IT IS A CENTURY-old way of treating viral diseases. In Covid-19, though, the use of antibody-rich convalescent plasma (CP), has been controversial given the lack of strong evidence.
“Ours is the world’s largest trial [of its kind] on plasma therapy,” Dr Balram Bhargava, director-general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said in response to THE WEEK’s query on the plasma therapy (PLACID) trial. “The trial has been conducted on 464 patients, where 235 patients with moderate Covid-19 disease were given plasma, the rest were given best standard care. This was done in 39 hospitals across India, and we looked at whether it led to severe disease or death over 28 days.” The results of the open label, randomised controlled trial (RCT) published as a pre-print (peer-review pending) suggest that there was no difference in 28-day mortality or progression to severe disease among those studied.
“The study also indicates that the key point here is the high titre [levels] of neutralising antibodies for it to work, if at all,” said professor Sunit K. Singh, head, molecular biology, Banaras Hindu University. “Besides, we have to be sure that the donor does not have any viral RNA in their blood.”
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Denne historien er fra September 20, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
