Page 323 - Health Medical Pharma
Mohalla clinics most systematic form of healthcare: Ban Ki-moon
Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the Mohalla clinic facility as the "best and most systematic form of healthcare."Ban, along with former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, paid a visit to a Mohalla clinic in West Delhi's Peeragarhi area earlier in the day.After the visit, Ban hailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's vision of ensuring a strong primary healthcare and said that the Mohalla clinics and polyclinics are the best forms of providing good healthcare.The former UN Secretary-General said, "I have been to different parts of the world, but what I saw today is the best and systematic form of healthcare in the form of Mohalla clinics and polyclinics. Chief Minister Kejriwal has a great vision when it is about primary healthcare. I deeply appreciate it."Stressing on the need for providing better healthcare facilities in India, Brundtland elucidated, "It is great to be here visiting the Mohalla clinics in Delhi. These clinics help in ...
New blood test to screen for secondary heart attack?
Researchers are developing a new blood test which could screen if a person is at risk of a secondary heart attack.The Baker Institute's head of metabolomics, Professor Peter Meikle and his team have identified plasma lipid biomarkers (fats in the blood) that improve upon traditional risk factors in predicting heart disease and stroke.He says the revolutionary blood test is proposed to be trialled in Australia over the next 2-3 years as part of a broader personalised precision health program currently under development. Eventually, a general practitioner (GP) will be able to order this test in order to better assess a patient's risk of developing heart disease."The test was developed after a study looked at 10,000 samples to find the bio markers that will determine whether a person is at risk of having another heart attack," said Prof Meikle."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 ...
'New therapy may help treat skin cancer'
Scientists say they have identified a molecule that can be added to a cancer vaccine to boost the immune system's ability to fight skin cancer. A study, published in the journal PNAS, found that adding the molecule called Diprovocim to an existing vaccine can draw cancer-fighting cells to tumour sites. Experiments in mice with melanoma suggest the therapy could increase chances of recovery in cases where a drug therapy alone is not working, researchers said. Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that arises when pigment-producing cells -- known as melanocytes -- mutate and become cancerous. "This co-therapy produced a complete response -- a curative response -- in the treatment of melanoma," said Dale Boger, a professor at the Scripps Research Institute in the US. The vaccine also prompts the immune system to fight tumour cells should they ever return, a capability that could prevent cancer recurrence, researchers said. "Just as a vaccine can train the body to fight off external ...
Daytime sleepiness causes Alzheimer's disease?
Turns out, excessive daytime sleepiness is linked with brain protein involved in a memory-robbing disease, a new study reveals.Analysis of data collected during a long-term study of aging adults showed that those who reported being very sleepy during the day were nearly three times more likely than those who didn't to have brain deposits of beta amyloid, a protein that's a hallmark for Alzheimer's disease, years later.The study has revealed that poor quality sleep could encourage this form of dementia to develop, suggesting that getting adequate nighttime sleep could be a way to help prevent Alzheimer's disease."Factors like diet, exercise and cognitive activity have been widely recognized as important potential targets for Alzheimer's disease prevention, but sleep hasn't quite risen to that status--although that may well be changing," said study author Adam P. Spira.Spira led the study with collaborators from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Bloomberg School and Johns ...
Detoxifying the brain through Kapalbhati (Health Tips)
Kapalbhati is a part of Pranayam kriya where one forcefully exhales rapidly and in short bursts. Practitioners claim that it helps in cleaning lungs and in exercising the abdomen muscles. It is, therefore, recommended for reducing tummy fat.
Spinal Stenosis - A potential midlife crisis
Do you often search for a chair to sit while attending a social gathering? Do you often experience numbness, weakness or a tingling sensation in any one or all of these areas like your feet, legs, hands and arms; or face problems while walking or with balancing yourself? If yes, then you could be at a risk of having spinal stenosis.The disease mostly affects people in middle and older age groups, where the space available for the nerves in our backbone becomes narrower than normal and causes a pinching effect on the nerves and spinal cord. Untreated severe spinal stenosis may progress and cause permanent numbness, weakness, balance problems, incontinence or urine/stool and may lead even to paralysis.What Is Spinal Stenosis?Dr Arun Bhanot of Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurugram, said, "Our spine is made up of a series of connected bones and shock-absorbing discs. It protects our spinal cord, a key part of the central nervous system that connects the brain to the body. The cord rests in the
'Migraine not just a headache but neurological disorder'
Migraine headaches are one of the most common neurological disorders in the world with an estimated global prevalence of one in seven people.Despite such high prevalence, migraine continues to be an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease in India, resulting from myths and misconceptions surrounding the illness including incorrect diagnosis. While migraine can be effectively managed, awareness and understanding of migraine, its triggers and potential treatment options remains low.Evidence shows that migraine reduces family, social, and recreational activities. Many patients have had to give up their careers as they are not able to cope. Personal and family lives also get adversely impacted. There are many cases where recurrent headaches and disability has led to self-harm because of the co-morbid depression that is seen with migraine.According to Dr. K. Ravishankar, The Headache and Migraine Clinic, Jaslok and Lilavati Hospitals, Mumbai, "Migraine is a chronic, disabling neurological .
Here's how sleep pattern during infancy affects long-term obesity
When it comes to obesity prevention, sleep is not usually what comes to one's mind. However, a new research has revealed that sufficient sleep during infancy can help curb long-term obesity.One in three children is overweight or obese by the time they start school. Treating obesity once established is challenging, however, researchers observed that sleep intervention in infancy reduces the risk of obesity for participants in the later stages of an infant's life."Sleep is a very important behaviour that we need to consider. In terms of maintaining a healthy weight, sleep usually isn't the first behaviour that comes to mind - for parents or health practitioners - yet the research is actually very clear," said researcher Rachael Taylor."The relationship between not getting enough sleep and being at a higher risk of obesity is actually stronger than the evidence base for nutrition or activity, where the findings are often more mixed," Taylor added.The researchers studied more than 800 ...
Care for your nails
Taking care of ones nails is very important when it comes to maintaining hygiene. Keep your hands moisturised, coat the nails properly and choose proper lacquer, suggest experts.
Health ministry invites suggestions for renaming drug regulator CDSCO
The Union Health Ministry has invited suggestions for renaming the country's drug regulator CDSCO in line with its expanded roles. In a public notice issued Thursday, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) said its name was given keeping its role when it was created, but the present nomenclature was not reflecting its roles and responsibilities. The notice said the role of CDSCO has expanded to several areas, including regulation of new drugs, vaccines and clinical trials, all imports pertaining to drugs, medical devices and cosmetics, Central Licensing Approval Authority for blood banks and vaccines, setting of standards under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, among others. It said R A Mashelkar in his report recommended creation of National Drug Authority (NDA) or Central Drug Authority (CDA). The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) in its 75th meeting held on January 3, 2017 had recommended renaming CDSCO as Indian Drugs Administration, the notice said, adding ..
'Women above 50 at higher risk of hip fracture'
Women who are above 50 years, suffer from higher risk of getting diagnosed with osteoporosis or weakening of bones than men leading to hip fracture, according to health expert at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).
Rs 800 crore projects launched in Hyderabad's Genome Valley
Telangana's Minister of Industries K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday inaugurated new projects worth Rs 800 crore in Genome Valley here.
Jaya panel warns Apollo Hospital, directs doctors' deposition
The Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry, probing the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Thursday warned the Apollo Hospital of legal consequences if it failed to depute its doctors to appear before the panel. In a letter to the hospital chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy, the panel, whose extended tenure ends next month, noted that in previous hearings some of the doctors, summoned, had not appeared before it had been condoned. "Depute the doctors and technician before this commission without raising any technical objections, remembering that your hospital has received several crores of rupees towards treatment charges (of Jayalalithaa)," it said. The panel directed cardiologist Dr Sai Sathish, Consultants, Dr C Vignesh and Dr D Ravi Varma to appear before it on September 11, respiratory medicine specialist Dr Babu K Abraham and technician Madivannan on Sept 12 and chief physiotherapist, Raj Prassanna on Sept 10. "...if you fail to depute the doctors and ...
Lalu shifted to paying ward in RIMS, Ranchi
Ranchi-based Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) has shifted jailed RJD president Lalu Prasad to the paying ward of the hospital, accepting his prayer which cited poor hygiene, mosquito menace and clamour of barking dogs as perilous to his health. Prasad, convicted in the fodder scam, was shifted to the 100-bed paying ward on Wednesday night, RIMS director R K Shrivastava told PTI on Thursday. The RJD supremo will have to pay Rs 1,000 per day at the present ward. Shrivastava said the change was done after permission was obtained from the jail superintendent. The paying ward at present has only three patients which makes the environment serene to the delight of Prasad, the RJD chief's close aide Bhola Yadav said. A ward transfer application was moved earlier on behalf of the former Bihar chief minister to the director of the RIMS hospital, where Yadav was admitted. The application cited that the waste pipe of a toilet close to his ward was clogged, emitting foul smell, which .
India's January-July tea exports rise 6.6 percent - Board
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's tea exports in the first seven months of 2018 rose 6.6 percent from a year ago to 133.21 million kg as Egypt, Iran and Pakistan raised purchases, the state-run Tea Board said in a statement on Thursday.
Liver transported from Tirunelveli to Kovai in 4 hours
The liver of a brain dead teenaged boy was transplanted in a needy patient here Thursday after the police created a green corridor for a distance of 350 kms from Tirunelveli enabling the organ to be transported within four hours. Police personnel of Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dingigul, Tirupur and Coimbatore districts coordinated and facilitated the green corridor, said a release from the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH), where the transplantation surgery was performed. 16-year old Gopalakrishnan was declared brain dead by doctors at a hospital in Tirunelveli after he suffered head injuries in an accident and his family decided to donate his organs. Following this, his liver was brought to the KMCH Wednesday and transplanted in a patient suffering acute liver failure, giving him a new lease of life, the release said.
Living in a city may harm your child's memory: Study
Children living in greener urban neighbourhoods may have better spatial working memory, according to a study. Spatial working memory is responsible for recording information about one's environment, said researchers from University College London in the UK. It is strongly inter-related with attentional control, according to the study published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology. In the study of 4,758 11-year-olds living in urban areas in England, lower quantity of neighbourhood greenspace was related to poorer spatial working memory. This relationship held in both deprived and non-deprived neighbourhoods. "Our findings suggest a positive role of greenspace in cognitive functioning," said Eirini Flouri from University College London. "Spatial working memory is an important cognitive ability that is strongly related with academic achievement in children, particularly mathematics performance," Flouri said. "If the association we established between neighbourhood greenspace .
Eating whole grains may help prevent diabetes: Study
Consuming whole grain foods like rye, oats or wheat can help prevent type 2 diabetes, according to a study which also found that drinking coffee and avoiding red meat can reduce the risk of the disorder. The ability to use whole grains for prevention of type 2 diabetes has been known for a long time. However, the role of whole grain sources has not been investigated. It has also been unclear how much whole grain is needed to reduce the risk of developing diabetes. "Most studies similar to ours have previously been conducted in the US, where people mainly get their whole grain from wheat," said Rikard Landberg, a professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. "We wanted to see if there was a difference between different cereals. One might expect there would be, because they contain different types of dietary fibre and bioactive substances, which have been shown to influence risk factors for type 2 diabetes," said Landberg. The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, ...
HC notice to AAP govt over illegal pathological labs
New Delhi [India], Sep. 6 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Delhi government on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent action against all illegal pathological labs and diagnostic centers across the region. The case will come up for hearing on September 17.The petitioner, Bijon Kumar Misra, through his counsels Shashank Deo Sudhi and Dr Shashi Bhushan, has requested the court for urgent implementation of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act 2010 in the national capital region.It was informed that the central government had written to the Arvind Kejriwal government on several occasions for implementation of the Act in order to regulate the pathological labs and diagnostic centers in the national capital.The petition, filed in the court, further claimed that only 10 per cent of the pathological labs and diagnostic centers in Delhi are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL), which is an ...
'New algorithm may help improve taste of beer'
Scientists have created a machine learning algorithm that may help brewers to have greater control over the flavour of beer, and also yield personalised treatments for metabolic disorders in future. The algorithm developed by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute in the UK can predict yeast metabolism from its protein content. Metabolism is the process by which organisms convert nutrients into energy and essential molecules, via a series of chemical reactions. When yeast metabolises sugar in the absence of oxygen, it 'ferments' to produce alcohol, acids and gases, including flavour compounds, that make bread, wine and beer taste good. Within a cell, metabolism produces hundreds of small molecules, called metabolites. Although yeast is evolutionarily very distant to humans, many of these metabolites are identical, and are made in a similar way. Until now, however, the mechanisms controlling metabolism have not been fully understood. The study, published in the journal Cell Systems,