Dr. K S Parthasarathy
is a Medical Physicist specialised in application of radiation & former Secretary of the AERB
Dr. K S Parthasarathy is a former Secretary of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) & a former Raja Ramanna Fellow, Department of Atomic Energy(DAE). A PhD from University of Leeds, UK, he is a medical physicist specialized in the applications of radiation in medicine including their regulatory aspects. He served the UK Medical Research Council’s (MRC) erstwhile Environmental Radiation Research Unit, Leeds & later as a Research Associate in the University of Virginia Medical Centre, Charlottesville, USA. He has been a freelance science journalist since 1977.
This article discusses the environmental b... more»This article discusses the environmental benefits of plant-based diets, citing a study led by Prof. Peter Scarborough at Oxford. It emphasises the reduction in diabetes risk associated with plant-based diets, detailing a research paper published in Diabetes and Metabolism on potential mechanisms. «less
Feb 02, 2024
The article explores the MHRA and FDA's gr... more»The article explores the MHRA and FDA's groundbreaking approval of Casgevy, the first gene therapy for sickle-cell disease and β-thalassaemia. Specialists express optimism, underlining its global significance and potential to impact patients' lives. «less
Jan 04, 2024
The article explores a study suggesting an... more»The article explores a study suggesting an association between frequent mobile phone use and reduced sperm count in young men, while experts emphasise the need for caution due to potential confounders and the complexity of proving causation. «less
Nov 26, 2023
On May 3, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Adm... more»On May 3, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Arexvy, the first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for use in the US to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in individuals 60 years of age and older. «less
May 27, 2023
Here is an overview of the study presented... more»Here is an overview of the study presented at the 2021 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), which probed the systemic effects that IUDs may have on the body, and if they could be similar to hormone replacement therapy. «less
Apr 10, 2022
New research published on March 16, 2022,... more» New research published on March 16, 2022, in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]), suggests a possible association between mild COVID-19 cases and subsequently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. «less
Apr 01, 2022
Researchers have reported that people who ... more»Researchers have reported that people who survived the acute phase of COVID-19 are at an increased risk of an array of incident mental health disorders. They concluded that tackling mental health disorders among survivors of the disease should be a priority. «less
Mar 09, 2022
Valena, the French speciality vaccine comp... more»Valena, the French speciality vaccine company on 21 January announced in a press release results from an initial laboratory study demonstrating that serum antibodies induced by three doses of Valena's inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA 2001, neutralises the Omicron variant. «less
Feb 02, 2022
Omicron, the new variant discovered in Sou... more»Omicron, the new variant discovered in South Africa on November 24th 2021 appears to compete with the Delta variant in many respects. The potential impact of this unexpected development has unnerved everyone. Here are some important observations about the risks of Omicron derived from an initial sta «less
Dec 30, 2021
On 23 September 2021, researchers from USA... more»On 23 September 2021, researchers from USA, Sweden, Brazil, Denmark, Scotland and France published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, a new Consensus Statement which calls for precautionary action around the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, through focused research and by increasing awareness. «less
Oct 23, 2021
The Delta variant has continued to grab ev... more»The Delta variant has continued to grab everyone's attention for a long time now. Researchers from Public Health England and Cambridge University published a study through whole-genome sequencing that analysed a two-fold increased risk of hospitalisation from Delta versus Alpha variant infections. «less
Sep 04, 2021
The debate over performing a CT scan for C... more»The debate over performing a CT scan for COVID-19 testing has been on for quite some time now. Whether a CT scan can be a first-line test to diagnose the disease or is it just an expensive formality, has been a common question in the medical world too. «less
Aug 01, 2021
This article throws light on the research ... more»This article throws light on the research at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis that published a paper in the journal Nature that demonstrated notable immunogenicity in phase 1/2 studies and efficacy in phase 3 studies of the mRNA-based vaccines. «less
Jul 25, 2021
NEJM published online the results of an in... more»NEJM published online the results of an interesting study on 10th June 2021. It demonstrated the efficacy of Wolbachia-infected mosquito deployments to control dengue, which according to the WHO is one of the top ten global health threats placing half the world population at risk. «less
Jul 04, 2021
Treating severe COVID-19 in patients has b... more»Treating severe COVID-19 in patients has been a reason of concern since the pandemic started. This article highlights a very important study by a group of Indonesian researchers that can help treat critically ill patients with non-altered stem cells from the umbilical connective tissue. «less
Jun 19, 2021
A new study has revealed that people still... more»A new study has revealed that people still have immune cells in their body pumping out antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19, months after recovering from mild cases of COVID-19. The good news is the possibility that such cells could persist for a lifetime. «less
Jun 12, 2021
RT-PCR testing is the standard for COVID-1... more»RT-PCR testing is the standard for COVID-19 confirmation, but there have been reports of painful complications arising from incorrect testing methods. A recent study published in JAMA sought to understand the frequency of these complications and also provided precautionary steps while sampling. «less
May 29, 2021
A recent study found that individuals disc... more»A recent study found that individuals discharged from hospital after COVID-19 had increased multi-organ dysfunction. It was found that diagnosis, treatment and prevention of post-COVID syndrome required integrated rather than organ or disease-specific approaches. «less
Apr 24, 2021
A modelling study carried out by Sam Moore... more»A modelling study carried out by Sam Moore and colleagues from the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK showed that vaccination alone is unlikely to contain COVID-19 infections in the UK. However, gradual reopening and high vaccine uptake could minimise future waves of infection. «less
Apr 10, 2021
A recent study has found that identifying ... more»A recent study has found that identifying and quantifying certain proteins in the patient's blood on admission will pave the way for a clearer decision whether the patient will suffer severe disease needing admission to ICU and other life supporting measures or not. «less
Mar 11, 2021
The Lancet study suggests that a two-dose ... more»The Lancet study suggests that a two-dose regimen of the adenovirus-based Russian vaccine offers 91.6% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19. The researchers completed the interim analysis of data from nearly 20,000 participants, three-quarters of whom received the vaccine. «less
Feb 11, 2021
An international team led by researchers i... more»An international team led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (U-Penn) found that medications to treat high blood pressure did not affect outcomes among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. «less
Jan 29, 2021
The United Kingdom's recent announcement o... more»The United Kingdom's recent announcement of the discovery of a new variant of coronavirus has once again caused panic world over, with several people questioning the transmissibility and virulence of the new strain and if the vaccines in work would still be effective enough. Here is what we know. «less
Dec 26, 2020
Two studies published in The Lancet sugges... more»Two studies published in The Lancet suggest that older adults are at greater risk of CV events than younger people, and benefit at least as much from cholesterol-lowering medications. They provide new evidence on LDL cholesterol-lowering therapies reducin the rate of major CV events in older adults. «less
Nov 28, 2020
In a well-designed, epidemiological study,... more»In a well-designed, epidemiological study, UK researchers have found that Asian ethnicity is strongly linked to COVID-related stroke. Based on the study, and their extensive experience, the researchers gave recommendations on how to manage stroke patients during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. «less
Nov 16, 2020
The Lancet Infectious Diseases published t... more»The Lancet Infectious Diseases published the first study that confirms COVID-19 re-infection, which may be a step towards answering key questions such as: How common is re-infection? Are re-infections more or less severe than the first? What implications do re-infections have for vaccine prospects? «less
Oct 26, 2020
Now it is official. On 5th October 2020, t... more»Now it is official. On 5th October 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published an updated guidance in its “How COVID-19 spreads”- website, accepting that COVID-19 virus can be spread by airborne transmission. «less
Oct 10, 2020
New research reveals that influenza virus ... more»New research reveals that influenza virus can spread through the air on dust, fibers and other microscopic particles. The possibility that airborne dust can carry the virus may have implications for coronavirus transmission as well. «less
Sep 11, 2020
In a paper published in JAMA Pediatrics, r... more»In a paper published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers showed the possibility that younger children transmit the virus as much as other age groups. However, there also seems to be research countering this statement. Here, we analyse literature available so far on transmission of virus by children. «less
Aug 11, 2020
The Lancet recently published two papers o... more»The Lancet recently published two papers on COVID-19 vaccine candidate trials. The first discussed results of the University of Oxford’s vaccine, whilst the second described China’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Both vaccines were found to be safe and induce immunity against SARS-CoV-2. «less
Jul 31, 2020
Cochrane recently published a review of st... more»Cochrane recently published a review of studies looking at the accuracy of COVID-19 antibody tests. Here we summarise the main conclusions of the first review which provides authentic information to policy makers to make them aware of the status of the technology and improvements needed for use. «less
Jul 04, 2020
Chief Investigators of the RECOVERY Trial ... more»Chief Investigators of the RECOVERY Trial have declared that the latest study showed that one death would be prevented by low cost dexamethasone treatment of around 8 ventilated patients or around 25 patients requiring oxygen alone. «less
Jun 22, 2020
As the contagion spreads with unexpected r... more»As the contagion spreads with unexpected rapidity, there has been a growing recognition of the psychiatric implications of the disease. Researchers who tried to unravel them in COVID-19 patients found few immediate mental health effects of COVID-19, but long-term impact must be considered. «less
Jun 19, 2020
How does the virus contamination spread in... more»How does the virus contamination spread in a hospital? A letter from researchers Dr. Stacey Rawlinson of University College London (UCL) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and others in the Journal of Hospital Inspection answered this crucial question. «less
Jun 13, 2020
Now it is official. A detailed, 423 page C... more»Now it is official. A detailed, 423 page Cochrane review published on April 20, 2020 presents new evidence that confirms the effectiveness of MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines and that those are not associated with increased risk of autism. «less
May 22, 2020
A small observational study on use of Anak... more»A small observational study on use of Anakinra, the rheumatoid arthritis drug, to treat COVID-19 patients found that high-dose of the drug was safe and was associated with respiratory improvement and reduced signs of cytokine storm in 72% of patients, The Lancet Rheumatology journal reported. «less
May 18, 2020
A study from Wuhan published in The Lancet... more»A study from Wuhan published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on line on April 27, 2020 to track people infected with COVID-19 as well as their close contacts suggests that testing, isolating cases and contract tracing can reduce the virus spreading, favouring control of the outbreak. «less
May 08, 2020
The researchers have produced a vaccine ag... more»The researchers have produced a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, an emerging pathogen causing COVID-19 pandemic with exponentially increasing significance due to its high fatality rate, the large distribution of reservoir, and the lack of medical countermeasures. «less
Apr 10, 2020
The most comprehensive analysis of long te... more»The most comprehensive analysis of long term risk for cardiovascular disease related to non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol published in the journal The Lancet (December 2, 2019) suggests a link between cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease and stroke. «less
Jan 27, 2020
An algorithm which scientists at Universit... more»An algorithm which scientists at University of California, San Francisco & Berkeley developed recently did better than two out of four expert radiologists at finding tiny brain haemorrhages in head scans. This advance may one day help doctors treat patients with TBI, stroke and aneurysms. «less
Oct 31, 2019
A recent study reported in The Lancet, add... more»A recent study reported in The Lancet, addresses the issue of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and risk of breast cancer. This makes it necessary for clinicians to take a comprehensive approach to the management of menopausal symptoms, with consideration of risks and benefits of MHT for each woman. «less
Sep 16, 2019
A cheap polypill that combines - two commo... more»A cheap polypill that combines - two commonly used BP lowering drugs, a cholesterol-lowering medicine, and aspirin— taken once daily reduced the risk of major CV events such as heart attacks, strokes and sudden deaths in people by a third over 5 years, a paper published in The Lancet concluded. «less
Sep 09, 2019
The ICMR paper does not accept the popular... more»The ICMR paper does not accept the popular perception that ENDS or e-cigarettes can serve as smoking cessation aids, stating that the failure to ban these agents that could, in fact, further nicotine addiction and pose as a threat to the country's efforts towards smoking cessation programmes. «less
Jun 20, 2019
A team of scientists from the UMD and Burk... more»A team of scientists from the UMD and Burkina Faso showed naturally occurring fungi engineered to deliver a toxin to mosquitoes vanquished more than 99% of them in a screen-enclosed, simulated village setting. If implemented well, it may be a maiden step to a Malaria free world by 2030. «less
Jun 14, 2019
A recent UK study showed that a single pro... more»A recent UK study showed that a single prophylactic dose of antibiotics offered to mothers within 6 hours of delivery prevents almost half of infections. But, apart from challenges in the choice of antibiotics and development of drug resistance, whether India may follow the same needs deliberation. «less
May 22, 2019
All participants in the study were exposed... more»All participants in the study were exposed to external γ-rays and some (76.03%) also to α-particles from internally deposited plutonium. Researchers found hypertension incidence to be significantly associated with the cumulative external radiation dose but not with internal dose from plutonium. «less
May 07, 2019
A recent study published in The Lancet, th... more»A recent study published in The Lancet, that researchers have found several factors- specifically surgery following trauma or inflammatory arthropathy increased the risk of revision for infection in the long-term, but patients receiving a patellofemoral, unicondylar or uncemented total knee replacem «less
May 02, 2019
