hormones (cortisol, glucagon, etc.) and certain viral infection (rubella, coxsackievirus B, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, and mumps) also causes diabetes.

Diagnostic criteria for Diabetes

• Fasting blood glucose (FPG, no calorific intake for 8 hours) ≥126 mg/dL/7.0 mmol/L) or,
• Plasma glucose ≥200 mg/dL/11.1 mmol/L) after 2h of oral glucose load containing the equivalent of 75-g anhydrous glucose dissolved in water or,
• Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) ≥6.5%/48 mmol/mol or,
• A random plasma glucose ≥200 mg/Dl/11.1 mmol/L).

Symptoms of diabetes:

• Urinating often
• The feeling of constant thirsty
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurry vision 
• Cuts/bruises that heal slowly 
• Weight loss—even though you are eating constantly (type 1) 
• Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)

Risk of diabetes 

Prediabetics are usually referred to individuals whose glucose levels are towards upper limit of the normal range. Prediabetes is usually associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. The ranges for the prediabetes are: 

• HbA1C level: ≥5.7% but <6.4%/39–47 mmol/mol 
• Fasting Plasma Glucose: 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) to 125 mg/dL (6.9 mmol/L) 
• 2-h plasma glucose (OGTT): 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) to 199 mg/Dl

At least annual monitoring for the development of type 2 diabetes in those with prediabetes is suggested

Metformin therapy for prevention of type 2 diabetes should be considered in those with prediabetes, especially for those with BMI ≥35 kg/m2, those aged <60 years, and women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus

Treatment

People with type 1 diabetes should be treated with:  

• Multiple daily injections of prandial and basal insulin, or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII).
• Knowledge of patients on matching prandial insulin doses to carbohydrate intake, premeal blood glucose levels, and anticipated physical activity. 

Pharmacologic Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes: 

• Metformin is the preferred initial pharmacologic agent for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and continued unless it shows any intolerable side effect. Other agents, including insulin can be added if needed.
• Periodic measurement of vitamin B12 levels should be considered in metformin-treated patients, especially in those with anemia or peripheral neuropathy. 
• A choice of pharmacologic agents should be based associated comorbidities (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, chronic kidney disease), hypoglycemia risk, impact on weight, cost, etc.
• Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor are preferable to patients over insulin, requiring a greater glucose-lowering effect.
• The medication regimen should be reevaluated at regular intervals (every 3–6 months).

Recent challenges and developments

About 65 million people with type 2 diabetes need insulin, but only half of them can afford it. Insulin is required to all type 1 diabetics. Data from 24 countries showed that access to human insulin and analogue insulin at health center is only 61% and 5% respectively. In high income countries people often ration insulin which can be deadly for people who do not get the right quantity of the medicine 

The World Health Organization (WHO) on 13 November 2019,  announced the start of a pilot program to prequalify human insulin to increase treatment for diabetes in low- and middle-income countries.

FDA on September 20, 2019, approved Rybelsus (semaglutide) oral tablets to improve control of blood sugar in adult patients with type 2 diabetes, along with diet and exercise.

Lifestyle Interventions

Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) recommends patients to achieve and maintain 7% loss of initial body weight and increase moderate-intensity physical activity (such as brisk walking) to at least 150 min/week. IDF recommends physical activity at least between three to five days a week, for a minimum of 30-45 minutes. 

• Choosing water, coffee or tea instead of fruit juice, soda, or other sugar sweetened beverages.
• Eating at least three servings of vegetable every day, including green leafy vegetables.
• Eating up to three servings of fresh fruit every day.
• Choosing nuts, a piece of fresh fruit, or unsweetened yoghurt for a snack.
• Limiting alcohol intake to a maximum of two standard drinks per day.
• Choosing lean cuts of white meat, poultry or seafood instead of red or processed meat.
• Choosing peanut butter instead of chocolate spread or jam.
• Choosing whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta instead of white bread, rice, or pasta.
• Choosing unsaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil) instead of saturated fats (butter, ghee, animal fat, coconut oil or palm oil.

Diabetes in smart phone applications

Few popular mobile applications available in android and iPhone, that support diabetes management are:

Fooducate, My Net Diary Calorie Counter PRO, MySugr, BG Monitor Diabetes, Health2Sync, Glucose Buddy, DiabetesConnect, Diabetes:M, Sugar Sense, One Drop, Diabetes and Blood Glucose Tracker (Apple); Diabetes and Diet Tracker (Android).

Figure 1: Natural remedies that can make some difference 

The herbs and plant derivatives listed below are used by native people in the treatment of diabetes, in the regions in which they grow: 

• Allium 
• Bauhinia forficata and Myrcia uniflora found in south America 
• Coccinia Indica found in Indian subcontinent 
• Ficus carica found in Spain and south-western Europe
• American GINSENG
• Gymnema sylvestre found in southern and central India, used in Ayurveda
• Momordica charantia, some areas of Asia, India, Africa and South America
• Ocimum sanctum is used in Ayurveda
• Opuntia streptacantha used by people of Mexican desert
• Silibum marianum

However, all these herbs and home remedies have limited evidence for diabetes control. It should be used as a complementary along with the mainstream treatment and under licensed medical practitioner.

Future hope on diabetes treatment 

Type 1 diabetes: 

Replacing missing cells with cell therapy 

Diabetes Research Institute in the US is developing a bioengineered mini-organ where insulin-producing cells are encapsulated within a protective barrier. In 2016, the institute announced that the first patient in Europe treated with this approach in an ongoing phase I/II trial no longer requires insulin therapy. A similar device is made by US based company Viacyte and this is also under clinical trial.

The Belgian company, Orgenesis and UK based Islexa is working on transforming patient’s liver/pancreas respectively into insulin-producing cells to avoid the issues of sourcing cells from donors.

Sanofi, also a big name in diabetes, is working with the German Evotec in a beta cell replacement therapy for diabetics.

Attacking the origin with immunotherapy

Imcyse, a Belgian company is running a clinical trial with an immunotherapy designed to stop type 1 diabetes by specifically killing the immune cells that destroy the pancreas.

ActoBio Therapeutics is now running a phase I/II trial with to stop the progression of type 1 diabetes by cheese-producing bacteria to deliver two drugs that stimulate regulatory T cells to instruct the immune system not to attack insulin-producing cells.

Type 2 diabetes:

• Stimulating insulin production 
• Development of glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonists to stop glucagon production
• Targeting the microbiome 

An unbalanced and less microbiome composition has been found in patients with diabetes. Fecal transplants, used to transfer the microbiome of a healthy person to the gut of one with diabetes, can result in a short-term improvement of insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetes.

The needle-free revolution

Devices like GlucoTrack, GlucoSense, MediWise can measure glucose using electromagnetic waves, laser like and radio wave respectively

Researchers are already anticipating about microchips that can diagnose diabetes type 1 before the symptoms appear or nanorobots traveling in the bloodstream while they measure glucose and deliver insulin.

Turacoz Healthcare Solution is committed to raise awareness about diabetes management, prevention and educating people so as to make them aware of this chronic disease. We urge the people to eat healthy and exercise daily. #FightDiabetes

If you have any queries, email us at hello@turacoz.in

 

 

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): Awareness for new mothers

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the primary cause of death among infants of one month and one year of age. In 2017, the infant mortality rate was 5.79 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, and SIDS was the fourth leading cause of mortality. Approximately 1360 infants died of SIDS in the year 2017 [1, 2].

SIDS is defined as the sudden, unexplained death of a healthy infant under one year of age that remains unexplained even after a complete investigation that includes an autopsy, review of medical history, the examination of a death scene. It is commonly known as “crib death” or “cot death” because it is associated with the time when an infant is sleeping [1].

What causes SIDS?

The fact that even doctors are not sure about the causes of SIDS makes it the leading cause of death in infants. However, a combination of factors that can make a baby more vulnerable to SIDS are demonstrated in Figure 1 [3].

Figure 1: Factors causing SIDS

How can the risk be reduced? [4]

Although there is no clear-cut way to prevent SIDS, researchers believe that there are various ways to minimize the risk of SIDS and other sleep related causes of infant death.

Always place the baby on its back

Making the infants sleep on their backs is the safest position for newborns until they are 12 months old. A baby made to sleep on the side or stomach is at a higher risk of SIDS than the one sleeping on its back. However, once the baby is almost six months old and learns to roll over both ways, let them sleep in their desired position.

Use a firm and flat surface

The soft surfaces such as a couch, sofa, waterbed, quilt, or a blanket can be dangerous for the newborns as it might lead to suffocation, entrapment, or strangulation. Always use firm and flat surfaces such as a mattress in safety approved crib covered by a fitted sheet that should not include any other bedding or soft items in the sleep area. Avoid putting soft toys, sheepskin, or crib bumpers in the baby’s sleep area.

Keep your baby away from overheating

Dress your infants appropriately for the sleep environment in sleep clothing such as wearable blankets to keep them warm without the need for loose sheets. Parents and caregivers should watch over the baby and take care of any signs of overheating, for instance, sweating or baby’s chest feeling hot to touch. Always keep the baby’s face and head uncovered during sleep.

Give your baby plenty of tummy time

Tummy time under the supervision of an adult is proven healthy for the infant as it strengthens the baby’s neck, shoulders, and muscles of the arms. Also, it prevents the flat spots on the back of the baby’s head.

A few measures every mother should take care of to minimize the risk of SIDS are depicted in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Measures to lower the risk during pregnancy and after childbirth

Keep your sleeping baby close, but not in your bed

Studies have proven that when an infant sleep in the same room as its mother, the risk of SIDS is reduced. However, it is dangerous for a baby to sleep with an adult or another child in the same bed. Always make sure to put the baby back in its sleep area after feeding or comforting and avoid any soft item near you while feeding. If the mother is tired or on some medications that make her feel dizzy, never bring the baby to feed on the bed.

Breastfeed the baby if you can

Breastfeeding can help lower the risk of SIDS for infants and is beneficial for mothers. Some experts believe that breast milk protects babies from the risk of infections that raise their SIDS risk. Avoid alcohol consumption when breastfeeding.

Consider using a pacifier for baby during sleep time

If the mother is breastfeeding, waiting for one month before introducing the pacifier is ideal. Introducing it too early might lead to nipple confusion, which may lead to the baby's preference for the pacifiers’ nipple. Keep the pacifier clean and buy a new one if the nipple is damaged. Never force a pacifier in the baby’s mouth if he doesn’t want it. Put it in the baby’s mouth when you put him down to sleep but never put it back once it falls asleep.

Note: The healthcare provider of your baby is always available to answer any questions you have about SIDS and its prevention.

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Reference:

1.            NIH. Fast Facts About SIDS [Available from: [https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/safesleepbasics/SIDS/fastfacts#f1] [Accessed on November 04, 2019].

2.            Kochanek KD, Murphy, S.L., Xu, J.Q., & Arias, E.  . Deaths: Final data for 2017. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2019; 68.

3.            Clinic M. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) 2018 [Available from: [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20352800] [Accessed on: November 04, 2019].

4.            NIH. How can I reduce the risk of SIDS? 2019 [Available from: [https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/sids/conditioninfo/reduce] [Accessed on: November 04, 2019.