Page 249 - Health Medical Pharma
Ananth Kumar's portfolios go to Gowda, Tomar
President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday, at the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assigned the charge of Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers to Cabinet Minister D V Sadananda Gowda in addition to his existing portfolio of Ministry Statistics and Programme Implementation.Similarly, Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.It is worth mentioning that the portfolios of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers were held by Ananth Kumar, who died on Monday wee hours in Bengaluru.Kumar, 59, had been suffering from pancreatic cancer and was receiving treatment at the Shankar Cancer and Research Hospital in Bengaluru.
Odisha gets invest investment proposals of Rs 3,964 cr for 3 sectors
The Odisha government Tuesday received investment intents worth Rs 3,964 crore in healthcare, micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) and textile sectors on the second day of the ongoing Make in Odisha Conclave, 2018, official sources said. While the healthcare sector has received investment proposals worth Rs 2,750 crore, the MSME sector got Rs 1,177 crore worth proposals. Textile sector has received investment proposals worth Rs 137 crore, they said. Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena said investors have expressed their interest to be partners in several schemes like setting up a heart care hospital at Jharsuguda in the western part of the state, a comprehensive cancer care unit near Bhubaneswar and the state's affordable health care project. "So far, we have received proposal worth Rs 2,750 crore and the amount may go up as discussions are on on different projects," Jena said. The heart care centre in Jharsuguda will be built at an investment of Rs 70 crore, ...
Training of nurse, continuous drug supply will help improve primary care of chronic patients: Study
Training of non-physician health care providers, ensuring continuous drug supply, electronic storage of health records and systematic patient assessment can help in better management of chronic conditions of patients at primary health care settings, according to a recent study. The study on the effectiveness of a mHealth-Based Electronic Decision Support System for integrated management of chronic conditions in primary care in India was conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK (LSHTM) and the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC). The report was presented at the prestigious American Heart Association annual meeting in Chicago on Saturday. The results of the study were published in the American Heart Association Journal 'Circulation'. This study has key lessons for health systems of India in terms of the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at primary care settings. Professor Dorairaj Prabhakaran, ...
Mangalsutra, bangles, nails removed from woman's stomach
Objects such as mangalsutra, bangles and iron nails, weighing around 1.5 kg in total, were removed from the stomach of a mentally-ill woman after a surgery at the civil hospital here, a senior doctor said Tuesday. The woman, identified as Sangita, is in her mid-40s and suffers from 'acuphagia', a rare disorder which causes the person to eat metallic objects, the doctor said. Iron nails, nuts and bolts, safety pins, U-pins, hair pins, bracelets, chains, mangalsutra, copper ring and bangles among other things were taken out of her stomach after the operation which lasted for over two hours, said Dr Nitin Parmar of the hospital. She was brought to the civil hospital from a government-run mental hospital where she had been admitted after being found wandering in the city streets, he said. "She complained of stomach pain. Her stomach was found to be stone-hard. X-ray revealed several foreign objects in her body, so an operation was performed. Safety pins were protruding from
Families knowing symptoms and risks of diabetes better positioned to prevent it: WHO
Families which know the symptoms and complications of diabetes are best positioned to prevent it, WHO said Tuesday, asserting that health authorities should harness the capacity as about 91 million people in the South-East Asia Region live with the disease. On the eve of World Diabetes Day, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh said the global health body will continue to support all member states to empower families to tackle diabetes head-on and ensure they can do so effectively everywhere. "Families that know the signs, symptoms, risks and complications of diabetes are best positioned to prevent the disease and seek medical care to manage it," she said. "Health authorities regionwide should harness this capacity given an estimated 91 million people in the WHO South-East Asia Region live with diabetes, with around 49 million unaware of their condition," she said. Singh noted that undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes type 1 and type 2 can cause heart, .
Novo Nordisk Education Foundation Launches '1000-Day Challenge' to Impact Diabetes Care in India Over Next 3 Years
/ -- - An 'All-India Diabetes Care Index' to monitor the state of diabetes, has been released - To mark World Diabetes Day, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF) and Novo Nordisk India Pvt. Ltd. have launched a '1000-Day Challenge' programme along with leading healthcare practitioners to address uncontrolled diabetes in India. Uncontrolled diabetes is a serious challenge in India with over INR 63,000 crore incurred in healthcare costs per year due to diabetes. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783801/NNEF_Launches_Impact_India.jpg ) The 1000-Day Challenge intends to improve awareness and education amongst 150,000 practitioners and 10,000 paramedics through over 6,000 medical meetings and continuous medical education (CMEs) programmes over the said period. In addition, for the first time, real-time data on the state of diabetes care is being made available through an innovative 'India Diabetes Care Index'. The Index provides the average blood sugar control over 3 months of a .
Obesity may cause depression even in absence of health issues
Overweight and obese people may be at increased risk of depression, even in the absence of other health problems, warns new research.
Meghalaya launches door to door campaign to identify leprosy
Meghalaya government has launched a door to door campaign to identify leprosy patients to ensure that no patient remains untreated, state Health Minister A L Hek said on Tuesday. He said the programme will ensure that the government's goal of achieving 'zero leprosy' patient is achieved. "Our teams in the health department are working towards ensuring that there will be zero cases of leprosy in the state. We will be going from door to door to identify leprosy patients," Hek told PTI on the sidelines of the launch of a campaign against leprosy. Nodal Officer for Leprosy Dr H Marbaniang said teams of anganwadi workers, auxiliary nurse mid-wives (ANMs) and Asha health workers will go from door to door to make people aware of the dangers of the disease. The officer said there were 16 newly detected cases in the past one year. In 2015, 33 cases of leprosy were registered with the health authorities, six of which were newly detected and 38 patients were released as cured. In .
300 Little Hearts Saved: WPP India CSR Foundation and Genesis Foundation Achieve a New Milestone
/ -- An association that saved 300 under-privileged children suffering from Congenital Heart Defects giving them a renewed chance at life WPP India Corporate Social Responsibility Foundation, along with Genesis Foundation achieved a new milestone of treating 300 kids with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD). Genesis Foundation has been working as an implementation partner with WPP India CSR Foundation since 2015 towards Saving Little Hearts. Enabling children in their pursuit of good health is one of the most important pillars of support allowing them to complete their education and follow successful livelihoods. WPP India CSR Foundation and Genesis Foundation have been instrumental in supporting pivotal surgeries across the country. Over the span of three years (2015-18), this welfare collaboration has supported 300 kids. The average number of children treated per month has increased from 8 to 15 over the years, due to strategic partnerships with hospitals and diligent outreach through ...
'Less sleep may lead to poor diet, obesity in kids'
Insufficient sleep duration in children may be associated with poor diet, obesity and more screen time, a study warns. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, shows that less sleep was linked with unhealthy dietary habits such as skipping breakfast, fast-food consumption and consuming sweets regularly. Insufficient sleep duration also was associated with increased screen time and being overweight/obese, researchers said. "Approximately 40 per cent of schoolchildren in the study slept less than recommended," said Labros Sidossis from Rutgers University in the US. "Insufficient sleeping levels were associated with poor dietary habits, increased screen time and obesity in both genders," Sidossis said. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children six to 12 years of age should sleep nine to 12 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep eight to 10 hours. Population data were derived from a ...
IIT profs discover tamarind seed protein as anti-viral agent to be used in chikungunya medication
Two professors at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee claimed to have discovered a protein in tamarind seeds that has antiviral properties and can potentially be used to develop medication for chikungunya. The research group at IIT Roorkee has filed a patent for an antiviral composition containing this tamarind antiviral protein and is now developing tamarind-based therapeutic agents for chikungunya. "Tamarind is known for various medicinal properties in India and is a excellent Ayurvedic food. The fruits, seeds, leaves and roots bark of the tamarind tree have been used to treat abdominal pain, diarrhoea and dysentery, bacterial infections and parasitic infestations, wounds, constipation and inflammation," said one of the professors, Shaily Tomar. Lectin, a diverse group of proteins derived from plant sources, are known to bind to glycan sugars. Its use as antiviral has been extensively studied for a range of viruses, including HIV and HPV. The IIT professors, in a study, ...
Simple ovarian cysts don't require surgical removal: Study
It's better to ignore simple ovarian cysts as researchers have found that such cysts are extremely common in women and do not require additional ultrasound surveillance or surgical removal.
Milk in India largely safe, quality issue persist: FSSAI
Milk in India is largely safe, even though quality issues persist, an interim report released by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said Tuesday. The report of the National Milk Quality Survey, 2018, FSSAI said is by far the largest systematic study of milk, both in terms of sample size (6,432 samples) and number of parameters. The study, found that, little less than 10 per cent samples (638) had contaminants (mainly from poor farm practices and quality of feed) that make milk unsafe for consumption, while over 90 per cent of samples were found safe, said FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal while releasing the interim survey. "Milk in India is largely free from adulterants which render it unsafe for consumption. Merely 12 out of total 6,432 samples had adulterants that affect the safety of milk," he said. The occurrence of such adulterants is statistically insignificant considering the sample size in the survey, he added. The survey tested for 13 adulterants including vegetable .
'Artificial intelligence may boost malaria drug discovery'
Researchers have developed an end-to-end drug discovery pipeline for malaria by using the next generation artificial intelligence (AI). Malaria is one of the world's oldest infectious diseases that still causes a lot of health problems in many tropical countries, according to the research published in the journal Scientific Reports. Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous human malaria parasite, is believed to cause hundreds of millions of illnesses and about half a million deaths a year, said researchers from Insilico Medicine Taiwan. Plasmodium falciparum causes malaria in humans by destroying human haemoglobin through falcipain-2 (FP2). Inhibitors of FP2 block haemoglobin destruction and parasite development, suggesting that FP2 inhibition is a promising target for antimalarial therapy, researchers said. The control of malaria has been hindered by increasing resistance of malaria parasites to available drugs, they said. New antimalarial drugs, ideally directed against new ...
'Almonds may boost heart health in diabetic people'
Including almonds in the diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes, researchers have found. According to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes currently affects over 425 million people worldwide, and more than 72.9 million cases were reported in India in 2017. A study, published in the Journal of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, on 50 Indians with type 2 diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels, found that substituting whole, unroasted almonds for 20 calories in a well-balanced diet significantly improved measures of heart health linked to type 2 diabetes. Another study, published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism, looked at the effect of including 60 grammes of almonds a day on maintenance of blood sugar levels and cardiovascular disease factors among 33 Chinese participants with type 2 diabetes. While the almond diet offered better overall nutritional quality, neither diet -- with or without almonds -- improved blood
Lupin gets USFDA nod for Asthma drug
Drug major Lupin Tuesday said it has received approval from the US health regulator to market Budesonide Inhalation Suspension single-dose ampules, used for treating Asthma. The product approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is a generic version of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP's Pulmicort Respules Inhalation Suspension, 0.5 mg/2 mL, Lupin said in a regulatory filing. Quoting IQVIA MAT September data, Lupin said, the said Asthma drug had annual sales of around USD 474.5 million in the US. Shares of Lupin were Tuesday trading 1.30 per cent down at Rs 849.30 apiece on the BSE.
Aurobindo Pharma drops after poor Q2 result
Aurobindo Pharma lost 4.11% to Rs 765.50 at 12:35 IST on BSE after consolidated net profit dropped 21.73% to Rs 611.43 crore on 7.43% rise in total income to Rs 4777.90 crore in Q2 September 2018 over Q2 September 2017.
Can diabetes medication improve heart structure?
According to a recent study, diabetes medication empagliflozin can improve cardiac structure in diabetics who also have heart disease.Led by St. Michael's Hospital researchers, the study was presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago."Empagliflozin is used to reduce glucose in diabetes patients, but it also has profound cardiovascular benefits," said Dr Subodh Verma."The reasons why this medication results in profound reductions in death and heart failure are largely unknown," added Dr Verma. "And whether it can directly and favourably remodel the heart has been an important unanswered question."The increased thickness of the heart's left ventricle is associated with heart disease and heart failure. The study found that when the subjects were given empagliflozin, it caused a significant regression in left ventricular mass index. The left ventricular mass index was assessed using cardiac MRI, the gold standard method for evaluating heart function."The results are ...
Tobacco availability increases smoking rates in pregnant women
Pregnant women are more likely to smoke if they live in areas with a number of cigarette selling shops, according to a new study.Conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, the findings appeared in the journal Tobacco Control.Pregnant women living in Scottish neighbourhoods with the highest availability of tobacco products are 70 per cent more likely to smoke than if they live in areas where no tobacco is sold, researchers say.The team examined maternity records - which include details of expectant mothers' smoking behaviour - for the more than 700,000 births in Scotland between 2000 and 2015. They focused on women who had at least two babies during the period and moved neighbourhood between pregnancies.The data was analysed in tandem with information on all the tobacco outlets in Scotland. Researchers found that the risk of women smoking during a pregnancy increased in line with the local availability of tobacco products.Limiting the supply of tobacco could help to cut ..
Breakfast and diabetes: What's the connection? (November 14 is World Diabetes Day)
You have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast, as the name implies, is to break the fast between dinner and lunch.