Page 257 - Health Medical Pharma
Novel nanorobots to propel through eyeballs
An international team of scientists have developed a propeller-shaped nanorobots that, for the first time, can drill through dense tissue as is prevalent in an eye.
Skin cancer deaths higher in men than in women: Study
The global death rates for melanoma -- most serious type of skin cancer -- has seen a steep rise in men since 1985, with mortality rates among women rising more slowly or even declining, according to researchers, including one of Indian-origin.
Excess noise may increase heart disease, stroke risk: Study
Chronic exposure to excess noise may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke by activating a brain region involved in stress response, a study warns. This response in turn promotes blood vessel inflammation, said researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US. The findings reveal that people with the highest levels of chronic noise exposure -- such as highway and airport noise -- had an increased risk of suffering cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes, regardless of other risk factors. The study offers much-needed insight into the biological mechanisms of the well-known, but poorly understood, interplay between cardiovascular disease and chronic noise exposure, researchers said. "A growing body of research reveals an association between ambient noise and cardiovascular disease, but the physiological mechanisms behind it have remained unclear," said Azar Radfar, a research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "We believe our findings .
Cerebellum also refines thoughts: Study
The cerebellum of our brain that was once believed only limited to movement control has now been associated with playing a key role in higher functions like attention, thinking, planning and decision-making, researchers have found.
Can genetics predict response to antipsychotic medications?
A recent study has found that genetics could be used to predict a patient's response to antipsychotic drug treatment for schizophrenia.The findings of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.Schizophrenia is characterised by delusions, hallucinations and disorganised thoughts and behavior. The condition is currently treated with antipsychotic drugs, but this therapy is given without guidance from lab tests to show effectiveness, as is common in other areas of medicine.Doctors often use "trial-and-error" when choosing a treatment for schizophrenia, without knowing if patients will respond well. This uncertainty places a large burden on not only patients and their families, but also health care professionals and health care systems.For this study, professor Todd Lencz and his team used genetic tests to predict ultimate response to medications in patients suffering their first episode of schizophrenia. Rather than testing for a ...
Chocolate, tea with zinc may help reduce ageing: Study
Zinc may protect from oxidative stress when taken together with a component found in foodstuffs such as wine, coffee, tea and chocolate, a study claims. Ageing and a low life expectancy are caused, at least partly, by oxidative stress, said researchers from the University of ErlangenNuremberg in Germany. The study, published in the journal Nature Chemistry, discovered that zinc can activate an organic molecule that helps to protect against oxidative stress. "It is certainly possible that wine, coffee, tea or chocolate may well be available in the future with added zinc," said Ivana Ivanovi-Burmazov from University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. "However, any alcohol content whatsoever would destroy the positive effects of this combination," said Ivanovi-Burmazovi. Zinc is a trace mineral humans need in order to remain healthy. Researchers, including those from Auburn University in the US, found that zinc can protect against the superoxide responsible for oxidative stress when taken together ..
Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd rises for third straight session
The stock is quoting at Rs 9850, up 1.61% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd is up 11.33% in last one year as compared to a 0.63% jump in NIFTY and a 10.79% jump in the Nifty FMCG index.
Melanoma death rate rising in men, finds study
A study has revealed that deaths due to Melanoma or skin cancer are on the rise amongst men while in some countries the rates are steady or falling for women.The research was presented at the 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference, which included a study of worldwide data on deaths between 1985 and 2015 gathered by the World Health Organisation, with a focus on 33 countries.They extracted the rates for malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, and compared the rates for men and women by looking at trends over time.The researchers believe that more research is required to understand the trend, however efforts to raise awareness amongst men is the need of the hour.One of the presenters of the research, Dorothy Yang, said that the major risk factor for melanoma is "overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, either from sun exposure or from using sunbeds"."Despite public health efforts to promote awareness of melanoma and encourage sun-smart behaviours, melanoma incidence has been ...
Diet rich in fish helps fight asthma: Study
Eating fish such as salmon, trout and sardines as part of a healthy diet can reduce asthma symptoms in children, a study has found. The clinical trial led by La Trobe University in Australia found that children with asthma who followed a healthy Mediterranean diet enriched with fatty fish had improved lung function after six months. The findings, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, added to a growing body of evidence that a healthy diet could be a potential therapy for childhood asthma. "We already know that a diet high in fat, sugar and salt can influence the development and progression of asthma in children and now we have evidence that it's also possible to manage asthma symptoms through healthy eating," said Maria Papamichael, lead researcher from La Trobe. "Fatty fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids which have anti-inflammatory properties. Our study shows eating fish just twice a week can significantly decrease lung inflammation in children with asthma," she
New hope for spinal-cord injury patients
Researchers in Hyderabad are developing a new strategy for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) for which currently there is no satisfactory cure.
Suven Life Sciences presents clinical data at Neuroscience 2018.
W.e.f. 04 November 2018
Understanding impact of childhood stress
A recent study was conducted to understand the targets of childhood stress to suggest new strategies for intervention.The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2018, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.Excessive stress during fetal development or early childhood can have long-term consequences for the brain, from increasing the likelihood of brain disorders and affecting an individual's response to stress as an adult to changing the nutrients a mother may pass on to her babies in the womb.The new research suggests novel approaches to combat the effects of such stress, such as inhibiting stress hormone production or "resetting" populations of immune cells in the brain.Childhood stress increases the chance of developing anxiety, depression, or drug addiction later in life by two to four times, while stress during pregnancy may increase the child's risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, as well as several other psychiatric illnesses.Scientists are discovering more .
Eating fish reduces childhood asthma: Study
Eating fish like salmon, trout and sardines can significantly reduce asthma symptoms in children, a study led by Australian researchers have found.
MAHE Chancellor conferred Life Time Achievement award by FICCI
Dr. Ramdas M Pai, Chairman Emeritus - Manipal Education and Medical Group and President & Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has been awarded 'Lifetime Achievement Award 2018' for his enormous contributions in the fields of education and healthcare by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).The award was received by Dr. H Vinod Bhat, Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education from Secretary, Ministry of HRD as Dr. Pai was unable to attend the function owing to other commitments."Is an epitome of dedication and perseverance, who has contributed immensely at national and international level. He has spent his entire life working with all the Group of Institutions and his name has till date been synonymous with perseverance, dedication and attaining a larger purpose in all human endeavor," said Dr Pai, a recipient of Padma Bhushan."This is a proud moment for us. I take this opportunity to congratulate him personally, as well
Docs at city hospital perform angioplasty in one-third time of internationally-accepted protocol
Doctors of a hospital here claimed to have performed an emergency angioplasty on a 42-year-old man within 34 minutes of him being brought to the hospital, significantly reducing the door-to-balloon turn-around-time (TAT) of 90 minutes according to internationally-accepted protocol. Door-to-balloon time refers to the time taken for heart attack victims to receive balloon angioplasty treatment from the moment they walk through the hospital doors. Chennai resident Santosh Kumar, who was on a business trip to the national capital, collapsed after complaining of chest pain on October 9. He was rushed to BLK Super Speciality Hospital, where he was detected that he had developed an extensive anterior myocardial infarction, the most serious cardiac emergency as it can lead to cardiac arrest or severe damage to the heart, Navneet Singh, Director, Emergency and Acute Care at BLK Heart Centre, said. He was immediately shifted to the cath lab under care of Dr Neeraj Bhalla, senior consultant and .
'Swasth Bharat Yatra' reaches Nagaland
The North East Region leg of the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a pan-India cycle rally inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March and Salt Satyagraha of 1930, arrived Nagaland on Sunday. Nagaland is the third state in the region, after Mizoram and Manipur, to be covered by the rally under the theme 'Eat Right India'. On reaching Kohima from Manipur, the 29 cyclists with two FSSAI officials were given a traditional Naga welcome by state government officials. The rally would lead the nation towards freedom from diseases, a statement issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on arrival at Kohima. The FSSAI is leading this campaign where about 7,500 odd cyclists are taking part in over 18,000 km relay cycle rally travelling across six tracks through almost every state and UT over 100 days. The rally began on October 16 and will culminate in the national capital on January 27. In his address, MLA Dr Longrineken said diabetes, obesity and heart diseases are .
This drink makes deadly brain tumour cells glow, aids surgery
A drink containing a compound that makes tumour cells glow has helped surgeons in Britain to spot and safely remove brain cancer.
Information asymmetry causes anti-competitive practices in healthcare sector: CCI chief
Many anti-competitive practices in the healthcare sector are due to information asymmetry but may not be violating competition law, the CCI chief has said. Last month, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) came out with a policy note titled 'Making Markets Work for Affordable Healthcare' wherein it had flagged various issues. CCI chairperson Sudhir Mital said that many of the anti-competitive practices observed in the healthcare sector were due to the information asymmetry prevalent in the sector. These "may not violate the competition law but tends to create conditions that do not permit the process of competition to unfold effectively in the market", he told PTI in an interview. According to him, the policy note recognises that these issues would require some regulatory interventions from concerned ministries. There have been persisting concerns about alleged unfair business ways in the pharmaceuticals and healthcare space while in certain matters the fair trade regulator has ...
Blood vessel cell changes could help early detection of blocked arteries
According to a new study, it may be possible to detect early signs of atherosclerosis, which leads to blocked arteries, by looking at how cells in blood vessels change their function. The study appeared in the Journal of Nature Communications.The muscle cells that line the blood vessels have long been known to multi-task. While their main function is pumping blood through the body, they are also involved in 'patching up' injuries in the blood vessels. Overzealous switching of these cells from the 'pumping' to the 'repair' mode can lead to atherosclerosis, resulting in the formation of 'plaques' in the blood vessels that block the blood flow.Using state-of-the-art genomics technologies, an interdisciplinary team of researchers based in Cambridge and London has caught a tiny number of vascular muscle cells in mouse blood vessels in the act of switching and described their molecular properties. The researchers used an innovative methodology known as single-cell RNA-sequencing, which ...
Childhood injuries from football are more long-lasting than you think!
A recent study has found evidence of brain injuries in football players from a surprisingly young age.There have been more and more cases confirming that repeated hits to the head have lifelong consequences for professional football players, but a new study has found evidence of lasting effects from head injuries at a much younger age than expected.The study tested biomarkers in the blood called micro RNAs and found that the college football players had elevated levels of these biomarkers that indicate concussions before the season even started.Linda Papa, lead author of the study said, "It was quite shocking to learn that the biomarkers were high before they were even involved in one hit or tackle for the season. This suggests that the effects of past head injuries are persisting over time."Researchers also conducted cognitive tests with each study participant before and after the season and found that those who struggled with balance and memory had higher levels of the biomarkers. ..