Page 129 - Health Medical Pharma

Study highlights influence social media has on children's food intake

A new study now highlights the negative influence that social media has on children's food intake.The new University of Liverpool research, published in Pediatrics, shows celebrity endorsement and television advertising of unhealthy foods increases children's intake of these foods. However, children are increasingly exposed to marketing through digital avenues, such as on social media, and the impact of marketing by YouTube video bloggers (vloggers) on these outcomes has, until now, not been known.According to the new report by Ofcom children in the UK now access social media more than ever before. Approximately 93 per cent of 8-11-year-olds go online, 77 per cent use YouTube and 18 per cent have a social media account. In older children (12-15-year-olds), 99 per cent go online, 89 per cent use YouTube and 69 per cent have a social media account. Both age groups watch YouTube vloggers.PhD student Anna Coates, from the University's Appetite and Obesity research group, conducted a study

Sleep apnea may be linked to higher levels of Alzheimer's biomarker in brain

A new study now finds that people who are witnessed by a bed partner to have stopped breathing during sleep may have higher accumulations of an Alzheimer's disease biomarker called tau in an area of the brain that helps with memory.The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 71st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, May 4 to 10, 2019.Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that involves frequent events of stopped breathing during sleep, although an apnea may also be a single event of paused breathing during sleep. Tau, a protein that forms into tangles, is found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.Speaking about it, study author Diego Z. Carvalho said, "A person normally has fewer than five episodes of apnea per hour during sleep," adding, "Bed partners are more likely to notice these episodes when people stop breathing several times per hour during sleep, raising concern for obstructive sleep apnea. Recent research has linked sleep apnea to an increased .

Steroid use during cardiac bypass surgery does not reduce risk of severe kidney injury

A new study now says that using steroids during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery do not reduce the risk of acute kidney injury in people at increased risk of death.The study, conducted in 18 countries, was published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).The multisite randomised controlled trial, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, included patients in Canada, China, India, United States, Colombia, Australia, Italy, Iran, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Brazil, Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Argentina, Chile and Ireland, which broadens the reach of the study's findings.About one-fifth of the millions of bypass surgeries performed around the world each year result in acute kidney injury, which in its most severe forms greatly increases the chance of death and the need for life-sustaining dialysis treatments.Bypass surgery can trigger widespread inflammation, which is thought to be a key culprit in the development of kidney injury. Prior studies suggested that ...

Parrikar suffering from 'advanced-stage cancer', says Goa Minister

Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is suffering from "advanced-stage cancer", but he is still working for the people of the state, state Cabinet Minister Vijay Sardesai has said.Talking to reporters here on Sunday, Sardesai, who is Goa's Town Planning Minister, said that he will meet Parrikar to thank him for releasing funds for a cemetery and for getting another work sanctioned."I am going (to meet Parrikar) and get the work sanctioned. Once again, it is going to show that in spite of suffering from cancer, which is at an advanced stage, the Chief Minister is working for the people. We are also pushing to fulfill the commitments that we gave to the people of the state, " he said.Sardesai recalled that he had attended a conference on cancer awareness as the chief guest and said, "Cancer is such a disease, it cannot only kill the dreams of an individual and his family, but it can kill the dreams of the state.""There (at the conference), I gave the example of our honourable ...

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals presents study on GBR 830, an Investigational, Anti-OX40 Monoclonal Antibody

A Phase 2b clinical trial of GBR 830 in moderate-to-severe AD is underway and currently enrolling patients in the U.S. and Europe.

JNU encourages research, says professor who won Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor Deepak Gaur, who was recently conferred the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, said the varsity encourages research and that the award would motivate him to work harder. Gaur's research is focussed on understanding the biology of parasites that cause malaria and developing vaccines that can prevent the disease. His group has discovered a molecular complex on the surface of the malaria parasite (pathogen) that plays an essential role in invasion of red blood cells. "Being the recipient of this award is a big honour not only for me but for my research group, my university JNU and my family. I am happy that our research contributions have been recognised and this is very motivating for us to work even harder," he told PTI. The varsity administration has recently been criticised by a section of teachers and students for killing research through certain policies, but Gaur differed on this. "JNU supports research in a big way and ...

Don't ignore heart attack symptoms while travelling

You should never ignore heart attack symptoms, especially while travelling, as researchers say cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading causes of death among people on the move.

Blood test may predict preterm birth

A simple blood test may soon be able to predict whether a pregnant woman is at risk of delivering her baby preterm, say scientists, an advance that may help better manage related birth complications. Pregnancy can be a time of uncertainty for expecting mothers and their clinical care teams. Nearly 10 per cent of births are preterm, taking place before 37 weeks gestation. Preterm birth can result from several conditions, including preterm labor, preterm rupture of the placental membrane, or preeclampsia. Mothers who have previously had preterm deliveries are considered at increased risk, but predicting spontaneous preterm birth is challenging, particularly in the cases of first-time mothers, which account for about one-third of the nearly four million births nationally each year. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US have been developing a blood test to help predict who may be at increased risk and who may be at lower-than-average risk for spontaneous preterm ...

New blood test may help predict pre-term birth

Researchers are working on a blood test that could be able to detect risk of spontaneous pre-term delivery.

Novel device mimics beating heart

Scientists have created a device that mimics the beating heart, that may help better understand how the vital organ works. It is difficult to study hearts in the laboratory because of their incredible ability to change in response to their environment. Hearts in healthy athletes enlarge to support the increased demands on the body, hearts in those with chronic hypertension get thicker and less elastic and can eventually fail. "The heart needs to generate force and shorten at the same time to squeeze blood out; this is not usually something you see in in vitro heart models," said Cesare Terracciano at Imperial College London. Using tiny pieces of heart tissue with preserved structure and function, the researchers Imperial College London in the UK were able to recapitulate the sequence of mechanical events as found in the body. This was done by creating a custom bioreactor that allows the tissue to shorten in sync with electrical stimulation. To see whether the heart tissue in their ...

E-cigarettes may cause wheezing in adults: Study

People who use electronic cigarette are nearly twice as likely to experience wheezing compared to those who do not regularly use tobacco products, a study has found. Wheezing, which is caused by narrowed or abnormal airways, is often a precursor to other serious health conditions such as emphysema, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, heart failure, lung cancer and sleep apnea. The findings, published in the journal Tobacco Control, are consistent with past research that shows emissions from electronic cigarette aerosols and flavourings damage lung cells by generating harmful free radicals and inflammation in lung tissue. "The take-home message is that electronic cigarettes are not safe when it comes to lung health," said Deborah J Ossip, a professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in the US. "The changes we're seeing with vaping, both in laboratory experiments and studies of people who vape, are consistent with early signs of lung damage, which is very worrisome," ..

Cancer can kill dreams of a state too: Goa Minister

Even as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is being treated for advanced pancreatic cancer, Goa's Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai here on Sunday tweeted the disease can not only kill the dreams of a patient and his family, but also of a state.

Oxford University spin-off set for India launch with tech solution to sight loss

A UK-based Indian-origin entrepreneur is in the process of setting up a base in India for the launch of a range of smart glasses for people with sight loss, devised by an Oxford University research spin-off start-up. Rakesh Roshan is the CEO of OXSIGHT, a company founded in 2016 to create wearable technology devices based on research into how the brain manages visual information. The company began conducting trials in India two years ago in partnership with leading eye hospitals and clinics and is now in the process of setting up a 100 per cent subsidiary in India to make the devices, which are aimed at innovative solutions for sight degeneration, more widely available. "In the first phase, we have appointed a distributor in India, who will import the devices and sell it directly to our customers who have already gone through the product trials," Roshan said at a global launch event for OXSIGHT in London earlier this week. "In the second phase, we will sign a few more distributors as .

AIIMS mulling to extend operation timings at hospital

AIIMS administration is mulling to extend the operation timings by three hours at the premier hospital in accordance to a proposal, keeping in view the increasing load of patients in the waiting list. However, the proposed move has been vehemently opposed by the anesthetists who, according to sources, are not okay with the timings. Surgeons have proposed that surgeries be done at the hospital in two shifts --from 8 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 8 pm. Currently, surgeries are done from 8.30 am to 5 pm, which would be extended by three hours if the proposal sees the light of the day. "Increasing the surgery timings in a day would benefit the patients in a major way by reducing the waiting period. It will also improve the quality of service as the surgeon who will come in the second shift will be fresh and will operate with energy," a senior AIIMS doctor said. According to sources, as many as 1,94,015 surgeries were performed in the hospital In 2017-2018. It means on an average, 16,000 ...

Frog skin bacteria may help fight fungal infections in humans

Scientists have identified an antifungal compound produced by bacteria on the skin of some frogs, a finding that may pave the way for treatments against pathogenic fungi affecting humans. In the past few decades, a lethal disease has decimated populations of frogs and other amphibians worldwide, even driving some species to extinction. Yet other amphibians resisted the epidemic. Previous research has shown that skin bacteria can protect the animals by producing fungi-fighting compounds. Scientists decided to explore these as potential novel antifungal sources for the benefit of humans and amphibians. "Amphibians inhabit humid places favouring the growth of fungi, coexisting with these and other microorganisms in their environment, some of which can be pathogenic," said Roberto Ibanez, from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in the US. "As a result of evolution, amphibians are expected to possess chemical compounds that can inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi," ...

Indian-American teen awarded for invention to improve brain cancer treatment

An Indian-American teenager has been conferred with the 2019 National STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education Award for her ground-breaking invention designed to improve treatments for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer.

Frog skin bacteria may help fight fungal infections in humans

Frog skin bacteria may help develop alternative drugs to treat fungal infections that are becoming more drug-resistant in humans, finds a study.

Scientists lend mice 'night vision'

Scientists claim to have successfully given 'night vision' to mice, allowing them to see infrared light with minimal side effects. The research could lead to advancements in human infrared vision technologies, including potential applications in civilian encryption, security, and military operations, scientists said. According to the study published in the journal Cell, a single injection of nanoparticles in the mice's eyes bestowed infrared vision for up to 10 weeks with minimal side effects, allowing them to see infrared light even during the day and with enough specificity to distinguish between different shapes. Humans and other mammals are limited to seeing a range of wavelengths of light called visible light, which includes the wavelengths of the rainbow. Infrared radiation, which has a longer wavelength, is all around us. People, animals and objects emit infrared light as they give off heat, and objects can also reflect infrared light. "The visible light that can be perceived ..

Older adults consuming high-fat diet at risk of heart disease, diabetes

According to a recent study, elderly people, who consume a high-fat diet rich in Omega-6 fatty acids, could be at risk of developing health issues ranging from diabetes to heart failure.The results of the study were published in the 'FASEB Journal'.Ganesh Halade and colleagues investigated how aging and an obesity-generating omega 6-enriched diet impact microflora in the gut, the structure and function of the spleen, and a subsequent immune response to heart attack, using a mice model.The researchers reported that a calorie-dense, obesity-generating diet in ageing mice disrupted the composition of the gut microbiome, and that correlated with development of a system wide non resolving inflammation in acute heart failure, with disruptions of the immune cell profile.It is known that diet interacts with gut microbes to calibrate the body's immune defense capacity. The researchers examined this further, with regard to ageing and a high-fat diet.They found that the obesity-generating diet .

Electronic cigarettes linked to wheezing in adults: Study

According to a recent study, electronic cigarette use (vaping) is associated with wheezing in adults.The study was published in the journal 'Tobacco Control'.The study found that people who vaped were nearly twice as likely to experience wheezing compared to people who didn't regularly use tobacco products.Wheezing, which is caused by narrowed or abnormal airways, is often a precursor to other serious health conditions such as emphysema, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, heart failure, lung cancer and sleep apnea.Study author Deborah J. Ossip said that the findings are consistent with past research that shows emissions from electronic cigarette aerosols and flavourings damage lung cells by generating harmful free radicals and inflammation in lung tissue."The take-home message is that electronic cigarettes are not safe when it comes to lung health," said Ossip, a tobacco research expert."The changes we're seeing with vaping, both in laboratory experiments and studies of people who ...