Page 192 - Health Medical Pharma
'Genetic tests do not result in unnecessary worries in breast cancer patients'
Ambiguity in the results of genetic testing for breast cancer does not cause patients to worry more about their cancer risk, suggest researchers.The study has been published in JCO Precision Oncology."Genetic testing is becoming increasingly more complex, but increasingly more precise. This has led to some ambiguity in test results. The challenge is incorporating this information into the treatment decision without causing unnecessary worry," said lead study author Steven J. Katz of the University of Michigan.Initially, genetic testing for breast cancer focused exclusively on BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Now, newer multigene panel tests look for abnormalities in a dozen or more different genes that play some role in breast cancer risk. By testing more genes, it's more likely a patient will have a positive test or a variant of unknown significance - in other words, something is out of the ordinary but doctors do not know how that impacts cancer risk.The concern is that this greater variation
HIV blood tranfusion: TN govt assures action against officials
Tamil Nadu government Saturday assured action against senior officials in connection with the recent transfusion of HIV infected blood to a pregnant woman at a state-run hospital once the ongoing inqiury was completed. Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, replying to a calling attention motion on the issue in the state assembly, said three lab technicians had already been terminated for the lapse at the blood bank that led to transfusion of the blood donated by a 19-year old man last month. Raising the matter, Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin (DMK) and his party colleague KKSSR Ramachandran demanded action against those at the higher echelon of the administrative pyramid. Vijayabaskar, who described the incident as shocking, said a panel led by the Additional Director of Medical Services was looking into the issue to pinpoint where the lapse occurred in certifying the blood safe and assured appropriate action after the inquiry. The 24-year old woman contracted HIV after ..
Here's why obsessive compulsive symptoms in youngsters should not be ignored
Obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS) in youth could be a red flag for serious psychiatric conditions, a study finds.The findings were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.Researchers found children and young adults with OCS who also admitted to having bad thoughts were more likely to also experience psychopathology, including depression and suicide. The study examined OCS in more than 7,000 participants aged 11 to 21.Researchers divided OCS into four categories: bad thoughts, repeating/checking, symmetry, and cleaning/contamination. More than 20 per cent of youth admitted to having bad intrusive thoughts, which included thoughts about harming oneself or others, picturing violent images, or fear that one would do something bad without intending to. These children were more likely to develop serious psychopathology beyond obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), including depression and suicide."Our hope is that these results will propel both ...
Demi Lovato slams Instagram for fat-shaming ad
It seems that American singer-songwriter Demi Lovato is unhappy with a fat-shaming video game ad that appeared on her Instagram feed and she did not hold back on her views after seeing it.The 26-year-old singer called out the photo application and the makers of the game on her Instagram story.In the ad, there are two types of women - one obese and one pretty. Users appear to choose what the two women can eat, and feed the obese one a controlled diet, reported E! Online.Lovato took a stand and spoke out against the content of the game "Why is this fat shaming bulls- on my feed? So many things wrong with this ad," she wrote alongside a screenshot of the ad.Lovato circled the two labels for each woman in the next slide and added that "you can be 'pretty' at any weight."Demi continued saying, "This is absolutely harmful to anyone who is easily influenced by societal pressures put on us from the diet culture to constantly be losing weight in a world that teaches us to equate our value and .
Civic hospital doctors ask Muslims to shave beard for ops: SP
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Rais Sheikh has claimed doctors at civic-run hospitals here ask Muslim patients to shave off beard before they perform surgery on them and sought a ban on this practice. Sheikh, the SP's group leader in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has written a letter to civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta, drawing his attention to the practice which he termed as unacceptable. In the letter, he has claimed doctors at BMC-run hospitals ask Muslim patients to shave off beard before performing even minor operations. Speaking to PTI, the SP corporator said, "Keeping a beard is long-cherished part of our faith and I have received several complaints from our Muslim brother patients who say doctors advice them to shave off beard before performing even a minor surgery." "This is unacceptable and I have apprised BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta about it and have written a letter to him," Sheikh said. "I have demanded that Mehta instruct doctors to ask patients .
25kg swollen mass removed from MP man's thigh
A 20-year-old man, bedridden since the past couple of years, will now be able to walk again after undergoing surgery for the removal of a 25-kg swollen mass that had been hanging from his thigh. Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) surgeon Sonia Moses told PTI that a team of doctors removed the swollen mass from the thigh of Bharat (20), a resident of Jhabua district, after an operation that lasted for two hours Friday. She said the lump started developing about two years ago and it grew up to weight 25 kg, while the weight of the man reduced to 30 kg. This had made him difficult to walk and left him bedridden, Moses said. After the surgery, a portion of the swollen mass was sent for autopsy to ascertain the reason behind its appearance and growth, the doctor added.
Samajwadi leader demands ban on shaving off beard of Muslim patients
Samajwadi Party leader Rais Shaikh had written a letter to BMC Commissioner demanding to stop asking Muslim patients to shave off beard for minor operations.Samajwadi Party has alleged that doctors of BMC hospitals ask Muslim patients to shave off their beards before surgery.Speaking to media Shaikh said, "I live near a BMC hospital and have been observing that even for a minor operation, the beards of people, especially of the Muslim leaders were being shaved off. I have demanded it from the BMC that when there is not a life-threatening situation, the beard must only be shaved off only after taking the consent of the patient. Constitution has granted everyone freedom of religious practice. Hence I have demanded a draft to be made of a standard procedure through which no one's religious sentiments are heard while doctors do their duty."He further alleged that the situation is very different in private and government hospital and only in later the beard is shaved off for even minor ...
Necessary to guide children on good lifestyle habits: Aamir Khan
Superstar Aamir Khan has said it is necessary to guide children on good lifestyle habits so that they can stay away from obesity and other related diseases.
Common food additive behind celiac disease trigger: Study
A common food additive, used in sausages, cheese, bread, dairy, baked and other processed foods, could both cause and trigger celiac disease, warns a recent study.
Researchers examine consequences of fungal infection in brain
To study the short-term consequences of fungal infections, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have developed a mouse model.They report the unexpected finding that the common yeast Candida albicans, a type of fungus, can cross the blood-brain barrier and trigger an inflammatory response that results in the formation of granuloma-type structures and temporary mild memory impairments in mice.Interestingly, the granulomas share features with plaques found in Alzheimer's disease, supporting future studies on the long-term neurological consequences of sustained C. albicans infection.The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.Speaking about the study, corresponding author Dr David B. Corry said, "An increasing number of clinical observations by us and other groups indicates that fungi are becoming a more common cause of upper airway allergic diseases such as asthma, as well as other conditions such as sepsis, a potentially life-threatening disease caused by the .
4677 Jan Aushadhi Kendras functional as of end 2018
Jan Aushadhi Kendras helped to save Rs 1668 crore to the citizens of country
Draft of essential diagnostics list out for public comments
A new list of essential diagnostics has been formulated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to enhance accessibility to diagnostic tests and reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Lok Sabha Friday. The National Essential Diagnostics List (EDL) has been drafted after consultation with policymakers, clinicians, laboratories, functionaries in national health programmes; manufacturers and innovators. The list is now available on the ICMR website and open for comments till January 31, 2019. "The move is aimed to attain universal healthcare and the list prescribes standard of requirement of minimum distance to a healthcare facility, equipments, skilled health workers, accessibility to diagnostic tests and also reducing out-of-pocket expenditure on this account, by promoting research and development for new, appropriate and effective diagnostics," Patel said in reply to a question. The finalised list will be reviewed by an expert ..
Future Consumer Ltd. introduces Braille friendly products on World Braille Day
Future Consumer Limited (FCL) launches braille friendly packaging for their body wash brand, ThinkSkin with Ajay Kumar Reddy, Captain of Indian Men's Blind Cricket Team on World Braille Day.Priced at the rate of a soap, ThinkSkin is a contemporary body wash brand that aims to upgrade customers from using soap to body wash. The launch of braille packaging is in line with the company's vision of representing FMCG 2.0 industry and empowering the consumer experience.Challenging soaps, ThinkSkin is influencing the bathing ritual by offering trendy bath products like exotic body washes at an affordable range. Braille enabled ThinkSkin bottles is a new age FMCG 2.0 approach by FCL and is carefully designed for easy access and recognition of the bottle for the visually impaired.The new range was unveiled through a special campaign featuring Ajay Kumar Reddy, Captain of Indian Men's Blind Cricket Team highlighting the importance of the sense of touch. While, the sense of touch is used by ...
New patented drugs exempted from price control order for 5 yrs
The government has exempted new drugs patented under the Indian Patent Act from the price control order for five years from the date of their marketing, according to a notification. The Drugs (Prices Control) Amendment Order, 2019, by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers exempts "a manufacturer producing a new drug patented under the Indian Patent Act, 1970 (39 of 1970), for a period of five years from the date of commencement of its commcercial marketing by the manufacturer in the country," the notification said. The provisions of DPCO 2013 shall not apply to "drugs for treating orphan diseases as decided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare", it said. The DPCO fixes the prices of scheduled formulations and monitors maximum retail prices of all drugs, including the non-scheduled formulations. The notification also mentioned that "the source of market-based data shall be the data available with the pharmaceutical market data specialising company as decided by the ...
4,677 PMBJP Kendras functional across the country as of 2018-end: Govt
A total of 4,677 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras were functional across the country by the end of 2018, providing quality generic medicines at affordable prices to the patients, Parliament was informed Friday. Unbranded generic medicines worth Rs 417 crore have been sold through PMBJP Kendras from inception of the scheme till the end of December 2018, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh L Mandaviya said in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. "As on 31.12.2018, 4,677 'Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana' (PMBJP) Kendras are functional in 35 States/UTs of the country," he said. Under the scheme, unbranded generic medicines of good quality are made available through PMBJP Kendras. In order to ensure quality of medicines sold through the Kendras, the medicines are procured only from WHO-GMP certified manufacturers, Mandaviya said. The product basket of the scheme covers more than 800 medicines and 154 surgicals and ...
China largely successful in reversing brain drain in science arena: Noble Laureate
China has been successful in reversing brain drain in the field of science and it has invested heavily in experimental research, Noble Laureate Duncan Haldane said Friday. Haldane said on the other hand India has a lot of focus on theoretical science rather than experimental science, which requires a lot of investment. "China has invested heavily in experimental research like material science," he said in an interaction with reporters here. He also suggested that conditions have to be made attractive by home countries for reversing brain drain in the scientific arena in the developing countries. "China has been quite successful in reversing brain drain, getting people to come home, making it attractive for excellent expatriates to come back and get support to build up a laboratory," Haldane said. India has a large number of people and diaspora around the world, he noted. "Luckily, some Indians have come back. For cultural reasons they come back home, but is not so easy to come back ...
This primrose plant compound could combat eye cancer
A compound extracted from the Christmas berry primrose plant could be effective in slowing down the spread of eye cancer, suggests a study.
Do hot flashes raise breast cancer risk?
Frequent hot flashes are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, suggests a new study.The results are published in the journal Menopause.The study, in which more than 25,000 women participated, sought to identify an association between vasomotor symptoms (VMS) - which includes symptoms such as hot flashes, and night sweats - and breast cancer.Through 17.9 years' follow-up of these women, 1,399 incidents of breast cancer were seen. Women with persistent VMS (defined as symptoms that lasted 10 or more years) had a higher breast cancer incidence than women who never experienced VMS.Although breast cancer-specific mortality was higher in women with persistent VMS, the difference was not statistically significant, which meant that persistent VMS did not influence breast cancer survival rates.The possible link between VMS and breast cancer continues to be studied because of a common association with hormones. Specifically, hormone therapy has proven to be the most effective ...
Bulldog screw tails linked to human genetic disease
Bulldogs and their French counterparts are among the most popular of dog breeds around the world. Now researchers from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine have found the genetic basis for these dogs' appearance, and linked it to a rare inherited syndrome in humans.The study has been published in the journal PLOS Genetics.Bulldogs along with Boston terriers have a feature not found in other breeds, a short, kinked tail or 'screwtail' according to Professor Danika Bannasch, Department of Population Health and Reproduction in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. According to researchers, these three breeds lack the vertebrae that make up the tail bone.Researchers sequenced the entire DNA sequence of 100 dogs, including 10 from screwtail breeds and from 12 million individual differences they were able to indentify one mutation, in a gene called DISHEVELLED 2 or DVL2. The variant was found in 100 per cent of the bulldogs and French bulldogs as well as .
Botox jabs effective, safe in reducing chronic migraine
Besides removing those wrinkles and enhancing your beauty, botox has also been proven to be effective and safe in treating chronic migraine that affects your daily activities, says a new study.