September 2020 – Dr Ramakanta's Ideas

Viru, the Unstoppable

Let me call this virus by a name: Viru in memory of that unpredictable yet unstoppable dashing opener. ( a story of the duel between SARS CoV 2 and my bodyguards) Here’s Viru’s innings described in a lay man’s terms: Viru can enter us only through our nose. ( mouth and eyes also.) But itContinue reading “Viru, the Unstoppable”

FELUDA, the Rs 500 Tata CRISPR Covid-19 test.

We know that our common cold is caused by at least 200 different viruses. Rhino virus, Resp virus, ( RSV) Flu, Ortho myxo, Paramyxo, Coronavirus and so on. Up till now, We have no tecnology to identify them. So we have used the omnibasket term: Viral fever. After the Covid-19, a new age is goingContinue reading “FELUDA, the Rs 500 Tata CRISPR Covid-19 test.”

Cycle Threshold

a bit of mathematics. Inside the PCR machine a polymerase chain reaction starts. It simply doubles the nucleic materials by copying the viral DNA into twos. ( Chain mathematics are very popular. Remember the creator of Chess game asking the king only one grain per square but doubled each time.) In cycle 1the single strandedContinue reading “Cycle Threshold”

Ultra-Super Specialization.

How young a young doctor can be ? After completing 5+1 years, you add a MBBS degree. Then the street vendor while balancing one kg potatoes on a scale naively asks you,“Sir, what is your speciality ?” So you study 3 more years to add MD (anaesthesiology) to your name for the street vendor’s sake.Continue reading “Ultra-Super Specialization.”

ANTIGEN or RT-PCR test: whom to choose ?

Some facts about Ct cycle 24 or 40 ..OK, you have given your nasal swab for corona testing. Then what happens to the sample in the lab. RT-PCR When a sample enters the test, the machine is basically looking for virus RNA. So it goes on amplifying the extract till it detects the culprit virusContinue reading “ANTIGEN or RT-PCR test: whom to choose ?”