Page 322 - Health Medical Pharma

Family genetics vital to understand autism progression

Turns out, the severity of a neurodevelopmental disorder like autism or ADHD in an individual depends on genetic changes beyond a single, supposedly disease-causing mutation.A new study led by researchers at Penn State revealed that the total amount of rare mutations -- deletions, duplications, or other changes to the DNA sequence -- in a person's genome can explain why individuals with a disease-associated mutation can have vastly different symptoms."Genetic sequencing tools can reveal a large number of mutations in a person's genome, but diagnosis typically focuses on identifying one primary mutation as the cause of a disorder," said Santhosh Girirajan, senior author of the study. "However, this strategy does not explain why many individuals with the same primary mutation have very different features or symptoms."Girirajan explained, "For example, when a parent and child have the same primary mutation but only the child develops the disorder. Our work reveals that the primary ...

Researchers issue guidelines for traumatic brain injury patients

Researchers introduced a new set of guidelines for rehabilitation of patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), incorporating insights from rehabilitation professionals responsible for providing care from initial assessment through long-term follow-up.Clinical practice guidelines play a critical role in promoting quality care for patients with TBI. Professionals at Wolters Kluwer Health revealed that updated guidelines are also needed to reflect the trend towards community-based rehabilitation.From the outset, the guideline development process assessed the needs and expectations of "end users": the clinicians and managers providing rehabilitation care for patients with moderate to severe TBI. A study found that rehabilitation professionals expressed positive perceptions of clinical practice guidelines - however, only a small proportion of respondents used them in everyday practice. The professionals identified several key topics to be covered in guidelines, ...

Bhushan Steel launches primary health care unit in Odisha

Bhushan Steel, which was acquired by Tata Steel in May, has dedicated a mobile primary health care unit for the people of periphery villagers of its plant at Kantabania in Dhenkanal district of Odisha. The health care unit, launched as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, would benefit around 12,000 people of 11 villages, a company release said. Managing Director of Bhushan Steel Rajeev Singhal, said the health care unit will visit the peripheral villages as per the prescribed schedule to provide health care at the doorsteps of villagers and create awareness on preventive measures for various diseases. The unit has a trained doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist and necessary medicine. This is one of the many CSR interventions Bhushan Steel is planning for partnering inclusive growth of the region, said Singhal, who flagged off the health care unit on September 6. Commending Bhushan Steel for the initiative, Debashree Behera, Sarpanch of Sibapur village in ...

Scoreboard at tea on the opening day of the fifth and final Test between India and ...

Scoreboard at tea on the opening day of the fifth and final Test between India and England at the Oval here on Friday. England 1st Innings Alastair Cook not out 67 Keaton Jennings c Rahul b Jadeja 23 Moeen Ali not out 23 Extras (B-9, LB-2) 11 Total (For one wicket, 59 overs) 123 Fall of wickets: 1-60. Bowling: Jasprit Bumrah 14-5-31-0, Ishant Sharma 13-7-17-0, Hanuma Vihari 1-0-1-0, Mohammed Shami 16-6-27-0, Ravindra Jadeja 15-0-36-1.

Swapna to undergo series of tests, may undergo surgery: Coach

Asian Games gold medallist heptathlete Swapna Barman will undergo a series of medical tests and may opt for surgery if required on her problematic lower back, her coach Subhas Sarkar said Friday. Barman, who became the first Indian heptathlete to win a gold in the Asian Games, had said she was carrying injuries while competing in Jakarta. She has been having problems at her lumbar (lower back) region since the 2017 Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar where she had won a gold and was also carrying minor knee injuries. "Last time, I did not take the risk of surgery because of the Asian Games but now we will see what is her condition. She may have to go for a surgery we will see what the doctors advice after MRI and CT scans," Sarkar told PTI on the sidelines of a SAI felicitation here. Sarkar said Barman's medical treatment was the priority now. "Bhangachora gari niye besi dur egono jabena (Can't run with a broken car). She can collapse if she competes now," he said. "I have not kept any

More than 3800 doctors posts lying vacant: OPCC President

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Friday termed as false state government's data on vacancy of doctors' posts and claimed that over 3800 posts of doctors are now lying vacant. OPCC President Niranjan Patnaik said total approved number of cadre post of doctors in Odisha including Community Health Center (CHC), Primary Health Centre (PHC), sub-divisional Headquarter hospitals and district headquarter hospitals is 6719. This was announced in 2016 December after cadre restructure, though the state needs more than double the number of doctors, he said adding now the number of doctors working in primary and tertiary level is around 2800. "Approximately 3800 number of doctor posts are lying vacant in the state," Patnaik claimed in a statement. However, as per health and family welfare minister Pratap Jena's version in the state assembly, now 1609 doctors and 275 dentist posts are lying vacant, the PCC chief claimed and said "this is based on false data. The government is

Losing weight through diet, exercise in pregnancy safe: Study

Pregnant women can safely limit their weight gain with diet and exercise interventions, the results of a group of trials by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) show.

Formalin detected in fishes sold in Mizoram

Formalin, a harmful preservative that can lead to cancer, was detected in fishes sold at the main market in southernmost Mizoram's Lawngtlai town, Fisheries Department officials said Friday. Joint Director of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), department of Health Lalsawma said that they learned about the presence of formalin in the fishes in Lawngtlai through social media and had not been informed about the findings officially. Earlier, the state Forensic Science Laboratory officials had detected formalin in the fishes sold in Aizawl market in July while the FDA, which later tested several samples, failed to find any traces of the chemical. Sale of fish had picked up again in Aizawl markets after the findings of the FDA proved inconclusive.

Your brain cells may be making you brave

Ever wondered why some people comfortably walk between skyscrapers on a high-wire while others freeze on the mere thought of climbing off escalators in a shopping mall? It could be the presence of a certain type of cells in the brain's hippocampus, a study has found.

DocsApp achieves growth milestone; crosses 1 million consultations

Chat-based healthcare platform, DocsApp, has announced achieving a landmark by crossing one million consultations in India.Offering convenience and access to quality healthcare, DocsApp enables its users to buy medicines and book lab tests from the comfort of their homes. The seamless services that DocsApp offers have resulted in more than 3,000 people consulting doctors for various health-related problems on a daily basis at present.With ease-of-usage, DocsApp users are based in tier II and tier III cities as it allows patients to communicate in both Hindi and English.Eight percent of consultations on DocsApp start within 10 minutes, and all of them are 100% safe and private. Apart from primary healthcare needs and expert second opinions for chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiac ailments, arthritis and cancer, a lot of patients seek DocsApp's services for sexology, dermatology, gynecology, and psychiatry-related health concerns."Crossing this major landmark is the clear ...

'New blood test to predict second heart attack risk'

A blood test that quickly and easily detects whether a person is at the risk of a secondary heart attack is being developed by scientists. The researchers at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia have identified plasma lipid biomarkers (fats in the blood) that improve upon traditional risk factors in predicting heart disease and stroke. The blood test is proposed to be trialled in Australia over the next 2-3 years, said Peter Meikle, a professor Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. Eventually this test will help better assess a patient's risk of developing heart disease, he said. The study, published in the journal JCI Insight, looked at 10,000 samples to find the biomarkers that will determine whether a person is at the risk of having another heart attack. "We hope to identify those individuals who are at greatest risk of a second heart attack so that they can be closely monitored and treated accordingly," Meikle said. "While there are thousands of lipids in the blood, ..

Long gaps between meals can boost health, longevity: Study

Do you eat food more often? According to a study, longer daily fasting times or increasing the duration between meals, regardless of calorie intake as well as diet composition, can make men more healthy and help them live longer, compared to those who eat more frequently, researchers say.

Excess daytime sleepiness may signal Alzheimer's risk: Study

People who feel very sleepy during the day are nearly three times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who do not, a long-term study has found. The study, published in the journal SLEEP, found that adults who reported being very sleepy during the day were thrice more likely to have brain deposits of beta amyloid, a protein that is a hallmark for Alzheimer's, years later. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the US suggest that getting adequate nighttime sleep could be a way to help prevent Alzheimer's disease. "If disturbed sleep contributes to Alzheimer's disease we may be able to treat patients with sleep issues to avoid these negative outcomes," said Adam P Spira, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study used data from a long-term research started in 1958 that followed the health of thousands of volunteers as they age. As part of the study's periodic exams, volunteers filled a questionnaire between 1991 and ...

J&J to work with India on compensation for recalled hip implants

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (J&J) said it would work with the Indian government to compensate patients who had suffered from hip implants that were recalled by the U.S. healthcare firm eight years ago after data showed high failure rates.

Former UN Chief hails Mohalla clinic

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon hailed the Delhi government'S Mohalla Clinics and polyclinics on Friday by calling the scheme the "best form of healthcare" and said that the Centre should implement the model across the country.

Seeking to work with Indian govt for compensation to patients affected by hip implants: J&J

Johnson & Johnson said Friday it is looking to work with the Indian government to provide compensation to patients who suffered on account of hip implants manufactured by its subsidiary DePuy International. The Union Health Ministry on September 5 had directed Johnson and Johnson to comply with all the recommendations of an expert panel, constituted earlier to probe complaints about "faulty" ASR hip implant devices, saying it is the responsibility of the firm to compensate all the patients. "We have always been and continue to be fully committed to supporting all ASR patients in India, and the rest of the world," Johnson & Johnson Medical India spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement. That's why J&J instituted an unprecedented patient reimbursement programme in August 2010, the statement added. "In light of the recent committee report, we are seeking to work with the Indian government to develop an appropriate process for providing further support and compensation for ..

New blood test to screen for secondary heart attack

Australian scientists are developing a simple blood test that quickly and easily detects whether a person is at risk of a secondary heart attack.

Feeling sleepy during the day may trigger Alzheimer's: Researchers

In a significant finding, Johns Hopkins researchers have revealed that those who feel sleepy during the day are nearly three times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who have a good night's sleep.

Fortis arm sells 15 lakh shares in RHT to FHIL

Fortis Healthcare Friday said its step-down subsidiary RHT Health Trust Manager has sold 15 lakh shares in RHT Health Trust to Fortis Healthcare International Ltd (FHIL) for SGD 11,70,000. FHIL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortis Healthcare Ltd (FHL). The acquisition of RHT units was completed on September 5, 2018, FHL said in a filing to BSE. The object of the sale was to "keep the holding of FHIL in RHT above 25 per cent," it added. There will not be any change in FHL's total interest in RHT, the company said. RHT has a portfolio of 12 clinical establishments, and operating hospitals across India. Shares of FHL were trading at Rs 146.50 per scrip on BSE, up 0.41 per cent from the previous close.

AstraZeneca gets FDA breakthrough therapy label for asthma treatment

(Reuters) - AstraZeneca Plc and Amgen Inc said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted a breakthrough therapy label for their drug to treat a type of severe asthma, potentially speeding up its development and regulatory review.