Page 218 - Health Medical Pharma
How exercise can help breast cancer survivors
Survivors of early-stage breast cancer who exercise and eat a healthy diet are more likely to lose weight and experience higher rates of disease-free survival, a new study suggests.
Number of swine flu patients climb to 22 in Indore: Official
Number of swine flu patients in Madhya Pradesh's Indore rose to 22 after two more persons tested positive for the H1N1 virus, an official said Monday. A 73-year old man and a 50-year-old woman tested positive for the infection, taking the number of swine flu patients up to 22, said Amit Malakar, district in-charge of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). Malakar said both the patients were admitted to two different private hospitals. They are out of danger, he said. "Since January this year, eight patients suffering from swine flu have died at city hospitals. Of them, seven patients hailing from Indore while another was a resident of neighbouring Barwani", he added.
Romania hospital reports 39 babies diagnosed with superbug
Romanian authorities say the number of babies diagnosed with a drug-resistant superbug at a maternity hospital in the capital has risen to 39. Raluca Alexandru, spokeswoman for Giulesti Maternity hospital, closed November 30 due to the outbreak, on Monday said tests have confirmed the latest figure. It is triple the number of newborns diagnosed with antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus last month. Health Minister Sorina Pintea said she will decide later this week whether to keep the hospital closed. The infants are hospitalised in three children's facilities in Bucharest. The bacteria often live on the skin or in the nostrils without causing symptoms but they can become dangerous if they enter the bloodstream, destroying heart valves or causing other damage. Microbiologists say up to 30 per cent of humans are long-term carriers.
MAHE signs MoU to start unique training centre for nurses
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and International Skills Development Corporation (ISDC, UK) and University of the West of Scotland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at MAHE here on Wednesday to set up a state-of-the-art graduate training center in Manipal.It is a unique training center that the Manipal College of Nursing has ventured for the first time in India.The MoU was signed in the presence of Dr. Poornima Baliga, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Health Sciences, MAHE, Dr. Anice George, Dean MCON, Dr. Elsa Sanatombi Devi, professor & Head, Medical-Surgical Nursing department. Dr. Claire Chalmers, Assistant Dean, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland and Mr. Joel Cutinho, Head Project, ISDC were present.This MoU will enable Indian nursing graduates to be better equipped to clear certifying exams for UK and Scotland and can be globally employed. It is a unique training center that the Manipal College of Nursing has ventured for the first .
New cell culture facility launched at SRM AP campus
: SRM AP Monday launched its first cell culture facility at its campus here to pioneer bio-medical research on cancer cells. This facility will house the latest equipment related to applications like cellular culture, drug delivery, cell imaging and cell cytotoxicity, a university release said. The Union Department of Science and Technology funded the equipment like Type-2 bio safety cabinet, carbon dioxide incubators, cell counting machine, inverted and upright microscopes, table-top centrifuge and cell storage facility under the 'Early Career Research Award' grant. "At this facility, the higher-end epi-fluorescence microscope will, in particular, facilitate diagnosis and cure of several life threatening diseases like cancer (solid tumour) and leukaemia," Principal Investigator of the Cell Culture Laboratory Anil K Suresh said. These technologies were not yet available for medical and pharmaceutical use as further intensive research was required before practical ...
Living on borrowed heart, 44-year-old Roy running to spread awareness
Rupayan Roy ran for his life when he was getting a heart transplant two years ago and he has not stopped ever since. He is now running marathon races to spread awareness about his medical condition. The 44-year-old underwent a heart transplant surgery in July 2016, and about six months after the surgery, Roy ran a 5K event organised by the BSF. He has not stopped since then, running in six events including a half-marathon last month, and is looking forward to running in Tata Steel Kolkata 25K event here on Sunday. "Although I am a heart transplant patient but I can say that I am very fit now. I would like to say all the people that, keep running and take part in different types of event in order to stay fit," Roy told PTI. Before every run, Roy has to take consent from doctors. "Since I am living for a borrowed heart it is mandatory to follow the doctor's guidelines," Roy, who ran the half marathon in three hours-plus timing last month, said. About his preparations for Sunday's race, .
Tea exports to Pakistan up 22 per cent during Jan-Oct
Exports of tea to Pakistan during the first 10 months of 2018 rose 22 per cent at 13.07 million kg as compared to 10.65 million kg in the corresponding period of 2017, the Tea Board said on Monday. Major country-wise exports from January to October stood at 200.38 million kg as against 198.86 million kg a year ago, as per provisional estimates released by the board. Iran was the highest importer of Indian tea at 23.04 million kg during the reporting period, topping the year-earlier figure of 22.13 million kg. However, there was a slight fall in exports to CIS nations at 51.07 million kg from 52.72 million kg in the similar period of 2017. In value terms, India exported tea worth Rs 4,061.81 crore during the first 10 months of the year, compared to Rs 3,911.05 crore in the corresponding period of 2017, according to the Tea Board release. The unit price per kg during January to October was lower at USD 2.99 as against USD 3.03 a year ago.
Parts of brain may help reduce social isolation
Turns out, people who misuse opioids isolate themselves from their loved ones which poses as a problem.Researchers from Arizona State University have identified a region in the brain that may be responsible for opioid-related social isolation and suggested that activating this part could at least partially revive the urge to socialize among opioid addicts.The team focused on a brain area called the insula, which plays an important role in social, addictive, and empathy-related behaviors.For the study, the researchers paired male rats and randomly assigned one of each pair to be trapped in a plastic tube in a cage. The other rat in the pair could easily release the trapped animal by pushing on a door. They then infused the rescuer rats with a virus that targeted cells in the insula and delivered one of three specialised proteins: one stimulated the cells of the insula; one suppressed those cells' activity, and one was inactive and served as a control. Then they provided all of them ...
Know how proteins stimulate blood vessel growth
According to a new research, inhibiting a protein within blood vessels can stimulate their growth, resulting in healthier fat tissue and lower blood sugar levels.A research conducted at the York University gave insights on improving blood vessel growth and showed how to mitigate serious health problems that arise with obesity, such as diabetes.The findings of the study are published in the journal ELife.The researchers investigated a process of the vascular system called angiogenesis and whether inhibiting FoxO1 protein would stimulate adipose angiogenesis.Angiogenesis is the formation of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. It helps to maintain normal healthy functions in tissue, particularly when that tissue enlarges. However, when the tissue expands as it stores excess fat, angiogenesis is repressed and new capillaries fail to grow. This results in unhealthy adipose tissue, which increases the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseasesThe team inhibited the ...
Lupin gets EIR from USFDA for Pithampur facility unit
Drug firm Lupin Monday said it has received an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from the US health regulator for a unit of its Pithampur facility in Madhya Pradesh. The company received the EIR for unit 3 of the facility. The site was inspected from June 12-16, 2017, Lupin said. "This was a pre-approval inspection for Albuterol Sulfate inhalation product," it said in a BSE filing. Lupin's Pithampur facility manufactures dermatological products, dry product inhalers, and metered dose inhalers, the company said. "The receipt of the EIR for our Pithampur unit 3 is an encouraging development. This is a validation of our commitment to maintain the highest standards in quality and compliance across our facilities," Lupin MD Nilesh Gupta said. The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) issues an EIR to an establishment that is the subject of an FDA or FDA-contracted inspection when the agency decides to close the inspection. Stock of Lupin was trading at Rs 824.15 on BSE, down 1.88 per
Safe antibiotics developed from wasp venom
Scientists at MIT have created variants of the peptides from a South American wasp's venom that can kill bacteria but are nontoxic to human cells. The venom of insects such as wasps and bees is full of compounds that can kill bacteria, according to the study published in the journal Nature Communications Biology. However, many of these compounds are also toxic for humans, making it impossible to use them as antibiotic drugs. In a study of mice, the researchers found that their strongest peptide could completely eliminate Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a strain of bacteria that causes respiratory and other infections and is resistant to most antibiotics. "We've repurposed a toxic molecule into one that is a viable molecule to treat infections," said Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US. "By systematically analysing the structure and function of these peptides, we've been able to tune their properties and activity," said Fuente-Nunez. The ...
Drawing better than writing for retaining memory
Drawing can help you better retain new information than re-writing notes or passively looking at images, a study has found. Scientists at University of Waterloo in Canada have found that older adults could enhance their memory by taking up drawing, even if they are not good at it. "We found that drawing enhanced memory in older adults more than other known study techniques," said Melissa Meade, a PhD at Waterloo. "We're really encouraged by these results and are looking into ways that it can be used to help people with dementia, who experience rapid declines in memory and language function," said Meade. For the study published in the journal Experimental Aging and Research, the researchers asked both young people and older adults to do a variety of memory-encoding techniques and then tested their recall. They believe that drawing led to better memory when compared with other study techniques because it incorporated multiple ways of representing the information -- visual, spatial, ...
Cervical Cancer in India: A preventable tragedy that requires urgent attention (Comment)
Premature death and disability from cancer is a great tragedy that hundreds of thousands of women and their families in India and other developing countries face every year. Of the various cancers that afflict women, that of the cervix, a part of the reproductive system, is one of the most common causes of death in a low socio-demographic index (SDI) country like ours.
Novel blood test may diagnose Alzheimer's disease
Scientists have developed a blood test that can accurately diagnose or even predict Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear. Currently the only way to definitively diagnose Alzheimer's disease in life is through brain scans and tests of cerebrospinal fluid that must be collected via lumbar puncture. Though cumbersome and expensive, such tests provide the most accurate diagnoses for patients. Researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US are working to develop a blood test that could replace these procedures. The tau protein has long been implicated in Alzheimer's, however, tau occurs as a family of related molecules which have subtly different properties. The team took advantage of the complexity of tau and built assays to measure different forms of tau and identified a subset of tau proteins which are specifically elevated in Alzheimer's disease. "A blood test for Alzheimer's disease could be administered easily and repeatedly, with patients going to their primary care
Alma, a Sisram Medical Company, Receives Notice of Completion of Inquiry from FDA for FemiLift Pixel CO2 System
/ -- Alma Lasers, LTD, a global developer of innovative energy-based solutions for the aesthetic and surgical markets, announced today that it received a notice of completion from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to questions about marketing and promotional language concerning the Company's FemiLift Pixel CO2 system used for dermatological, surgical and gynecological health procedures. "We take compliance with FDA regulatory requirements seriously and we took immediate action following the July notice to work with the FDA to review and resolve their questions," said Lior Dayan, CEO of Alma Lasers, Ltd. "We are pleased to have collaboratively brought this matter to a close, and we will continue to ensure that all of our products are promoted according to FDA regulations." The FemiLift Pixel CO2 system is a high-powered, multi-application CO2 laser that delivers focused and fractional 10,600-nm laser in a precision beam in addressing dermatological, surgical and ...
State administrative council okays setting up of nuclear medicine dept in GMC Jammu
To strengthen cancer care services at tertiary level in Jammu and Kashmir, the state administrative council (SAC) Sunday accorded sanction to the setting up of a nuclear medicine department at the Government Medical College (GMC) here, a spokesperson said. The approval for the department along with creation of 13 posts under various categories, including five of faculty members, three of Registrar and Medical Officer, and five of paramedical staff, were given by the SAC which met under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik here, he said. The Union Health ministry under the 'National Programme for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, CVD and stroke (NPCDCS)' sanctioned two cancer institutes in the state -- one in SKIMS, Soura, and other in GMC, Jammu. SKIMS Soura has received the first instalment of Rs 47.25 crore for establishment of a State Cancer Institute (SCI). To make the SCI at GMC in Jammu functional, establishment of a nuclear medicine department was mandatory so
Telangana man gets new lease of life with heart transplant
Century Hospitals, a leading mid-sized healthcare provider in Hyderabad, has given a new lease of life to a young man by transplanting a donor heart in the patient's body with support from Jeevandhan network.
Punjab CM advised two-day rest
Doctors on Sunday advised Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh two-day rest. Chief Minister Singh underwent some routine medical tests at the PGIMER Hospital here on Sunday as a follow-up on the viral illness he had suffered last week.According to an official statement, doctors at the PGIMER said that all the tests were normal and the Chief Minister was found to be suffering from slight weakness as a result of the earlier bout of viral fever."All parameters were found to be normal in the tests conducted on him, said the doctors. The Chief Minister has been advised rest at home for 48 hours, said the doctors," the statement further stated.
Soon C-sections to be performed by robots: Report
Robotics are expected to become so sophisticated, hospitals may not need surgeons. Controlled by healthcare assistants, the machines will soon be delivering babies by carrying out C-sections as well as other surgeries, say experts.
Punjab CM undergoes routine tests at PGI Chandigarh
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh underwent routine medical tests at the PGI hospital here Sunday as a follow-up after a bout of viral fever last week. Doctors at PGI said all the tests were normal and the chief minister had slight weakness as he was making a full recovery. All parameters were found to be stable in the tests conducted on him, said the doctors. The chief minister has been advised rest at home for 48 hours, said the doctors.