Page 183 - Health Medical Pharma

Sedentary lifestyle cancels out heart benefits of having normal weight: Study

Low levels of physical activity can put healthy weight adults at the same risk for cardiovascular diseases as those who are overweight, a study has found. "Our study demonstrates that a sedentary lifestyle counters the benefit of being at a normal weight when it comes to heart disease risk," said Arch G Mainous from University of Florida in the US. "Achieving a body mass index, or BMI, in the normal range shouldn't give people a false sense of confidence they're in good health. If you're not exercising, you're not doing enough," Mainous said. The study, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, found that 30 per cent of US adults at a normal weight are at increased risk of heart attack or stroke. These adults had higher levels of belly fat, shortness of breath upon exertion, unhealthy waist circumference or less than recommended levels of physical activity, the researchers said. "We have traditionally thought that people with a normal BMI are healthy and at low risk for heart ..

New biodegradable nanofibre bandage enables faster healing

An international team of scientists has developed a new bandage with a strong antibacterial effect and which can be kept on over long periods of time without needing to be changed, thereby accelerating skin regrowth and reducing the risk of infection.

Nagaland woman who couldn't open mouth due to deformity undergoes surgery in city hospital

A 30-year-old woman from Nagaland, who suffered from a facial deformity since birth for which she could not open her mouth properly, underwent a 12-hour-long correction surgery at a city hospital recently. Awan Konyak faced difficulty in opening her mouth since birth. She could not chew food and could not take care of her teeth as her mouth did not open. This disorder is medically termed 'Ankylosis of TM (Temporomandibular) Joints'. She approached doctors at BLK Hospital here. She had undergone several surgeries at various hospitals but was still unable to open her mouth. "We evaluated the complexity and criticality of the case. After investigation, it was found that the patient was suffering from a combined problem of facial deformity and severe obstructive sleep apnea. We decided to rectify the problem with Joint replacement and orthognathic surgical procedures," Dr Anil Murarka, a senior consultant at BLK Centre for Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery said. She was finally planned for ...

Novel drug proves effective against neglected tropical diseases

Researchers have developed a novel drug with the potential to kill a bacterium causing two of the most neglected tropical diseases that lead to blindness and severe disability and affect over 157 million people globally.

Human brain works backwards to retrieve memories: Study

When we remember a past event, the human brain reconstructs that experience in reverse order, according to a study which could help assess the reliability of eye witness accounts of crime scenes. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, reconstructed the memory retrieval process, using brain decoding techniques. These techniques make it possible to track when in time a unique memory is being reactivated in the brain, said researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK. Understanding more precisely how the brain retrieves information could help better assess the reliability of eye witness accounts, for example of crime scenes, where people often are able to recall the overall 'gist' of an event, but recall specific visual details less reliably. The researchers found that, when retrieving information about a visual object, the brain focuses first on the core meaning -- recovering the 'gist' -- and only afterwards recalls more specific details. This is in sharp

Cadila Healthcare gains after USFDA approval for drugs

Cadila Healthcare rose 1.53% to Rs 354.55 at 14:46 IST on BSE after receiving final approvals from the US drug regulator for Betamethasone Dipropionate cream and Amlodipine & Atorvastatin tablets.

Vitamin D pills may help prevent deadly lung attacks

Vitamin D supplements can reduce the risk of potentially fatal lung attacks in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, a study has found. The findings, led by Queen Mary University of London in the UK, add to a growing list of health benefits for the 'sunshine vitamin'. While vitamin D is best known for its effects on bone health, previous studies have revealed its role in protecting against colds, flu and asthma attacks, and even helping with weight gain and brain development in malnourished children. The research, published in the journal Thorax, found that the use of vitamin D supplements led to a 45 per cent reduction in lung attacks among COPD patients who were deficient in vitamin D. No benefit was seen for patients with higher vitamin D levels. COPD describes a number of lung conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, where a person's airways become inflamed, making it harder to breathe. Almost all COPD deaths are due to lung attacks (termed ...

African-American women at a high breast cancer risk less likely to pursue preventive care

A new research points towards how African-American women who are at a higher risk of breast cancer are less likely than white women to pursue preventive care in trying to prove racial disparities in healthcare.Speaking about the study, researchers from The Ohio State University said, "African-American women faced additional burdens at every step along the risk-management journey."The research was published wrote in the journal Ethnicity & Health and included in-depth interviews with 50 women -30 white, 20 black- deemed at high risk of breast cancer based on family history and other factors.Researchers found that high-risk black women were less likely to have genetic testing, take medications to protect them against cancer and to have or consider having their breasts or ovaries removed as a preventive measure.This study is the first of its kind to help explain the reasons behind the racial differences. It showed that black women were less aware of their options and were at a ...

Protect yourself from 'unforeseen' contaminants (Health Notes)

The year has just begun, and its a good time to take a more diligent approach to your everyday hygiene.

Here's the relation between colitis and colon cancer

Colorectal cancer is caused by lingering inflammation in the colon. Now scientists have reported a way inflammation enables this sort of cancer.While inflammation is a short-term response to an infection or other irritant in the body that is essential to eliminating it, when it persists, it can contribute to a number of common conditions, from cancer to cardiovascular disease.In their quest towards determining how chronic inflammation of our large intestines, or colon, enables cancers, a research team, led by Dr. Kebin Liu at the Medical College of Georgia and Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University found it turns one more protective mechanism against us and silences another.According to the study, as published in the journal Cell Reports, the chronic inflammation of ulcerative colitis prompts high levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, or MDSCs, to accumulate in the colon.The study further added, high levels of MDSCs, in turn, produce higher levels of IL-10, a cytokine known

Gene-editing tool CRISPR repurposed to develop better antibiotics

Scientists have repurposed the gene-editing tool CRISPR to study which genes are targeted by particular antibiotics, providing clues on how to improve the existing drugs or develop new ones. Resistance to current antibiotics by disease-causing pathogens is a growing problem, one estimated to endanger millions of lives and cost over USD two billion each year in the US, according to the study published in the journal Nature Microbiology. "What we need to do is to figure out new weaknesses in these bacteria," said Jason Peters, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US. The technique, known as Mobile-CRISPRi, allows scientists to screen for antibiotic function in a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. Using a form of bacterial sex, the researchers transferred Mobile-CRISPRi from common laboratory strains into diverse bacteria, even including a little-studied microbe making its home on cheese rinds. This ease of transfer makes the technique a boon for scientists studying .

Novel AI tool can predict how flu spreads

Scientists have used artificial intelligence to create a tool that can track the spread of influenza and predict where the highly contagious infection may travel. Real time tracking of local flu activity can be a challenge as the infection easily spreads as people move about and travel. A study published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that the approach, called ARGONet, makes more accurate predictions than the earlier high-performing forecasting approach, ARGO. "Timely and reliable methodologies for tracking influenza activity across locations can help public health officials mitigate epidemic outbreaks and may improve communication with the public to raise awareness of potential risks," said Mauricio Santillana, from Computational Health Informatics Program (CHIP) at Boston Children's Hospital in the US. The ARGONet approach uses machine learning and two robust flu detection models. The first model, ARGO (AutoRegression with General Online information), leverages ...

Women suffering from IBD at greater risk of mental illness: Study

Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at greater risk of developing mental illness after giving birth compared to the overall female population, a recent study suggests.As part of the study, researchers found that more than one-fifth of pregnant women with IBD had a new-onset mental health diagnosis.The research found that for every 43 pregnancies, there is one extra case of mental illness in a woman with IBD, compared to other women.Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is a group of chronic gastrointestinal disorders in which people have ulceration, inflammation, and bleeding of their gastrointestinal tract, and are at risk for complications in other parts of the body.People with IBD have an elevated risk of mental illness, especially anxiety and depression, potentially related to the inflammation in the gut affecting their brain, the study suggested."There's increasing awareness about mental illness in women during pregnancy and postpartum," said Eric Benchimol, senior ...

Patient attacks medic at Delhi hospital, doctors announce indefinite strike

Resident doctors at Safdarjung Hospital announced an indefinite hunger strike on Sunday after a patient allegedly attacked one of the doctors earlier in the day.The incident, which took place at 8 in the morning, left one doctor with injuries on his nose and face. A police complaint has been registered in this regard.The patient, Akshay, had allegedly gone to the emergency after complaining of stomach ache. Subsequently, a scuffle broke out between him and the doctors over treatment.Resident Doctors Association Chief Joy Utpal told ANI, "A resident doctor was attacked, his nose was broken, he is under observation. This is the third such incident in a week. The administration does not pay heed, so we are on strike.

What is to be blamed for childhood cancer?

A team of researchers has thrown light on the community beliefs about what causes cancer in children, an area which remains understudied, finds a latest research.

Food saves thousands of lives in British hospitals

The lives of thousands of elderly patients in British hospitals are being saved just by giving them an extra meal a day, health experts revealed on Sunday.

Mental health patients missing GP appointments at higher risk of mortality

Patients with mental health conditions who missed general practitioner (GP) appointments repeatedly are at higher risk for mortality than those with physical disorders, finds a new study.

Ujjain civil surgeon removed over 'kiss' clip

Ujjain district hospital civil surgeon is landed in soup after a video purportedly showing him getting intimate with a woman, believed to be a nurse, in an operation theatre has gone viral on social media. The 49-year-old civil surgeon has been removed from his post for the "behaviour unbecoming of an officer", district collector Shashank Mishra told PTI Sunday. The undated clip purportedly shows the civil surgeon (CS) kissing a woman in an operation theatre. "I have removed him from the post of civil surgeon of the district hospital," Ujjain district collector Shashank Mishra told PTI, adding that he has also issued a notice seeking the senior doctor's explanation. The civil surgeon has been replaced with Dr PN Verma, he said. When asked about the next course of action, the collector said he was awaiting reply of the CS who has been on leave since the last two days. When contacted, District Chief Medical and Health Officer (DCMHO) Dr Mohan Malviya said Divisional ...

Women less sensitive to pain than men: Study

Women tend to forget pain that they suffered more quickly than men, confirmed a new study in mice and humans, challenging the widely held belief that the fairer sex are more sensitive to pain than men.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in patients' blood in China

Researchers have discovered new species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the blood of two patients in China, according to a recent study.