Page 107 - Health Medical Pharma
US county declares state of emergency amid measles outbreak
A New York county hit by a measles outbreak declared a state of emergency Tuesday and banned non-vaccinated minors from public places in a bid to prevent the once-eliminated disease from spreading. The measure, which defines a public place as anywhere "more than 10 persons are intended to congregate" -- including public transport -- was announced by officials in Rockland County, 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of New York City. Due to come into effect at midnight Wednesday for 30 days, it appears to be the most radical step by US officials following outbreaks in several regions blamed on an anti-vaccination movement. "We must do everything in our power to end this outbreak and protect the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and that of children too young to be vaccinated," said county executive Ed Day. Day also criticized the "resistance" of some locals to health inspectors. "They've been told 'we're not discussing this, do not come back,' when visiting the ...
Measles outbreak emergency declared in NY suburb
A county in New York state has declared a state of emergency following a severe outbreak of measles.
UPS launches package delivery by drone
American delivery giant UPS on Tuesday launched the first authorized use of unmanned drones to transport packages to recipients. The company said the shipment of medical samples at the WakeMed hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina was the first of "numerous planned daily revenue flights." UPS has teamed up with Matternet, which makes autonomous drones and already has operations in Switzerland, for the same-day delivery service, the company said in a statement. The company called the inaugural flight "a major milestone for unmanned aviation in the United States." It will provide "the ability to avoid roadway delays, increase medical delivery efficiency, lower costs and improve the patient experience with potentially life-saving benefits," the company added. The "quadcopter" drones can carry medical payloads weight up to five pounds (2.3 kilograms) for distances up to 12.5 miles (20 kilometers). Currently, the only option is through traditional courier service. "Drone transport ...
Male birth control pill passes human safety tests
A new male birth control pill passed tests of safety and tolerability when healthy men used it daily for a month, a recent study has found.According to researchers, the pills also produced hormone responses consistent with effective contraception.The experimental male oral contraceptive is called 11-beta-methyl-19-nortestosterone dodecylcarbonate, or 11-beta-MNTDC."Our results suggest that this pill, which combines two hormonal activities in one, will decrease sperm production while preserving libido," said Christina Wang, lead researcher of the study, which was discussed in the ENDO 2019 meeting.As part of the study, ten participants randomly received a placebo capsule or dummy drug. The other 30 men received 11-beta-MNTDC at one of two doses; 14 men received 200 milligrams or mg, and 16 got the 400 mg dose. Subjects took the drug or placebo once daily with food for 28 days.Among men receiving 11-beta-MNTDC, the average circulating testosterone level dropped as low as in androgen ...
Lawyers should keep themselves healthy, says Supreme Court judge
Lawyers should keep themselves healthy and stress free to ensure they can address the problems that people bring to them, Justice Ajay Rastogi advised the legal fraternity on Tuesday. Justice Rastogi said lawyers should keep their stress levels at check and leave behind the workplace tension. "Being a lawyer for 21 years, my request is only one. Keep your stress levels low. Whatever happens with your clients or in the courtroom, please leave it aside once you come outside," said Justice Shah while speaking at a seminar on 'Knowing Hepatitis- Medico Legally' organised here by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association. He said that people come to lawyers with their problems which is why a lawyer should keep himself healthy. "As lawyers, the first and foremost thing is to keep ourselves healthy. You borrow problems of the people. People come to you with certain difficulties which you borrow. Therefore, as a lawyer, keep yourself healthy," said Justice Shah. The seminar which was ...
Mycord gets 'Innovation Award' for introducing groundbreaking concept of Family Cord Blood Pool Banking' to the world
Mycord a vertical of CelluGen Biotech Pvt. Ltd. has been conferred with highly coveted 'Innovation Award' at the International Conference on 'Emerging Cellular and Immunotherapies in Haematological disorders' held in New Delhi recently.The prestigious Innovation award was presented by Indian Society of Cellular Therapy to Mycord for introducing to the world the concept of Family Cord Blood Pool Banking. "It is our great honour that the medical fraternity of haematologist has recognized our efforts and in doing so have sent the right message to expecting parents that cord blood stem cells are used primarily in allogeneic transplant for most blood disorders," said Kangan Jaiswal Director of the company while receiving the award.Mycord with its expertise in stem cell research has brought to the world the concept of 'Family Cord Blood Pool banking'. This concept has been a 'Game Changer' for the industry to make banked cord blood stem cells enabled for therapy when needed.At the ...
Treating diabetes may prevent Alzheimer's disease
Treating Type-2 diabetes may prevent people from developing Alzheimer's disease, says a new study.
Aspirin can aid in fight against tuberculosis: Study
Aspirin can prevent the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium from hijacking immune cells and allow the body to control infection better, say researchers who found that the common pain killer could treat the top infectious killer worldwide that claims around 4,400 lives a day.
Bacteria travels thousands of miles via air: Study
Bacteria travels thousands of miles, not on people or animals but through the air, finds a study that could shed light on harmful bacteria that share antibiotic resistance genes.
Male contraceptive pill passes safety test in humans
An experimental birth control pill for men has successfully passed tests of safety when participants used it daily for a month, according to scientists who said that the drug does not affect libido. The contraceptive called 11-beta-methyl-19-nortestosterone dodecylcarbonate (11-beta-MNTDC) is a modified testosterone that has the combined actions of a male hormone (androgen) and a progesterone. "Our results suggest that this pill, which combines two hormonal activities in one, will decrease sperm production while preserving libido," said Christina Wang, from Los Angeles Biomed Research Institute (LA Biomed). The study took place in 40 healthy men at LA BioMed and the University of Washington in the US. Ten study participants randomly received a placebo capsule, or dummy drug. The other 30 men received 11-beta-MNTDC at one of two doses; 14 men received 200 milligrams, or mg, and 16 got the 400 mg dose. Subjects took the drug or placebo once daily with food for 28 days. Among men ...
Hundreds of nurses launch strike in Sri Lanka
Hundreds of nurses across Sri Lanka launched a two-day strike on Tuesday urging the government to address their issues.
Virtual reality facilitates real-time, internal view of patient anatomy during treatment
A new research has revealed that immersive virtual reality (VR) could enable interventional radiologists (IR) to improve treatments using real-time 3D images from inside a patient's blood vessels.The research presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, shows that the interactive technology could provide faster, more efficient treatment, with less radiation exposure and greater precision, ease, and confidence."Virtual reality will change how we look at a patient's anatomy during an IR treatment," said Wayne Monsky, MD, PhD, a professor of radiology at the University of Washington and lead author of the study."This technology will allow physicians to travel inside a patient's body instead of relying solely on 2D, black and white images," he added.The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using a catheter with electromagnetic sensors projected onto a VR headset to see and steer the catheter through the anatomy to certain ...
IIT-Delhi researchers develop AI-based detector for malaria, TB, cervical cancer
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based low-power electronic hardware system that can help in detecting malaria, tuberculosis, intestinal parasite and cervical cancer in a few milliseconds. The research focuses on building a neuromorphic system which can be used for healthcare access in resource-constrained areas with limited access to human specialists. "While several software AI models exist for healthcare and diagnostic related applications, need of the hour is to efficiently map these models on portable dedicated low-power, low-cost hardware to enable edge-AI systems accessible to all in low resource environment," said Professor Manan Suri, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi. Suri, who is leading the team of researchers, said microscopy is particularly well adapted to low-resource, high disease burden areas, being both simple and versatile; even for diagnostic tasks. While newer technologies are
Human brain cells develop throughout life: Study
Human beings keep making new brain cells throughout their lives, even into the 90s, a finding that may pave the way to treatments for Alzheimer's disease -- linked to loss in brain cells, according to a study.
Working night shifts during pregnancy may up miscarriage risk
Working two or more night shifts in a week may significantly increase a pregnant woman's risk of miscarriage, a study has found. Previous studies have suggested that pregnant women face a greater risk of miscarriage if they work night shifts, but they have been based on self-reported shift work and have not quantified the level of increased risk or the amount of shift work involved. Researchers from University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark accessed payroll data on 22,744 pregnant women working in public services, mainly hospitals. They linked that with data from Danish registers on births and admissions to hospital for miscarriage to determine how the risk of miscarriage between weeks 4-22 of pregnancy was influenced by night work. Overall 377,896 pregnancy weeks were included -- an average of 19.7 weeks per woman, according a study published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine. After week eight of pregnancy, women who had worked two or ..
Keep your baby's skin soft and supple this summer (Health Tips)
Summer is here, which means that your babys skin requires extra care and nourishment. As a new parent, it is natural to be confused about how to take care of your babys skin during summer as the weather can bring about several skin problems. While these can cause discomfort, you can minimise them by incorporating a routine-led skin care regimen for your baby.
Serum from lupus patients affects enzyme responsible for producing nitric oxide: Study
A new research has shown that the enzyme responsible for nitric oxide production stops working properly when exposed to serum from lupus patients.The research findings were published in an article in the Journal of Lupus Science & Medicine.Patients with lupus, an inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues, are on average seven to nine times more likely to develop heart disease than the general population. Younger women with lupus are 50 times as likely to develop the disease as young women without the disease.The endothelium, the single layer of cells lining blood vessel walls, is thought to protect against heart disease. It does so in part by producing nitric oxide.The article provides proof of the concept that the enzyme could be a therapeutic target for heart disease in lupus. Restoring the enzyme's function could also help protect lupus patients against kidney disease.The findings suggest that restoring the protective function of ...
Night shifts during pregnancy ups miscarriage risk
Women who do two or more night shifts a week during pregnancy are likely to have an increased risk of miscarriage, says a new study.
Over 400 genes linked to schizophrenia discovered
Scientists have used artificial intelligence to discover 413 genes linked to schizophrenia across 13 brain regions, a finding that may pave way for therapies to treat the disorder. Examining gene expression at the tissue level allowed researchers to not only identify new genes associated with schizophrenia, but also pinpoint the areas of the brain in which abnormal expression might occur. In the largest study of its kind, researchers applied a novel machine learning method to data from more than 100,000 people. While affecting less than two per cent of the global population, schizophrenia is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Despite its low prevalence, the disease has major public health and socioeconomic impact, primarily due to hospital readmission and treatment costs. While it is widely believed that numerous genes contribute to increased risk of schizophrenia development, the exact genetic underpinnings are poorly understood. Nonetheless, such ambiguity serves as .
Vaping as dangerous as smoking, need blanket ban on e-cigarettes: experts
The government's recent advisory asking states to clamp down on e-cigarettes may not be enough to root them out, say experts, advocating a "special mechanism" to ensure a blanket ban on the devices that many users mistakenly view as a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes. Terming e-cigarettes poisonous and as dangerous as regular cigarettes, the experts said the Centre and state have made efforts but clandestine online portals and dingy shops selling them in nooks and crannies across India's towns continue to function. "Even if the advisory of the government asks states to curb the sale of e-cigarettes in their jurisdiction, it is very difficult to keep a check at the ground level if the sale is happening through small vendors," Dr P C Gupta, director of HEALIS-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Mumbai, told PTI. "There is need for a special mechanism by the government to keep a tab on the vendors from time to time, he added. On March 12, the Central Drug Standard Control ..