Page 158 - Health Medical Pharma

India's tea output dips on erratic weather, exports drop: board

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's tea production nudged 0.8 percent lower in 2018 from a year ago to 1311.63 million kg, trimming exports from the world's biggest black tea producer by 1.1 percent, the state-run Tea Board said on Friday.

Relief for Dr Reddy's Laboratories over generic drug

: UK-based drug-maker Indivior PLC Tuesday said the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has refused to rehear the ruling vacating the preliminary injunction granted against Dr Reddy's Laboratories on generic suboxone, a sublingual film. Indivior is in legal battle against the launch of the copycat version of its opioid addiction treatment by competitors, including Dr Reddy's Laboratories,in the US market. The US court had earlier ruled that Indivior had not shown that it was likely to succeed on the merits of its infringement case and vacated a preliminary injunction of a district court that had prohibited Dr Reddys from selling its generic version of suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone). The US court had also stated its mandate is currently set to issue on February 11. After the mandate issues, Dr Reddy's would no longer be prevented from selling, offering to sell, or importing its generic buprenorphine/naloxone. Indivior intends to file an emergency motion ...

Eat flaxseed to improve health, reduce obesity

Besides improving your heart health, consuming flaxseeds can also cause changes in the gut microbiota, boost metabolic health as well as protect against diet-induced obesity, finds a study.

DATRI Facilitates the 500th Lifesaving Donation

/ -- Country's largest Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry instils hope DATRI - India's largest Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry, facilitated its 500th blood stem cell collection last week, creating a milestone record in the history of unrelated blood stem cell donations in the country. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/682760/DATRI_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/817869/Donor_Srigangaveera_2019.jpg ) Gone are the days when people in India had to fret over finding a volunteer blood stem cell donor. One has less than 25% chance of finding a HLA matched donor within the family. The majority of patients requiring a blood stem cell transplant have to depend on unrelated donors. A decade ago, finding an unrelated HLA matched donor for Indian patients was a very big challenge. It had then seemed like a hopeless option for families of patients needing a blood stem cell transplant. With a registry of volunteer blood stem cell donors, finding a lifesaving match for such ..

Lupin launches generic antidepressant drug in US

Drug firm Lupin Tuesday said it has launched in the US generic Clomipramine Hydrochloride capsules that are used in treatment of symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clomipramine Hydrochloride capsules USP have been launched in the strengths of 25 mg, 50 mg, and 75 mg after receiving approval for the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) earlier, Lupin said in a filing to BSE. The product is a generic version of SP ECGX LLC's Anafranil capsules in the same strengths, it added. The drug is indicated for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, Lupin said. As per IQVIA MAT December 2018 data, Clomipramine Hydrochloride capsules in the three strengths had annual sales of USD 96.2 million in the US, it added. Shares of Lupin closed at Rs 837.25 per scrip on BSE, down 2.31 per cent from the previous close.

Climate change may weaken human immunity: Study

Heat waves may reduce the body's immune response to influenza, according to a study in mice which may have implications for how climate change may affect the future of vaccinations and nutrition. Climate change is predicted to reduce crop yields and nutritional value, as well as widen the ranges of disease-spreading insects, said researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan. However, the effects of heat waves on immunity to influenza had not been studied before. The study, published in the journal PNAS, investigated how high temperatures affect mice infected with influenza virus. "Flu is a winter-season disease. I think this is why no one else has studied how high temperatures affect flu," said Takeshi Ichinohe, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo. The influenza virus survives better in dry, cold air, so it usually infects more people in winter. However, Ichinohe is interested in how the body responds after infection. The researchers housed healthy, young adult ...

New disease surveillance tool helps detect human-infecting virus

Scientists have created molecular "baits" that can trap any virus known to infect humans, a tool that can be used to efficiently conduct global disease surveillance and cost-effectively control outbreaks. During the Zika virus outbreak of 2015-16, public health officials scrambled to contain the epidemic. The problem was, there just are not many Zika virus particles in the blood of a sick patient. Looking for it in clinical samples can be like fishing for a minnow in an ocean. Scientists at Broad Institute in the US have developed a computational method called Compact Aggregation of Targets for Comprehensive Hybridization (CATCH) to overcome this hurdle. The method can be used to design molecular "baits" for any virus known to infect humans and all their known strains, including those that are present in low abundance in clinical samples, such as Zika. The approach can help small sequencing centres around the globe conduct disease surveillance more efficiently and cost-effectively, ...

Swine flu deaths spike in Himachal, 16 so far this year

Swine flu has claimed 16 lives in Himachal Pradesh so far this year against just two in 2018, state Health Minister Vipin Parmar told the Assembly on Tuesday. Two patients died here on Monday night.

New malaria vaccine may be more effective

Researchers say they have developed an innovative new system for delivering a malaria vaccine that shows promise in its effectiveness. By developing a vaccine that targets specific cells in the immune system, researchers from the University of Chicago in the US saw a much greater immune and antibody response to the vaccine. Though a vaccine for malaria exists, it is only effective in 30 to 50 per cent of patients, and malaria is still responsible for nearly 500,000 deaths annually, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. "When compared to the current malaria vaccine option, our results are extremely exciting," said Jeffrey Hubbell, a professor at the University of Chicago. "This work could potentially have applications in vaccinations against complex infections and cancer," Hubbell said. Effective vaccines for many complex infections, like malaria, remain elusive because they require both protection against pathogens and specialised immune cells to clear infected cells. In ...

Men's brains 'age faster' than women's: Study

Women's brains appear to be three years younger than men's of the same age, which may explain why females stay mentally sharp for longer, say scientists, including one of Indian origin. "We're just starting to understand how various sex-related factors might affect the trajectory of brain ageing and how that might influence the vulnerability of the brain to neurodegenerative diseases," said Manu Goyal, an assistant professor at the Washington University in the US. "Brain metabolism might help us understand some of the differences we see between men and women as they age," Goyal said. The brain runs on sugar, but how the brain uses sugar changes as people grow and age. In the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers studied 205 people to figure out how their brains use sugar. The study participants -- 121 women and 84 men, ranging in age from 20 to 82 years -- underwent PET scans to measure the flow of oxygen and glucose in their ...

16 people died due to swine flu in HP this season: Minister

Sixteen people died due to swine flu in Himachal Pradesh this season, Health minister Vipin Parmar informed the state assembly on Tuesday. A total of 113 patients have so far been tested positive for the H1NI virus, he said, adding that 36 swine flu cases have been reported in Kangra district followed by 33 cases in Shimla. At present, 21 swine flu patients are being treated at IGMC Shimla and eight in Tanda Medical College, Parmar said. In his statement soon after the Question Hour, he said most of the swine flu patients who had lost their lives were suffering from other ailments too. Referring to the two deaths due to swine flu at the IGMC hospital on Monday, Parmar said one of the two people was 92 years old and was suffering from heart disease and acute infection. Similarly, the other person was diabetic and was suffering from kidney ailments and high blood pressure, he said. Providing data of previous years, the health minister said 27 people had died due to swine flu in 2015, ...

Men should also be vaccinated against HPV, say health experts

Not just women, men should also get HPV vaccinations to safeguard themselves against cervical cancer, stress health experts.

Men's brains diminish faster than women's: Study

While the human brain tends to shrink with age, men's brains diminish faster than women's which may explain why the fairer sex are more likely to stay mentally sharp in their later years, finds a study led by a researcher of Indian-origin.

Novel therapy promises prostate cancer treatment: Researchers

A new gene therapy could have the potential to treat prostate cancer that causes 300,000 deaths worldwide each year, a new study said after it halted the majority of tumours in laboratory models.

Mindfulness, sleep may reduce exhaustion in entrepreneurs: Study

Overburdened with work? Relax. Adequate sleep and mindfulness exercises such as meditation can help you feel less stressed, suggests a new study.

Medicine close to beating cancer: Italian authority

Rome, Feb 5 (IANS/AKI) Medical science has made major strides in defeating cancer including progress in boosting our resistance to the disease, a leading Italian oncologist said.

Tech Innovations in healthcare need robust policy backing: Ayushman Bharat CEO

Speaking at the 2nd Health Tech India, 2019, Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO, AB-PMJAY and NHA informed that technology has become the backbone for Ayushman Bharat by making the entire system cashless and paperless.With over 50 crore population coming under the purview of healthcare, technology is going to become an even bigger market in healthcare. However, Dr. Bhushan also cautioned that technology would cost money and therefore, both healthcare providers and other stakeholders should be prepared to balance this high cost as financial allocation would be needed. "Technological Innovations in Healthcare need to be backed by a Robust Policy Framework," he emphasized.The 2nd edition of Health Tech India, under 23rd International Engineering and Trade Fairs is being held from 3rd to 5th February, 2019 in Pragati Maidan by Confederation of India Industry.Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, speaking at Health Tech India, highlighted that, the focus of Indian ...

Healthy diet can beat symptoms of depression: Study

While many might agree that ice-cream binge can sooth your soul during a rough phase in your life, a recent study suggests that weight loss, nutrient boosting and fat reduction diets can reduce the symptoms of depression.In a new study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, a team of researchers brought together all existing data from clinical trials of diets for mental health conditions.The research provides convincing evidence that dietary improvement significantly reduces symptoms of depression, even in people without diagnosed depressive disorders."The overall evidence for the effects of diet on mood and mental well-being had up to now yet to be assessed. But our recent meta-analysis has done just that; showing that adopting a healthier diet can boost peoples' mood. However, it has no clear effects on anxiety," said Joseph Firth, lead researcher of the study.The study found that all types of dietary improvement appeared to have equal effects on mental health, with weight-loss, fat .

Liver drug may slow Parkinson's progression

Scientists are testing the effectiveness of a drug, currently used to treat liver ailments, in slowing down the progression of Parkinson's disease. After screening 2,000 drugs, researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK identified ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) as the most promising drug to rescue mitochondrial function in Parkinson's disease. The clinical trial will assess the safety and tolerability of the drug --which has been used to treat liver disease for over 30 years -- in Parkinson's patients. Scientists hope that the drug will be repositioned to help slow down the progression of the disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological condition severely affects a patient's quality of life and symptoms include problems with mobility such as walking, coordination or tremor, but can also result in memory loss, low mood or abnormal bowel function. The symptoms of Parkinson's are mainly due to the loss of dopamine containing nerve cells in the area of the brain ...

People with chronic disease not indulging in healthy physical activity: Study

Findings of a recent study suggest that those with chronic conditions spend considerably less time on physical activity than their healthy peers.According to the research, 15 million people in England suffer from chronic diseases, including major types include cardiovascular disease like heart attacks and stroke; respiratory daises, for instance asthma; and mental health conditions (eg depression). Chronic conditions are not passed from person to person but usually develop slowly, and are often characterised by the need for long-term management. The study found that healthy participants spent over an hour more on moderate activity (eg brisk walking and gardening), and three minutes (11%) more on vigorous activity (eg running and aerobics) a week than those with chronic disease.Researchers found that those with mental health disorders had the lowest moderate activity levels of all, spending 2.5 hours less per week than the average 11.8 hours of healthy peers."Chronic diseases are the .