Page 270 - Health Medical Pharma
How stress associated with social stigma affects autistic people
Stress related to social stigma - such as discrimination and rejection - contributes to poor mental health in the autistic community, a study has found.The findings have been published in the Journal of Society and Mental Health.The researchers from the University of Surrey and University College London examined how stress related to social stigma, testing the 'minority stress theory' conducted an online survey with 111 participants, who considered themselves autistic, to assess stressors that were thought to lead to a decline in their mental health.Minority stress describes chronically high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups, which the researchers believed would also apply to autistic people.For the first time, researchers found that social stress related to the stigma experienced by those on the autism spectrum was predictive of higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of emotional, psychological, and social well-being.Importantly, the ..
Zydus Cadila gets USFDA nod to market generic seizures treatment drug
Drug firm Zydus Cadila Tuesday said it has received final nod from the US health regulator to market generic Clobazam tablets used for treatment of seizures caused by a paediatric epilepsy syndrome. The company has received the final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market Clobazam tablets in the strengths of 10 mg and 20 mg, in the American market, Zydus Cadila said in a statement. The product is a generic version of Onfi tablets, it added. The tablets "will be manufactured at the group's formulations manufacturing facility at Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Ahmedabad," Zydus Cadila said. Clobazam is used in combination with other medications to treat seizures caused by a paediatric epilepsy syndrome (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) that also causes developmental and behavioural problems, it added. The group now has 224 approvals and has so far filed over 330 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) since the commencement of its filing process, Zydus ...
AstraZeneca digs deeper into cancer with Innate stake
LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - AstraZeneca is ploughing deeper into cancer immunotherapy through a wide-ranging deal with Innate Pharma, which includes the British group buying a 9.8 percent stake in the French biotech company.
Weight loss linked with active self-control
A new research has suggested that higher-level brain functions play a major role in losing weight.In the study among 24 participants at a weight-loss clinic, those who achieved the greatest success in terms of weight loss demonstrated more activity in the brain regions of the lateral prefrontal cortex associated with self-control. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Cell Metabolism."What we found is that in humans, the control of body weight is dependent largely on the areas of the brain involved in self-control and self-regulation. That area of the brain has the ability to take into account long-term information, such as the desire to be healthy, in order to control immediate desires," said Alain Dagher of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital in Canada.Two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, are known to trigger the body to eat in a weight-loss setting. Previous research confirms that these hormone levels change rapidly when weight is shed."Everybody who ..
'AI doctor' could boost survival in sepsis patients
Scientists have created an artificial intelligence (AI) system that could help treat patients with sepsis by predicting the best treatment strategy. The system developed by researchers from Imperial College London in the UK analysed the records of about 100,000 hospital patients in intensive care units and every single doctor's decisions affecting them. The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showed the AI system made more reliable treatment decisions than human doctors. The system, called AI Clinician, could be used alongside medical professionals, to help doctors decide the best treatment strategy for patients, researchers said. Sepsis can cause a drastic drop in blood pressure which can leave organs deprived of blood flow and oxygen, and can ultimately lead to multiple organ failure and death. To raise blood pressure and keep the heart pumping, doctors give extra fluids, usually in the form of a salt solution, as well as medication that tightens blood vessels and ...
Gates Foundation India letter showcases how collaborations help bring about real impact
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today released its annual 'India Country Office (ICO) Letter 2018' highlighting the theme of Celebrating Partnerships.The ICO letter, an annual feature at the Gates Foundation India office, demonstrates the foundation's commitment to collaborations with key stakeholders across various sectors to leverage their unique strengths, in order to deliver solutions to address some of India's most pressing health and development challenges.The letter provides specific examples of such collaborative efforts and illustrates how this approach has helped solve problems, ranging from issues such as vaccination to maternal, newborn and child care to local level sensitization of farmers.The foundation's operating approach is based on collaborations and, at every stage, informed by a broad group of experts inside and outside the foundation, community leaders, government officials, civil society leaders and advocates.Nachiket Mor, Country Director, India, ...
'Game changer' tuberculosis drug cures 8 in 10
A new treatment for a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis can cure 80 percent of sufferers, according to a trial hailed Monday as a "game changer" in the fight against the global killer. Doctors in Belarus -- a country with one of the highest rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the world -- spent months treating patients with a new drug, bedaquiline, alongside other antibiotics. The results, seen exclusively by AFP, were startling: Of the 181 patients given the new drug, 168 people completed the course and 144 were totally cured. The World Health Organisation says currently only 55 percent of people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are successfully treated. The Belarus trial cure rate -- 80 percent -- was largely replicated in bedaquiline trials in other countries in eastern Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia, according to abstracts seen by AFP, due to be unveiled at a major tuberculosis conference later this week. "The results from this study confirm... that newer ...
Liver transplant survival rate improving among older adults, finds research
Researchers have recently reported successful liver transplants in older adults, even in people who are in their 80's.An increasing number of older adults are diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. The end-stage liver disease is a life-threatening condition in which the liver stops working normally. It can be caused by hepatitis, alcoholism, cancer, and other conditions. A liver transplant is the only treatment for end-stage liver disease.Although older adults make up almost 24 percent of people waiting for liver transplants, they have often not been considered candidates for receiving this life-saving surgery.That's because older adults often do poorly following liver transplant surgery. One reason for this is that older adults with liver disease often have many other health challenges which make recovery from transplant surgery more difficult.However, according to researchers, liver transplant survival rate is improving among older adults. The findings of the study have been ...
Britain's AstraZeneca to buy 9.8 percent stake in France's Innate Pharma
PARIS (Reuters) - British drugmaker AstraZeneca will buy a newly issued equity stake of 9.8 percent in smaller French peer Innate Pharma, as consolidation intensifies in the healthcare sector.
Grief can lead to death, reveals study
Heartbreak needs to be taken seriously because according to a recent study, grief can lead to death.The study examined the impact grief has on human health. It builds on previous research from the lab of Chris Fagundes, the study's lead author, who studied risk factors for inflammation."Previous research has shown that inflammation contributes to almost every disease in older adulthood," Fagundes said. The findings of the study have been published in the Journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology."We also know that depression is linked to higher levels of inflammation, and those who lose a spouse are at considerably higher risk of major depression, heart attack, stroke, and premature mortality. However, this is the first study to confirm that grief, regardless of people's levels of depressive symptoms, can promote inflammation, which in turn can cause negative health outcomes."According to Fagundes, this finding is an important revelation in the study of how human behaviour and activities ...
120 people tested positive for Zika in Rajasthan
Around 120 people have tested positive for Zika virus in Rajasthan, state health minister Kalicharan Saraf said on Monday."Till, now, 120 people have tested positive for Zika Virus in the state out of which 105 of them have been treated," he said, adding that door-to-door survey is being done for screening and awareness of the virus.He further said that the disease can be cured within one week if adequate preventive measures are followed by the patients."According to medical experts, the Zika fever can be cured if patients, who are suffering from it, get plenty of rest, drink ample amount of water, and take medicines such as paracetamol, they can get cured within a week," Saraf added.The Zika virus disease, a mosquito-borne viral infection is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day. Symptoms of this disease are mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache.Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause ...
Aurangabad: One student killed, 20 injured in bus-truck collision
One school student died while 20 others were injured after their bus collided with a truck on late Monday night in Bihar's Aurangabad district.The students were returning from Rajgir following an educational trip. The injured have been admitted to a hospital for medical treatment.Speaking on the matter, Aurangabad sub-divisional officer (SDO) Pradeep Kumar said, "One child has died. Those who were admitted at the hospital have been given first aid while the ones who were critical have been referred to Jamui. A team of doctors is looking after all of them.
Mexican student fits bra with app to detect breast cancer
A device made of a brassiere cup fitted with a mobile application, developed by a Mexican student, is designed to be an ally of mammograms for the timely detection of breast cancer in women with very dense breast tissue and in those under age 40.
Fill your diet with organic foods to dodge cancer diagnosis
A recent study suggests that eating organic fruits and vegetables might help you dodge a cancer diagnosis.According to the study, published in journal JAMA Internal Medicine, people who consumed the most organic foods had a 25 percent lower cancer risk compared with those who ate the least, the study found.Lead researcher of the study, Julia Baudry said that eating more organically grown foods is linked to a 34 percent reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, a 76 percent decreased risk for all lymphomas and an 86 percent reduced risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma."If our findings are confirmed, organic food consumption may contribute to cancer prevention," Baudry said, though the study did not prove they directly caused cancer risk to drop.The researcher further suggested that people shouldn't stop eating fruits and vegetables if they can't afford more expensive organically grown options.Filling your diet with fruits and vegetables is known to reduce your risk of chronic disease and
Israel discovers blood test to match treatment to lung cancer
Israeli researchers have discovered a method for matching precise treatment to lung cancer patients through simple blood tests, Hebrew-language website "Ynet" reported on Monday.
Poor oral health linked to higher blood pressure: study
According to a recent study, people with high blood pressure taking medication for their condition are more likely to benefit from the therapy if they have good oral health.Findings of the analysis, based on a review of medical and dental exam records of more than 3,600 people with high blood pressure, reveal that those with healthier gums have lower blood pressure and responded better to blood pressure-lowering medications, compared with individuals who have gum disease, a condition known as periodontitis. Specifically, people with periodontal disease were 20 percent less likely to reach healthy blood pressure ranges, compared with patients in good oral health.Considering the findings, the researchers say patients with periodontal disease may warrant closer blood pressure monitoring, while those diagnosed with hypertension, or persistently elevated blood pressure, might benefit from a referral to a dentist.Davide Pietropaoli, lead investigator of the study said, "Physicians should ...
Researchers explain evolution of nervous system
A latest study has given an insight into how animal nervous systems evolved from simple structures to become the complex network transmitting signals between different parts of the body.As part of the study, researchers used simple multicellular organisms called Placozoa to reveal the beginnings of the nervous systems found in more complex animals. The international research team found that Placozoa can coordinate their movement and body shape, in the absence of a nervous system, by signaling with small peptides between cells.Professor Jekely, the lead researcher of the study, believes that a peptidergic signaling system allows a very high complexity of the behavioural organisation. The study is published in the journal of Current Biology.Jekely said, "Each peptide can be used individually as a different signal, but the peptides could also be used sequentially or together in different combinations which allow for very high numbers of unique signals between cells. This explains how ...
Faulty hip transplant patients seek clarity from Health Ministry
Patients using Johnson and Johnson's allegedly faulty ASR (articular surface replacement) hip implant have written to the Health Ministry expressing concern over the quantum of compensation and seeking clarity.
IAVI, Serum join hands to develop antibody products for HIV, other diseases
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Serum Institute of India Monday announced a strategic partnership to develop and manufacture monoclonal antibody products for HIV and other global health challenges. "Through this partnership, we will work to pioneer a viable and sustainable pathway toward accessible, low-cost, antibody-based products for HIV, which if successful, may also be applied more broadly to innovative monoclonal antibody therapeutics targeting other disease areas," IAVI president and CEO Mark Feinberg said in a statement. Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said the company has a proven record of developing and delivering vaccines and pharmaceutical products globally, and it is already applying this expertise in the field of antibody development. "Serum Institute and IAVI have joined forces in the fight against HIV with the aim of making cost-effective monoclonal antibodies for HIV, and in the fields of antimicrobial resistance and anti-snake ...
Gujarat set for pharma sector boom: FDCA
With special incentives by hill region states to industrial units expiring in a year or two, the pharmaceutical growth in Gujarat that had stagnated is now expected to boom as around 180 new units are coming up with an investment of around Rs 7,000 crore.