Page 309 - Health Medical Pharma
Indian-origin doctor pleads guilty to healthcare fraud in US
An Indian-origin doctor has pleaded guilty to a healthcare fraud in the US, the Justice Department said.
Narayana Health SRCC to increase bed count to 300 by FY20
Leading private sector hospital chain Narayana Hrudayalaya Thursday said it is planning to increase the bed count at its city paediatric hospital, SRCC Children's Hospital, to 300 by financial year 2019-20. The hospital, launched in April last year, has 207 beds at present. "Post-Diwali, we will be adding more beds and are looking to increase the same to 300 beds by 2019-20," Narayana Health SRCC facility director Rupesh Choubey told reporters. The hospital is operated and managed by Narayana Hrudayalaya and backed by SRCC, an institution known for serving the needs of children from all sections of society. Choubey said the hospital has successfully completed 500 cardiac surgeries in the last one year and is hoping to operate 1,000 cardiac surgeries over the next one year period. With a population in excess of 1.2 billion, and a birth rate of 19.3/1,000, he said it is estimated that nearly 220,000 children are born annually with heart defects. The Indian Academy of ...
Jet Airways row: Passengers are now stable, say doctors
The condition of the passengers, who suffered ear pain and nose-bleed on board Jet Airways flight due to loss of cabin pressure on Thursday morning, is now stable, according doctors.Speaking to ANI, Chief Operating Officer of Nanawati hospital Rajendra Patenkar said, "A proper treatment has been given to all the patients and all of them are hemodynamically stable. A proper medication has been prescribed to all of them and there is no need to admit them in the hospital."Another doctor Amol Patel, who treated the passengers, told ANI, "The hospital received around five patients between 11 am to 12 noon today. Most of them suffered a Barotrauma because of the loss of pressure in the cabin leading to nose and ear bleeding."Over 30 passengers of Mumbai-Jaipur flight suffered ear pain and nose-bleed during take-off as the crew allegedly forgot to select bleed switch due to which cabin pressurisation could not be maintained. The flight 9W 697 was turned back to Mumbai airport.The ...
Tea, coffee served on trains to cost more
Indian Railways has decided to hike prices of tea and coffee served on trains besides discontinuing the practice of serving tea in pots, according to a circular issued by the Railway Board to all zones. The price of a 150 ml cup of tea with tea bag and 150 ml coffee using instant coffee powder in disposable cups of 170 ml have been raised from Rs 7 to Rs 10 per cup. Readymade standard tea will, however, continue to be sold at Rs 5 per cup. "It was a proposal from IRCTC which was approved by the Railway Board. It is a minimal hike. We decided to discontinue the pot system as not many were ordering it anyway. We are trying to cut down on many things that are mere frills," said an officer. Tea in pots (285 ml), two tea bags, two sugar pouches which was priced at Rs 10 and coffee in pots (285 ml), with two instant coffee sachets and two sugar pouches priced at Rs 15 have been discontinued. The board has asked zones to change the licence fee accordingly and adjust the price as per ...
Living with Alzheimer's, the memory thief (Sep 21 is World Alzheimer's Day)
Imagine if you woke up one day and had no memory left? All the years you spent growing up, your family, friends, loved ones, the memories everyone grows to cherish...lost.
Walking just 35 minutes daily can reduce stroke risk in elderly
Older adults can prevent their risk of strokes by taking a daily stroll for just 35 minutes a day or four hours a week, say researchers.
China's doctor shortage prompts rush for AI health care
Qu Jianguo, 64, had a futuristic medical visit in Shanghai as he put his wrist through an automated pulse-taking machine and received the result within two minutes on a mobile phone -- without a doctor present. The small device, which has a half-open clasp that records the heartbeat, is one of the technologies developed by hi-tech firms aiming to help China offset its shortage of physicians by combining big data and artificial intelligence (AI). The machine made by Ping An Good Doctor was shown off at the 2018 World AI Expo in Shanghai at a time when Chinese policymakers are making a major push to turn the country into a global tech leader. "I came here to see how Chinese-style medical treatment could be done without a doctor. That would be really convenient," said Qu, a retired IT worker attending the expo. China had less than 12 million health workers in 2017 in a population of almost 1.4 billion, according to the National Health Commission. Ping An Good Doctor, which recently ...
Time to ban sale of caffeinated energy drinks to kids: Experts
Sale of caffeinated energy drinks to children should be banned to tackle with the twin epidemics of obesity and mental health problems, experts say. According to Russell Viner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics in the UK, young people in high income countries consume more sugar and calories than required and are therefore unlikely to need additional energy. This combined with regular caffeine consumption is concerning as there is little evidence of the effect caffeine could potentially have on the developing body, wrote in a study published in the journal BMJ. In a 2014 survey of over 5,000 children in England 14 per cent of 11-15 year olds reported consuming energy drinks at least two to four times a week, and five per cent of all young people reported drinking energy drinks daily. The high sugar content in many of these drinks "undoubtedly contributes to the overall calorie excess and resultant obesity epidemic among our children," Viner said. Caffeine is probably the ...
High gluten diet in pregnancy ups child's diabetes risk
Consuming a diet high in gluten -- a proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley -- during pregnancy can increase the risk of their child developing type 1 diabetes, a study has found. In animal studies, a gluten free diet during pregnancy almost completely prevented type 1 diabetes in offspring, but no intervention study has been undertaken in pregnant women. Researchers from the Bartholin Institute in Denmark set out to examine whether gluten intake during pregnancy is associated with subsequent risk of type 1 diabetes in children. They analysed data for 63,529 pregnant women enrolled into the Danish National Birth Cohort between January 1996 and October 2002. Women reported their diet using a food frequency questionnaire at week 25 of pregnancy and information on type 1 diabetes in their children was obtained through the Danish Registry of Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes. Average gluten intake was 13 grammes per day, ranging from less than 7 grammes per day to more than 20 grammes ..
'Zombie cells' accumulate in brain before cognitive loss
Zombie cells, which are unable to die or function normally, accumulate in the brain before cognitive loss, and can be targetted to prevent diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, scientists say. These zombie, or senescent, cells are implicated in a number of age-related diseases. "Senescent cells are known to accumulate with advancing natural age and at sites related to diseases of ageing, including osteoarthritis; atherosclerosis; and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's," said Darren Baker, a from Mayo Clinic in the US. "In prior studies, we have found that elimination of senescent cells from naturally aged mice extends their healthy life span," said Baker. In the study published in the journal, the team used a model that imitates aspects of Alzheimer's disease. "We used a mouse model that produces sticky, cobweb like tangles of tau protein in neurons and has genetic modifications to allow for senescent cell elimination," said Tyler Bussian, a student ..
Caffeinated energy drinks a big no-no for children
A new study has revealed that children and young people consume a lot of caffeinated energy drinks, which causes obesity and even mental health problems.Young people in high-income countries consume more sugar and calories than required and, are, therefore, unlikely to need additional energy. This combined with regular caffeine consumption is concerning, explained study author Russell Viner, as there is little evidence of the effect caffeine could potentially have on the developing body.In a 2014 survey of over 5000 children in England, 14 per cent of 11-15 year-olds reported consuming energy drinks at least two to four times a week, and 5 per cent of all young people reported drinking energy drinks daily. The high sugar content in many of these drinks (as much as 27g of sugar per 250ml serving) undoubtedly contributes to the overall calorie excess and resultant obesity epidemic among children.According to the study author, caffeine is probably the most commonly used psychoactive drug
High gluten diet in pregnancy increases risk of diabetes in children
Turns out, a high gluten intake by mothers during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of their child developing type 1 diabetes.Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley and is suggested to affect the development of type 1 diabetes. In animal studies, a gluten-free diet during pregnancy almost completely prevented type 1 diabetes in offspring.To better understand the nature of this association, researchers set out to examine whether gluten intake during pregnancy is associated with subsequent risk of type 1 diabetes in children.They analyzed data for 63,529 pregnant women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort between January 1996 and October 2002.Women reported their diet using a food frequency questionnaire at week 25 of pregnancy and information on type 1 diabetes in their children was obtained through the Danish Registry of Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes.Average gluten intake was 13 gram per day, ranging from less than 7 gram per
TB diagnosis: Health ministry launches sputum sample transportation using postal dept services
A pilot project for utilising services of the postal department for transport of sputum specimen for diagnosis of tuberculosis was launched at Karawal Nagar here on Wednesday. A significant number of TB patients cannot get their sputum, a mixture of saliva and mucus coughed up from the respiratory tract, tested because the specimen due to non-availability of specimen transport mechanisms, an official statement said. If a proper transport mechanism for collected specimen is in place, it spares the patients from travelling to the laboratory. According to the statement, prompt transport of specimen followed by efficacious testing will enable appropriate management of tuberculosis patients and reduced disease transmission. If the pilot project here turns out to be a success then specimen transport mechanism through the postal department can be adopted across the country. Web-based application of Nikshay Version 2.0, for monitoring of TB patients under the Revised National Tuberculosis ...
Father's obesity in puberty may up asthma risk for offspring
Men who have considerable weight gain between their childhood and puberty are at an increased risk of having asthma as an adult, as are their future offspring, a new study has found.
Hardik Pandya suffers back injury, goes out of field
Bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya was taken out of the field during the ongoing Asia Cup match against Pakistan due to an acute lower back injury.The 24-year-old sustained the injury while bowling his fifth over of the match.Reflecting on the injury, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a statement saying that Pandya is suffering from a lower back injury and the medical team is further assessing the player."Hardik Pandya has an acute lower back injury. He is able to stand at the moment and the medical team is assessing him now. Manish Pandey is on the field as his substitute," the statement read.Furthers details regarding the injury are awaited.
Mizoram tops states in adult HIV prevalence
Mizoram had the highest adult HIV prevalence among states in India last year with the infection being detected in 2.04 per cent of the people whose blood samples were tested for it, a Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) official said on Wednesday. He said 18,081 people, which accounts for 1.6 per cent of the around 11 lakh population of Mizoram, were found HIV positive between October 1990 and August this year. On November 16 last year, the Mizoram assembly was informed that 14,632 HIV positive people were identified in the state. Mizoram was one of the five states where the number of new infection cases has increased, though such cases are declining nationally, the HIV Estimations 2017 report released by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) stated. "According to the India HIV Estimations 2017 Technical Report, Mizoram ranked first in the country at 2.04 per cent HIV positives detected from the number of people whose blood samples were tested," the official said. Mizoram ..
Private healthcare facilities may be assessed under 'Kayakalp' scheme
Private healthcare facilities may now be assessed on parameters of the 'Kayakalp' scheme, a government initiative to promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices. Encouraged by the achievements of 'Kayakalp' scheme, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) has decided to consider assessment of healthcare facilities in the private sector, the Health Ministry said in a statement. The initiative is a part of the 'Swachchta hi Sewa' initiative that is being undertaken across various parts of the country to generate greater public participation towards cleanliness and is being organised in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission. "Cleanliness and hygiene in hospitals, besides being critical for preventing infections, also provide the patients and visitors with a positive experience and encourages moulding behaviour related to cleanliness and sanitation at their homes and work-place. "Environments where patients
Human brains are naturally attracted to laziness: Study
Some people are often called lazy, because of their brains, say researchers who found that our brain is innately attracted to sedentary behaviours.
High sugar levels in yogurt may up obesity risk
Often marketed as a healthy dairy product, yogurt is not necessarily good as it contains free or added sugars and fat -- even more than soft drinks and fruit juices, thus increasing the risk of obesity, a study has claimed.
First gut bacteria determines ability to fight chronic diseases later
The first bacteria that arrives into the gut after birth and order of their arrival has a lasting impact on the individual's ability to ward off serious chronic diseases in adulthood, finds a study.