Page 320 - Health Medical Pharma
Middle-aged adults must have 'drink-free' days: UK health body
Concerned over the negative health effects of alcohol intake on middle-aged adults, a new campaign has urged people between the ages of 45 and 65 to have regular "drink-free" days, that can help reduce the chance of cancer and weight gain.
Switzerland forms committee to formulate norms for Ayurveda practitioners, medicines
Switzerland has formed a committee to formulate norms for the approval of Ayurveda practitioners and medicines in the country. The Swiss government in 2015 recognised and sanctioned Ayurveda medicine and therapy, the traditional medicine system, becoming the first western country to do so. "Ayurveda has huge following here. The government has formed a joint committee to formulate norms in this regard. There are areas which Switzerland is exploring -- approval of medical practitioners and the medicines that can be sold," a senior official, familiar with the development, told PTI. For approval of doctors, tests have to be held and for that a curriculum is needed, he said. "Many hotels offer Ayurveda massages as a part of their spa packages and in the early days most Ayurveda practitioners had minimal qualifications and experience. "As a result of this lack of credibility and recognition, most health insurers refuse to reimburse patients for the cost of Ayurveda consultations, including .
'New device may help, diagnose, treat dizziness'
Scientists have developed a new vibrating device that is placed behind a patient's ear to diagnose dizziness, and offers significant advantages over the current tests. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden developed the testing device using bone conduction sounds. Hearing and balance have something in common. For patients with dizziness, this relationship is used to diagnose issues with balance, according to the study published in the journal Medical Devices: Evidence and Research. Commonly, a 'VEMP' test (Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials) needs to be performed. A VEMP test uses loud sounds to evoke a muscle reflex contraction in the neck and eye muscles, triggered by the vestibular system -- the system responsible for our balance. However, today's VEMP methods have major shortcomings, and can cause hearing loss and discomfort for patients. "We have developed a new type of vibrating device that is placed behind the ear of the patient during the test," said
Novel device to improve diagnosis of dizziness
Researchers have developed a new vibrating device using bone conduction technology, that can identify the causes of dizziness.
Acute critical illness raises risk of kidney complications
People with acute critical illness have an increased risk of kidney complications and death, finds a study."Patients with acute critical illness without apparent underlying renal disease -- a group traditionally considered to be at low risk of renal diseases -- have clinically relevant long-term renal risks," wrote Dr. Shih-Ting Huang and Dr. Chia-Hung Kao of Taichung Veterans General Hospital and China Medical University, Taiwan, respectively.Most studies have looked at patients with pre-existing kidney disease, while this study looked at data on 33, 613 Taiwanese patients with critical acute illness and no pre-existing kidney disease compared with 63, 148 controls for a medium-term renal outcome.More than half of the patients (53 per cent) were above 65 years of age and two-thirds (67 per cent) had high blood pressure. Patients who had experienced acute kidney illness were at an increased risk of renal complications, developing chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, ...
Improving the diagnosis of dizziness
Researchers from Sweden have developed a new testing device - using bone conduction technology - to help improve the diagnosis of dizziness.Half of over-65s suffer from dizziness and problems with balance. But, some tests to identify the causes of such problems are painful and can risk hearing damage.Hearing and balance have something in common. For patients with dizziness, this relationship is used to diagnose issues with balance. Commonly, a 'VEMP' test (Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials) needs to be performed. A VEMP test uses loud sounds to evoke a muscle reflex contraction in the neck and eye muscles, triggered by the vestibular system - the system responsible for our balance. The Chalmers University of Technology researchers have now used bone conducted sounds to achieve better results."We have developed a new type of vibrating device that is placed behind the ear of the patient during the test," said Bo Hakansson. The vibrating device is small and compact in size, and ...
Glenmark Pharma sizzles on securing marketing authorization
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals rose 2.26% to Rs 698.70 at 11:40 IST on BSE after the company announced that it has secured marketing authorization in Germany for its generic version of Seretide Accuhaler.
Are sepsis patients at higher risk of stroke?
Patients with sepsis face higher risk of strokes and heart attacks in the first four weeks after hospital discharge, according to a study.Researchers looked at data on more than one million people in Taiwan, of whom 42 316 patients had sepsis, matched with control patients in the hospital and the general population.All sepsis patients had at least one organ dysfunction, 35 per cent were in the intensive care unit and 22 per cent died within 30 days of admission. In the total group of patients with sepsis, 1012 had a cardiovascular event, 831 had a stroke and 184 had a myocardial infarction within 180 days of discharge from hospital.Risk was highest in the first seven days after discharge, with more than one-quarter (26 per cent) of myocardial infarction or stroke occurring in the immediate period and 51 per cent occurring within 35 days."We found that within the first 4 weeks after discharge from hospital was the critical period with a markedly elevated risk of [myocardial infarction]
There is need to talk about sexuality after stroke: Study
A recent study has found that stroke survivors struggle to openly discuss sexuality, while health professionals rarely address the topic during rehabilitation.According to the research, Stroke survivors and their partners are not adequately supported to deal with changes to their relationships, self-identity, gender roles, and intimacy following a stroke.The finding is supported by data stating that as few as 15 percent of patients receive information on intimate relations post-stroke, despite clinical guideline recommendations.Dr Margaret McGrath, lead author of the study said, "Issues around post-stroke sexuality and where to seek support are rarely discussed with stroke survivors or their loved ones despite numerous interactions with medical, rehabilitation and counselling staff.""Sexuality and disability is viewed as a taboo topic so stroke survivors don't know how to talk about it and health professionals don't ask the questions," McGrath added.According to the researchers, this .
Is increasing temperature raising childhood viral infection rates?
Turns out, hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood viral infection that mostly affects in warmer summer months because of the increasing temperature and humidity.According to a recent study, global warming may impact the rates of HFMD, both by prolonging the duration of outbreaks during peak seasons and by increasing the likelihood of HFMD transmission throughout the year.Dr Sarah Coates, lead author of the study, said, "There is an emerging understanding of the link between our changing climate and the rising incidence of various infectious diseases. Many of these changes are so insidious that they are hard for the average practitioner to detect at the individual level."With these findings, Coates' team is hoping to raise awareness within the medical community of these large-scale trends and spur appropriate political action given their potential consequences to public health.The full findings appeared in the journal- International Journal of Dermatology.
Health Ministry and J&J likely to meet this week to discuss modalities of compensation to patients
A meeting between senior officials of the Union Health Ministry and executives of Johnson and Johnson, embroiled in a controversy over its "faulty" hip implants, to discuss the modalities of paying compensation to affected patients in India is likely to take place this week. While sources in the Union Health Ministry said that the pharma giant has sought an appointment, the company when contacted indicated that it has "reached out to the ministry". The move came after the company in a statement recently said it was seeking to work with the Indian government to develop an appropriate process for providing further support and compensation for patients in need. An expert panel, constituted earlier by the ministry to probe complaints about "faulty" ASR hip implant devices, in its report, has said the pharma giant "suppressed" facts on the harm of surgeries which was conducted on patients in India using "faulty" hip replacement systems. It had also suggested that the firm pay compensation .
Measles and Rubella vaccination completely safe: Health Secy
Health authorities in Meghalaya Sunday said measles and rubella vaccinations are completely safe and essential to save children from the two deadly diseases and ensure their healthy future. Meghalaya Health secretary Pravin Bakshi requested people not to panic over reports of 25 children taken ill after MR vaccination in Assam's Hailakhandi district. Bakshi requested people here not to panic as health authorities in Assam has clarified that the children were taken ill after vaccination due to "anxiety and hysteria" induced by fear of injections. "Kindly do not get swayed and affected by unverified news items and seek clarification of the same from district and state authorities The measles and rubella vaccinations are completely safe and essential to save children from the two deadly diseases and ensure their healthy future," he said. The Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign, targeting children from 9 months till 15 years, is scheduled to begin in Meghalaya from ...
Constitutional rights fulcrum of free society: CJI Misra
Rights protected and guaranteed under the constitutional framework are the fulcrum of a democratic and free society, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has said. Addressing the Dr Patangrao Kadam memorial lecture here Saturday, the CJI said that if an individual has the right to live he also has the right to die with dignity. Justice Misra was addressing law students of Bharti University on "Balancing of Rights". "We have a constitutional democracy and it is conceived with a singular and sole mission and purpose of securing its citizenry's rights and liberties which foster and strengthen the spirit and growth of the development of the society," Justice Misra said. He said, "Rights protected and guaranteed under the constitutional framework are the fulcrum of any democratic and free society. We have the right and we must exercise the right within the constitutional parameters". The CJI said interests are recognised and protected by a rule of justice. "If the rule of justice collapses, .
Israeli research shows probiotics treatment may harm intestines
Israeli researchers have found that probiotic treatment can damage the intestines, the Weizmann Institute of Science has said.
Kanpur SP passes away
Superintendent of Police Kanpur, Surendra Kumar Das, who was admitted to a hospital in critical condition earlier in the week, passed away on Sunday, allegedly due to poisoning.This came four days after Das was admitted to Regency Hospital here, and traces of poison were found in his body.Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Rajesh Agarwal said, "We could not save Surendra Kumar Das and declared him dead at 12:19. We were trying since morning, but his heart was not supporting. He took a strong dose of celphos poison. We tried our best but the dose was so strong that despite the best possible treatment we could not save him."On September 5, Das' condition suddenly deteriorated at around 4 in the morning. His wife, a doctor, immediately made him vomit and took him to the district hospital, where he was given a stomach wash.On the same day, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjiv Suman said that Das was allegedly under stress due to family issues.
Jet-air dryers spread more germs than paper towels
Jet-air hand dryers should not be used in hospital toilets as they spread more germs than disposable paper towels, a study warns. Published in the Journal of Hospital Infection, the study looked at bacterial spread in a real world setting -- in two toilets in each of three hospitals, which were in the UK, France and Italy. Each of the toilets had paper towel dispensers and jet-air dryers, but only one of these was in use on any given day. "The problem starts because some people do not wash their hands properly," said Mark Wilcox, a professor at University of Leeds in the UK. "When people use a jet-air dryer, the microbes get blown off and spread around the toilet room," said Wilcox. "In effect, the dryer creates an aerosol that contaminates the toilet room, including the dryer itself and potentially the sinks, floor and other surfaces, depending on the dryer design and where it is sited," he said. "If people touch those surfaces, they risk becoming contaminated by bacteria or ...
Bangladeshi researchers claim to have decoded hilsa genome
Researchers in Bangladesh claimed to have successfully mapped the genome sequence of the popular hilsa fish. The research was conducted separately by two teams, but they announced their results to media nearly simultaneously, the bdnews reported. Scientists believe that discovering the genome sequence of the hilsa fish will provide a holistic understanding of the organism's biology and can be used to increase the fish's production and ensure its conservation. A genome is the complete set of genes or genetic material present in an organism. The genome sequence is the order of DNA neucleotides that make up the organism's DNA. The particular sequence of these neucleotides determines many of an organism's characteristics. Nearly 75 per cent of the world's hilsa comes from Bangladesh. However, hilsa production is nearly 10 per cent of the country's total fish production. Bangladesh produces nearly 387,000 tonnes of hilsa a year, with a total market value of Tk 158.7 billion. Hilsa ...
S.Korea confirms first MERS case since 2015
South Korean authorities on Sunday confirmed the first case of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus since the outbreak that affected the country in 2015 leaving 187 infected and 38 dead.
Potential new antibiotic could fight superbugs
Scientists have identified a fungal compound that could lead to a new antibiotic, giving mankind another weapon to fight against superbugs. Due to the overuse of antibiotics in recent years, strains of bacteria have developed resistance to many different types of drugs. Researchers from Chongqing University in China have developed a technique to synthesise albomycins, a group of fungal compounds that have previously shown antimicrobial properties. "The method we use can efficiently and conveniently synthesise albomycins substances, and initial animal lab test has demonstrated that these substances are safe, but we will continue our research on its safety," Yun He from the Chongqing University told Xinhua new agency. Researchers were able to obtain the substances in large enough amounts to allow them to test their antibiotic activity. One substance performed well in a test against a variety of bacterial strains. It outperformed several established antibiotics, according to a study ...
IPS officer, who consumed poisonous substance, dies
The 30-year-old IPS officer, who was is in a critical condition after consuming some poisonous substance, died Sunday at a private hospital in Kanpur. Surendra Kumar Das, an officer of the 2014 batch, was posted in Kanpur as Superintendent of Police City (East) and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital after consuming poisionous substance on Wednesday. "He died during treatment Sunday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed deepest condolence to the family members of the young IPS officer on his demise," an official spokesman said here. Dr Rajesh Agarwal a senior doctor at the private hospital where Das was undergoing medical treatment had on Saturday said that many organs of the officers body had stopped working. State Director General of Police (DGP), O P Singh had visited the hospital on Saturday. Senior police officers including DGP, ADG (Law and Order) and others have expressed grief over the demise of the officer.