Page 366 - Health Medical Pharma

Plea to Centre to adopt IAD protocol to treat elephantiasis

The chairman of Kerala-based Institute of Applied Dermatology (IAD), which has developed a protocol using modern medicine, ayurveda and yoga to treat elephantiasis, has urged the Union government to adopt the procedure as a national model. The institute is one of the leading lymphoeda and integrative medicine skin hospitals in the world and is recognised as a primary destination for treatment of lymphatic filariasis (lymphoedema) in the country and South-East Asian countries. The institute offers integrative treatment for vitiligo, psoriasis and lichen planus also and has so far successfully treated over 10,000 people, of whom 4,000 were filariasis patients since 1999. Using modern medicine, ayurveda and yoga, the institute has been successfully treating patients using its protocol for treatment for elephantiasis, according to the chairman of the institute Dr S R Narahari, also a leading dermatologist. Elephantiasis is a disabling disease that is prevalent 78 countries

Alcohol may increase death risk in young TB patients

Increased consumption of alcohol in people with tuberculosis (TB) may accelerate their risk of death, scientists led by an Indian-origin researcher have found.

Toxic air to blame for lung cancer; no longer just a smoker's disease

Mumbai, Aug 3 (IndiaSpend/IANS) Smokers and non-smokers now represent an equal number of lung-cancer patients, according to a study carried out by the Lung Care Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation focused on improving lung health in India.

Blocking digestive hormone may prevent pancreatic cancer: Study

Blocking a digestive hormone may help prevent the spread of diet-induced pancreatic tumours to other areas of the body, a study has found. Researchers from Georgetown University in the US found that a high-fat diet may promote the growth of pancreatic cancer independent of obesity because of the interaction between dietary fat and cholecystokinin (CCK), a digestive hormone. CCK is released by the small intestine and is associated with obesity, according to the study published in the American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. Dietary fat triggers the secretion of CCK; those who follow a diet high in saturated fats often have high levels of CCK. Previous research has shown that obesity and high-fat diets both together and independently increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. CCK also regulates regeneration that takes place after partial surgical removal of the pancreas. Pancreatic growth and regeneration occurs through interaction of CCK with CCK receptors, .

About 70% of early-stage breast cancer patients may avoid agony of chemotherapy: study

Breakthrough finding by the landmark Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment (TAILORx) demonstrates the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score® Test definitively identifies the 70 per cent of women with early-stage breast cancer who receive no benefit from chemotherapy, and the 30 per cent of women for whom chemotherapy benefit can be life-saving."This study will have a practice-changing impact on the medical community related to prescribing chemotherapy to breast cancer patients. The Oncotype Dx test can help oncologist identify low-risk patients who may safely avoid chemotherapy as well as the high-risk patient who will benefit from chemotherapy. By limiting the use of chemotherapy only to those likely to benefit such personalised treatment has the potential to decrease the overall use of chemotherapy in breast cancer," remarked Dr. Vinay Deshmane, Surgical oncologist at P D Hinduja Hospital and Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai.The TAILORx study, the largest ever breast ...

Blocking digestive hormone may help prevent pancreatic cancer

Blocking a digestive hormone associated with obesity may help prevent the spread of pancreatic tumours to other areas in the body, according to a study.

No decision taken on increasing OPD hours in central govt

No decision has been taken to increase the hours of out patient department in any central government hospital, including the one in Safdarjung, the Lok Sabha was informed today. Responding to a question, Health Minister J P Nadda said proposals for extending OPD hours require additional infrastructure, resources and financial support. He said suggestions and proposals are received from time to time for better management of patients, patient satisfaction, optimal utilisation of infrastructure and system improvement.

Alzheimer's drug effective if used before symptoms develop: Study

A US FDA-approved drug, used to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, if taken before symptoms appear, might prevent or slow the progression of the neurogenerative disease, researchers say.

Even low air pollution levels can damage heart: Study

Regular exposure to even low levels of air pollution may cause changes to the heart similar to those in the early stages of heart failure, a study warns. The researchers from the Queen Mary University of London in the UK studied data from around 4,000 participants in the UK. "We saw significant changes in the heart, even at relatively low levels of air pollution exposure," said Nay Aung, who led the data analysis published in the journal Circulation. Volunteers provided a range of personal information, including their lifestyles, health record and details on where they have lived. Heart MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was used to measure the size, weight and function of the participants' hearts at fixed times. There was a clear association between those who lived near loud, busy roads, and were exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) or PM2.5 - small particles of air pollution - and the development of larger right and left ventricles in the heart. The ventricles are important pumping ...

Imbalance in pH levels may cause Alzheimer's disease

Imbalance in pH value may be a cause of Alzheimer's disease, a study has found.A study conducted by Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists have found new evidence in lab-grown mouse brain cells, called astrocytes, that one root of Alzheimer's disease may be a simple imbalance in acid-alkaline-or pH-chemistry inside endosomes, the nutrient and chemical cargo shuttles in cells.Astrocytes work to clear so-called amyloid beta proteins from the spaces between neurons, but decades of evidence has shown that if the clearing process goes awry, amyloid proteins pile up around neurons, leading to the characteristic amyloid plaques and nerve cell degeneration that are the hallmarks of memory-destroying Alzheimer's disease.The experiment successfully reversed the pH problem and improved the capacity for amyloid beta clearance.However, the scientists caution that even before any experiments can happen more research is needed to verify and explain the precise relationship between amyloid proteins and ...

Insulin resistance may go undetected in non-diabetics with Parkinson's

A new research has found that the resistance to insulin amongst non-diabetic patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a common yet largely undetected problem.Reduced glucose tolerance has long been recognized as a potential risk factor for PD, and there is increasing scrutiny of insulin resistance as a pathologic driver of neuro-degeneration.The key link between the two conditions appears to be insulin resistance, a potentially reversible condition that not only predisposes individuals to type-2 diabetes (DM2) but is also associated with neurodegeneration.However, the prevalence of insulin resistance in PD is unknown.A researcher, Michele Tagliati, said, "There is growing interest in the study of this relationship and the use of diabetes medications in the treatment of PD. However, there is little information regarding the prevalence of insulin resistance in PD.""This study is the first to address this question in a large population of non-diabetic patients," Tagliati ...

Google Glass helping autistic children understand emotions

Remember Google Glass; the failed AR hardware by Google which never materialized into a commercial product? Researchers are now putting it to some good cause.Researchers have used the AR glasses to develop a therapy routine for children with autism who find it difficult to understand the emotions of others, Engadget reported.Google Glass's facial recognition system notifies the wearer about the emotions people are expressing. The pilot trial resulted in positive development in autistic children who made better eye contact after the therapy.

Blocking digestive hormone prevents pancreatic cancer

Turns out, blocking Cholecystokinin (CCK), a digestive hormone, can help in preventing pancreatic cancer.In comparison to the recent research, previous ones have shown that obesity and high-fat diets both together as well as independently increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.CCK is released by the small intestine and is associated with obesity. Dietary fat triggers the secretion of CCK and those who follow a diet high in saturated fats often have high levels of CCK.CCK also regulates regeneration that takes place after partial surgical removal of the pancreas.Pancreatic growth and regeneration occur through the interaction of CCK with CCK receptors, proteins that bind to CCK to produce a physiological reaction.In separate studies conducted on mices involved the interactions between dietary fat, CCK, and pancreatic cancer cell growth.In all studies, half the mice were fed a high-fat diet and the other half followed a normal diet.In the first study, half of the animals were treated ...

Wisconsin man contracts rare blood infection from dog

A Wisconsin man was preparing for additional surgeries after having part of his legs and forearms amputated because of a dog lick that led to a rare blood infection, his wife has said. Greg Manteufel, 48, has been hospitalised since late June, when he went to a Milwaukee-area hospital with flu-like symptoms. He was in good spirits despite having undergone seven surgeries so far, his wife, Dawn Manteufel, told The Associated Press yesterday. She said her husband was heading into the operating room again yesterday and still had three more surgeries to go, but that he was looking forward to being fitted for prosthetic limbs. "He's happy to be here. He said he didn't come this far to cry about it and say, 'Why me?'" she said. Her husband was diagnosed with a blood infection caused by capnocytophaga, bacteria that is common in the saliva of cats and dogs but almost never leads to illness, said Dr Silvia Munoz-Price, an epidemiologist with Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin, ...

LVAD gives Iraqi man new lease of life at city hospital

An Iraqi man, who was injured while being held captive by kidnappers in his country, received a new lease of life after he was implanted with a high-end device that is used for patients who have reached end-stage of heart failure, authorities of a city hospital said today. Hani Jawad Mohammed (51) was kidnapped by a local terrorist group for ransom and was shot several times while trying to escape from captivity. Presumed dead, the terrorists left him but fortunately he survived against all odds, the hospital authorities said. "Gunshots and injuries had crippled Mohammed. And his heart due to surgeries had become very weak and needed a proper transplant," BLK Super Speciality Hospital said in a statement. Mohammed was admitted to the hospital here and diagnosed with dialated cardiomyopathy which made him so weak that he was not able to do his day-to-day work on his own. He complained of vomiting and had severe left ventricular dysfunction - threatening heart failure, it said. He was ..

IIT Kharagpur to develop coin-sized biological chips for medical treatment

IIT Kharagpur has set up India's pioneering Bioelectronics Innovation Laboratory to develop futuristic battery-free implantable medical devices for treatment of brain, nerve, muscle or spinal cord disorders that are untreatable by using standard medical practices, according to the institute.

Obesity might impact flu transmission: Study

Besides increasing a person's risk for severe complications from influenza, including hospitalisation and even death, obesity might also play a role in how flu spreads, a new study has found.

Regular sauna bath safe for heart disease patients: Study

Regularly indulging in sauna bathing can be safe and can even be used in patients with stable cardiovascular disease, finds a study.

Ex-Assam Guv Bhishma Narain Singh dead

Former governor of Assam and ex-Union minister Bhishma Narain Singh died at the age of 85 at a private hospital in Noida following prolonged illness, hospital authorities today said. Singh, who was diagnosed with "high grade B cell lymphoma with metastasis" died last evening at Fortis Noida, they said. "He was admitted to the hospital on July 28 and passed away yesterday at 4:35 pm," a spokesperson of the hospital said. The former Assam governor died of "septic shock with multi-organ failure", he said.

Guj: Girl died due to MR vaccine complications, alleges kin

A 3-year-old girl died today after falling ill in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, with her family blaming her death on the Measles-Rubella vaccine which was administered to her. Officials dismissed claims that she died due to complications from the vaccine. They said that she was administered the MR vaccine along with over 30 children and none of the others fell ill. A MR vaccination drive for 1.6 crore children, aged between nine months and 15 years, is underway in the state since July 16 under the aegis of the Union government's National Health Mission (NHM). Asha Devda, the daughter of a farm labourer, had taken ill yesterday and was rushed to the government health centre in Danta town where she died today, said officials. The family alleged that the toddler died due to complications due to the MR vaccine, a Danta police official said, adding that an accidental death report was taken in this connection. Chief District Health Officer Arun Acharya said that Asha was administered the .