Page 334 - Health Medical Pharma

Patients who suffered faulty hip replacement surgeries by J&J write to Nadda

A group of patients, who suffered due to alleged faulty hip replacement surgeries by a multinational firm, said today that the Centre's response to their pain had been of "apathy and dismissiveness", and rued lack of consideration of criminal charges against the company. With reports indicating that an expert panel set up to investigate complaints about hip implant devices has suggested that the company pay compensation of around Rs 20 lakh to the affected patients, they said it would only "add insult to serious injury". According to reports, pharma giant Johnson and Johnson "suppressed" facts on the harm caused by surgeries which were conducted on patients in India using "faulty" hip replacement systems. "We are writing to you as a group of patients who have suffered as a result of Johnson and Johnson's faulty ASR hip implants which were globally recalled in 2010. We have suffered severe consequences -- medical, financial and personal -- because of the hip implant and have been ...

Low carb diets may up premature death risk: Study

People who consume a low carbohydrate diet may be at a greater risk of premature death, according to a large-scale study presented today. The study, presented at European Society of Cardiology Congress in Germany, examined the relationship between low carbohydrate diets, all-cause death, and deaths from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer in 24,825 people. "We found that people who consumed a low carbohydrate diet were at greater risk of premature death, said Maciej Banach, a professor at the Medical University of Lodz in Poland. "Risks were also increased for individual causes of death including coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. These diets should be avoided," Banach said. Compared to participants with the highest carbohydrate consumption, those with the lowest intake had a 32 per cent higher risk of all-cause death over an average 6.4-year follow-up. In addition, risks of death from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer were ..

World's smallest medical robot sets Guinness record

Scientists have set a new Guinness World Record by creating the smallest medical robot - a device measuring just 120 nanometres that could assist in future cancer and Alzheimer's treatments. The series of nanorobots was created by Soutik Betal during his doctoral research at University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in the US could one day lead to huge medical advancements. "We have developed nanocomposite particles that can be remotely controlled by an electromagnetic field. They function like extremely tiny robots that interact with biological cells," said Ruyan Guo, a professor at UTSA. The nanocomposites are made of two different types of multifunctional oxide materials in a "core and shell" configuration. The core is magnetic and changes 'shape' in response to magnetic fields. The ferroelectric shell is converts pressure into electric potentials. The magneto-elasto-electric coupled effect in the nanocomposites act as arms and legs that move the nanoparticle around to interact ...

UK rejects Gilead's CAR-T cancer cell therapy as too expensive

LONDON (Reuters) - A cutting-edge CAR-T cell therapy for otherwise untreatable forms of blood cancer is too expensive to justify its use on Britain's state-funded health service, the country's healthcare cost agency NICE said on Tuesday.

Consumption of dairy products may prevent cerebrovascular diseases

Consuming dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurt may be beneficial as they protect against mortality from cerebrovascular causes, suggests a study, emphasising the need to reconsider previous guidelines that advise a limit on dairy products' intake.

1 dead, 25 critical after single syringe used for all in MP hospital

A person died while 25 others are in a critical condition after a single syringe was used for all the patients at a district hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district.Speaking to ANI, Civil Surgeon of the hospital, Dr PK Sharma said that the incident took place due to the negligence of the nurses."A single syringe was used for all the patients. The incident took place because of the negligence of the nurses as they were using normal water instead of distilled water," Sharma said.Police have launched a probe in the matter. "We received a complaint that wrong injections were given to patients because of the negligence of nurses. Reports of medical board are awaited and a probe is on in this matter," the police said.

Night-time beauty regime to follow

The skin repairs itself from the day's stress during the night, so it is necessary to give your skin equal attention before you go to bed so that it looks rejuvenated the next morning.

NASA trying to find improved cancer treatments in space

NASA is conducting experiments on blood cells aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in a quest to find improved cancer treatments. In a video released by the US space agency, astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor is seen conducting research operations inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) for the Angiex Cancer Therapy study. Aunon-Chancellor reached the space station earlier this year and will spend the next few months conducting experiments on endothelial cells that line the surface of blood vessels. According to NASA, endothelial cells housed within culture dishes in microgravity perform as if they were in blood vessels within a living organism on Earth. Due to this, the orbiting cells behave more like they normally do inside the body, cancer researchers can more accurately test the cells for chemotherapy responses, 'Space.com' reported. Several containers on board the ISS currently host the cells as they undergo varying amounts of chemotherapy exposure. The study may ...

Intake of low-carb diets can be unsafe: Study

Consumption of low carbohydrate diets can be unsafe as it may increase the risk of premature death, a new study has found.

NASA working for better cancer treatments in space: Report

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting a blood cell experiment which may improve treatments for cancer, the media reported.

Lupin gets USFDA nod to market its postherpetic neuralgia drug

Drug firm Lupin today said it has received approval from the US health regulator to market its generic Gabapentin tablets used for treatment of postherpetic neuralgia in the American market. The company has received final approval to market its Gabapentin tablets USP in the strengths of 600 mg and 800 mg from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Lupin said in a statement. The company's tablets are generic version of Pfizer Inc's Neurontin tablets in the same strengths, it added. As per the IQVIA MAT June 2018 data, Gabapentin tablets USP, 600 mg and 800 mg had annual sales of around USD 180.7 million in the US, Lupin said. The product is "indicated for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia in adults and adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures, with and without secondary generalisation, in adults and pediatric patients 3 years and older with epilepsy." Shares of Lupin were today trading at Rs 910.75 per scrip on BSE, up 0.34 per cent from its .

Researchers develop potential drugs to help you quit smoking

Are you looking for permanent freedom from smoking? Try these new potential drugs to quit smoking.Researchers at Washington State University created more than a dozen candidate drugs with the potential to curb smokers' desire for nicotine by slowing how it is broken down in the body. They hoped that the substances could help people reduce their consumption of tobacco, if not quit altogether.The discovery targets a liver enzyme, called CYP2A6, which metabolizes nicotine. Researchers found that people who have fewer copies of a gene for the enzyme tend to smoke less and are less likely to be addicted to smoking.Nicotine triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin, two pleasure-causing chemicals produced by the body. But as it gets metabolized, users can experience withdrawal symptoms like tingling in the hands and feet, sweating, anxiety, and irritability.They also designed dozens of molecules that bind to CYP2A6 and inhibit its ability to metabolize nicotine."If you inhibit CYP2A6, .

Gene mutations that helped mammoths tolerate cold identified

Gene mutations that possibly helped ancient mammoths survive the extreme cold have been identified by scientists, including one of Indian origin. Researchers from Columbia University in the US captured close-up views of TRPV3, a skin-cell ion channel that plays important roles in sensing temperature, itch, and pain. In humans, defects in the protein can lead to skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema), vitiligo (uneven skin coloration), and skin cancer. "This study gives scientists a template they can use to design more effective drugs for treating these skin-related illnesses," said Appu Singh, a postdoctoral fellow at the Sobolevsky lab. All vertebrate DNA, including the woolly mammoth genome, contains the TRPV3 gene. Though the mammoths lived in extremely cold environments, they descended from elephants that lived in the tropics. Researchers think that changes in the TRPV3 genes of mammoths may have helped them withstand lower temperatures. They used a powerful ...

myUpchar raises USD 5Mn in Series A funding

myUpchar, leader in providing health information in Indian languages, has announced raising funds worth USD 5 million from Nexus Venture Partners, Omidyar Network and Shunwei Capital.Accessed by more than 10 million people, myUpchar will use the funds to enrich its product and technology offering that will include further strengthening of voice, video and virtual reality interfaces along with the development of newer interfaces that will make large-scale remote provision of health services a reality.myUpchar is looking to serve the more than 500 million aspirational Indians who want quality information and services but are unable to access them either because they are not available locally or are not available in local languages."We have a unique opportunity to solve the acute awareness and access problem in the healthcare space. Our focus over the next couple of years is to address this gap via technology and content. myUpchar platform will become the one stop solution for every ...

Anaemia in pregnancy may signal heart disease, says study

Gestational anaemia -- lack of blood -- may be a marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke later, a study has found.

'New drugs may help smokers kick the butt'

Scientists say they have developed over a dozen drugs which may help smokers reduce their consumption of tobacco, if not quit altogether. The researchers from the Washington State University in the US created the substances with the potential to curb smokers' desire for nicotine by slowing how it is broken down in the body. The finding, published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, targets a liver enzyme, called CYP2A6, which metabolises nicotine. Nicotine triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin, two pleasure causing chemicals produced by the body. However, as it gets metabolised, users can experience withdrawal symptoms like tingling in the hands and feet, sweating, anxiety and irritability. This is the feeling that the researchers are targeting, said Travis Denton, an assistant professor at the Washington State University. Denton and Philip Lazarus, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, designed dozens of molecules that bind to CYP2A6 and inhibit its ability to ...

Katy Perry denies Dr. Luke raped her

Singer Katy Perry has denied she was raped by Dr. Luke, according to a deposition unsealed on Monday from the ongoing legal battle between Luke and Kesha.

Happy older people may live longer: Study

Happiness can prolong life in older adults, say scientists including one of Indian origin. The study, published in the journal Age and Ageing, used data for 4,478 participants of a survey to look at the association between happiness, assessed in the year 2009, and subsequent likelihood of dying due to any cause, until December 31, 2015. "The findings indicate that even small increments in happiness may be beneficial to older people's longevity," said Rahul Malhotra, assistant professor at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. "Therefore individual-level activities as well as government policies and programmes that maintain or improve happiness or psychological well-being may contribute to a longer life among older people," said Malhotra. The survey was focused on individuals' aged 60 years and older living in Singapore. Happiness was assessed by asking the survey participants how often in the past week they experienced the following: 'I felt happy', 'I enjoyed life' and 'I felt hope ..

Cell connections may impact your biological cycle

One is familiar with the disturbance in the circadian rhythm or the 24-hour biological cycle, which manages nearly all aspects of metabolism, from sleep-wake cycles to body temperature to digestion. Every cell in the body has a circadian clock, but researchers are unclear about how networks of cells connect with each other over time and how those time-varying connections impact network functions.Researchers at Washington University developed a unified, data-driven computational approach, named as the ICON (infer connections of networks) method, to infer and reveal these connections in biological and chemical oscillatory networks, known as the topology of these complex networks, based on their time-series data.Abnormal synchrony has been linked to a variety of brain disorders, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.Researchers first tested their method on a simulated network of different sizes they created. Next, they tested the method on a network of ...

Link between marijuana and breast milk

With marijuana now being legal in several countries, its increased use for both medicinal and recreational purposes has been documented in pregnant and breastfeeding women in a new study.Although national organisations like the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend breastfeeding mothers not to use marijuana, there has been a lack of specific data to support health or neurodevelopmental concerns in infants.Researchers collected samples from 50 women who used marijuana either daily, weekly or sporadically - with inhalation being the primary method of intake. Researchers detected THC, the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, in 63 per cent of the breast milk samples for up to six days after the mother's last reported use.Principal investigator of the study, Christina Chambers said, "Pediatricians are often put into a challenging situation when a breastfeeding mother asks about the safety of marijuana use. We don't have strong, published data to support advising against the ...