Page 144 - Health Medical Pharma
Britain's Prince Charles backs wider use of yoga in UK
The heir to Britain's throne, Prince Charles, has spoken out in favour of wider use of yoga by the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) as a means to ease the pressure on healthcare resources. The 70-year-old royal, known for his support for alternative therapies, came out in favour of the ancient Indian practice in a written message to the Yoga in Healthcare conference in London over the weekend. "The development of therapeutic, evidence-based yoga is, I believe, an excellent example of how yoga can contribute to health and healing, said Charles, the Prince of Wales. "For thousands of years, millions of people have experienced yoga's ability to improve their lives This not only benefits the individual, but also conserves precious and expensive health resources for others where and when they are most needed, he said. Queen Elizabeth II's son and heir expressed his support for more yoga classes because he said they not only had tremendous social benefits but also built ...
Drug combo may help treat advanced kidney cancer
A combination of two drugs could effectively help treat patients with an advanced form of kidney cancer, a study has found. In a clinical trial, people who received the immunotherapy drug avelumab plus axitinib, a targeted agent, had a significant advantage in progression-free survival compared with those who received sunitinib (Sutent), a targeted drug that has been a standard treatment for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma -- the most common form of kidney cancer. "Patients receiving the drug combination also had a higher response rate -- meaning their tumors shrank -- than the sunitinib-only group," said Toni K Choueiri, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US. "This is certainly better than sunitinib -- hopefully this will lead to Food and Drug Administration approval soon," said Choueiri. While progression-free survival was improved with the combination treatment, additional follow-up is needed to show whether the two-drug therapy extends overall survival compared to the
Smoking may limit body's ability to fight dangerous form of skin cancer: Study
A new research now finds that melanoma patients with a history of smoking cigarettes are 40 per cent less likely to survive their skin cancer than people who have never smoked.The new study of more than 700 melanoma patients, funded by Cancer Research UK, published in Cancer Research, provides evidence to suggest that smoking may blight the immune response against melanoma and reduce survival.The new findings, from researchers at the University of Leeds found that overall, smokers were 40 per cent less likely to survive their disease than people who have never smoked within a decade after their diagnosis.In a subset of 156 patients who had the most genetic indicators for immune cells, smokers were around four and a half times less likely to survive from the cancer than people who had never smoked.Given that reduced survival was found to be greatest for smokers in the group with most indicators of immune cells, the researchers think that smoking could directly affect how smokers' ...
Gowda seeks active participation of pharma sector in Ayushman Bharat
Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda Monday sought pharma industry's views on how they can actively contribute to national health protection scheme Ayushman Bharat to improve access to medical care. Speaking here at the India Pharma and Medical Devices summit 2019, the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers also assured government support to the industry to "achieve and maintain leadership position in manufacturing and supply of high quality generic medicines". India is a leading exporter of affordable generics to many countries, including developing and developed nations and will continue to discharge the responsibilities in this regard. "We intend to continue formulating plans that are based on sound science, technology, business sense and ethics. We continue to strive to increase the ease of doing business in India for which several measures have already been announced and many others will follow," he said. The minster said that the summit provided an ideal platform to deliberate upon .
Drug combination may treat advanced kidney cancer
An investigator from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute now says that a combination of two drugs - one of them an immunotherapy agent - could become a new standard, first-line treatment for patients with metastatic kidney cancer. The investigator made the claims after the release of results from a phase 3 clinical trial.The study found that patients who received the immunotherapy drug avelumab plus axitinib, a targeted agent, had a significant advantage in progression-free survival compared with those who received sunitinib (Sutent), a targeted drug that has been a standard treatment for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma - the most common form of kidney cancer.Speaking about it, senior and co-corresponding author of the report Toni K. Choueiri said, "Patients receiving the drug combination also had a higher response rate - meaning their tumours shrank - than the sunitinib-only group."While progression-free survival was improved with the combination treatment, additional follow-up is .
Vodafone Idea gets revision in credit ratings from CARE
Long term bank facilities - CARE AA-; Negative (Revised from CARE AA; Negative) Non convertible debentures - CARE AA-; Negative (Revised from CARE AA; Negative) Short term bank facilities - CARE A1+ (Reaffirmed) Commercial paper - CARE A1+ (Reaffirmed)
Smoking may damage immunity of skin cancer patients: Study
Smoking may damage the immune response against melanoma and limit patients' survival chances, according to a new study.
Toxins from home flooring, furniture may put kids at cancer risk
Children living in homes with all vinyl flooring or flame-retardant chemicals in the sofa have significantly higher levels of potentially harmful toxins in their blood or urine, putting them at risk of cancer and other diseases, study has found. Researchers from Duke University in the US found that children living in homes where the sofa in the main living area contained flame-retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in its foam had a six-fold higher concentration of PBDEs in their blood serum. Exposure to PBDEs has been linked in laboratory tests to neurodevelopmental delays, obesity, endocrine and thyroid disruption, cancer and other diseases. According to the study published in the journal Children from homes that had vinyl flooring in all areas were found to have concentrations of benzyl butyl phthalate metabolite in their urine that were 15 times higher than those in children living with no vinyl flooring. Benzyl butyl phthalate has been linked to respiratory disorders, ..
New drug may help delay ageing in humans
Researchers, including one of Indian origin, have developed a promising drug that significantly increases muscle size, strength and metabolic state in aged mice, and may help delay ageing process in humans. As we age, our bodies increasingly lose the ability to repair and rebuild degenerating skeletal muscles, said researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in the US. Beginning around age 35, muscle mass, strength and function continually decline as we get older, according to the study published in Biochemical Pharmacology. This can dramatically limit the ability of older adults to live fully active and independent lives. "There are no treatments currently available to delay, arrest or reverse age-related muscle degeneration," said Harshini Neelakantan, a research scientist at UTMB. "These initial results support the development of an innovative drug treatment that has the potential to help the elderly to become fitter, faster and stronger, thus enabling them to ...
New drug to delay ageing discovered
Researchers, including one of Indian origin, have developed a new drug that can delay ageing demonstrated by declining muscle mass, strength and function.
Is mammography test to spot breast cancer necessary at all?
A woman under 40, with no known breast cancer risk or visible symptoms of the deadly disease, need not take regular mammography tests, say health experts.
Cell replacement therapies may help treat Parkinson's disease
Cell replacement therapies may help alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder that currently has no cure, scientists say. According to a study published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, newly developed stem cell technologies could be used to treat the disease. The most common Parkinson's disease treatment today is based on enhancing the activity of the nigro-striatal pathway in the brain with dopamine-modulating therapies, thereby increasing striatal dopamine levels and improving motor impairment associated with the disease. However, this treatment has significant long-term limitations and side effects. Stem cell technologies show promise for treating Parkinson's Disease and may play an increasing role in alleviating at least the motor symptoms, if not others, in the decades to come. "We are in desperate need of a better way of helping people with Parkinson's disease. It is on the increase worldwide. There is still no cure, and medications only go ...
Household toxins linked to multiple disorders in children: Study
Children living in homes that have toxic chemicals on the floors and furniture are exposed to higher concentrations of harmful semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in their blood or urine than those without these materials, finds a new study.
Heavy smoking may damage vision: Study
Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day may damage your vision by affecting blood vessels and neurons in the retina, a study warns. The study, published in the journal Psychiatry Research, included 71 healthy people who smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes in their lives and 63 who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day, were diagnosed with tobacco addiction and reported no attempts to stop. The participants were between the ages of 25 and 45 and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision as measured by standard visual acuity charts, said researchers from the Rutgers University in the US. They looked at how participants discriminated contrast levels (subtle differences in shading) and colours while seated 59 inches from a 19-inch cathode-ray tube monitor that displayed stimuli while researchers monitored both eyes simultaneously. The findings indicated significant changes in the smokers' red-green and blue-yellow colour vision, which suggests that consuming substances with neurotoxic chemicals, .
Researchers developing new therapy to treat Parkinson's disease
Cell replacement may play an increasing role in alleviating the symptoms such as movement problems and memory loss of Parkinson's disease (PD), researchers say.
Aster DM Healthcare wins six awards at AHPI Awards 2019
Six hospitals of Aster DM Healthcare group were recognised with Association of Healthcare Providers (AHPI) India Awards 2019, which recently concluded in Delhi. The annual award by AHPI recognizes and celebrates the excellence achieved by the healthcare organizations in various fields.The categories in which the hospitals in India were awarded are 'Excellence in Community Engagement' for Aster Aadhar, Kolhapur, Maharashtra and Aster WIMS, Wayanad, Kerala. In the category of 'Quality beyond Accreditation', Aster Medcity, Kochi, Kerala was the winner and for 'Nursing Excellence' category, the award was won by Aster MIMS, Kozhikode, Kerala.Similarly, the two Dubai based hospitals of the group- Medcare Multi-Specialty Hospital, Al Safa and Medcare Women and Children's Hospital, won 'Quality beyond Accreditation' and 'Patient-friendly' award respectively.Commenting on the occasion, Founder Chairman and MD of Aster DM Healthcare, Dr. Azad Moopen said, "The pursuit for excellence is ...
Breast pumps may put babies at asthma risk: Study
Indirect breastfeeding -- using pumps to extract milk from the breasts -- can expose babies to potential pathogens that increase the risk of asthma and other respiratory infections, a study claims. A breast pump is a mechanical device that lactating women use to extract milk from their breasts. Many mothers use them to continue breastfeeding after they return to work. It is also used to address a range of challenges parents may encounter breast feeding. The research, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, suggests that the milk microbiota is affected by bacteria both from the infant's mouth and from environmental sources such as breast pumps. The large-scale analysis showed that using pumped milk is associated with the depletion of oral bacteria and a higher abundance of potential pathogens compared with direct breastfeeding at the breast. "To our knowledge, this is among the largest studies of human milk microbiota performed to date," said Meghan Azad, a researcher at the
Lack of cleaning in brain cells causes Alzheimer's: Study
A weakened cleaning system of the brain cells in animals and humans is central to developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study which may lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disorder. Researchers, including those from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, found that improving mitophagy -- the cleaning system of the brain cells -- nearly removed the symptoms of Alzheimer's in the animals. Scientists around the world are still struggling to understand Alzheimer's better in order to treat and potentially prevent the development of the debilitating disease in the future. No new medications have been approved in recent years. The study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, may lead to new treatments for the disease by targeting the mitophagy process. "When the cleaning system does not work properly, there will be an accumulation of defective mitochondria in the brain cells. And this may be really dangerous," said Vilhelm Bohr from the National Institutes of .
Gene behind preference for menthol cigarettes identified
Scientists have identified a gene that increases a smoker's preference for cigarettes containing menthol, a flavour additive that provides a minty taste and a cooling or soothing sensation. According to researchers, including those from University of Texas Southwestern in the US, the variant of the MRGPRX4 gene is five to eight times more frequent among smokers who use menthol cigarettes than other smokers. The multiethnic study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, is the first to look across all genes to identify genetic vulnerability to menthol cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes may be harder to quit than other cigarettes, researchers said. The team also uncovered clues as to how menthol may reduce the irritation and harshness of smoking cigarettes. "This study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of how menthol interacts with the body," said Andrew Griffith, scientific director of US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders (NIDCD). "These results can ...
Genes2Me - For the First Time in the World, Driving Innovation by Combining Genetic Testing With Full Body Checkup
/ -- In the crowded preventive health segment space, there are thousands of labs offering routine full body checkups. These packages claim to provide a 'preventive' health picture for all individuals. However, these checkups are merely a state of one's current parameters. In other words, a normal full body checkup report only provides information on some of the health parameters about today's health and does not provide any insight about upcoming health issues which one could prevent while being healthy. This is one of the most important aspect for people doing a preventive health test in first place. Genes2Me, a diagnostic company with a focus on genetic testing, is trying to change this one size fits all approach to the preventive healthcare segment. For the first time in the world, Genes2Me lab is approaching preventive healthcare in a truly personalized manner. Genes2Me has coupled a full body checkup with a genetic test to provide insight about one's present and future health. ..