Page 276 - Health Medical Pharma

Eating walnuts may not cause weight gain: Study

A diet rich in walnuts may not lead to weight gain or increase the risk of obesity, a study conducted in healthy elders claims. The study, published in the journal Nutrients, found that healthy elders consuming nearly 300 calories of walnuts daily did not show any negative effects on body weight and composition. The findings by researchers at Loma Linda University (LLU) in the US also expand the knowledge of how nuts can affect the independently living, predominantly healthy, elderly people. "There is a widespread fallacy that the fats in nut cause weight gain, and therefore could lead to issues such as obesity, or other weight-related health issues such as heart disease or diabetes," said Edward Bitok, an assistant professor at Loma Linda University. "The research, however, shows that nuts are a healthful snack," Bitok said. During the study, healthy elders -- with mean age of 69 years and 67 per cent women -- were randomly assigned to walnut or control diets. Subjects in the walnut

Participating in sports during childhood benefits bone health

Turns out, participation in organised sports during childhood and adolescence can have long-term benefits for bone mass at 20 years of age.A recent study, performed at Curtin University, followed 984 children into young adulthood. Males who were 'consistent sport participators' from ages 5-17 years had significantly greater whole body and leg bone mineral content at age 20 years than those who dropped out of sport, whereas males who 'joined sports' had significantly greater leg bone mineral content than those who dropped out of sports.On the other hand, females who were 'consistent sports participators' had significantly greater leg bone mineral content at 20 years of age than those who dropped out.The study is published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research."Targeted messages to young males and females that discourage dropping out of the sports and encourage joining sports--even in adolescence--are important for the benefits of skeletal health," said lead author Dr. Joanne ...

Mindfulness-based programs may reduce stress in infertile women

Conducting an eight-week mindfulness-based program can turn out to be effective for reducing stress and depressive symptoms while increasing general well-being of infertile women.The stress and health study conducted at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais included 62 infertile women who underwent the program--which included meditation, relaxation, guided imagery, and other components--and 37 who were in a control group and received no intervention.The median number of symptoms of chronic stress recorded in the past month decreased from six before the program to two after the intervention. Depressive symptoms also decreased after the program, while general well-being improved. None of the outcomes changed significantly in the control group."We observed that a relatively brief program of mindfulness practice was able to reduce the self-perception of stress and depressive symptoms in this population," said senior author Dr. Fernando Reis. "This program offers a complementary support

Hypertensive patients with Psoriasis more likely to require cardiovascular procedures

Psoriasis, a skin disease, is linked with increased risks of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but its effect on the course of cardiovascular diseases remains unknown.According to a study conducted at the National Taiwan University Hospital and published in the Journal of Dermatology, patients with hypertension and psoriasis more often require cardiovascular procedures and surgeries than hypertensive patients without psoriasis."Our study alerts physicians to the likelihood that, compared with general hypertensive patients, with concurrent hypertension and psoriasis will likely require more intensive assessment for cardiovascular interventions and a more aggressive hypertensive regimen to achieve adequate control," said senior author Dr. Tsen-Fang Tsai.The results suggested that hypertensive patients with concurrent psoriasis experience an earlier and more aggressive disease progression of hypertension, compared with general hypertensive patients.

Roche posts modest Q3 sales beat as new drugs offset hit from copies

ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche's third-quarter sales rose 7 percent, above analyst forecasts, as revenue from new drugs including its multiple sclerosis therapy Ocrevus offset the impact rivals' copies are having on the Swiss group's top-selling medicines.

Does weight loss before surgery provide benefits?

For obese and overweight patients, it is common for various surgical procedures to be deferred until they have lost weight through diet and exercise.A study, conducted at the University of Leicester and published in the British Journal of Surgery stated that preoperative weight loss interventions were not associated with reductions in morbidity or mortality during and after surgery.The findings suggested that modest weight loss may not provide enough health benefits to reduce risks during and after surgery in patients with clinically significant obesity."Our work highlights the importance of breaking the stigma associated with obese patients in healthcare. Lifestyle changes leading to weight loss have not shown a benefit in reducing the postoperative outcomes in these patients," said lead author Marius Roman. "We would like to thank the British Heart Foundation for supporting this work," she added.

Misuse of opioid prescription may lead to suicidal thoughts

According to a recent study, the misuse of prescription of opioids or benzodiazepines (such as Xanax) is associated with suicidal ideation.In a study conducted at the Texas State University, past-year use (without misuse) of prescription opioids or benzodiazepines was not associated with past-year suicidal ideation for 17,608 adults aged 50 years and older. In contrast, past-year opioid misuse was associated with an 84 percent increased odds of past-year suicidal ideation, and past-year benzodiazepine misuse was associated with a twofold increased odds, after controlling for various factors related to suicide in other work.The findings are published in the International Journal of Geriatric.While 2.2 percent of older adults, who were not engaged in either opioid or benzodiazepine misuse, reported past-year suicidal ideation, the rate was 25.4 percent in those who misused both medication classes."Suicide is a major public health concern in older adults. Prescribers and other health ...

Aishwarya Rai hopes people get more aware around cancer

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who supported a Women's Cancer Initiative (WCI) event here, says people generally need to be more aware about the disease as early detection can give them a better chance at a cure.

Nutrition more important than exercise for bone strength

Looking at mineral supplementation and exercise in mice, researchers have found that nutrition has a greater impact on bone mass and strength than exercise.

Cost of blood pressure drug surges in U.S. after recall

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prices for two dosages of the blood pressure drug valsartan rose more than any other drug in the United States in September, following a recall of much of the drug's supply.

Minnesota accuses insulin makers of deceptive drug pricing

(Reuters) - Minnesota's attorney general on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing drug manufacturers Sanofi SA, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co of deceptively raising prices for insulin.

Swine flu claims 5 lives in Hyderabad

At least five people have died in Hyderabad due to swine flu so far.According to the Director- Medical Education of Telangana- Ramesh Reddy, from the past few days, cases of swine flu are increasing in the city."Till now five persons died due to Swine Flu. Two patients were admitted in Osmania General Hospital and they died while undergoing treatment for Swine Flu. Three other patients were admitted in Gandhi General Hospital and later died. All the government hospitals are now on alert and Swine Flu kits are available with them," Reddy said.Swine flu is an infection caused by one of several Swine Influenza Viruses (SIV), with the H1N1 strain being the most common in India and Telangana.The H1N1 virus spreads when an individual touches an infected surface or breathes droplets of coughs and sneezes that are in the air.The symptoms are the same as the seasonal flu, also known as viral fever. They include cough, sore throat, and body aches. Young children, pregnant women, and older ...

TB survivors write to PM, seek enhancement of amount for them under govt scheme

A group of tuberculosis survivors has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to increase the amount under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana. In the letter written to Modi, the Survivors Against TB (SATB) highlighted the challenges associated with the recently-announced Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for TB patients. On April 1, the Ministry of Health had announced the scheme offering incentives to support the nutritional needs of TB patients. The scheme is called the "Nikshay Poshan Yojana". Under it, a financial incentive of Rs 500 per month is provided to each notified TB patient for the entire duration of his treatment. While commending this patient-centric and compassionate scheme, the SATB highlighted two critical challenges that hindered its success. First, the monthly amount offered to patients is insufficient. Based on extensive interviews with patients, the SATB believes that the amount is low for buying food for a month. "It is critical that the government considers ...

Kidneys, liver of brain dead patient transplanted

Three lives were saved on Tuesday when three organs of a 68-year-old homemaker, declared brain dead, was transplanted to them. Two kidneys and liver of Durga Sadhu, who was declared brain dead at a private hospital after suffering heavy intracranial bleeding Monday evening, was transplanted at the state-run SSKM hospital on Tuesday night, a senior doctor at the medical facility said. Following consent from her family members, doctors decided to go for transplantation of her kidneys and liver. The Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) was informed and a green corridor was set up between the private hospital and the SSKM Hospital where the three recipients were admitted, the doctor said. The patient's skin has been preserved at the skin bank of the SSKM Hospital and corneas were sent to a private eye hospital here for preservation. After the transplants, the condition of the patients were "stable and under observation", the doctor said.

Mega pharma park to come up in Karnal

The Haryana government Tuesday said a pharma park will be established over 100 acres of land in Karnal. Also, the state's Industries and Commerce Minister Vipul Goel said that Haryana Pharmaceutical Policy 2018 is being framed to facilitate pharmaceutical companies in the state. The minister was speaking at an event 'Stakeholder Consultation for Formulation of Pharma Policy, Haryana', here on Tuesday. Representatives of various pharmaceutical companies of Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other states attended the meeting organised by the Haryana Industries and Commerce Department, a state government release said. Urging all stakeholders to invest in the pharmaceutical sector in Haryana, Goel said the pharma park would be established over 100 acres. He said special concessions and rebates would be given to those setting up their companies in the pharmaceutical sector in Haryana. Investment of about Rs 3,000 crore is expected to be made in this ...

FSSAI says 'no cause of alarm' about milk adulteration

There is no cause of alarm about quality of milk in India, food regulator FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said Tuesday, citing initial findings of its nationwide survey. He said the FSSAI collected 6,000 samples for testing and it would soon release the initial survey report. "There is no alarming situation. The 2011 survey showed 68 per cent of samples as sub-standard. But sub-standard does not mean that milk is unsafe. Only 14-15 per cent of samples were unsafe," he told reporters when asked about milk adulteration. He said the samples which were found unsafe were not further analysed in details. Agarwal said the majority of milk samples that were found to be safe contained water and also did not have required fat content. "In the new survey, we are not only testing samples on qualitative norms but also and quantitative parameters. Besides we are going to check residues from pesticides and fodders. We will soon releases the initial report of this survey. But I want to say there is no .

Marathon organisers announce safety measures for run on October 21

Use of technology which reduces specific pollutants in the air and deploying spotters to identify participants who need medical attention are among the measures, the organisers will put in place during the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. The organisers outlined medical and other facilities that will be put in place for about 34,000 participants, expected to compete on October 21. Patented ecologically safe technology - Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio pulses will be concentrated over the course to catalyse clearance of air pollutants primarily through dry deposition, the organisers said. The entire course will be washed with an ecologically safe reagent, mixed with effluent treated water to avoid the rise of dust/settled SPM. In addition to the above measures, Procam International, the promoters, are working closely with Devic Earth and their Pure Skies system. The technology reduces specific pollutants such as: carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter less ..

Younger children in class may wrongly get ADHD label

Younger children in classrooms are more likely to be mistakenly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) than their older classmates, according to a study.

Virtual reality can spot people's love for food

Food scientists at Cornell University in New York have used virtual reality (VR) to show how people's perception of real food can be altered by their surroundings.

New smartwatch app can spot how many times you roll as you sleep

Researchers from Lancaster University in the UK and Northwest University in China have developed an app for Smartwatches that can efficiently estimate sleep quality and provides users with practical advice to help them get a better night's snooze.