Page 358 - Health Medical Pharma
Rare teeth from ancient mega-shark found on Australia beach
A rare set of teeth from a giant prehistoric mega-shark twice the size of the great white have been found on an Australian beach by a keen-eyed amateur enthusiast, scientists said today. Philip Mullaly was strolling along an area known as a fossil hotspot at Jan Juc, on the country's famous Great Ocean Road some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Melbourne, when he made the find. "I was walking along the beach looking for fossils, turned and saw this shining glint in a boulder and saw a quarter of the tooth exposed," he said. "I was immediately excited, it was just perfect and I knew it was an important find that needed to be shared with people." He told Museums Victoria, and Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate palaeontology, confirmed the seven centimetre-long (2.7 inch) teeth were from an extinct species of predator known as the great jagged narrow-toothed shark (Carcharocles angustidens). The shark, which stalked Australia's oceans around 25 million years ago, feasting on ...
Scientists developed nano 'Trojan horse' to strangle tumours
Chinese scientists have folded DNA molecules in an origami-like process to make a nano "Trojan horse", which is thinner than 1/4000 of a hair and can release "killers" to fight cancer tumours.
Blue light from smartphones may speed blindness
Blue light emitted from smartphones and other digital devices can accelerate blindness by transforming vital molecules in the eye's retina into cell killers, a study has found. Macular degeneration, an incurable eye disease that results in significant vision loss starting on average in a person's 50s or 60s, is the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need molecules called retinal to sense light and trigger a cascade of signalling to the brain. "We are being exposed to blue light continuously, and the eye's cornea and lens cannot block or reflect it," said Ajith Karunarathne, an assistant professor at University of Toledo in the US. "It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop," said Karunarathne. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that blue light exposure causes ...
AstraZeneca receives nod to import, market cancer drug
AstraZeneca Pharma India today said it has received import and market permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for Osimertinib (Tagrisso) tablets, prescribed as first-line treatment for certain kinds of lung cancer. AstraZeneca Pharma said approval has been granted for the product in the strengths of 40 mg and 80 mg. "The receipt of this permission paves way for the launch of Osimertinib in India for first-line treatment. Osimertinib is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer," the company said in a BSE filing. AstraZeneca Pharma said in 2017, Osimertinib was granted 'Breakthrough Therapy' status and 'Priority Review' designations by the USFDA in first line treatment setting. "Osimertinib is a patented product of AstraZeneca group," the company said. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related mortality worldwide and amongst males in India with 5-year survival rates as dismal as 3.7 per
Too much sleep can up early death risk: Study
While getting enough sleep is vital for staying healthy, snoozing for over nine hours a day could increase the risk of developing heart problems and early death, a study has found. Researchers from the American Heart Association recently conducted a study to evaluate the association between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease by reviewing 74 studies, which observed the quality and length of sleep of more than 3.3 million participants. After analysing the results, they found those who slept for 10 hours were 30 per cent more likely to die prematurely, compared to those who slept for eight hours. Longer sleepers were also about 50 per cent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Those who slept less than seven hours did not have a heighten risk of early mortality or heart disease. "We found a significant association between deviations in sleep duration and both mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcomes," researchers said. "The greater the divergence from the recommended
Astrazeneca Pharma India receives Import and Market permission for Osimertinib Tablet
From Drugs Controller General of India
Genetic mutations may impact cancer treatment
Turns out, genetic mutations in appendix cancer are distinct from those found in colon cancer and that mutations in the genes are good predictors of survival among people with appendix cancer.To understand why some patients with appendix cancer respond to standard treatment while others do not, researchers at the University of California performed genetic profiling on appendiceal tumors to compare mutations present in both cancer types."For tumors that are rare like appendix cancer, obtaining molecular profiles will help identify potential treatment options since we don't have the clinical trial data to help guide treatments as we do in common tumors," said lead author John Paul Shen.The retrospective study found that appendix cancer is comprised of five distinct subtypes- mucinous adenocarcinomas (46 percent), adenocarcinomas (30 percent), goblet cell carcinoids (12 percent), pseudomyxoma peritonei (7.7 percent) and signet ring cell carcinomas (5.2 percent).A mutation in the gene ...
Loose underwear may be good for sperm production
Turns out, certain styles of men's underwear may inhibit production of sperm.According to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, men who most frequently wore boxers had significantly higher sperm concentrations and total sperm counts when compared with men who did not usually wear boxers.Lead author, Lidia Mínguez-Alarcon, said, "These results point to a relatively easy change that men can make when they and their partners are seeking to become pregnant."For this study, researchers collected information and semen samples from 656 men who were part of couples that were seeking treatment at a fertility center.The men, who were between the ages of 32 and 39, completed a survey that included questions about the style of underwear they wore in the previous three months. Options included boxers, jockeys, bikini, briefs, and other.Men who wore boxers also had higher percentages of motile sperm or sperm that are capable of moving through the female reproductive system .
Risk factors for substance use and substance use disorder differ
A recent study has suggested that not everyone who initiates the use of substance like, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine ends up with a substance use disorder.The research indicates that the risk factors for substance use and for substance use disorder (SUD) differ to some extent.The study evaluated the overlap in risk factors for substance initiation and SUD, which may be useful for developing interventions to reduce both initiation and SUD.It was discovered that some risk factors were associated with initiation of all the substances assessed, whereas others were substance-specific. Previous use of another substance, being male, having what's known as cluster B personality disorder, and family history of SUD predicted initiation across all substances assessed, whereas social anxiety disorder and certain other personality disorders were associated with specific substances.Co-author Dr. Ludwing Florez-Salamanca said, "Early identification and treatment of psychiatric disorders .
Iron rods pierce labourer's stomach, timely surgery saves life
A labourer who fell from the roof of a house on to iron rods piercing through his stomach, returned from the brink of death following timely surgery at a city hospital today. The accident took place around noon when Uday Sarkar touched a live wire and fell down from the roof at Baruipur area of South 24 Parganas district, police said. Three rods pierced his abdomen narrowly missing his liver and kidneys but passing through the colon before coming out of the back, a senior doctor where he was operated on said. He was taken to the hospital after preliminary check up at a super-speciality hospital at Baruipur and was referred to a hospital in the city, police said. A five-member team of doctors were formed who quickly conducted a very critical surgery. Prior to the surgery, the rods were shortened by iron cutting machines following which doctors conducted a two-and-half-hour-long to remove them, the doctor added. "It was a very critical operation. We had to keep in mind ...
Indian-American entrepreneur Suneel Gupta loses primary elections in Michigan
Indian-American entrepreneur Suneel Gupta, seeking to enter the House of Representatives from Michigan, lost the primary elections in the state, coming at third place with over 5000 votes behind the winner Haley Stevens. Gupta, 38, received 18,873 votes or 21.3 per cent in the Democratic primary with 100 per cent of precincts reporting. Stevens, who had been endorsed by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, won the election with 27 per cent or 23,997 votes. Stevens is a former Obama Administration official. Current Michigan Representative Tim Greimel was in second place with 19,317 votes. In the race for Michigan governor, Indian-American Shri Thanedar lost the primary election. Gretchen Whitmer, a former Democratic leader in the Michigan state Senate, won her party's nomination for governor in Tuesday's primary. Whitmer defeated former Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed and Thanedar. Whitmer, 46, will face Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, 64, winner of the ...
Cases of cholera and diarrhoea shoot up in Yavatmal
Cholera and diarrhoea cases have gone up in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, with the local government hospital having received 650 patients in the last four months only, a senior official said today. Yavatmal Government Medical College and Hospital dean Dr Manish Shrigiriwar said the number of patients shot up during April to August 8. He said 13 patients were admitted in the hospital today, taking the number of in-house patients of diarrhoea and cholera to 51. "We have opened special wards for the patients suffering from cholera and diarrhoea," the dean said. When asked about the inflow of patients suffering from passive inhalation of farm pesticides, the dean said 34 patients have been treated since July. "There is no casualty this year as compared to the previous year," said Dr Shrigiriwar. Smarter by the previous year's incidents, the district administration distributed special safety kits to farmers this year. Last year, incidents of deaths of farmers due to ...
Pregnant woman dies due to medical negligence at govt hospital in Rajasthan
A 27-year-old pregnant woman has died due to alleged medical negligence at a government hospital in Rajasthan's Bundi district, Congress Seva Dal district president Mahmood Ali said today. A resident of Bundi city's Gurunanak Colony, Koshaliya Bai, was admitted to the mother-child wing of the Bundi district hospital on Tuesday afternoon in full-term pregnancy, he said. According to examination of Koshaliya Bai by two gynaecologists, she was expected to deliver the baby late at night or next morning and her condition was normal, he said. The woman was not allotted a bed and was instead first treated on a table and then she moved to the gallery, where she lay unattended when she went into labour, Ali claimed, adding that the medical staff on duty declared the patient 'absconding' and said the staff of the last shift had not briefed them of her condition. "Had the doctors on duty attended to my wife in time, she could have been saved. The staff on duty repeatedly said that we had left ...
IMA seeks clear-cut guidelines on telemedication from MCI
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) today sought clear-cut guidelines from the Medical Council of India (MCI) on the issue of telemedication, while observing that the practice is illegal and unethical. Apart from managing medical emergencies and situations involving adjustment of insulin levels in regular patients, analgesics for acute exacerbation of chronic pain under regular treatment etc., telephonic consultation will lead to medical negligence, the IMA said in a statement released today. "Judicious use of telemedication in certain circumstances can be justified, but as the code of ethics is silent on these emerging areas, judicial over activism can prove to be detrimental to this noble profession. "Online consultations, online prescriptions and telemedicine are all topics which have posed ethical dilemmas. But at the same time, advancing technology can be harnessed for augmenting healthcare in remote areas, especially telemedicine and mobile health. The MCI must come out with ...
UK university collaborates with Indian scientists to combat eye infections
Scientists from a leading British university are collaborating with their Indian counterparts to launch pioneering a research aimed at helping thousands of people across the globe at the risk of losing their sight to a "silent epidemic" of eye infections. The multi-disciplinary team of scientists and clinicians from the University of Sheffield are working with a team of doctors of the Hyderabad-based LV Prasad Eye Institute to develop a new treatment for eye infections that does not rely on conventional antibiotics to which many microbes are becoming rapidly resistant, the university announced today. "This 'silent epidemic' affects 840,000 people a year in India," said Professor Pete Monk from the university's Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease. Monk is leading the revolutionary research that has been awarded grants of almost 1.4 million pounds from the UK's Medical Research Council (MRC). "Infections are often treated incorrectly, if at all. This increases .
AIIA signs MoU with IIT to boost research in traditional medicine
A premier institute of Ayurveda under the AYUSH Ministry today signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology here to boost research in traditional medicine and streamline hospital care facilities in the country. The memorandum of understanding was signed at a two-day conference of heads of the AYUSH National Institutes organised by the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) aimed at upgrading the national institutes of traditional medicine at par with the IITs and IIMs. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Shripad Yesso Naik said that the AYUSH Ministry envisioned developing the AYUSH National Institutes as "light house" institutions. "In view of the worldwide changing healthcare system, it has become abundantly clear that there is a need for comprehensive review of traditional systems of medicine in terms of policy, legislation, regulation, research, development, financing, training and professional .
John Abraham to endorse nutrition, wellness supplements brand
Actor-producer John Abraham has been roped in by health and wellness supplements retailer brand Guardian Healthcare in India to promote GNC, a nutrition and wellness supplements brand.
Low-calorie diet may be more beneficial for men
Men who have a low-calorie diet are likely to lose significantly more body weight than women, a new study has found.
Statins can treat lung disease too
People suffering with severe lung disease could also be effectively treated by orally taking statins that help lower cholestrol levels, say researchers.
Common chemotherapy drug may lead to heart failure: Study
A chemotherapy drug widely used in ovarian, lung, stomach, and other cancers, may cause heart toxicity that can lead to congestive heart failure, a study led by an Indian-origin researcher warns. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the US found that the drug doxorubicin disrupts metabolism that controls immune responses in the spleen and heart. These immune responses are vital for heart maintenance, repair and control of inflammation, according to the research published in the American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology. This dysregulated immunometabolism impairs resolution of inflammation, and chronic, non-resolving inflammation leads to advanced heart failure. Immunometabolism is the study of how metabolism regulates immune cell function, and it is a recent and growing aspect of immunology. Two key players in immunometabolism are immune-responsive enzymes called lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases. These immune-sensitive enzymes ...