Page 247 - Health Medical Pharma
Conjoined twins doing well 1 week after surgery in Australia
Doctors say that conjoined twins from Bhutan who were separated at an Australian hospital last week have been moving about, eating and otherwise healing well. Joe Crameri, the head of pediatric surgery at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, told reporters Thursday there have been a few bumps along the road but that the 15-month-old girls are making good progress. The girls were joined from the lower chest to just above the pelvis and shared a liver. They were separated during a delicate operation that lasted almost six hours. A major challenge had been to reconstruct their abdomens. Crameri told reporters that the areas they'd tampered with during the surgery appeared to be healing well. He says the medical team is happy and the girls' mother is very happy.
All you need to know about dry eye syndrome
According to a medical study, dry eyes condition in humans can significantly reduce the rate of reading and may cause disruption in daily tasks that require visual concentration for long periods. The chronic dry eye is a common disease in which natural tears fail to adequately lubricate the eyes, thus drastically affecting its functioning.The study was conducted on 186 adults and was published in Journal Optometry and Vision Science. Dry eye specialists at Johns Hopkins Medicine mentioned that chronic dry eye condition can slow down a person's reading speed by as much as 10 percent and can make it difficult to read for more than an average of 30 minutes.According to researchers, dry eye affects millions of adults, primarily those in the age group of 50 and older. It causes ocular discomfort and visual problems."Many of my patients have perfect vision on standard eye tests but complain they cannot drive at nighttime or in unfamiliar areas, read small print or do computer work," said ...
Novel blood test uses AI to detect cancer before symptoms appear
Scientists have developed a blood test -- combining "liquid biopsy" with artificial intelligence -- that can detect cancer at its earliest stages. The findings, published in the journal Nature, hold promise of being able to treat the disease long before symptoms appear, said Daniel De Carvalho, a senior scientist at University Health Network in Canada. "A major problem in cancer is how to detect it early. It has been a 'needle in the haystack' problem of how to find that one-in-a-billion cancer-specific mutation in the blood, especially at earlier stages, where the amount of tumour DNA in the blood is minimal," said Carvalho. By profiling epigenetic alterations instead of mutations, the team was able to identify thousands of modifications unique to each cancer type. Then, using a big data approach, they applied machine learning to create classifiers able to identify the presence of cancer-derived DNA within blood samples and to determine what cancer type. The scientists tracked the ...
Marijuana may not affect kidney transplant outcomes
Turns out, the usage of marijuana by kidney donors has no measurable effect on the outcome of kidney transplants for donors or recipients.A new study in Clinical Kidney Journal reviewed living kidney transplants performed between January 2000 and May 2016 in a single academic institution. Donor and recipient groups were each divided into two groups by donor marijuana usage, comparing the outcomes of the transplants using a variety of tests.Researchers reviewed 294 living donor medical records, including 31 marijuana using donors. They also reviewed 230 living kidney recipient records, including 27 cannabis-using kidney recipients. The use of grass in the United States has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years. Marijuana use has more than doubled between 2001 and 2013, with 54.1 per cent of adolescents claiming to have initiated its use by the age of 21.There is a shortage of kidneys available for transplantation. As of 2018, there are nearly 100,000 patients on the waiting ..
Bengal has largest sick critical care newborn beds: Mamata
West Bengal has the largest number of sick critical care newborn beds and units in the country, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said. Banerjee made the statement at the start of the Newborn Care week. "Newborn Care Week begins today. In the last 7 years, we have set up 307 Sick Newborn Stabilisation Units (SNSU) in #Bangla. Number of Sick Neonatal Care Units (SNCU) have gone up from 6 to 68. Our state has the largest number of Sick Critical Care Newborn Beds & units in India," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle. Newborn Care Week is celebrated annually in the country from November 15 to 21 to raise awareness about the importance of the newborn care for child survival.
Synthetic antibodies may protect against Ebola
Scientists have engineered novel antibodies that may effectively protect against Ebola virus. A study, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed that the DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies (DMAbs) were expressed over a wide window of time and offered complete and long-term protection against lethal virus challenges. According to the scientists from The Wistar Institute in the US, DMAbs may also provide a novel powerful platform for rapid screening of monoclonal antibodies enhancing preclinical development. Ebola virus infection causes a devastating disease, known as Ebola virus disease, for which no licensed vaccine or treatment are available. The 2014-2016 Zaire Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa was the most severe reported to date, with more than 28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths according to the US Center for Disease Control. A new outbreak is ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a death toll of more than 200 people since August. One of the experimental avenues ...
Treating the 'bubble baby'
A new study has highlighted the urgent need to develop better treatment strategies for patients suffering from severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), better known as 'bubble baby disease.'The international study published in the journal Blood by researchers at Universite de Montreal found better ways to improve the chances of survival of children with the rare immune deficiency.Bubble baby disease is a rare syndrome characterised by a total non-function of the body's immune system. The children affected have no immune defence and are vulnerable to bacteria, viruses and fungi, resulting in repeated severe infections. Without appropriate treatment, in most cases, this disease is fatal within the first months after birth.SCID can be caused by mutations in various genes involved in the functioning of the immune system. The new research shows that the nature of the mutated gene (or genotype) has a significant influence on patients' survival and reconstitution of their immune system ...
Optical coherence tomography saves heart patient at Narayana Health City
Narayana Health City successfully treated a Bangalorean youth who suffered a heart attack while at work.The patient, Mohammed Rafeek, was suffering from a coronary artery disease (CAD) with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and Triple Vessel Disease.A 27-year-old software professional, Rafeek was leading a normal life until recently, when he suddenly developed chest pain and was rushed to a nearby hospital. It was found that Rafeek had suffered a heart attack for which he was given adequate treatment. However, the search for an advanced treatment facility led him to Narayana Health City.An expert team of doctors under the aegis of Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra, Senior Consultant - Cardiology, Narayana Health City did a complete evaluation of the patient's condition and found that he was suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD) with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). He underwent a coronary angiogram which showed a blockage (stenosis) of 80 per cent in one of the main arteries of the heart called ...
Humans are better at remembering names than faces: Study
Do you think you are good at remembering faces, but terrible with names? According to a new research, this intuition is misleading as we are more likely to remember how a person looks like.
Jury clears J&J of liability in California talc cancer case
(Reuters) - A California jury on Wednesday cleared Johnson & Johnson of liability in a case involving a woman who alleged that the company's talc-based products, including its baby powder, contain asbestos and caused her cancer, the company said.
Cuba to pull thousands of doctors from Brazil in Bolsonaro row: official
Cuba announced Wednesday it will pull thousands of its doctors out of Brazil in response to President-elect Jair Bolsonaro's "contemptuous and threatening" remarks about the program. "In the light of this unfortunate reality, the ministry of public health of Cuba has decided to discontinue its participation in the program," which sends thousands of doctors to work in rural areas of Brazil, a ministry statement said. The statement said Bolsonaro had "questioned the qualification of our doctors and has conditioned their permanence in the program to a process of validation of their titles.
Ganga Ram Hospital bathed in blue light on World Diabetes Day
In order to create awareness among people about Diabetes, city-based Sir Ganga Ram Hospital was bathed in blue light to mark the World Diabetes Day on Wednesday, November 14.
India, UK sign pact to collaborate on cancer research
India and the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Wednesday for collaboration in cancer research, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement. The pact between the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) for the India-UK Cancer Research Initiative was signed here for collaboration for the next five years. Both CRUK and DBT will invest five million pounds each in this five-year pilot project, and seek further investment from other potential funding partners. The India-UK Cancer Research Initiative will identify a core set of research challenges that address issues of affordability, prevention and care of cancer patients by bringing together leading Indian and UK experts in clinical research, demographic research, new technologies and physical sciences, the statement said. "The initiative will provide funding to develop new research alliances and undertake impactful research to enable significant progress against cancer outcomes," the
Smokeless tobacco products unregulated and under-reported
Smokeless tobacco (SLT) poses a global challenge as these products are largely unregulated and under-reported, with India being the largest consumer of such products by number, an NICPR official said Wednesday. Also, limited data is available on the properties, production, ingredients and health hazards of these preparations besides a dearth of adequate research in this area, said Ravi Mehrotra, director of the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR). The NICPR collaborated with the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) to publish a special issue of the journal dedicated to SLT control. He said SLT is a global public health menace being consumed by a whopping 360 million people across 140 countries and causes more than 650,000 deaths globally. "Of this, almost 200 million people use SLT in India while it kills about 350,000 Indians every year. The total number of new cancer cases has gone up from 10,00,000 in 2012 to 11,57,294 in 2018, an increase of about 16 .
Green corridor helps quicker transport of organs
: A green corridor was created by the traffic police here for transporting heart and lungs, harvested from a brain dead patient at a private hospital here, to the city airport en route to Chennai. This enabled the organs to be transported in 22 minutes covering the distance of 29 kms between the hospital and the airport on Tuesday, traffic police said. The organs were subsequently transported to two hospitals in Chennai, the police added. The medical team carrying the organs left at 3.23 p.m from Gleneagles Global Hospitals in Lakdi-Ka-Pul area and reached Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 3:45 PM, an official release said.
Doctors at city hospital cut 100-kg sugar-free cake to create awareness about diabetes
Doctors at a private hospital in the national capital Wednesday cut a 100-kg sugar-free cake on the occasion of World Diabetes Day to create awareness about the life-threatening disease. "It took us two years to conduct a research on how to prepare such a big sugar-free cake. Most of the bakeries prepare sugar-free cakes weighing a maximum of 1 kg. Sugar holds the bread and cream together," Dr Gagan Nagpal of Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute said. Ingredients for the cake came from Germany. It was the first 100-kg sugar-free cake to be prepared in India, he claimed. "We are appealing to people to make necessary lifestyle changes as a measure to prevent diabetes," Dr Nagpal said. At present, India represents 49 per cent of the world's diabetes burden, with an estimated 72 million cases detected in 2017, a figure expected to almost double to 134 million by 2025, he said. "This presents a serious public health challenge to the country. But the major concern is that most of the people .
Lions Clubs International Foundation commemorates World Diabetes Day across India
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest humanitarian service association with 14.7 lakh members, including 2.9 lakh members in India. It's global fund, Lions Clubs International Foundation, channelizes donations from Lions around the world into the most effective projects to serve the needy.On the occasion of World Diabetes Day on November 14th, LCIF will distribute 700 Diabetes Kits and conduct Sugar Check-ups for over 2 lac patients via Lions Clubs across the country.Lions Clubs have been reversing the growth of diabetes in India by awareness, diagnosis camps and curing patients from underprivileged areas.This was announced by Lion Dr. Naresh Aggarwal, the Chairman of Lions Club International Foundation at a Press Conference on World Diabetes Day today in New Delhi. Other dignitaries from Lions Clubs International included Lion V K Luthra, Chairman of LCCIA, Lion J P Singh, Director of Administration, LCCIA and Lion Nawal J Malu, Director of Finance, LCCIA who attended the .
Probiotics can help increase bone density: Study
Treatment with good bacteria widely used in probiotic supplements can strengthen bones, especially in females, finds a study that may develop novel ways of treating bone loss condition osteoporosis.
Skin care regime during winters for different skin types
Skin tends to become very dry during Winter hence you need extra care to keep the skin moist and supple.
Drinking coffee may cut diabetes risk
Drinking about three to four cups of coffee everyday can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes, scientists say. A report from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) highlights the potential role of coffee consumption on the reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and the possible mechanisms involved. Eminent experts in diabetes gathered at a symposium hosted by ISIC in Berlin, Germany, to discuss the latest research on coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes. Mattias Carlstrom from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reviewed the latest scientific research on the association between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes risk, including his own meta-analysis of the data which looked at 30 prospective studies, with a total of 1,185,210 participants. Professor Kjeld Hermansen from Aarhus University in Denmark explored the potential mechanistic perspectives behind the inverse association between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes, presenting a summary