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Most nations to miss UN target on chronic diseases: study

More than half of all countries will likely fail to hit the UN target of reducing premature deaths from a quartet of chronic diseases by a third before 2030, researchers said Friday. Cancers, heart and blood-vessel disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease combined to kill 12.5 million people aged 30 to 70 worldwide in 2016, they reported in a major study. "The bottom line is this: a set of commitments were made, and most countries are not going to meet them," lead author Majid Ezzati, a professor at Imperial School London's School of Public Health, told AFP. Only 35 nations are on track to meet UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 -- launched in 2015 -- for women, and even less for men, the study revealed. "International donors and national governments are doing too little to reduce deaths from non-communicable diseases," Ezzati said. The good news, he added, is that most countries are at least moving in the right direction. But around 20 states -- 15 for women, 24 for men --

Snake undergoes MRI scan for broken spine

An injured snake, which was found in a Mumbai suburb, underwent an MRI scan for its broken spine and is on recovery path after being put through treatment. The snake, a bamboo pit viper, was found beaten with sticks in Dahisar. The venomous serpent was spotted by a local hawaldar, who handed it over to Anil Kubal, a snake rescuer. The serpent was taken to the clinic of veterinary doctor Deepa Katyal in suburban Chembur where it was found its spine had got damaged, Kubal said Thursday. "The next step was to assess the actual damage to the spine and for that we needed high-end technology such as MRI. Our request (for a scan) was accepted by radiologist Dr Ravi Thapar who carried out the MRI scan for the bamboo pit viper," Kubal said. Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scanning uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer to produce images of body structures. "For the first time I have performed an MRI scan on a snake. The machine is generally used for humans," said Dr ...

71 children dead in 45 days at UP hospital

At least 71 children have died in past 45 days at a government-run district hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich.Speaking to ANI, the hospital's medical superintendent, DK Singh, confirmed the deaths and said, "A large number of children were admitted to the hospital and 71 died in the past 45 days. Children have died due to various diseases."Singh also stated that people from the nearby villages admit their children to the hospital for treatment, but due to limited facility, the hospital authorities face a lot of problems."We have 200 beds but currently, 450 patients are admitted here. The workload is very high. We are trying our best to save as many lives as we can," he said.The incident comes a year after 60 infants died in Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, allegedly due to lack of oxygen supply. The hospital authorities, however, denied this claim and said that the infants died due to encephalitis.

A behavioral intervention can reduce stress in cancer patients

According to a new study, a behavioral program to reduce harmful stress in cancer patients can be taught to therapists from around the country and implemented at their sites, which effectively improves the moods of their patients.Researchers designed this program at The Ohio State University. "It's challenging to take a treatment and scale it up to where it will work with a diverse group of therapists and patients under a wide variety of circumstances," said study author Barbara L. Andersen.The program, now called Cancer to Health, was developed by Andersen and colleagues in the early 2000s. It teaches patients how to think about stress, communicate with doctors and others about their treatment, seek social support, become physically active and take other actions to reduce their stress, improve their mood and enhance quality of life. It consists of 18 weekly sessions and eight monthly maintenance sessions, as well as homework assignments for patients.Dealing with stress is important ..

Fish-rich diets may boost brain development in babies

According to a new research, slightly adjusting the diet of healthy pregnant women could be beneficial for their babies.Women could enhance the development of their unborn child's eyesight and brain function by regularly eating fatty fish during pregnancy. The research supports previous findings that show how important a prospective mother's diet and lifestyle choices are for the development of her baby.According to study author Kirsi Laitinen, a mother's diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding is the main way that valuable long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids become available to a fetus and infant brain during the period of maximum brain growth. Such fatty acids help to shape the nerve cells that are relevant to eyesight and particularly the retina. They are also important in forming the synapses that are vital for the transport of messages between neurons in the nervous system.In this study, researchers analyzed the results of 56 mothers and their children. The mothers had to keep

12 children died of diptheria in last 2 weeks in Delhi: Civic body

As many as 12 children have died of diptheria infection in the national capital, 11 of them at a municipal hospital, the area's civic body said Thursday. The NDMC released a statement quoting Medical Superintendent of Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Disease Hospital, Sunil Kumar Gupta, as saying that diptheria cases occur only in this season and such a number of cases in the season was "not usual". "From September 6-19, there have been 85 admissions (79 from outside Delhi and 6 from Delhi) of diphtheria cases out of which 11 patients could not survive," he said. The patients belonged to age group of up to 9 years, he said. The hospital in north-west Delhi is governed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. "Out of 11 patients, only one child belonged to Delhi, other 10 children belonged to a particular region in western Uttar Pradesh. The 12th patient died at the LNJP Hospital, the hospital said. Gupta claimed the hospital has all the required treatment facilities to handle such ...

Brain dead man's organs give life to three people

Three people received a new lease of life after receiving organs of a 65-year-old man who died of a brain-related ailment at a private hospital in New Delhi. Y K Bhalla was suffering from bilateral cerebral infarction (a condition in which the flow of blood or oxygen in brain is affected due to blockage or narrowing of arteries) and was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital on September 16 in a very critical condition, hospital authorities said on Thursday. "He was declared brain dead by the doctors post his apnea tests at 12.15 AM on September 19," the hospital said in a statement. His family was counselled about organ donation and they agreed to it, the statement added. Bhalla had retired as a senior manager from a private firm and his organs -- two kidneys and liver -- benefited three strangers. The liver and a kidney were transplanted at Apollo Hospital whereas the second kidney was allocated to another private hospital in Delhi by National Organ and Tissue Transplant ...

Centre to conduct population-based screening for diabetes, cancer

The government will be conducting population-based screenings for diabetes, hypertension and three types of common cancers under National Health Mission (NHM), the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said on Thursday.

With over 300 companies, Medicall Expo to begin on September 21

With over 300 medical companies, including participants from countries like Germany, Indonesia, China, South Africa and others, the Medicall Expo will begin here on September 21.

Insurance coverage to further boost Ayurveda, says expert

The insurance coverage for Ayurveda treatment is expected to give further boost to the ancient Indian form of medicine, says a leading Ayurvedic specialist.

Punjab govt to launch programme to curb oral cancer: Minister

The Punjab government will soon launch a special programme to curb oral cancer in the state, Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra said Thursday. "If oral cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages, treatment is generally very effective," he said on the occasion of Annual Reorientation Session- 2018 held for dental medical officers here. He said early diagnosis of oral cancer patients would decrease mortality rate and help in providing correct treatment. The minister said the Annual Orientation Session is a right platform to chalk out a roadmap to curb the oral diseases. Giving information regarding recruitment of medical officers, the minister said about 306 medical officers will join the health department within 15 days while 92 rural medical officers will also join the department.

Indian-American doctor pleads guilty to healthcare fraud in US

An Indian-American lady doctor has pleaded guilty to a healthcare fraud in the US, the Justice Department has said. Dr Jayam Krishna Iyer from Florida faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, or 20 years, if her offence involves serious bodily injury. As part of the plea on Tuesday, the 66-year-old doctor has agreed to surrender both her Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number that she used to prescribe controlled substances and her Florida medical licence, and to a permanent exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programmes, the department said in a press release. Iyer owned and operated Creative Medical Centre, a pain management clinic located at Druid Road East in Florida's Clearwater area. She billed Medicare and Medicaid for office visits, tests and services provided to patients using her National Provider Identification (NPI) number, and wrote prescriptions for controlled substances, the release said. Between July 2011 and December 2017, Iyer ...

Need to ban sale of energy drinks to kids: Expert

There is a need to ban the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to children and young people to tackle obesity and mental health problems, says an expert.

Woman seeks termination of 30-week pregnancy, approaches HC

A woman from Nashik, who is in the 30th week of pregnancy, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking permission for abortion saying a test has revealed that the foetus has a rare developmental birth defect. The 33-year-old woman has a five-year-old son diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. She and her husband have, thus, approached the high court seeking permission for medical termination saying that they are already caring for a specially-abled child, and forcing them to continue with the present pregnancy would cause them much physical and emotional trauma. In their plea, filed through advocate Kuldeep Nikam last week, the couple urged the court to grant them relief saying that giving birth to another child with special needs would also impose much financial burden upon them since the woman is a housewife and her husband runs a small business. According to the plea, on September 11, the woman's doctor suggested that considering her first child's condition, she undergo a scan to check if

High gluten diet in pregnancy may up diabetes risk in kids

Higher consumption of gluten -- proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley -- by women during pregnancy can significantly increase the risk of Type-1 diabetes in children, a study has claimed.

Paddler Manika inks deal with Herbalife Nutrition

Rising paddler Manika was unveiled as one of the faces of Herbalife Nutrition, a global nutrition company, here on Thursday.

Risk of labelling of tribals in govt's sickle cell screening programme: Report

The Centre's screening programme to identify people with sickle cell trait carries a serious risk of labelling and stigmatising millions of tribals suffering from the disease, a government-appointed expert committee has said in its report. Sickle cell trait is one of the two forms of sickle cell disease, which is a group of hereditary blood disorders in which the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells. The disease gives rise to many chronic health disorders such as stroke, infections and increases the risk of death. Sickle cell trait is much more common and is often an asymptomatic or a mildly symptomatic condition wherein the person carries the sickle gene and transmits it to the progeny. When the baby receives the sickle gene from both the parents, it is called sickle cell anemia, often a severe disease, the 12-member committee, headed by Magsaysay awardee and rural health expert Dr. Abhay Bang, said. The committee, which was constituted by the ministries of health and tribal ...

Removing ovaries linked to chronic kidney disease

Premenopausal women with no genetic risk for breast and ovarian cancer should not remove their ovaries as it can increase their risk of developing chronic kidney disease, a study has claimed.

Helmet must for women riders in Haryana

To ensure the safety of women while driving, Haryana on Thursday made the wearing of a helmet mandatory for women riding two-wheelers.

Green tea compound can help slip therapeutics inside cells

Scientists have found that an antioxidant found in green tea can be used to 'sneak in' therapeutic compounds into cells, and can be used to tackle Drinking green tea has been linked to health benefits ranging from cardiovascular disease prevention to weight loss. Although many of these claims still need to be verified in the clinic, an antioxidant in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) appears to have beneficial effects in cells and animals. Researchers from South China University of Technology and East China Normal University in China have found that EGCG can be used to sneak therapeutic RNAs into cells. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have great therapeutic potential because they can dial down the expression of disease-related genes. However, getting siRNAs into cells where they can do their job has been challenging. Being relatively large and negatively charged, siRNAs cannot easily cross the cell membrane, and they are susceptible to degradation by RNA-chomping ...