Page 242 - Health Medical Pharma
Proposed cancer treatment may boost the disease
Turns out, epigenetic therapy that is expected to curb lung cancer actually has opposite effects.Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital reported that this therapy boosts cancer stem cells that are believed to drive tumors. They reported a strategy that reduces these cells, curbing lung cancer in mice. The findings of the study are published in Journal Nature Communications.Epigenetic therapy is the way of targeting enzymes that alter the functioning of genes. It is of growing interest in the cancer field.Cancer stem cells have been identified in blood cancers and a variety of solid tumors. They make up a tiny fraction of tumor cells but can regenerate cancer on their own.Previous studies have shown that cancer stem cells play a role in adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. When they transplanted cancer stem cells from a diseased mouse, previously healthy mice developed lung cancer.The new study looked at an epigenetic therapy that inhibits the enzyme G9a, a type of ..
'Robo-nose' could replace sniffer dogs
Scientists have developed an artificial "robot nose" device made from living mouse cells that could be used instead of dogs to sniff out narcotics and explosives. The researchers from Duke University in the US developed the prototype based on odour receptors grown from the genes of mice that respond to target odours. "This idea of an artificial nose has been present for a long time," said Hiroaki Matsunami, a professor at Duke. "The receptors were identified in the 1990s, but there are significant technical hurdles to produce all these receptors and monitor the activity so that we can use that in an artificial device," said Matsunami. "E-noses" that exist now use various chemical compounds to detect smells instead of receptor stem cells, Matsunami said. He said those devices are "not as good as a trained dog." "The idea is that by using the actual, living receptors, maybe we can develop a device similar to animals," Matsunami said. "Nobody has achieved that yet, but this study is ...
New drug discovery may halt spread of brain cancer
Scientists have identified a novel drug that could block glioblastoma -- the deadliest form of brain cancer -- from spreading. The tissues in our bodies largely are made of fluid. It moves around cells and is essential to normal body function, said researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the US. However, in some cases, this fluid may be doing more harm than good, they said. In glioblastoma, this fluid has a much higher pressure, causing it to move fast and forcing cancer cells to spread. A common cancer therapy, which inserts a drug directly into the tumour with a catheter, can make this fluid move even faster, researchers said. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, may have found a solution to stopping this inevitable cancer cell spread. The researchers used the drug which they found can block the way cancer cells respond to fluid flow. They examined the role of interstitial fluid flow in the spread of glioma cells. Interstitial fluid
J&K administration holds meet over health services
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has called for a focussed attention on the completion of key projects in the health sector to ensure best healthcare facilities to the people. "The health is (a) priority sector for the government and all the flagship projects undertaken in the state needs to be expedited and completed in (a) given time frame," K Vijay Kumar, adviser to Governor Satya Pal Malik, said. Kumar was addressing a high-level meeting which was convened here to review the progress of flagship projects under the health sector initiated in the state. The important projects undertaken by the health department include establishment of two All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Vijaypur in Jammu and Awantipora in Kashmir; five new medical colleges at Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri, Doda and Kathua; and upgradation of the district hospitals, an official said Tuesday. The departments concerned were asked to provide up-to-date status of the ongoing works and proposed ...
New drug shows promise in halting spread of brain cancer
Scientists have developed a novel drug that could block glioblastoma -- the deadliest form of brain cancer -- from spreading.
Spinning charkha may have positive effect on mental health: Study
Spinning charkha for one hour daily may improve concentration, multitasking abilities, patience and mind-body coordination of children and youth, a study claims. The study conducted by the Brain Behaviour Research Foundation Of India (BBRFI) here analysed the relevance of charkha (spinning wheel) among children and youth in the society. According to the research conducted for over a month on 30 individuals, 10 to 18 years of age, spinning a charkha everyday had positive and soothing effects on the participants. Pre and post training data was collected using brain mapping & electroencephalogram (EEG). Subjects were also tested for psychological, personality and intelligence quotient (IQ) tests. The study saw positive results in all aspects of behaviour, according to the research recently presented here by Chairperson of BBRFI, Meena Mishra. It provides scientific foundation to anecdotal reports of benefits of charkha spinning, Mishra said. The study was sponsored by Gandhi ...
Zydus receives tentative approval from the USFDA for Deferasirox Tablets
It is used to treat ongoing high levels of iron in the body caused by multiple blood transfusions. It is also used to treat high levels of iron in people with a certain blood disorder who do not require blood transfusions (nontransfusiondependent thalassemia).
Clinical trial finds new immunotherapy improves MS symptoms
A world-first clinical trial of a new cellular immunotherapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) has found that it improved symptoms and quality of life for the majority of patients.The results of the clinical trial have been published in JCI Insight.The treatment targets the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is based on the theory of Professor Michael Pender, from The University of Queensland and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH), that MS is caused by an accumulation of EBV-infected cells in the brain and that a therapy targeting EBV can potentially stop the progression of MS.The new cellular immunotherapy was developed by Professor Rajiv Khanna and his team at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. The phase I clinical trial was conducted in collaboration with Professor Michael Pender and his colleagues.Pender said a total of 10 patients - five with secondary progressive MS and five with primary progressive MS - received four doses of the cellular immunotherapy treatment at the .
Video chats can fight depression in older adults
Using video chatting platforms like Skype to connect with friends and family can stave of depression in older adults, a study has found. Researchers compared four different types of online communication technologies -- video chat, email, social networks and instant messaging -- used by people 60 and older and then gauged their symptoms of depression based on survey responses two years later. "Video chat came out as the undisputed champion," said Alan Teo, associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University in the US. "Older adults who used video chat technology such as Skype had significantly lower risk of depression," said Teo, lead author of the study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The researchers identified 1,424 participants from a 2012 survey who completed a set of questions about technology use. These same participants also responded to a follow-up survey two years later that measured, among other things, depressive symptoms. Those who used .
Electrosteel Castings gets revision in credit ratings from CARE
1.Long Term Bank Facilities: CARE BBB+; Stable (Triple B Plus; Outlook: Stable, Rating reaffirmed and outlook revised from Negative to Stable
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals gets USFDA final approval for Azelaic Acid Gel
According to IQVIA sales data for the 12 month period ending September 2018, the Finacea Gel, 15% market2 achieved annual sales of approximately $64.1 million.
EU cracks down on blood pressure medicine made by Mylan
(Reuters) - European Union authorities on Monday stepped in to effectively ban sales of blood pressure medicine valsartan made by an India-based unit of Mylan NV after some batches were found to contain a probable cancer-causing impurity, the latest in a global crackdown.
MDMA drug makes you nicer, but not naive: study
MDMA, the main ingredient in ecstasy, makes humans more likely to cooperate -- but only with trustworthy people -- researchers said Monday in the first study into how the drug impacts our willingness to help others. Despite its status in Britain as a Class A drug, MDMA is widely consumed due to the heightened sense of energy, empathy and pleasure it arouses in users. It contains neurotransmitters -- chemical messengers for the brain -- that are known to be linked to behaviour and mood, but scientists currently understand very little about how these affect social interactions. Researchers at King's College London studied 20 healthy adult men who were given a typical recreational dose of MDMA or a placebo pill and then asked to complete a set of tasks while images of their brain activity were taken with an MRI scanner. One of the mind exercises they were given was the Prisoner's Dilemma -- an example of so-called "game theory" in which an individual is asked to choose between ...
Organs of brain dead girl transplanted on 3 patients
The liver and kidneys of a girl, declared brain dead, were successfully transplanted on three patients at state-run SSKM Hospital here on early Monday morning, a doctor involved in the operation process said. The organs of the 13-year-old Madhusmita Bayen were carried across 170 km and four districts by road - from Durgapur in Burdwan West district to Kolkata - in two hours after a green corridor was created for the transportation on Sunday. Madhusmita's kidneys were transplanted on Abhishek Misra and Mithun Dalal in surgeries that concluded around 2:30 am on Monday, the senior doctor of SSKM Hospital told PTI. Both were in stable condition and will be kept under observation for a few days, he added. The girl's liver was transplanted on Sanjit Bala and the operation was over by 8 am. Bala was currently on ventilation but his condition was otherwise stable and his body did not show any rejection symptom to the new liver, the doctor said. Madhusmita, a resident of Mejia in .
J-K: 1 BSF jawan killed in blast
One Border Security Force (BSF) soldier has lost his life in a blast that occurred here at the International Border on Monday.Three others jawans have been injured in the blast and have been rushed to the hospital.The nature of the blast is yet to be ascertained.Further details are awaited.
Gut Microbiota and Probiotic Science Foundation (India) hosts its 9th India Probiotic Symposium in Kolkata
With a view to create awareness and share the latest research studies on gut health and the inherent benefits of Probiotics across all ages, the Gut Microbiota And Probiotic Science Foundation (India) along the Amity University, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata and the Indian Institute of Liver and Digestive Sciences (IILDS), Kolkata will be hosting a highly informative and interactive two-day Scientific Program - "Probiotics Through the Lifespan" on November 24-25, 2018 at the Amity University, Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area II, Newtown, Kolkata.Dr. John Clemens, Executive Director, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) will be the Chief Guest at the symposium. Experts of National and International repute will be there to present, deliberate, discuss and share the latest insights pertaining to the science of probiotics and its importance in every stage of life.The concept of probiotics which ...
Bullying, violence at work ups heart disease risk: Study
People who frequently experience violence or bullying at work may be at higher risk of heart attacks and stroke, a study has found. The researchers looked at data from 79,201 working men and women in Denmark and Sweden, aged 18 to 65, with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), who were participants in three studies that started between 1995 and 2011. Although the study does not show that workplace bullying or violence directly cause cardiovascular problems, researchers said that their results are robust and have important implications for employers and national governments. "If there is a causal link between bullying or violence at work and cardiovascular disease, then the removal of workplace bullying would mean we could avoid five per cent of all cardiovascular cases, and the eradication of violence at work would avoid more than three per cent of all cases," said Tianwei Xu, a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. When the participants joined the studies, the
Bullying, violence at workplace linked to heart disease, strokes
People who are bullied or experience violence at work are at higher risk of developing heart and brain blood vessel problems, including heart attacks and stroke, according to a new study.
New dual-action virus effective in treating cancer
Scientists have developed a genetically modified virus that can kill cancer cells as well as destroy their hiding places.
Potato sized stone removed from kidney
In a rare feat, doctors at the KIMS Hospitals here saved a 39 year-old man by conducting an open kidney surgery to remove a large stone of the size of a potato.