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Aspirin does not reduce heart attack, stroke risk: Study

Taking aspirin daily does not reduce the heart attack or stroke and has no benefit in prolonging life free of disability, a study has found. Aspirin-related compounds have been used for the treatment of pain since the 16th century BC, when it was reported that people chewed on the bark of willow and papyrus. It was first synthesised in 1898, and since the 1960s has been known to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke among those who had previously experienced heart disease or stroke. This protective capacity of aspirin was extrapolated to people who were otherwise healthy to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, despite the evidence supporting this to be sparse. In three studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers showed that daily low-dose aspirin (100mg), when initiated in otherwise healthy people from age 70 onwards, has no benefit in prolonging life free of disability, or substantially reducing the risk of having a first heart attack or stroke. Over

Pollen exposure during pregnancy linked to baby asthma risk

Turns out, children born in the peak grass pollen season, October and December, may have a greater risk of developing respiratory diseases such as asthma.Led by La Trobe University, a team of local (The MACS study) and international (COPSAC2000 and LISAplus) researchers analysed cord blood collected from hundreds of babies born in Melbourne, Denmark, and Germany.They discovered those born during the peak grass pollen season in both hemispheres had high immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in umbilical cord blood - a marker used to predict the development of allergic diseases.Lead researcher, Bircan Erbas from La Trobe's School of Psychology and Public Health, said the aim of the study was to determine the effect of exposure to high grass pollens during pregnancy and soon after birth."We know that outdoor pollen exposure during the first couple of months after birth can lead to allergic respiratory diseases and we suspected that exposure during the later stages of pregnancy may also be ...

Aspirin doesn't reduce heart attack risk: Australian study

Australia's largest clinical trial has concluded that taking a daily dose of aspirin does not reduce the chance of death, disability or cardiovascular disease, the results of a five-year study revealed on Monday.

Psychotherapy benefits women caring for kids with health issues

Turns out, brief cognitive behavioural therapy significantly improved the mental health of women overwhelmed by caring for children with severe chronic health conditions.Researchers at the University of Louisville found that after five therapy sessions, study participants reported significantly decreased depressive symptoms, negative thinking, and chronic stressors, and experienced improved sleep quality."Women caring for children with chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis are at high risk for depressive symptoms. They have many things to juggle, including caring for the child, administering medications and coordinating physician and therapy visits. They're stressed and overwhelmed by the amount of care their children require and the number of hours a day it takes," said study author Lynne Hall.About 15 million children in the United States have special health care needs and women constitute 72 per cent of the caregivers of those children.The study revealed ...

Does Paracetamol use in infancy increases risk of asthma?

Turns out, children who take paracetamol during their first two years of life may be at a higher risk of developing asthma by the age of 18, especially if they have a particular genetic makeup.According to a new research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in 2018, the link between paracetamol use and asthma seemed strongest in those who had a particular variant of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene, GSTP1.However, study author, Xin Dai, warned that the research showed only that there was an association between paracetamol and asthma, not that paracetamol caused the condition. She also found that another GST gene variant, GSTM1, was linked with reduced lung function.GST genes contain the instructions for making enzymes that use an antioxidant called glutathione to mop up the effects of exposure to toxins in the body and the lungs. This mechanism helps to prevent damage to cells and inflammation."Paracetamol, on the other hand, consumes ...

Brazil election frontrunner leaves intensive care: hospital

Brazil's far-right presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro was released from intensive care Sunday after undergoing surgery for complications from a stab wound he suffered while campaigning. The candidate, who had surgery to remove an intestinal blockage on Wednesday, has been moved to a "semi-intensive care unit," doctors at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital said. A left-wing assailant stabbed Bolsonaro, 63, on September 6 during a campaign walkabout in the town of Juiz de Flora in southeastern Minas Gerais state. He suffered deep wounds to his intestines and lost around 40 percent of his blood. In its statement Sunday, the hospital said Bolsonaro was "on a good clinical path, with no fever," but that he continued to be fed intravenously. A video of the candidate walking the corridors of the hospital with the aid of a zimmer-frame (walker), joking with medical staff, was shared online by his son Carlos, a municipal councillor in Rio de Janeiro. Outside the hospital, a group of ...

UN seeks to open air bridge to aid Yemeni cancer patients: WHO

The United Nations is working to open a humanitarian air bridge to take Yemeni cancer patients for treatment at qualified facilities, WHO country representative for Yemen Nevio Zagaria said Sunday. "The aim is to help patients suffering from cancer, chronic diseases and congenital anomalies receive the treatment they need," Zagaria said, adding that 12 health conditions had been targeted. These include leukaemia, cervical and thyroid cancer, and "patients who need... bone marrow and kidney transplants," said Zagaria of the World Health Organization (WHO). The air bridge will operate for an initial trial period of six months, WHO said, without specifying where the patients would be sent for treatment. "Eighty percent of patients for this flight are women and children," Zagaria said, adding: "The air bridge is one of their last hopes." Twenty-two million people, or three in four Yemenis, require some form of humanitarian assistance in the conflict-ravaged country. On Sunday, hospital ..

Do you know eyes have natural version for night vision?

Turns out, eyes have a natural version for night vision. According to a recent study, to see under starlight and moonlight, the retina of the eye changes both the software and hardware of its light-sensing cells to create a kind of night vision.Retinal circuits, that were earlier thought to be unchanging and programmed for specific tasks, are adaptable to different light conditions.Greg Field, one of the researchers, said, "To see under starlight, biology has had to reach the limit of seeing an elementary particle from the universe, a single photon. It's remarkable at night how few photons there are."The findings, which appear early online in Neuron, showed that the reprogramming happens in retinal cells that are sensitive to motion.Even in the best lighting, identifying the presence and direction of a moving object is key to survival for most animals. But detecting motion with a single point of reference doesn't work very well. So, the retinas of vertebrates have four kinds of ...

Two US basketball players stabbed in Romania; 1 seriously hurt

Two US basketball players have been stabbed in a club in eastern Romania and one is in a serious condition, Romanian authorities said Sunday. Police said Darrell Bowie, 24, and Joseph McClain, 25, who play for local club ACS Cuza Braila were attacked Saturday night in the city after a fight broke out with locals. Braila County Emergency Hospital spokeswoman Alina Neacsu told The Associated Press both men underwent emergency surgery at the hospital early Sunday. She said McClain sustained stab wounds to his chest and stomach and was "stable" and in intensive care. She said Bowie suffered multiple abdominal wounds, correcting reports that he had suffered a perforated lung. She said both had "perforated wounds" but could not say how they were caused. Bowie was transported by helicopter on Sunday to the Emergency Hospital in the capital, Bucharest. "We are a small hospital and it was better for him to be transferred," Neacsu said, adding that his condition is "unpredictable." A ...

Faulty hip implants: 15 patients approach central expert committee

Fifteen patients suffering due to "faulty" hip implants of Johnson and Johnson have approached the central expert committee, days after it was formed by the Union Health Ministry to determine the quantum of compensation to be provided to them. Sources in the Union Health Ministry said the panel has so far received representations from 15 affected patients from across the country and it will have its first meeting on September 18 to scrutinise each of them. The Centre constituted the five-member expert committee to determine the quantum of compensation to be given to patients who have "faulty" hip implants, manufactured by DePuy International, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. Apart from the central panel, the Union Health Ministry has also asked states and union territories to constitute separate committees so that they can receive such complaints from affected patients. "We have received 15 such representations via mail since the expert committee was formed. The central expert ...

Beauty products may harm women's hormones

Exposure to a cocktail of different chemicals widely used in cosmetics and personal care products can lead to changes in women's reproductive hormones, a study has found. Researchers from George Mason University in the US collected total of 509 urine samples were from 143 women aged 18 to 44 years. They measured for environmental chemicals that are found in personal care products, such as parabens, which are antimicrobial preservatives, and benzophenones, which are ultraviolet filters. "This study is the first to examine mixtures of chemicals that are widely used in personal care products in relation to hormones in healthy, reproductive-age women, using multiple measures of exposure across the menstrual cycle, which improved upon research that relied on one or two measures of chemicals," said Anna Pollack, an assistant professor from George Mason University. This multi-chemical approach more closely reflects real world environmental exposures and shows that even low-level exposure to .

Two siblings die of diarrhoea, 6 taken ill

A sibling duo has died of diarrhoea while six others have taken ill in Madanpur village here, officials said Sunday. Jyoti Rajbhar, 10, died of diarrhoea late Saturday night while her brother Ajit, 7, had succumbed to the disease on Wednesday. Another sibling Sachin, 2, is undergoing treatment at a community health centre, Chief Medical Officer Dr Dhirendra said. Five more people in the village have also complained of suffering from loose motions and vomiting, he said. The district administration has rushed a six-member medical team to the village to ascertain the cause of the spread of the disease.

Decoded: Why some people are at risk of gout

Researchers have decoded a genetic variant that enables new understanding of why some people are at risk of gout, a painful and debilitating arthritic disease.

World's largest healthcare scheme will cover 500 million people: Health Minister J P Nadda (IANS Interview)

What is touted as the world's largest healthcare scheme - Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) - will benefit over 500 million (50 crore) people which is more than the combined population of the United States, Canada and Mexico, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said.

Children with asthma less likely to finish school: Study

People who suffer with persistent asthma from a young age are more likely to lag behind in studies and drop out from school or university, a study has found. The research also suggests that when this group of children grow up, they are less likely to work in certain non-manual occupations such as police officer, clerk or foreman. "Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among children and we know that it can interfere with daily life and affect school attendance," said Christian Schyllert, a clinician at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. "However, we know a lot less about the impact childhood asthma has on subsequent life chances in adulthood," said Schyllert, a PhD student at Umea University in Sweden. The research was based on children living in three districts in Sweden. In 1996, all children aged between seven and eight years were invited to participate in the study and 97 per cent agreed. Participants were followed-up at age 11-12, 19 and 27-28 years. By 2015, ..

Rajnath visits AIIMS to inquire about Parrikar's health

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday visited AIIMS to inquire about the health of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer.

Maternal high blood sugar linked to obesity risk in kids

Babies born to woman with higher blood sugar levels during pregnancy could be at significantly greater long-term risk of obesity - even more than a decade later, a study has found.

Psychotherapy recommended for women caring for children with severe health issues

Turns out, brief cognitive behavioral therapy significantly improves the mental health of women overwhelmed by caring for children with severe chronic health conditions.Researchers at the University of Louisville conducted a study in which participants reported significantly decreased depressive symptoms, negative thinking and chronic stressors, and experienced improved sleep quality after five therapy sessions.Lynne Hall, presented the findings said, "Women caring for children with chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis are at high risk for depressive symptoms. They have many things to juggle, including caring for the child, administering medications and coordinating physician and therapy visits. They're stressed and overwhelmed by the amount of care their children require and the number of hours a day it takes."The study findings show that women caring for children with serious health conditions should be screened for depression and that cognitive behavioral ..

BPA-free plastics may up reproductive problems: Study

BPA-free plastics -- touted to be a safe alternative for babies and pregnant women -- may cause reproductive abnormalities for up to three generations, a study in mice suggests. Twenty years ago, researchers made the accidental discovery that the now infamous plastics ingredient known as bisphenol A (BPA) had inadvertently leached out of plastic cages used to house female mice in the lab, causing a sudden increase in chromosomally abnormal eggs in the animals. The team has found that the array of alternative bisphenols now used to replace BPA in BPA-free bottles, cups, cages, and other items appear to come with similar problems for their mice. The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, were uncovered much as before as the researchers again noticed a change in the data coming out of studies on control animals. They traced the problem to contamination from damaged cages, but the effects this time were more subtle than before, said Patricia Hunt of Washington State ...

Inhaled steroids may increase risk of lung infections

Asthma patients beware! Using inhaled steroids to control asthma and other breathing problems may increase the risk of developing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung infections.NTM are in the same family as tuberculosis, but NTM comes in many different species and is widely dispersed in the environment. Although they cannot be spread from person to person, NTM is difficult to treat and can cause serious illness, and even death.Senior author of the study, Stephen J. Ruoss, and co-authors found that the odds of developing NTM pulmonary infection were 2.7 times greater in those patients who had filled three or more prescriptions for an inhaled steroid. They also found that the longer a person was on an inhaled steroid and the higher the dose, the more likely the patient was to develop an NTM lung infection."The rapidly growing number of NTM infections has occurred during a time when inhaled steroid use has increased, and we wanted to see if there was a potential connection," said Dr. .