Page 221 - Health Medical Pharma

Dietary, lifestyle interventions beneficial before pregnancy

According to a new research, dietary and lifestyle interventions are important for overweight and obese women before their pregnancy.The study was published in the journal 'The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology'. The researchers reported the results of a large study of birth outcomes in more than 500 overweight or obese women from three public maternity units in Adelaide, Australia.The GRoW (Metformin for Gestational Restriction of Weight in pregnant women) trial was designed to reduce risks for pregnant women who are overweight or obese.The researchers investigated the potential of the use of common diabetes medication metformin during pregnancy to reduce pregnancy weight gain and improve pregnancy outcomes."In high-income countries, roughly 50% of women are already overweight or obese when they become pregnant. This places both the mother and her infant at risk of a range of pregnancy and birth outcomes and can also lead to high infant birth weight, which in turn can lead to ...

Ebola spreads to major Congo city as vaccines a concern

The second-largest Ebola outbreak in history has spread to a major city in eastern Congo, as health experts worry whether the stock of an experimental vaccine will stand up to the demands of an epidemic with no end in sight. Butembo, with more than 1 million residents, is now reporting cases of the deadly hemorrhagic fever. That complicates Ebola containment work already challenged by rebel attacks elsewhere that have made tracking the virus almost impossible in some isolated villages. "We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in the Butembo area," said John Johnson, project coordinator with Medecins Sans Frontieres in the city. New cases are increasing quickly in the eastern suburbs and outlying, isolated districts, the medical charity said. The outbreak declared on Aug. 1 is now second only to the devastating West Africa outbreak that killed more than 11,300 people a few years ago. There are currently 471 Ebola cases, of which 423 are confirmed, including 225 confirmed

3D-printed glucose biosensor developed

Scientists have developed a 3D-printed glucose biosensor for use in wearable monitors. The advance could lead to improved glucose monitors for millions of people who suffer from diabetes, said researchers from the Washington State University in the US. People with diabetes most commonly monitor their disease with glucose meters that require constant finger pricking. Continuous glucose monitoring systems are an alternative, but they are not cost effective, according to the research published in the journal Analytica Chimica Acta. Researchers have been working to develop wearable, flexible electronics that can conform to patients' skin and monitor the glucose in body fluids, such as in sweat. To build such sensors, manufacturers have used traditional manufacturing strategies, such as photolithography or screen printing. While these methods work, they have several drawbacks, including requiring the use of harmful chemicals and expensive cleanroom processing. They also create a lot of ...

Promote indigenous manufacturing of medical equipment to make treatment affordable for all: Naidu

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Friday stressed the need to promote indigenous manufacturing of medical equipment to overcome a "paradoxical" situation in the health sector where a range of treatments are available for foreigners but are out of reach for many local people. Addressing the 46th annual convocation of AIIMS, Naidu said it is estimated that the out-of-pocket expenditure constitutes more than 60 per cent of all health expenses, a major drawback in a country like India where a large segment of the population is poor. Approximately 63 million people fall into poverty each year due to lack of financial protection for their health-care needs. "We have a paradoxical situation when it comes to health sector. On the one hand, India is making rapid strides in medical tourism with people from other countries coming to our country for a range of treatments -- from liver transplant to knee replacement. However, the same treatment is out of reach for many Indians. "We need to overcome .

Gadkari collapses during Maharashtra function

Union Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari fainted during a function here on Friday.

IIT KGP researchers develop tools to diagnose lung diseases

Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed a decision support system to diagnose malignant and other diseased tissues in the lungs. The system has been developed by the researchers of the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communications engineering of the premier institute. Lead researcher Sudipta Mukhopadhyay was quoted having said in an IIT KGP statement, "Biopsy especially in the lungs is a critical process, hence conducted only after initial medical analysis is done by expert radiologists. "The developed system uses non-invasive and comparatively affordable methods of image analysis that would aid the radiologists to identify malignancy by reading growth in the lung nodules." The other system will help identify interstitial disease patterns in HRCT (High-Resolution Computed Tomography) images depicting the lung tissue texture, Mukhopadhyay said. Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) broadly describes a diverse collection of more than 200 lung disorders while ...

Vitamin C may offset effects of maternal smoking on baby

Although smoking during pregnancy is reported to have an adverse effect on foetus health, a new study shows that regular intake of Vitamin C by smoker mom-to-be may help reduce harm done to infant's lungs after birth.

AstraZeneca Pharma inks distribution pact with Abbott for diabetes drug

AstraZeneca Pharma did not share financial details of the agreement

Following is scoreboard at tea on the second day of the first Test between India and ...

Following is scoreboard at tea on the second day of the first Test between India and Australia here on Friday. India 1st Innings: Lokesh Rahul c Finch b Hazlewood 2 Murali Vijay c Paine b Starc 11 Cheteshwar Pujara run out 123 Virat Kohli c Khawaja b Cummins 3 Ajinkya Rahane c Handscomb b Hazlewood 13 Rohit Sharma c Harris b Lyon 37 Rishabh Pant c Paine b Lyon 25 R Ashwin c Handscomb b Cummins 25 Ishant Sharma b Starc 4 Mohammed Shami c Paine b Hazlewood 6 Jasprit Bumrah not out 0 Extras: (LB-1) 1 Total: (All out in 88 overs) 250 Fall of Wickets: 3/1 15/2 19/3 41/4 86/5 127/6 189/7 210/8 250/9 Bowling: Mitchell Starc 19-4-63-2, Josh Hazlewood 20-3-52-3, Pat Cummins 19-3-49-2, Nathan Lyon 28-2-83-2, Travis Head 2-1-2-0. Australia 1st Innings: Aaron Finch b Ishant 0 Marcus Harris c Vijay b Ashwin 26 Usman Khawaja c Pant b Ashwin 28 Shaun Marsh b Ashwin 2 Peter Handscomb batting 33 Travis Head batting 17 Extras: (B-1 LB-8 NB-2) 11 Total: (For 4 wkts from 55 overs) 117 Fall of Wickets: ..

Apple Watch lets US users take ECG, check irregular heart rhythm

Apple Watch Series 4 will now help users in the US take an electrocardiogram (ECG) right from their wrist, capturing heart rhythm in a moment when they experience symptoms like a rapid or skipped heart beat and helping to provide critical data to physicians.

UP gazetted medical practitioners' body demands payment of non-practising allowance

An association of gazetted medical practitioners in Uttar Pradesh Thursday demanded immediate payment of non-practising allowance in accordance with the recommendations of the seventh pay commission. A delegation of the Provincial Medical Services Association (PMSA), which represents over 18,000 gazetted medical practitioners, met Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Anup Chandra Pandey here Thursday. The team, lead by PMSA president Dr Ashok Yadav, demanded immediate sanction for disbursement of non-practising allowance. The PMSA, in a release, said a letter mentioning service related matters of the government doctors and ways to strengthen medical facilities was handed over to the chief secretary, who assured the delegation resolution of the pending problems. The non-practising allowance is a special kind of allowance for government doctors to be paid at the new rate of 20 per cent of the basic pay as recommended by the seventh pay commission.

Nobel laureates: Despite progress, cancer won't be wiped out

The winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine say they expect substantial advances toward treating cancer in the next several decades although they say it's unlikely the disease could be eradicated. James Allison of the United States and Tasuku Honjo of Japan made the assessments at a Thursday news conference ahead of receiving the 9-million-kronor ($999,000) Nobel prize. They won the prize in October for their work in immunotherapy activating the body's natural defense system to fight tumors. Allison says "soon we'll get close with some cancers," citing progress against some forms including melanoma. But he says "the world will never be cancer-free." Honjo said he expects that immunotherapy will eventually be used against most cancers, often in combination with radiation or chemotherapy.

World's smallest device to prevent skin cancer, mood disorder risk

Scientists have developed the world's smallest wearable, battery-free device that can warn people of overexposure to ultraviolet rays (UV) -- a leading factor for developing skin cancer.

NDMC organises orientation programme for principals, nodal officers of non-NDMC schools

In a bid to eliminate measles and control rubella in the country, the New Delhi Municipal Council Thursday organised an orientation programme for the principals and nodal officers of the non-NDMC schools. As many as 80 principals and other nodal officers participated in the programme organised by the civic body. "Sustained pulse polio campaign was a landmark success in making polio-free country. It was the need of the hour that it should be undertaken on the same pattern, so as to eradicate measles and control Rubella in the country," NDMC Secretary Rashmi Singh said. The NDMC will launch the free MR vaccination campaign for eliminating measles and control rubella from January 16-31 next year. "All children of age group of 9 month to less than 15 years would be provided with an additional dose of MR vaccination for measles-rubella, regardless of any previous vaccination status or history of the illness," she said. "The school nodal officers assigning to help to organise and conduct .

Compensation formula unacceptable, done without due consultations, say patients of faulty JJ implant

Days after the Centre approved a formula for determination of compensation, a group of patients affected by Johnson and Johnson's faulty hip implants on Thursday told the government that the method was unacceptable to them as it was done "without due consultations" with stakeholders and "unjustly" denies relief to many of them. In a letter to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, the patients alleged that the formula devised by the ministry has "multiple gaps" and is "riddled with ambiguities". The patients said it will be "necessary" to hear their views in order to arrive at a compensation formula which is "just and fair" to the affected. The letter said that despite their repeated appeals that transparency in the proceedings of the committees entrusted to carry out the compensation and in the implementation of the mechanism is paramount, patients are being completely sidelined and reduced to mere spectators even in the government-led process. "We respectfully submit that we cannot ...

Lack of Vitamin D associated with greater risk of depression

Older adults with Vitamin D deficiency are at greater risk of developing depression, finds a study.The study has been published in Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (JAMDA).A new study by researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin has shown for the first time in Ireland that a deficiency in vitamin D was associated with a substantial increased risk of depression (+75 percent) over a four-year follow up period.Later life depression can significantly reduce quality of life and is a potent risk factor for functional decline, admission to residential care and early death. Given the complex nature of depression, including the fact that the majority of older adults are undiagnosed, prevention is a priority and the identification of important risk factors is crucial.Vitamin D or the 'sunshine vitamin' is essential for bone health and deficiency, and has recently been linked with other non-bone health outcomes such as inflammation

India records 12.4 lakh deaths in 2017 owing to air pollution: Study

Air pollution has emerged as a leading factor for premature mortality in India as 12.4 lakh deaths have been reported in 2017 owing to it, according to a latest report released on Thursday.

3 injured in blast at IISc critical, says hospital ? ?

The three technicians injured in the blast at a lab in the Indian Institute of Science here Wednesday remained critical, hospital sources said. The condition of Naresh Kumar (33), Kartik Shenoy and Athulya Uday Kumar (24) is critical but "haemodynamically" (relating to blood circulation) stable, M S Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment, said in a release Thursday. "A team of doctors are attending to the three people," it said Naresh Kumar and Kartik Shenoy were 'stable on ventilator' while Athulya Uday Kumar was 'awake, conscious and talking.' However, Athulya could not recall what exactly happened the moment the blast occurred, sources told PTI. A suspected cylinder blast had killed a 32-year old technician and injured three technicians during an experiment in the laboratory of Hypersonics and Shockwave research of the Aerospace Department of IISc. The technicians of a private start-up company were involved in some experiment when the explosion suddenly ...

Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital Brings in New Treatment for Parkinson's in India

/ -- Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital in collaboration with Parkinson's Center of Excellence, Kings College, London, launch the revolutionary new modality for the treatment of Parkinson's for the first time in India Apomorphine PEN & PUMP launched in India Parkinson's disease is one of the common neurodegenerative disease affecting people over the age of 55 years. Parkinson's is characterized by slowness, stiffness and tremors and is a special neurodegenerative disorder with very few therapeutic options available. In India, the prevalence of this disease advances between the age of 70-79. It is caused by dopamine deficiency which is a chemical neuro transmitter in the brain mainly in the centers controlling the mobility. Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital in association with Kings College, London, have launched the revolutionary treatment that will change the way Parkinson's has been treated in India. Apomorphine PEN & PUMP, the treatment that will radically change the ...

Vitamin D deficiency can raise depression risk in elderly

Deficiency in vitamin D -- the 'sunshine vitamin' -- among older adults is associated with a substantial increased risk of depression resulting to early death, says a new study.