Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SP)
Udupi, Apr 8: It was perhaps the happiest moment in the career of Dr Sumit Gupta, an alumnus of Manipal University, who studied in Kasturba Medical College (KMC), here, when he was called to present his research paper in the House of Commons recently. Currently a radiology specialty trainee at East Midlands Healthcare Workforce Deanery, Dr Gupta is also pursuing a PhD degree in the University of Leicester.
Dr Gupta said, “I felt truly honoured and extremely delighted when I was selected to present the work at this popular and unique event. The experience of presenting a scientific poster at the House of Commons was unprecedented. It provided me with an excellent opportunity of presenting and debating my research work and interacting with the MPs, other parliamentarians and researchers from different parts of the world.”
Dr Gupta studied at KMC, Manipal from 1994 to 1999 and completed his internship at SMS Medical College and Hospitals, Jaipur. In an e-mail to Manipal University, Dr Gupta gave details of his research. He wrote; the poster was entitled ‘Scanning the Asthmatic Airway: Defining the Relationship between Physiology, Inflammation and Airway Structure in Severe Asthma using Computed Tomography.’
Lay summary of poster: Asthma is a major health problem affecting 300 million people worldwide. Approximately half a million people in the United Kingdom suffer from severe asthma and are, as a consequence at an increased risk of asthma attacks, hospitalization and death. They often have severely impaired quality of life. Structural changes are known to occur in the airways of the asthmatic individuals.
Computed tomography (CT) scans have now emerged as a non-invasive research tool to assess these airway structural changes. Currently, there is paucity of markers that can be used to monitor asthma progression, response to treatments and to identify patients who will have recurrent asthma attacks and develop persistent airflow obstruction, features which are particularly relevant to severe asthma.
“Our study results demonstrate that CT-assessed airway dimensions are associated with the worsening of lung functions and airway inflammation. We were also able to demonstrate reduction in the airway wall thickness along with a reduction in asthma attacks amongst severe asthma patients, whose airway inflammation was suppressed by a novel therapy, targetting specific type of inflammation. These findings suggest that CT-assessed airway wall thickness may potentially be used as a non-invasive marker in asthma to monitor disease progression and response to treatment” he says.
About his research, he said, ‘Twelve abstracts have been accepted to date for presentation of different aspects of my research work at various international respiratory and radiology meetings. I also have three peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals. I was awarded a travel bursary for presenting my research work at the European Congress of Radiology - 2009 by The Royal College of Radiologists, UK.’
About his stay in Manipal, the doctor from Jaipur said, ‘I enjoyed every second of my stay in Manipal as there was so much to do in and around Manipal. My favourite place was the ‘End-point’. I particularly enjoyed my early morning runs to the End-point and back from the Nehru boy’s hostel.’
“My fascination towards Radiology was initiated in KMC after a two-week Radiology posting,” he added. Dr Gupta trained as a junior doctor at various hospitals in UK working primarily in medical sub-specialties and was awarded MRCP (UK) diploma in 2006.