- [Block-1] Diseases
- [Block-2] Genetic Engineering related
- [Block-3] Affecting entire community
- [Block-4] Medical Gadgets
[Block-1] Disease
D1: Ebola

How Ebola Spreads
- Originated in Ebola river near Congo
- Hemorrhagic fever, gum bleeding, blood in stool-vomit.
- Symptoms similar to malaria, cholera hence ELISA test to sure-confirm.
- Fruit bats natural host. Bats, primates, antelopes, porcupines affected=> African-juntaa eating those animals (bush-meat)=>disease spreads to humans.
- Most affected: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria.
- Mosquitoes and air can’t spread it.
- Soap, bleach, sunlight will kill it.
- Vaccines under trial: Zebov, Ebov, Oral AD5 etc.
Challenges:
- Patients kept at home due to poverty and stigma.
- UNMEER: UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). First ever in history.
- But WTO admitted, lack of funds and mismanagement.
- Aussies unwilling to send volunteers, even imposed travel bans.
Nigeria Model: How to end Ebola?
- Monitoring people with Ebola-like symptoms. Checking body temperature.
- Tracking down everyone who came in contact of such people. Checking their temp. as well.
- Men, vehicles, mobile-hospital infra. Was already available for polio fight. Same used here.
- Flight crew and Airport officials trained.
- >900 people monitored, only ~19 came Ebola positive. But this strict vigilance paid off, & WHO declared Nigeria as Ebola free.
India and Ebola
- We have only 1 nurse per 1000 people, very high population density + poor sanitation in slums. Quarantine=mission impossible.
- Called off the India-Africa summit (54 members) due to Ebola fear. (otherwise running since 2008. This may help China bolster its image among Africans. Its sending men and trial-vaccines.)
- Has Setup Isolation facilities at airports. All incoming travelers being checked.
- Shortage of PPE (personal protection equipment-full body suits) for health workers.
- Australia imposed travel ban on Ebola hit nations. But India should not stop people coming/going to Africa, ELSE others will follow the suit then no outsider will goto work in Africa. It’ll severally damage their economy and society.
D2: Malaria
Artimisinin Resistant Malaria
- 40 years back, Malaria parasites became resistant to Chloroquine.
- Then doctors began prescribing Artemisinin.
- But now certain ASEAN nations reporting Artemisinin drug resistant malaria cases.
Solutions:
- Asia Pacific malaria alliance @Manila. India also a partner.
- Sanofi working on Malaria vaccine. Will be ready by 2015 end.
Malaria Hemozin-MRI Detection
Traditional method to detect Malaria:Blood sample=>dye on microscope slide=>count parasites in blood.
New method
- Malaria parasite=>eats Hemoglobin from RBC=> releases Hemozin as waste product.
- Using portable MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), you detect the amount of Hemozin in blood sample=> Malaria confirmed.
- Doesn’t need any dye or chemicals. No human errors in counting parasites.
D3: Kala-Azar: revised strategy
- Female sand fly + Leishmania parasite
- Spleen, liver, bone-marrow affected
- Second deadliest parasitic disease after Malaria.
Revised strategy:
- WHO to give free Amphotericin B drug.
- ICMR’s rapid diagnosis kit.
- Sarkaari insecticides to kill sand fly
- Main focus on Bihar, JH, WB and Eastern.UP
- Social workers like DOTS workers.
D4: TB related
“Normal” TB |
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MDR-TB |
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XDR-TB |
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MDR-TB: Delamanid
- Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) can’t be cured with isoniazid / rifampicin.
- WHO approved trials for a new drug: Delamanid.
- Eli-Lily (American Pharma giant) transferred licenses for : Cycloserin and capreomycin to help Indian companies mfg. them @affordable MRP.
D5: Pneumonia and Diarrhea:
Pneumonia | Diarrhea | |
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Period | during and after neonatal period | occurs mainly after neonatal period. |
Cause | <30% children get antibiotics | >600 million defecate in the open and drink unhygienic water |
Treatment |
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oral rehydration therapy |
Long Term prevention | immunization |
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D6: Dementia / Alzheimer’s
Nobel medicine 2014
- O’Keefe, Britt Moser, Edward Moser
- Brain’s positioning system, some cells improve spatial memory, cure Alzheimer’s disease.
What’s Dementia?
- Dementia is a degernative, Non-communicable brain disease.
- Memory loss, impaired judgment, mood swings.
- Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia
- 1 every 4 second in the world.
- People should use food rich in Omega-3 fatty acids e.g. walnuts, fish, soybean and flax seeds
- Person with AB blood group=82% more chances of getting Dementia.
D7: LASIK Surgery
- LASIK useful to those averse to using spectacles
- Full form: Laser refractive surgery or laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK).
LASIK can correct following defects
- Myopia
- Hyperopia
- astigmatism
- In LASIK, the laser removes tissues to reshape the curvature of the cornea. Therefore, the cornea needs to have adequate thickness otherwise surgery can’t be done.
- Surgery done under “TOPICAL” anesthesia (And not general anesthesia).
- Eligible patient: above 18 years. + spectacles power should remain unchanged for at least one year.
- After surgery, patient discharged immediately. He can resume work in 3-4 days.
D8: Drug Pricing NPPA
- National pharmaceutical pricing authority
- Control prices of 348 “essential medicines” under Essential commodities act=>Drug price control order.
- Pricing formula: take MRP of all companies >1% market share=>calculate their average price. no company can sell above this price.
- Controversy: when included 108 more drugs which are not in the national list of essential medicines (NLEM). NPPA’s logic- extraordinary circumstances.
- Later Government revoked the order which empowered NPPA to do so in ‘extraordinary’ circumstances.
- Now NPPA working to revise the original 318-walli NLEM list.
D9: Drugs and diseases: misc.
Albumin |
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ALS bucket |
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Artificial blood |
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ARVS |
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Bombay Bloodgroup |
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De-worming |
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HepC |
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JenVAC |
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Leprosy |
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Polio |
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Rotavirus |
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[Block-2] Genetic Engineering related
Stem cells
- Stem cells can develop into any cell in body. They can be used to create new nerve cells in brain disorders; new insulin producing cells in diabetes, rebuilding heart-muscles after stroke and so on.
- until now Stem cells were harvested from human embryos=> ethical – moral opposition by Christian groups in the West.
- But, Yamanaka developed iPS cells from patients’ skin. They too can be used like stem cells. Hence, no more need for embryos.
ACTN3 |
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Biobots |
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Bioprinting |
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BRCA genes |
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Circadian Bodyclock |
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DNA fingerprinting | for solving crime, identifying unclaimed dead bodies and paternity tests. Although, apprehensions about possible misuse, high costs and simple errors. |
Gene splicing | A method to transport DNA of one species to another using virus-bacterial vehicle. |
Genetic engineering |
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human genome | Project Gene sequencing helps in detecting diseases early-diabetes, cancer to name a few. Personalised medicine can be prepared according to genetic make-up. This helps in speedy recovery. |
Matchright technology |
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Sickle Cell anemia |
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Synthetic biology |
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[Block-3] Affecting entire community
Ayush Mission |
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Cigar labelling |
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E-cigars |
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Family planning |
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Global hunger report |
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Mental Health Policy |
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National Nutrition Mission |
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New Born Action Plan |
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NOTTO |
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PNDT |
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Rural service |
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Tribal health |
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[Block-4] Medi-Gadgets, Indigenization of Technology
Celiac Kits
- Celiac disease= when patient eats gluten (protein in what, rye, barley)- his body mounts an immunological attack on small intestine=> nutrients can’t be absorbed properly.
- Long term leads to Diabetes type1.
- No cure. Just use gluten free food. Two new
- Two diagnostic kits by Indian researchers using Government funding.
Celiac Microlisa |
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Celiac Card |
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Next Revision note: GS3: Science and technology (non-medical type).
All the revision notes are archived at Mrunal.org/UPSC#CSE-2014
Nice one…
You are back…. vowwww…. thank you….:)
Thanks!
sir also start providing imp online link if frontline;epw;idsa;;etc. on weekly basis coz me every thing seems important
awsome work by mrunal sir &team may god full fill all his wishes
A great salute to you sir!
you are the lifeline for self-studying students.
I think the list of essential medicine is “348” instead of “318” you mentioned
Great work Mrunal sir !
if you can then Please do some more for science and technology ,,few topics left.
regards
Mrunal sir ,,
I need some very brief stuff (7-10 pages )for ARC II reports
last year one shrey rawat had sent brief of 1st and 2nd report in your platinum entry,,4th report has been analysed by you,,pls help me get the other ones,,,shrey rawat had prepared brief for all the reports and he also promised to send the rest,,please arrange those..thanks
It was a resourceful article sir.
For females its tubectomy for sterilization(Fallopian tubes). and for males vasectomy(Vasa deferentia).
vas deferens
sir
I am an ardent follower of your site.My day starts and ends by reading your articles.This site is really helpful for people who do not have access to the costly materials available outside.The whole student community is indebted to your service.However i would like to point out a mistake in your article.Females undergo tubectomy in which fallopian tubes are operated upon and males undergo vasectomy in which vas defrens is operated upon.I request you to correct it as soon as possible otherwise many may take it to be correct.
Mariano is Excellent for self studying students, I really appreciate.pl also give the tips for interviews. Thanks
Anyone here in Pimpri-Chinchwad area of Pune, preparing for CSE 2015 along with job ?
Request to contact me on vijuabhrook@gmail.com
u rock always thank u so much sir
Awesome work Sir,hats off to you and team…
Sir
Regards
Since you cover the diverse topics, many a times those topics were covered by us also. so it provides us a systematic platform to cross-check the topic.
While doing that, i sometimes come across the confusion that many of the relevant aspects of the topic were not covered by me( when i cross-check with your systematic coverage of the topic).
“”So how do you manage to see/cover the whole topic in its entirety since the way you cover is wider, more-dimensional than given in newspaper, magazines, et al “”
Sir how come you do it so appropriately ?
I wish to know so that i can cover the topic in its entirety too myself, and better structured as you do.
Please guide me.
Thank you.
God bless
The mmr ratio in new born action plan seems faulty. It’s unit should be per 100000 live births and current value for india is ~170 (190 according to UN). A really ambitious target would be to cap it under 40 or 50 nation wide as some states like Kerala are very near. The MDG target for 2015 for India is 109. Thanks for the article mrunal sir.