Page 324 - Health Medical Pharma

Eat rye, oats, or wheat daily to ward off diabetes risk

Consuming wholegrains such as a slice of rye bread or a bowl of oat porridge daily can prevent the development of Type-2 diabetes, finds a study.

Routine testing for prostate cancer may be harmful

Routine testing for prostate cancer is not recommended for most men as it has uncertain benefits and clear harms, according to an international panel of experts. However, for some men, such as those with a family history of prostate cancer, discussions about possible harms and benefits of regular screening with their doctor is essential, they said. A panel of international experts including those from University of Helsinki in Finland and McMaster University in Canada based their advice on the latest scientific evidence as a part of The BMJ journal's 'Rapid Recommendations' initiative -- to produce trustworthy guidance based on new evidence to help doctors make better decisions with their patients. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is the only widely used test currently available to screen for prostate cancer. It is used in many countries, but remains controversial because it has increased the number of healthy men diagnosed with and treated unnecessarily for harmless ...

Nurse terminated from service for denying treatment to pregnant woman

A nurse of a government hospital was terminated from service for allegedly denying treatment to a pregnant woman who lost her child after delivering on the road. Nurse Lata Pandey, who was posted at Community Health Centre (CHC), Vishesharganj, was found guilty of showing insensitivity and demanding money after a probe by the department, Chief Medical Officer Dr AK Pandey said Thursday. He said a probe is on in the matter and if other employees are found guilty, action will be taken against them. Complainant Sher Mohammad alleged that the nurse demanded Rs 5000 for providing treatment to his wife Mehnaz on Sunday. As he was not able to pay money his wife had to deliver on the road outside the hospital due to which the baby died. Villagers protested against the incident following which District Magistrate Mala Srivastava ordered a probe into the matter.

Burnout making doctors prescribe wrong medicines: Study

Doctors with burnout are twice as likely to prescribe wrong medicines and make incorrect diagnoses, a large-scale study has found. The study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at 47 research papers which together analysed the responses of 43,000 doctors. It found that burnout in doctors has devastating consequences on the quality of care they deliver, researchers said. Burnout also doubles the likelihood of lower professional standards, such as not following set guidelines or malpractice, they said. It may have an impact on dropping patient satisfaction, said Maria Panagioti from the University of Manchester in the UK, who led the study. The study found that patient satisfaction is three times more likely to be lower when doctors are physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted -- core signs by which experts identify burnout. It also found that in junior doctors in particular, burnout increases the likelihood of lower professional standards by 3.5 times. "This .

What causes malnutrition in elderly people?

Malnutrition in elderly people is quite common. While malnutrition can occur at any age, elderly people aged 65 and above are particularly prone to it. The latest study tries to explore the reason behind the same.Malnutrition is a condition where people have a drastically reduced dietary intake and the body lacks energy and nutrients as a result. According to Prof. Dr Dorothee Volkert, one of the researchers, the consequences of malnutrition are manifold. They range from weight loss to a weakened immune system or functional impairment of muscles and all organs. The body falls back on all its reserves.A team of researchers, led by Volkert, set out to explore which of a total of 23 variables-- ranging from aspects such as difficulties with chewing and swallowing or cognitive impairments to loneliness and depression or moving into a care home--were decisive for malnutrition."The research partners took six existing sets of data from studies on the elderly over the age of 65 and ...

Routine testing for prostate cancer harmful, suggest experts

Routine testing for prostate cancer is not recommended for most men as the benefit is small and uncertain and it also has a number of harmful effects, suggest experts.Acknowledging that some men, such as those with a family history of prostate cancer, may be more likely to consider screening, experts suggest that they should have discussions about possible harms and benefits with their doctors.The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is the only widely used test currently available to screen for prostate cancer. It is used in many countries but remains controversial because it has increased the number of healthy men diagnosed with and treated unnecessarily for harmless tumours.To explore this further, research methodologists carried out a detailed analysis of the latest evidence using the GRADE approach (a system used to assess the quality of evidence).Based on a review (more than 700,000 men in clinical trials), which found that if screening reduces prostate cancer deaths at all, the

Whole grains can prevent diabetes: Study

Researchers have found another reason for you to add whole grains to your diet.According to the latest study, it doesn't matter if it is rye, oats, or wheat. As long as it is whole grain, it can prevent type 2 diabetes.The ability to use whole grains for prevention of type 2 diabetes has been known for a long time. But the role of different wholegrain sources has not been investigated. It has also been unclear how much whole grain is needed to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.Rikard Landberg, senior researcher of the study, said, "Most studies similar to ours have previously been conducted in the USA, where people mainly get their wholegrain from wheat. 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."The study was conducted in Denmark, where there is a big variation in ...

Marijuana can relieve your pain!

Researchers have found that medical marijuana is effective in giving pain relief.According to a recent study, when medical marijuana is taken for chronic nerve pain, it may provide pain relief by reducing connections between the areas of the brain that process emotions and sensory signals.The study looked specifically at radicular pain, a type of nerve pain that radiates from the spine into the legs. Sciatica is a common form of radicular pain. The component of marijuana examined in this study was tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of many cannabinoids found in marijuana and the one most commonly associated with producing a high."Pain is a complex experience that involves both the senses and emotions," said study author Haggai Sharon, MD, of the Sagol Brain Institute, Tel Aviv Medical Center in Israel. "Our study results link pain relief from THC with a reduction in the connections between areas of the brain otherwise heavily connected, suggesting that THC may alleviate pain by ...

Memory of sexual violence haunts women for decades: Study

Women who experience sexual assault have vivid memories of the incident for decades, even if they are not diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, a study has found. Unlike women coping with the aftermath of other traumatic, life-altering events, victims of sexual violence had more intense memories that were difficult, if not impossible, to forget. "To some extent it is not surprising that these memories relate to more feelings of depression and anxiety because these women remember what happened and think about it a lot," said Tracey Shors, a professor at Rutgers University in the US. "But these feelings and thoughts are usually associated with PTSD and most women in our study who experienced these vivid memories did not suffer from PTSD, which is generally associated with more intense mental and physical reactions," said Shors, who co-authored the study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. The study included 183 college-aged women between the ages of 18-39. ...

Toddler receives mother's kidney, part of liver in pioneering transplant

Rome, Sep 6 (IANS/AKI) Surgeons at the Vatican children's hospital in Rome have carried out a pioneering operation in which a Lebanese woman's kidney and part of her liver were transplanted in her 30-month-old son, who suffers from a rare metabolic disorder.

CCI to probe pricing practices at super speciality hospitals in Delhi

The regulator observed from the DG's report that while there is a reference to Max's alleged conduct as being akin to 'aftermarket abuse'

Parrikar to return from US tomorrow

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will return here Thursday evening from the United States where he has gone for medical treatment, his office said on Wednesday. "The chief minister would land in Mumbai tomorrow at 3 pm and will reach Goa by 5 pm. He will board a flight from the US tonight," a senior officer at the the Chief Minister's Office told PTI. Parrikar's treatment is complete and that is why he is returning, the official said. The chief minister had left for the USA on August 31. Earlier this year, he underwent a three-month-long treatment for a pancreatic ailment at a US hospital. Subsequently, he was admitted to a Mumbai hospital again on August 23.

Company should compensate those affected by faulty hip implants: Centre to Johnson & Johnson

The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday 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. In an order communicated to the pharma giant, the ministry has said the company be made "liable" to pay adequate compensation commensurate with severity of pain, the resultant disability sufferings (both mental and physical) and with the loss of wages of each of the patients who had received articular surface replacement (ASR). The ministry has also asked Johnson and Johnson to trace the remaining patients who received ASR but have not registered with the helpline, while also directing it to extend the ASR reimbursement program which was being run by the firm till 2025. The panel, in its report, has said the pharma giant "suppressed" facts on the harm of surgeries which was conducted on patients in India ...

Persistent Systems acquires Herald Health for $5.2 million

IT firm Persistent Systems has acquired Herald Health, a US-based startup that focuses on the healthcare sector, for an enterprise value of USD 5.2 million. The move will help strengthen Persistent's IP led offerings in the healthcare domain and create a number of cross-sell opportunities, Persistent Systems said in a regulatory filing. Born out of a hackathon in 2015, Herald Health has developed a product bringing intelligent workflows and care delivery processes needed for digital transformation in the healthcare space. Its revenue for the 12 months ending April 30, 2018 stood at USD 65,000. "This acquisition further strengthens our IP portfolio in healthcare...It's not enough just to collect data, you have to give providers user-friendly tools and actionable insights in real time. Herald Health has proven that when you do this in even one hospital, hundreds of doctors and thousands of patients can benefit," Persistent Systems General Manager (Healthcare Solutions) Rahul Patel ...

CCI to probe unfair practices by Delhi's super-speciality hospitals

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into unfair practices by super-specialty hospitals in Delhi in respect of healthcare products and services provided to in-patients.

IPS officer consumes poison, critical

A 30-year-old IPS officer is in a critical condition after consuming some poisonous substance here Wednesday, police said. Surendra Kumar Das, an IPS officer of the 2014 batch, was posted here as Superintendent of Police City (East) last month. The private hospital where he is admitted said he is on life support system. Kanpur zone Additional General of Police Avinash Chandra said Das spoke to circle officers about patrolling on Tuesday night. At 4 am on Wednesday, his wife, who is a doctor, noticed that his health had suddenly deteriorated. "He was rushed to a government hospital from where he was shifted to a private nursing home, where his condition is stated to be serious," Chandra told PTI. Other family members then arrived here from Lucknow. Chandra said the police department had nothing to do with the matter. "He had worked till late in the night on Tuesday. His behaviour was very good. Now, for what reason he had consumed a poisonous substance will be probed," the ADG ...

Losing just 6 hrs of sleep may up diabetes risk

Being deprived of sleep for just six hours or a single night may affect the liver's ability to produce glucose and process insulin, increasing the risk of metabolic diseases such as fatty liver and Type-2 diabetes, warns a study.

Can marriage protect against malnutrition in old age?

While malnutrition can occur at any age, elderly people, aged 65 and above, who are particularly prone to it can safeguard themselves with marriage, according to a study.

Ebola death toll rises to 85 in Congo

An Ebola outbreak that on Wednesday continued to spread in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed 85 people in over a month.

'Mona Lisa may have suffered from hypothyroidism'

Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci's muse for Mona Lisa may have suffered from hypothyroidism, according to an Indian-origin scientist who studied the features of the world-famous portrait. Mandeep R Mehra, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US, summarised the possible medical conditions visible in the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the woman pictured in Mona Lisa, and proposed his own interpretations. Previous research suggested that skin lesions and hand swellings visible in the portrait may be indicative of a lipid disorder and heart disease. Researchers asserted that familial hyperlipidemia and premature atherosclerosis could have caused Lisa Gherardini's death. They also proposed that Mona Lisa's famous smile may have been the result of Bell's palsy. After examining the painting, Mehra said that clinical hypothyroidism is a more likely diagnosis given that Lisa Gherardini lived to be 63. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid .