TNPSC Current Affairs April 17, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs April 17, 2020 (17/04/2020)

Download as PDF

Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health, Latest Diary of Events

What is post-intensive care syndrome?

After leaving the ICU, many patients may suffer from what is known as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which can happen to any person who has been in the ICU.

What is the concern now?

As per the WHO-China Joint Mission report that examined 55,924 laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19, over 6.1 per cent were classified as critical, which means they experienced respiratory failure, shock and multiple organ failure. Many critical cases need ICU admissions.

Therefore, for some Covid-19 patients who needed intensive care, the journey to recovery is a long one.

What is post-intensive care syndrome?

PICS is defined as new or worsening impairment in physical (ICU-acquired neuromuscular weakness), cognitive (thinking and judgment), or mental health status arising after critical illness and persisting beyond discharge from the acute care setting.

Such patients may experience neuromuscular weakness, which can manifest itself in the form of poor mobility and recurrent falls.

Psychological disability may arise in a person in the form of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What are the symptoms?

The most common PICS symptoms are generalised weakness, fatigue, decreased mobility, anxious or depressed mood, sexual dysfunction, sleep disturbances and cognitive issues. These symptoms may last for a few months or many years after recovery.

_

Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health, Profile of States

Chitra GeneLAMP-N

It is a diagnostic test kit that can confirm COVID19 in 2 hours at low cost.

It has been developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, an Institute of National Importance, of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

How it works?

The confirmatory diagnostic test detects the N Gene of SARS- COV2 using reverse transcriptase loop-mediated amplification of viral nucleic acid (RT-LAMP).

The test kit is highly specific for SARS-CoV-2 N-gene and can detect two regions of the gene, which will ensure that the test does not fail even if one region of the viral gene undergoes mutation during its current spread.

_

Topic: Current socio-economic issues, Latest Diary of Events

What is order books, inventories and capacity utilisation survey (OBICUS)?

The Reserve Bank of India has launched latest round of quarterly order books, inventories and capacity utilisation survey (OBICUS) of manufacturing sector. The survey provides valuable input for monetary policy formulation.

The RBI has been conducting the OBICUS of the manufacturing sector on a quarterly basis since 2008.

The information collected in the survey includes quantitative data on new orders received during the reference quarter, backlog of orders, pending orders, total inventories with a breakup between work-in-progress (WiP) and finished goods (FG) inventories and item-wise production.

_

Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health, Profile of States

PUSA: Decontamination Tunnel developed by ICAR

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute has developed PUSA decontamination tunnel. It was inaugurated on April 16, 2020 by the Union Minister Shri Kailash Choudhary.

Key facts:

The Tunnel includes foot operated water dispenser and soap. The tunnel also provides fogging for about 20 seconds. Also, it sources Quaternary Ammonium Compounds that are used at concentration of 0.045%. The concentration amount has been fixed as recommended by the Health department.

These are compounds are often used as surfactants, disinfectant, antistatic agents or fabric softener. They also have antimicrobial activity.

They are cationic detergents that are commonly used to remove organic materials. They are commonly used in food service industries as sanitizing agents. They are effective till 100 degrees Celsius. They work against fungi, viruses and amoeba by disrupting their cell membranes.