Page 254 - Health Medical Pharma
Soy-formula milk linked to menstrual pain later: Study
Feeding female babies soy-based formula milk can increase their risk of suffering from severe pain during their menstrual cycle later in their lives, warns a new study.
Conjoined Bhutanese twins separated in Australia surgery
Australian surgeons on Friday successfully separated 15-month-old Bhutanese twins, Nima and Dawa, who had been joined at the torso. The team of more than 20 doctors and nurses spent six hours operating on the pair, who shared a liver but no other major organs, to the relief of the surgeons. "We didn't find surprises," said Joe Crameri, who led the surgery at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. "We are here earlier because there weren't any things inside the girls' tummies that we weren't really prepared for," he told reporters. "We saw two young girls who were very ready for their surgery, who were able to cope very well with the surgery and are currently in our recovery doing very well," he told reporters. He said the next 24 to 48 hours would be critical to their recovery, but was optimistic about the outcome. Nima and Dawa, and their mother Bhumchu Zangmo, arrived in Australia a month ago with the help of an Australian charity, but doctors had delayed the surgery until ...
Importance of breast screening in reducing risk of breast cancer death
Breast screening is linked to lower risk of breast cancer death, according to a study.The research, led by Queen Mary University of London, has been published in the journal Cancer.The research, using data from Sweden, finds that women who chose to participate in an organised breast cancer screening programme had a 60 percent lower risk of dying from breast cancer within 10 years after diagnosis, and a 47 per cent lower risk of dying from breast cancer within 20 years after diagnosis.The authors said that this benefit occurs because screening detects cancers at an earlier stage, meaning that they respond much better to treatment.Senior author Professor Stephen Duffy said: "Recent improvements in treatments have led to reduced deaths from breast cancer. However, these new results demonstrate the vital role that screening also has to play, giving women a much greater benefit from modern treatments. We need to ensure that participation in breast screening programmes improves, especially .
Soy-based formula milk may increase risk of menstrual pain
According to a recent study, feeding women soy-based formula milk when they were babies increases risk of menstrual pain.The study has been published in Human Reproduction.The researchers found that women who had ever been fed soy formula as babies were 40 percent more likely to have used hormonal contraception at some point to alleviate menstrual pain compared to women who had not been fed soy formula as babies; between the ages of 18 and 22 years they were 50 percent more likely to have experienced moderate or severe menstrual discomfort or pain with most of their periods.Dr Kristen Upson said: "Menstrual pain is the most common menstrual complaint and can substantially affect the quality of women's lives. Exposure to oestrogens during infant development, such as the phytoestrogens in soy formula, may affect reproductive health in adulthood."Previous research in young adults who participated in feeding studies as infants reported an increased risk of greater menstrual pain severity .
Japan team transplants stem cells into brain to treat Parkinson's
Japanese researchers said Friday they have transplanted stem cells into the brain of a patient in the first stage of an innovative trial to cure Parkinson's disease. The research team at Kyoto University injected induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells -- which have the potential to develop into any cell in the body -- into the brain of a male patient in his fifties, the university said in a press release. The man was stable after the operation, which was performed last month, and he will now be monitored for two years, the university added. The researchers injected 2.4 million iPS cells into the left side of the patient's brain, in an operation that took about three hours. If no problems are observed in the coming six months, they will implant another 2.4 million cells into the right side. The iPS cells from healthy donors have been developed into the precursors of dopamine-producing brain cells, which are no longer present in people with Parkinson's disease. The operation came after ...
Strides' subsidiary inks pact with SUDA Pharmaceuticals for migraine drug
Strides Pharma Science Friday said its step-down subsidiary has entered into an exclusive product development, licensing and supply agreement with Australia's SUDA Pharmaceuticals for its novel drug SUD-001H, used in the treatment of migraine. Strides Pharma Science said this partnership with SUDA is part of its specialty portfolio for the US market. Under the terms of agreement, SUDA will receive an upfront cash payment of USD 0.4 million and a further payment of USD 0.6 million on reaching certain milestones including the pilot first-in-man clinical study, submission and approval of the product in the US," Strides Pharma Science said in a BSE filing. On commercial sales, SUDA will also receive royalties plus a handling fee. SUD-001H is an oral spray of sumatriptan to treat migraine headache. "Sumatriptan is one of the most widely used drugs for the treatment of acute migraine in adults. SUD-001H is a first-in-class mint-flavoured oral spray formulation of sumatriptan (marketed in ...
In US, cigarette smoking rate declines to new low
Cigarette smoking is losing popularity in the US, where health officials Thursday announced just 14 per cent of the population now smokes, the lowest level ever recorded in the country. Some 34 million US adults smoke cigarettes, according to a 2017 survey by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 14 per cent cigarette-smoker rate is down from 15.5 percent in 2016. The current rate marks a 67 per cent decline since 1965, the year the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) began collecting annual data on smokers, said the CDC report. "This new all-time low in cigarette smoking among US adults is a tremendous public health accomplishment," said CDC Director Robert Redfield. The NHIS report also highlighted a significant drop in young adult cigarette smokers in 2017 compared to a year earlier. About 10 per cent of Americans aged 18-24 smoked cigarettes in 2017, down from 13 per cent in 2016. Meanwhile, e-cigarette use is rising fast among young people, and US regulators .
No marked rise in patients with allergy, respiratory complications post-Diwali: Doctors
Allergy and respiratory complications were reported to Delhi hospitals on Thursday, but doctors said there was no marked rise in the number of such patients a day after Diwali even though air pollution rose to hazardous levels due to bursting of firecrackers. People suffering from bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and other such ailments are more likely to develop respiratory complications during Diwali due to fumes and smoke. "Patients having complaints of breathing problems and heart issues visited the facility even on Thursday," said a senior doctor at Safdarjung hospital. "Patients with respiration-related complications and allergy have been visiting AIIMS on other days too. There has been no marked rise in those as such," said a senior doctor at the hospital said. Delhi hospitals have witnessed a rise in cases of respiratory and breathing complications due to pollution over the past a few weeks, with doctors advising them, especially children and the elderly, to stay indoors as
Smoking, diabetes & hypertension spike heart attack risk in women
Although men are at greater risk of heart attack than women, unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, besides diabetes and hypertension increase the risk of heart attack in the fairer sex than in their male counterparts, a new study has found.
Glenmark nmark Pharma announces launching Phase 1 Trial on human translational data
On 08 November 2018
Human babies and chimps laugh alike: Study
Babies laugh as they both exhale and inhale, in a manner that is remarkably similar to non-human primates, says a new study that can offer insight into vocal production of children with developmental disorders.
Hospitals report cases of burn, eye injuries this Diwali
Over 250 cases of burn injuries were reported by various hospitals in the national capital this Diwali. The five government hospitals -- Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML), Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB), Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) and Lok Nayak (LN), reported majority of the burn injuries and firecracker-related accidents. The Centre-run Safdarjung hospital, which has largest burns unit in the country, received around 104 cases, including 22 admissions related to major burn injuries, from 9 AM on Wednesday to 9 AM on Thursday. "While 22 patients were admitted, rest were treated as out patients," said Dr Shalabh Kumar, Professor and Consultant, Plastic Surgery Department, Safdarjung Hospital. Of the total 104 patients, 26 were children. At the RML Hospital, located in central Delhi, 25 people came to the casualty wards with burn injuries, out of whom, six patients had to be admitted as they had more than 20 per cent burns, said Dr V K Tiwari, Medical Superintendent of the hospital. The Dr R .
IIT researchers develop carbon nanomaterials for simultaneous detection, destruction of cancer cells
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, have developed fluorescent carbon nanodots for simultaneous detection and destruction of cancer cells. The nanosized (10-9 metre) carbon materials that can serve as therapeutic and diagnostic agents for cancer have been extracted from the leaves of the rosy periwinkle plant. "Such events of real-time image guided anticancer therapy by a single system open a new paradigm in the field of anticancer therapy. With these nanomaterials, we can identify the cancer cells and track them by an imaging system simultaneously as the cells themselves are being eradicated in a precise surgical strike," said P Gopinath who is leading the team. "We are planning next stage animal studies for further evaluation of these nanomaterials in oncological applications, for both diagnostics and treatment," he added. The research by IIT scholars has been supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and the Department of ...
Skin-like sensor map body's blood-oxygen levels
Scientists have developed thin, flexible sensor that can map blood-oxygen levels over large areas of skin, tissue and organs, potentially giving doctors a new way to monitor healing wounds in real time. The sensor, described in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is made of organic electronics printed on bendable plastic that molds to the contours of the body. Unlike fingertip oximeters, it can detect blood-oxygen levels at nine points in a grid and can be placed anywhere on the skin. It could potentially be used to map oxygenation of skin grafts, or to look through the skin to monitor oxygen levels in transplanted organs, the researchers say. "All medical applications that use oxygen monitoring could benefit from a wearable sensor," said Ana Claudia Arias, a professor at University of California, Berkeley in the US. "Patients with diabetes, respiration diseases and even sleep apnea could use a sensor that could be worn anywhere to monitor blood-oxygen levels .
Childhood exercise can combat diabetes caused by father's obesity
Besides promoting long-lasting health, regular exercise in childhood can also counteract negative health effects such as diabetes inherited by father's obesity, researchers say.
Women who wake up early less prone to breast cancer
Turns out, women who are naturally early risers were found to have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.According to a study, one in 100 women who considered themselves morning people developed breast cancer, compared with two in every 100 women who called themselves evening people.Cancer risks associated with a person's body clock and sleep patterns have been reported in previous researches as well as any genetic factors underlying this.Self-reported preferences for mornings or evenings (by their own definition of that preference) were recorded in more than 180,000 women, led by Dr. Rebecca Richmond, a researcher.The team of researchers also analysed genetic variants linked to whether someone is a morning or night person in more than 220,000 women to find out if these could help provide a causal link to breast cancer.This type of statistical model, called Mendelian randomisation, showed that people whose genes made them more likely to be early risers were less likely to develop ..
Singing may reduce Parkinson's symptoms: Study
Singing may reduce stress and symptoms of Parkinson's disease, say scientists who found that the benefits of musical therapy were similar to taking medication. Researchers from Iowa State University in the US measured heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels for 17 participants in a therapeutic singing group. Participants also reported feelings of sadness, anxiety, happiness and anger. Data was collected prior to and following a one-hour singing session. "We see the improvement every week when they leave singing group. It's almost like they have a little pep in their step. We know they're feeling better and their mood is elevated," said Elizabeth Stegemoller, an assistant professor at Iowa State University. "Some of the symptoms that are improving, such as finger tapping and the gait, don't always readily respond to medication, but with singing they're improving," said Stegemoller. This is one of the first studies to look at how singing affects heart rate, blood pressure and ...
New skin-like sensor maps blood-oxygen levels in body
US engineers have developed a new lightweight, thin and flexible sensor that can map blood-oxygen levels over large areas of skin, tissue and organs, potentially giving doctors a new way to monitor healing wounds in real time.
Tumour immune cells can aid cancer therapies: Study
Analysts for a recent study, designed a pioneering technique to spot differences between immune cells in tumours that could speed the development of cancer treatments.Researchers at the University of Edinburgh analysed genes from anonymised medical databases of thousands of tumours to identify genes associated with immune cells. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Cancer Immunology Research.Scientists said that the approach could be used to help doctors choose the best treatments for individual patients and predict which tumours are likely to respond to a particular therapy.It could also help to target the use of immunotherapy - a new form of treatment that uses the body's own defences to tackle cancer. This therapy has shown great promise in recent years, but identifying which patients will respond best is a challenge for doctors.The new approach - based on gene analysis - makes it easier to spot the range of immune cells present in a tumour. These cells could ..
Battling cancer, Abby Lee Miller returns to 'Dance Moms'
American choreographer, Abby Lee Miller, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer, is back in front of cameras!The 52-year-old posted her image, on Instagram, filming a documentary amid her treatment. Her caption read, " Grrrrrrrr!!!! Back to the daily grind."The 'Dance Moms' star underwent a spinal surgery for an infection but was then diagnosed with cancer six months ago.Earlier, Miller's spinal surgeon told E!online that the reality star likely has Burkitt lymphoma, a type of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, adding that pathology results are still pending. The doctor's representative also said he is unsure if the lymphoma has spread at this point.The star was shifted from a prison to a house last month after spending more than eight months in federal prison for concealing bankruptcy assets and not reporting an international monetary transaction.