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Pune: In an unfortunate incident, a 28-year-old resident doctor pursuing his second year of postgraduate studies in radiology at Ruby Hall Clinic allegedly died by suicide. He was found hanging from the ceiling fan of the hostel room he shared with another trainee doctor.

The doctor who had been interning in the Radiology department since 2023 was reportedly under a lot of stress. He was found hanging in the PG doctors’ quarters of the private hospital.  

A suicide note was recovered from his room in which he mentioned the password to his mobile phone and his UPI PIN, requesting that these details be shared with his family. In the note, he said, 'I am F***** up totally. Can’t say all to anyone.

The note had a disturbing tone with a final message saying, “Thank you PM sir for all.” The initials ‘PM’ are believed to refer to Dr *** head of the Radiology department, under whom he was working.

Also read- Grant Medical College MBBS student commits suicide over academic, financial stress

His last message in the note has led to serious allegations of workplace harassment against his senior. Although the exact reason behind his death is yet to be confirmed by the police, his father has accused the HOD of harassing his son and overworking him.

The incident took place on Sunday evening when the doctor was alone in his room while his roommate had gone to the hospital. After his roommate returned from work at around 10.30 pm, he noticed that the door was locked from inside. Even after repeated knocks, he did not receive a response from the doctor. Following this, he alerted the hostel authorities and security guards, who too knocked the door of the hostel room, but got no response from him. 

Subsequently, they contacted the police and shortly after, they arrived at the spot. They broke the door open and saw him hanging from the ceiling. His body was sent to the Sassoon Hospital for postmortem examination. Police also informed his family members about the incident.

Accusing the HOD of harassment, the deceased doctor's father told Pune Times Mirror, "My son was frustrated for the past one and a half months. He used to work in all shifts, from morning to night. He informed me that he was given some targets by the HOD. We want the police to conduct a fair investigation into the matter. My son wrote ‘PM’, which obviously means ***."

“I requested the Koregaon Park police to register an FIR and then conduct the post-mortem, but they did not listen to me. There are Supreme Court guidelines. I should know the reason for my son’s death. I have been waiting for a long time, but no one from the hospital is willing to cooperate," he added. 

Similarly, the brother-in-law of the deceased said, "The role of the hospital and HOD is suspicious. We have been trying to connect with them, but they did not pay any heed. He was the only breadwinner in the family. His father is retired, and both his parents have blood pressure problems. Our entire family is in trauma due to the incident."

Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil said, “We have recovered a suicide note from his room, which mentions, “Thank you PM sir for all.” He also mentioned his UPI PIN and mobile password, requesting that they be shared with his family. The mention of 'thank you' to the HOD is suspicious, and it appears that he might have been harassed by him. However, a detailed probe will reveal the facts."

Based on the complaint of the deceased father, the police have registered a case and launched an investigation in this regard. 

Hospital response

In an official statement, Manjusha Kulkarni, the legal advisor of Ruby Hall Clinic, expressed condolences on behalf of the hospital over the incident and addressed the circulating claims. 

She stated, "We are deeply saddened to share the unfortunate news that one of our resident doctors, Dr. ***, has tragically passed away apparently by suicide in his hostel room. The matter is currently under investigation by the police, who have taken charge of the situation."

She further added, "We would like to clarify that the ongoing media speculation regarding alleged workplace harassment is entirely unfounded and incorrect. We respectfully urge the media and public to refrain from drawing conclusions or spreading speculation until the authorities complete their investigation. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr *** during this incredibly difficult time."

Also read- PG Medico injects himself with IV fluids, found dead inside car

Novo Nordisk, AbbVie, and Roche each have weekly injectable drug candidates designed to bind to and activate the amylin receptor to trigger weight loss. Metsera’s contender, MET-233i, is designed with technology that enables longer dosing intervals and the company is proceeding with development of this engineered peptide as a monotherapy and as part of a drug combination.

The post Metsera’s Amylin Drug Looks Good in Phase 1, Shows Potential to be a Once-Monthly Obesity Med appeared first on MedCity News.

Tulane University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind handheld diagnostic device that can deliver rapid, accurate tuberculosis diagnoses in under an hour, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.

The smartphone-sized, battery-powered lab-in-tube assay (LIT) provides a cost-effective tool that can improve TB diagnoses, particularly in resource-limited rural areas where health care facilities and lab equipment are less accessible. Over 90% of new TB cases occur in low- and middle-income countries.

This point-of-care device is the first to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) DNA in saliva, in addition to blood and sputum samples. Saliva is easier to obtain than blood or sputum, and the ability to non-invasively obtain samples that yield accurate results is critical for successfully testing children. More than 1 million children fall ill with TB each year and more than half go undiagnosed or unreported, according to the World Health Organization.

Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, infecting an estimated 10 million people a year. The current resurgence of TB cases, exacerbated by recent disruptions in healthcare services, underscores the urgent need for effective, accessible diagnostic tools.

“TB remains a critical public health concern in low-income countries and diagnosis using a cheap, simple test like we’ve developed is needed not only to treat patients with TB but prevent further spread of the disease,” said senior author Tony Hu, PhD, Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation and director of the Tulane Center for Cellular & Molecular Diagnostics. “An estimated 4.2 million TB cases were undiagnosed or unreported in 2021, largely due to limitations and costs of testing in areas with high disease burden.”

Current testing devices are larger, expensive and require either extensive on-site technology or shipment of samples to a laboratory elsewhere. The LIT test is designed to offer a low-cost TB testing solution, with each device costing less than $800 and less than $3 per test. In comparison, another commonly used TB testing device costs at minimum $19,000 and the cost per test is around $100 in certain countries.

In the study, the LIT device demonstrated high accuracy in testing blood samples from children in the Dominican Republic, outperforming the more expensive machine – 81% sensitivity compared to 68% – and meeting the WHO criteria for TB diagnostics. Blood serum-based testing – testing that utilizes the liquid part of drawn blood after coagulation – is particularly important in children and patients living with HIV who often cannot produce sputum. The LIT assay results suggest that blood samples could be used to monitor TB treatment progress, as they closely align with the improvement in patient symptoms.

“This system reduces the expertise and equipment required for TB diagnosis which is essential for point-of-care application,” said lead author, Brady Youngquist, a graduate student in the Tulane University Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics. “Saliva-based testing for TB is particularly exciting because it can be easily obtained in all patients and can be used for portable testing without the need for blood draw. And sputum is often not produced in children and patients living with HIV, a common co-infection.”

Reference:

Brady M. Youngquist et al. ,Rapid tuberculosis diagnosis from respiratory or blood samples by a low cost, portable lab-in-tube assay.Sci. Transl. Med.17,eadp6411(2025).DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.adp6411.

USA: Preliminary results from the PANDOME study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, have spotlighted deteriorating diabetes (DD) as a significant early warning sign for pancreatic cancer (PC), especially in individuals over the age of 50. Conducted by Dr. Richard C. Frank and colleagues from the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at Nuvance Health, Norwalk, Connecticut, the study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and utility of screening for pancreatic cancer in high-risk diabetic subgroups.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies, primarily because it often goes undetected until advanced stages. However, earlier studies have shown that people over 50 who develop new-onset diabetes (NOD) have a six-to-eight-fold higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. In light of emerging data, researchers also considered worsening or deteriorating diabetes, a condition marked by rapid glycemic decline, as a potential predictor of pancreatic cancer.

Over a span of six years, the PANDOME team screened 625 individuals aged over 50, ultimately enrolling 109 participants. Among them, 97 were diagnosed with NOD and 12 with DD. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), alongside routine monitoring for psychological well-being, blood biobanking, and documentation of physician referrals and glycemic indicators.

The study revealed the following findings:

• The DD cohort showed more severe clinical features compared to the NOD group.
• Individuals with DD had significantly higher HbA1c levels.
• There was a greater weight loss in the DD group.
• Insulin dependency was more common among those with DD.
• These signs point to a more aggressive pattern of metabolic deterioration in DD patients.
• Endocrinologists were the main source of referrals for individuals in the DD cohort.
• Out of 109 participants, four underwent pancreatic biopsies following suspicious imaging findings.
• One person from the DD group was diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
• This corresponded to a pancreatic cancer detection rate of 0.9%.
• The imaging procedures did not raise any safety concerns.
• Several benign or incidental pancreatic findings were identified without complications.

This marks the first instance of a screen-detected, early-stage pancreatic cancer case in a sporadic, high-risk cohort. The researchers emphasized that this finding supports including patients with deteriorating diabetes in future screening protocols. By identifying and closely monitoring this subgroup, healthcare providers may have a unique window to detect pancreatic malignancies at a curable stage.

The authors concluded, "The PANDOME study sheds light on a promising strategy for early pancreatic cancer detection by targeting individuals over 50 with newly emerging or worsening diabetes. As the study continues, these initial insights could pave the way for broader, more refined screening efforts aimed at improving survival rates for this deadly disease."

Reference:

Frank, R. C., Shim, B., Lo, T., Pandya, D., Krebs, T. L., Ma, C., Labow, D., Denowitz, J., Anand, N., Krumholtz, P., Sullivan, K., Sanchez, M., Dong, X. E., Seshadri, R., Trinidad, A., & Jin, D. Pancreatic Cancer Screening in New-Onset and Deteriorating Diabetes: Preliminary Results from the PANDOME Study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaf319

Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, formerly known as Willingdon Hospital, was established by the British for their staff and had only 54 beds. After independence, its control was shifted to New Delhi Municipal Committee. In 1954, its control was again transferred to the Central Government of Independent India.

RML Hospital Vacancy Details:

Total no of vacancies: 31

The Vacancies are in the Department of Anaesthesia, Cardiac Anaesthesia, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Medicine, Neonatology, Paediatrics, Paediatrics Cardiology, Paediatrics Surgery, Transfusion Medicine, CTVS, Orthopaedics, and Neurosurgery.

The Walk-In-Interview is started from 16th to 19th June 2025.

Venue and Reporting Time:- Room No. 104, 1st Floor, Administrative Block, ABVIMS on 9.30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

For more details about Qualifications, Age, Pay Allowance, and much more, click on the given link:https://medicaljob.in/jobs.php?post_type=&job_tags=RML+Hospital&location=&job_sector=all

Eligible Candidates (How to Apply)?

Suitable and willing candidate may report in Room No. 104, Floor, Administrative Block, ABVIMS for walk-in-interview between 9.30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on the aforesaid dates along with duly filled in application form (2 copies of Annexure-I), 4 passport size photographs, original and two set of photocopies of relevant documents. No TA/DA is admissible for attending the interview.

It is requested that the enclosed advertisement may kindly be uploaded on the website www.rmlh.nic.in immediately.

All the EWS candidates are requested to submit Income and Asset Certificate issued by any one of the following authorities in the prescribed format as given in Annexure-I.

• District Magistrate/ Additional District Magistrate/ Collector/ Deputy Commissioner/ Additional Deputy Commissioner/ It Class Stipendiary Magistrate/ Sub-Divisional Magistrate/ Taluka Magistrate/ Executive Magistrate/ Extra Assistant Commissioner.

• Chief Presidency Magistrate/ Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate/ Presidency Magistrate

• Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tehsildar and Sub-Divisional Officer or the area where the candidate and/ or his family normally resides.

Also Read:JIPMER Jobs 2025: SR Post Via Walk In Interview, Here's All Details

Here are the top medical news for the day:

New mRNA Vaccine May Be More Effective Against Evolving Viruses

A new type of mRNA vaccine is more scalable and adaptable to continuously evolving viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H5N1, according to a study by researchers at University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and the Pennsylvania State University. The study was published in npj Vaccines.

Current mRNA vaccines, such as those used to prevent COVID-19, present two significant challenges: the high amount of mRNA needed to produce them and the constantly evolving nature of the pathogen.

To address these challenges, the researchers created a proof-of-concept COVID-19 vaccine using what's known as a "trans-amplifying" mRNA platform.

In this approach, the mRNA is separated into two fragments -- the antigen sequence and the replicase sequence -- the latter of which can be produced in advance, saving crucial time in the event a new vaccine must be developed urgently and produced at scale.

Additionally, the researchers analyzed the spike-protein sequences of all known variants of the SARS-CoV-2 for commonalities, rendering what's known as a "consensus spike protein" as the basis for the vaccine's antigen.

In mice, the vaccine induced a robust immune response against many strains of SARS-CoV-2.

"This has the potential for more lasting immunity that would not require updating, because the vaccine has the potential to provide broad protection," said senior author Suresh Kuchipudi, Ph.D., chair of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Pitt Public Health.

"Additionally, this format requires an mRNA dose 40 times less than conventional vaccines, so this new approach significantly reduces the overall cost of the vaccine."

Reference: Abhinay Gontu, Sougat Misra, Shubhada K. Chothe, Santhamani Ramasamy, Padmaja Jakka, Maurice Byukusenge, Lindsey C. LaBella, Meera Surendran Nair, Bhushan M. Jayarao, Marco Archetti, Ruth H. Nissly, Suresh V. Kuchipudi. Trans amplifying mRNA vaccine expressing consensus spike elicits broad neutralization of SARS CoV 2 variants. npj Vaccines, 2025; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41541-025-01166-1

Statins Linked to Lower Sepsis Mortality: Study Finds

A large cohort study published in Frontiers in Immunology has found that statins may significantly improve survival rates in critically ill patients with sepsis. The study, based on data from over 12,000 patients, reported a 39% lower death rate within 28 days among those treated with statins, raising potential for supplementary therapies in one of the most life-threatening conditions in intensive care.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system responds to an infection with an overwhelming inflammatory reaction, leading to organ failure.

Standard treatment for sepsis includes antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and vasopressors to stabilize blood pressure. However, this new study, led by Dr. Caifeng Li of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in China, suggests statins, widely used to lower cholesterol, may offer additional survival benefits.

The researchers used data from the MIMIC-IV database, which contains anonymized health records of 265,000 patients admitted to intensive care at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston between 2008 and 2019. They included adults hospitalized with sepsis for over 24 hours and applied a statistical technique called propensity score matching to minimize bias in treatment allocation. This yielded two matched groups of 6,070 patients each—those who received statins and those who did not.

The statin group had a 28-day all-cause mortality rate of 14.3%, compared to 23.4% in the non-statin group. However, statin-treated patients also showed slightly longer durations on mechanical ventilation and renal therapy, potentially indicating a tradeoff between survival and recovery time.

“These results strongly suggest that statins may provide a protective effect and improve clinical outcomes for patients with sepsis,” concluded Li. The findings were consistent across patients with normal, overweight, or obese BMI, though not among underweight individuals.

Reference: Li, C., Zhao, K., Ren, Q., Chen, L., Zhang, Y., Wang, G., & Xie, K. Statin use during Intensive Care Unit Stay Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis: A Cohort Study. Frontiers in Immunology, 16, 1537172.

Not Losing Weight? Study Finds Healthy Diet May Still Bring Major Health Gains

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology reveals that nearly one-third of individuals who followed a healthy diet did not lose weight, yet still experienced significant improvements in key cardiometabolic health markers.

The study focused on 761 adults with abdominal obesity who participated in three long-term workplace-based nutrition clinical trials—DIRECT, CENTRAL, and DIRECT-PLUS—in Israel. Participants were randomly assigned to follow various healthy dietary patterns, including low-fat, low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, and Green-Mediterranean diets for 18 to 24 months. High adherence and comprehensive metabolic profiling made these trials particularly robust.

Despite following their assigned diets, 28% of participants did not lose any weight or even gained some. However, these “weight loss-resistant” individuals still saw notable health improvements, including increased levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, lower leptin levels—suggesting improved hunger signaling—and a reduction in visceral fat, the harmful fat stored deep in the abdomen.

While the study was predominantly male, researchers emphasize the need for future trials focused more on women to better understand gender-specific responses.

The study also uncovered a groundbreaking biological insight: Using advanced omics tools, researchers identified 12 specific DNA methylation sites that strongly predict long-term weight loss success.

“This novel finding shows that some people may be biologically wired to respond differently to the same diet,” said corresponding author Iris Shai principal investigator of the nutrition trials and adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard Chan School. “This isn’t just about willpower or discipline—it’s about biology.”

These findings highlight that meaningful health improvements can occur without weight loss—offering a new, more inclusive definition of dietary success.

Reference: Anat Yaskolka Meir, Gal Tsaban, Ehud Rinott, Hila Zelicha, Dan Schwarzfuchs, Yftach Gepner, Assaf Rudich, Ilan Shelef, Matthias Blüher, Michael Stumvoll, Uta Ceglarek, Berend Isermann, Nora Klöting, Maria Keller, Peter Kovacs, Lu Qi, Dong D Wang, Liming Liang, Frank B Hu, Meir J Stampfer, Iris Shai, Individual response to lifestyle interventions: a pooled analysis of three long-term weight loss trials, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2025;, zwaf308, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf308