Page 30 - Health Medical Pharma

Guj infant branded with hot iron to 'cure' cardiac problem

A 7-month-old girl who was branded with a hot iron as part of a traditional cure steeped in superstition in Gujarat's Banaskantha district was Monday discharged after being treated for a burn injury that turned septic, a doctor said. The infant had a cardiac problem and her parents took her to a quack in Lakhani area around a week ago who dispensed the hot iron "cure", following which the wound festered and her condition deteriorated, he said. "She was brought here and was discharged today after getting proper medical care," said Dr Sunil Acharya of a private hospital in Deesa. This is the second such case in the district this month, an official said. On June 2, a baby boy was similarly branded in Vaseda village in Vav taluka and succumbed to infection, he said.

Bihar govt confirms 11 deaths; says 10 of them victims of

Bihar's health department on Monday confirmed the death of 11 children in the state this month and 10 of them were victims of hypoglycemia, and not Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) as reported in the media. Recent media reports said 22 to 24 children died in Bihar this month due to AES disease in the state. "But our tests confirmed that 10 out of the 11 deaths have taken place due to hypoglycemia," health department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar said, without identifying the reason for the death of the remaining one child. Hypoglycemia is a condition caused by very low level of blood sugar, he told reporters here during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Lok Samvad programme. "A total of 48 cases of children suffering from AES have been reported so far in the state," Sanjay Kumar said. People casually attribute any death to AES, he said. Symptoms of AES are acute-onset of fever and a change in mental status - mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma - and/or ...

Central Drug Lab says no formaldehyde in J&J's baby shampoo

Johnson & Johnson's famous baby shampoo does not contain chemical formaldehyde, re-tests done by noted central drugs laboratory has said. The Central Drugs Laboratory in Kolkata conducted tests on two different lots of the J&J baby shampoo after the company contested a finding of the Rajasthan Drugs Control Organisation (RDCO) that claimed to have found formaldehyde in the shampoo. The RDCO on its website posted results of the tests done by Central Drugs Laboratory which stated that "the sample does not contain formaldehyde" in case of both the lots. When contacted a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson told PTI: "We are pleased with the conclusion of the Rajasthan FDA, which confirms that Johnson's Baby Shampoo does not contain formaldehyde". The outcome reaffirms the company's own testing and the longstanding assurance it gave that its baby shampoo does not contain formaldehyde or any formaldehyde-releasing ingredients, the company said. "Importantly, this is the result of the

Can rheumatoid arthritis be delayed or prevented?

A study has claimed that identification of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before it develops could significantly alter the course of the ailment.The study was published in the journal 'Clinical Therapeutics'.Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that leads to significant health issues as well as high treatment costs.Many studies are already underway to learn how to prevent RA, however, prevention of autoimmune diseases is still new territory and there is a lot to discuss and learn."Most autoimmune diseases are only identified once an individual gets 'sick.' For example, with RA, once someone has painful, swollen joints," said Dr Tsang Tommy Cheung, one of the guest editors."Blood-based tests can now identify individuals who are at risk before they feel sick, opening a whole new world of screening and possible prevention.Treating RA very early may allow for cheaper, safer therapies to work because once full-blown RA has developed, typically very powerful ...

Here's how night owls can improve mental well-being, performance

A new study has suggested a few tweaks night owls could make for significant improvement in sleep and wake schedules, morning performances, eating habits and a decrease in depression and stress.The study showed that over a three-week period, it was possible to shift the circadian rhythm of night owls using non-pharmacological and practical interventions.The study, published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine today, also showed that participants were able to bring forward their sleep/wake timings by two hours while having no negative effect on sleep duration. In addition, participants reported a decrease in feelings of depression and stress, as well as in daytime sleepiness."Our research findings highlight the ability of a simple non-pharmacological intervention to phase advance 'night owls', reduce negative elements of mental health and sleepiness, as well as manipulate peak performance times in the real world," said lead researcher Dr Elise Facer.Night owls are individuals whose ...

Lowering BP, sodium intake may cut 94 mn early deaths

A worldwide effort to lower people's blood pressure, cut sodium intake and eliminate trans fat from their diet could prevent 94 million premature deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) over a quarter century, says a study.

These public health interventions could prevent millions of premature deaths

To reduce the incidence of premature death from cardiovascular disease (CVD), people must maintain lower blood pressure, cut sodium intake, and eliminate trans fat from their diet, suggests a new study."Focusing our resources on the combination of these three interventions can have a huge potential impact on cardiovascular health through 2040," said lead author Goodarz Danaei in the study published in the Journal of Circulation.Researchers estimated that scaling up treatment of high blood pressure to 70 per cent of the world's population could extend the lives of 39.4 million people. Cutting sodium intake by 30 per cent could stave off another 40 million deaths and could also help decrease high blood pressure, a major risk factor for CVD. And eliminating trans fat could prevent 14.8 million early deaths.More than half of all delayed deaths, and two-thirds of deaths delayed before age 70 are projected to be among men, who have the highest numbers of noncommunicable disease deaths ...

Body fat distribution associated with increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer: Study

Increased level of abdominal and thigh fats are related to a higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer, a recent study has claimed.The findings of the study, published in 'Cancer' journal, may lead to a better understanding of the relationship between obesity and prostate cancer and provide new insights for treatment.Previous studies have shown that obesity is associated with an elevated risk of advanced prostate cancer and a poorer prognosis after diagnosis.Also, emerging evidence suggests that the specific distribution of fat in the body may be an important factor.To provide the high quality evidence, Barbra Dickerman of the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, and her colleagues analysed body fat distribution using the gold-standard measure of computed tomography imaging and assessed the risk of being diagnosed with, and dying from, prostate cancer among 1,832 Icelandic men who were followed for up to 13 years.During the study, 172 men developed prostate cancer and 31 died ...

Peru declares health emergency over Guillain-Barre outbreak

Peru has declared a health emergency in five regions, including Lima, after the deaths of at least four people linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the nervous system. Health Minister Zulema Tomas said Sunday that in addition to the deaths there were currently 206 cases of the disease. "We have an outbreak, there has been a brusque increase" since June 5, Tomas said on state-run TV Peru, adding that health authorities were taking steps to control and contain the disease. While the syndrome is not contagious, a 90-day health emergency was declared because the current cases "have unusual and atypical characteristics that require rapid or immediate initial treatment," Peru's Institute of Neurological Sciences said. The precise cause of the disorder is unknown, but most cases develop after a person has been sick with diarrhea or a respiratory infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US says its research suggests that the syndrome ..

All govt hospitals will have e-hospital management system:

Odisha Health and Family Welfare minister Naba Kishore Das Monday said all government- run hospitals in the state will have e-hospital management system which will help both patients and officials. He said all the 384 CHCs (community health centres), 1318 PHCs (primary health centres), seven medical colleges and 32 district headquarters hospitals will have the Odisha e- Hospital Management Information System (OeHMIS) facility within two years The OeHMIS facility which will help both the patients and the officials, Das said after reviewing the progress in implementation of the Rs 1,416 lakh OeHMIS programme. The programme was earlier launched in SCB Medical College Hospistal in Cuttack and Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar on a pilot basis. Das said one can easily find diagnostic reports, prescription details and doctor's advices at the click of a mouse. "The patients health data will be stored like in AIIMS and big hospitals in other states. It will help in making better .

Chickenpox vaccination can protect against shingles, finds study

A recent study has observed that the chickenpox vaccine not only protects against chickenpox but it also decreases the risk for shingles (a painful skin rash with blisters).Shingles, or herpes zoster, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. However, pediatric HZ (herpes zoster) is a rare disease, and the symptoms are usually milder for children compared with adults, who typically report a painful, burning, and blistering skin rash."Since the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine, we have known how effective it is in preventing children from contracting that itchy and painful disease, but we set out to determine if the vaccine would also reduce risk of herpes zoster. Our findings demonstrate that the vaccine does reduce the likelihood of shingles in kids, highlighting the dual benefits of the chickenpox vaccine," explained lead investigator Sheila Weinmann in the Journal of Pediatrics.The study looked at the electronic health records of more ...

Bus carrying pilgrims overturns, several injured

A bus carrying pilgrims turned turtle in Ludhiana district's Doraha in the early hours of Monday, injuring over a dozen passengers.The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital. Those seriously wounded have been undergoing medical treatment in the hospital."A total of 18 patients were brought in. Out of which five have been admitted. For the others, tea and snacks have been arranged and they will be discharged soon," Senior Medical Officer, Dr Geeta told ANI.The vehicle was returning from the Naina Devi temple, which is situated on a hilltop in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. It had completed a distance of about 124-kilometre when the accident happened.Most of the passengers were related to each other, informed a patient, adding that most of them have suffered fractures and bruises.

Retest of baby shampoo shows absence of formaldehyde: J&J

Johnson & Johnson Monday said safety of its baby shampoo has been reaffirmed by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's laboratories, which have confirmed that the product does not contain formaldehyde. According to the experts, formaldehyde can cause cancer in humans. On March 5, 2019, the Rajasthan Drugs Control Organization had reported presence of formaldehyde in samples of two batches of baby shampoo manufactured by Johnson & Johnson in India. The company had rejected the finding and had said its products do not contain formaldehyde or any ingredient capable of releasing formaldehyde. It had questioned the Rajasthan drug controller's claim as well as the method of testing that led to the results. Since J&J challenged the finding, the shampoo was sent to Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's (CDSCO's) laboratories for re-testing, the company said in a statement. The report came after several weeks of testing at the central government laboratory after .

Drug delays type 1 diabetes in people at high risk: Study

In a first, scientists have developed a treatment that can delay type 1 diabetes by two or more years among people who are at high risk. The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved treatment with an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (teplizumab). Researchers from Yale University in the US enrolled 76 participants ages 8-49 who were relatives of people with type 1 diabetes, had at least two types of diabetes-related autoantibodies (proteins made by the immune system), and abnormal glucose (sugar) tolerance. Participants were randomly assigned to either the treatment group, which received a 14-day course of teplizumab, or the control group, which received a placebo. All participants received glucose tolerance tests regularly until the study was completed, or until they developed clinical type 1 diabetes -- whichever came first. During the trial, 72 per cent of people in the control group developed clinical diabetes, compared to only 43 per cent of the teplizumab .

Drug found to delay Type-1 diabetes by 2 years

In a first, researchers have found that a treatment affecting the immune system effectively slowed the progression to clinical Type-1 diabetes in high risk individuals by two years or more.

Immunotherapy delays type 1 diabetes in people

Immunotherapy slows progression to clinical disease by two years or more, recent findings suggest.According to a study, Immunotherapy, a process where diseases are treated by activating or suppressing the immune system, effectively slowed the progression to clinical type 1 diabetes in high-risk individuals.The study, involving treatment with an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (teplizumab), was conducted by Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, an international collaboration aimed at discovering ways to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes.Researchers enrolled 76 participants ages 8-49 who were relatives of people with type 1 diabetes, had at least two types of diabetes-related autoantibodies (proteins made by the immune system), and abnormal glucose (sugar) tolerance.Participants were randomly assigned to either the treatment group, which received a 14-day course of teplizumab, or the control group, which received a placebo. All participants received glucose tolerance tests regularly until the study was

AI tool detects rare diseases from portraits, health data

Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence system that uses portrait photos in combination with genetic and patient data to efficiently and reliably diagnose rare diseases. Every year, around half a million children worldwide are born with a rare hereditary disease. Obtaining a definitive diagnosis can be difficult and time consuming. In a study of 679 patients with 105 different rare diseases, scientists from the University of Bonn and the Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin in Germany have shown that artificial intelligence can be used to diagnose such diseases. The neural network, described in the journal Genetics in Medicine, automatically combines portrait photos with genetic and patient data. Many patients with rare diseases go through lengthy trials and tribulations until they are correctly diagnosed. "This results in a loss of valuable time that is actually needed for early therapy in order to avert progressive damage," said Peter Krawitz from the University ...

Retest of co's baby shampoo shows absence of formaldehyde: J&J

Johnson & Johnson Monday said safety of its baby shampoo has been reaffirmed by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's laboratories which have confirmed that the product does not contain formaldehyde -- which can cause cancer. On March 5, 2019, the Rajasthan Drugs Control Organization had reported presence of formaldehyde in samples of two batches of Johnson's baby shampoo manufactured by Johnson & Johnson in India. The company had rejected the finding and had said its products do not contain formaldehyde or any ingredient capable of releasing formaldehyde. It had questioned the Rajasthan drug controller's claim as well as the method of testing that led to the test results. Since J&J challenged the finding, the shampoo was sent to Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's (CDSCO's) laboratories for re-testing, the company said in a statement. The Rajasthan FDA on their website has posted a report "that concluded the investigation and said that, showing ...

Here's how night owls can advance sleep timings by 2 hours

Researchers have found that a simple tweak to the sleeping patterns and maximising outdoor light during the mornings for a period of three weeks can help night owls -- people with extreme late sleeping and waking habits - bring forward their sleep/wake timings by two hours.

Millions of heart disease, stroke deaths linked to not eating enough fruits, vegetables: Study

Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption may account for millions of deaths from heart disease and strokes each year across the globe, a study has found. The study estimated that roughly one in seven cardiovascular deaths could be attributed to not eating enough fruit and one in 12 cardiovascular deaths could be attributed to not eating enough vegetables. Low fruit intake resulted in nearly 1.8 million cardiovascular deaths in 2010, while low vegetable intake resulted in one million deaths, researchers said. Overall, the toll of suboptimal fruit intake was almost double that of vegetables. The impacts were most acute in countries with the lowest average intakes of fruits and vegetables. "Fruits and vegetables are a modifiable component of diet that can impact preventable deaths globally," said Victoria Miller, a postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University in the US. "Our findings indicate the need for population-based efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption throughout ...