Page 45 - Health Medical Pharma

WHO agrees watered down resolution for clearer drug prices

The World Health Organisation's member states adopted on Tuesday a watered down resolution on improving drug price transparency that leading medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) criticised as insufficient. An initial draft of the resolution first introduced by Italy at WHO's main annual meeting called for near absolute transparency in the pharmaceutical sector, including requirements that companies make all data from clinical trials publicly available. The Italian text presented to the World Health Assembly also demanded full disclosure from pharmaceutical firms on net revenue, once research and development, tax breaks and other subsidies are factored in. Several countries -- notably those that host large pharmaceutical industries like the US, Britain, Germany and Switzerland -- expressed reservations about the Italian draft. The final version includes several modifications. For example, an earlier draft called on governments to "require the dissemination of results and ...

Heart attacks among youth: Experts suggest cardiac screening at high schools, colleges

With rising incidents of heart attack among those in 25-40 age group, a worrying trend in India, experts have recommended extensive cardiac screening at high schools and colleges as an effective measure to prevent such cases. Changing lifestyle, food habits, high stress in urban areas, binge drinking and use of narcotics have increased the risk factors among youth. Now experts are not surprised to see a teenager or a 25-year-old becoming a victim of heart attack. "A number of young Indians are suffering from this life-threatening disease and the reason behind it is sedentary lifestyle. These days, we are not surprised at getting patients, aged between 25-35 years, with heart attack cases and emergency," R N Kalra, cardiologist and Medical Director and CEO of Kalra Hospital (SRCNC), said. "It is a worrying trend and there is an urgent need to educate the younger generation about preventive measures," he said. Heart problems among youth in the country are rising alarmingly and the need .

Cancer-patient moves SC for last wish to 'die in mother's lap'

A cancer patient lodged in a Rajasthan jail moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking bail to fulfil his last wish of wanting to "die in the lap of his mother."

Assam launches campaign to control diarrhoea

The National Health Mission, Assam on Tuesday launched the Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) campaign and will be targeting at least 34 lakh children across the state.

Drug compound to kill antibiotic resistant superbugs found

Researchers have discovered a new drug compound which kills antibiotic resistant gram-negative bacteria that can cause infections including pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections.

Herbal medicines aid newborns digestive system: Expert

Medicines with natural ingredients like Dill Oil, Guduchi and Amalaki help regularise bowel movements and control digestive disturbances in babies, an expert has said.

Steroids can lower risk of lung cancer in COPD patients up to 30 pc

A recent study has found that steroid inhalers used by patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 30 per cent.The researchers evaluated medical and pharmacy data of 10 years for 39,676 adults in British Columbia who were diagnosed with COPD, including 994 people who were later diagnosed with lung cancer.They compared outcomes for people who took inhaled steroids versus those who used beta-agonists, another class of drugs used to treat COPD."Results showed that if you had COPD and consistently used a steroid inhaler, your chances of getting lung cancer were between 25 per cent and 30 per cent lower compared to people who took other treatments," said the study's author Larry Lynd."In Canada alone, more than 700,000 people have been diagnosed with COPD," said Don Sin, the study co-author."These results highlight the importance of identifying which of those patients may be at the highest risk for lung cancer and may benefit .

CMFRI develops nutraceutical from seaweeds

The city-headquartered Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Tuesday came out with a nutraceutical product, developed from seaweeds, to combat hypertension.

Antibiotics contamination in many rivers have crossed 'safe' level: Study

Stressing that antibiotic contamination is a global problem, researchers at the University of York have claimed that the concentration of antibiotics in some of the world's rivers have crossed 'safe' levels by upto 300 times.According to the study presented at a conference of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the researchers looked for 14 commonly used antibiotics in rivers in 72 countries across six continents and found antibiotics at 65 per cent of the sites monitored.The team said that the 'safe' limits most frequently exceeded in Asia and Africa, but sites in Europe, North America and South America also had levels of concern showing that antibiotic contamination was a 'global problem'.Sites, where antibiotics exceeded 'safe' levels by the greatest degree were in Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan and Nigeria, while a site in Austria was ranked the highest of the European sites monitored.Dr John Wilkinson, from the University of York, who co-ordinated the ...

CMFRI develops nutraceutical product to combat hypertension

In a major development in utilising the medicinal prospects of marine organisms, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has now come up with a nutraceutical product from sea to combat hypertension. The product, CadalminTM Antihypertensive extract (CadalminTM AHe), was developed from seaweeds, which are commonly available in the Indian coastal waters and are known for their extraordinary medicinal properties, a CMFRI release said here Tuesday. "Bioactive pharmacophore leads from seaweeds were used to develop this product, which can be administered orally to regulate hypertension that is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic kidney failure," it said. This is sixth in the series of the nutraceutical products developed by CMFRI. The institute has already developed and commercialised natural products for diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, cholesterol and hypothyroid. Dr Trilochan

Scientists discover new compound that kills antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Scientists have discovered a new compound that visualises and kills antibiotic-resistant superbugs.The study was published in the journal 'ACS Nano'.The team, led by professor Jim Thomas, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Chemistry, is testing new compounds developed by his PhD student Kirsty Smitten on antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria, including pathogenic E. coli.Gram-negative bacteria strains can cause infections including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and bloodstream infections. They are difficult to treat as the cell wall of the bacteria prevents drugs from getting into the microbe.The new compound has a range of exciting opportunities. "As the compound is luminescent it glows when exposed to light. This means the uptake and effect on bacteria can be followed by the advanced microscope techniques available at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL)," Thomas explained.The studies at Sheffield and RAL have shown the compound seems to have several modes

AI detects new class of genetic mutations behind autism

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), researchers have discovered new genetic flaws that contribute to autism in people.

Medical report of three-yr-old girl found insufficient evidence to confirm sexual assault

The medical report of a three-year-old girl, who was alleged to have been raped in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district, has found insufficient evidence to confirm sexual assault, officials said Tuesday. The report had leaked on social media and the medical superintendent of SKIMS Medical College Hospital, Bemina said it was "authentic". In the report submitted to the investigating officer on May 16, the doctors who conducted the medical examination have said there are no marks of injury on any part of the girls' body, including the private parts. "The actual source of bleeding could not be determined as there was no evidence of any injury around the vaginal orifice. Also the blood stains were not dry blood but faint stains only and could not be scraped and sent for examinations," the report read. The report states that the stains were very faint, almost negligible. "There was no evidence of any trauma, injury, bleeding at or around the vaginal orifice or anal opening. Maculo ...

US health care system charged with hefty physician burnout costs, study highlights

A recent study highlights the total cost involved in physician burnout, creating an economic burden by costing approximately $4.6 billion a year.The study was published in the journal, 'Annals of Internal Medicine'.Physician burnout is a long-term stress reaction characterised by depersonalisation, including cynical or negative attitudes toward patients, emotional exhaustion and any more.It is a significant issue that has the potential to dramatically increase the cost of care to both patients and the health care delivery system. It is associated with the poorer overall quality of patient care, lower patient satisfaction, and malpractice lawsuits, all of which have an economic impact.Despite the recent studies, only a few have attempted to quantify the economic magnitude of burnout in the form of easily understandable metrics. Without data, policymakers cannot holistically assess or address the issue.A research team developed a mathematical model using contemporary published research .

Air pollution linked to childhood anxiety, study suggests

As exposure to air pollution continues to be a well-established global health problem, researchers have found its connection with symptoms of childhood anxiety.As part of the study, a team of researchers looked at the correlation between exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and childhood anxiety, by looking at the altered neurochemistry in pre-adolescents."Recent evidence suggests the central nervous system is particularly vulnerable to air pollution, suggesting a role in the etiology of mental disorders, like anxiety or depression. This is the first study to use neuroimaging to evaluate TRAP exposure, metabolite dysregulation in the brain and generalized anxiety symptoms among otherwise healthy children," said Kelly Brunst, assistant professor at College of Medicine, and lead author of the study.The findings were published in the journal Environmental Research.The researchers evaluated imaging of 145 children at an average age of 12 years, looking specifically at the ...

Licorice tea may have harmful side effects: Study

Excessive consumption of licorice tea -- a popular herbal beverage -- may have health risks such as high blood pressure and reduced potassium levels, researchers claim. According to a case study, published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), consuming tea made from licorice root resulted in severely elevated blood pressure in an 84-year-old man. "Excessive amounts of some herbal products can have harmful side effects," said Jean-Pierre Falet from the McGill University in Canada. "Products containing licorice root extract can raise blood pressure, cause water retention and decrease potassium levels if consumed in excess," said Falet. According to the researchers, the patient visited the emergency department for a high-blood pressure emergency. His blood pressure was severely elevated, and he was suffering from a headache, light sensitivity, chest pain, fatigue and fluid retention in the calves. After admission to hospital and treatment, the patient, who had a history of ...

Genes that may hold key to human evolution identified

Dozens of genes, previously thought to have similar roles across different organisms, are in fact unique to humans and could help explain how our species evolved, scientists have found. These genes code for a class of proteins known as transcription factors, or TFs, which control gene activity, according to researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada. TFs recognise specific snippets of the DNA code called motifs, and use them as landing sites to bind the DNA and turn genes on or off. Previous research had suggested that TFs which look similar across different organisms also bind similar motifs, even in species as diverse as fruit flies and humans. However, a new study from Professor Timothy Hughes' lab, from the University of Toronto, shows that this is not always the case. The researchers found a new computational method which allowed them to more accurately predict motif sequences each TF binds in many different species. The findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics,

Latest in laser specs removal: Contoura Vision

It's said that eyes are windows to one's soul and there are many who actually don't like the idea of windows being spectacles. Due to many factors such as the increase in viewing of TV screens, computer/laptop/mobile screens and other reasons the number of people that have to wear contacts or spectacles is increasing at never before imagined numbers. Luckily most eye problems are now treatable at most of the prominent eye centres in Delhi-NCR, regions.Contoura Vision is the latest advancement in specs removal by laser vision correction. Contoura Vision boasts the advantage of providing supervision beyond 6/6 with the highest safety and the speediest recovery compared to older procedures like LASIK and Smile."I definitely feel Contoura Vision is a step superior to Smile & LASIK. Smile is now 6 years old and Contoura is now 2 years old. Contoura Vision treats on Visual axis and Corrects Corneal irregularities giving an extraordinary quality of vision never seen in any other laser .

Pak seeks help from WHO to investigate HIV outbreak

The Pakistan government has sought the help of the World Health organisation (WHO) to probe the recent outbreak of HIV in the country's Sindh province, that has till now affected over 600 people, mostly children, according to a media report. Till now 681 HIV positive cases have been identified among the 21,375 tested in Ratodero town of Larkana district in the north-west part of the province. Out of the affected 537 are between the ages of 2 to 15. Health officials have attributed the cause to the use of unsanitary equipment, unsafe blood transfusion and rampant malpractice often at the hands of quacks. We are expecting a 10-member rapid response team from the WHO and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to arrive in a few days and we will be able to know the exact reason for the outbreak of the disease in Ratodero, Zafar Mirza, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, was quoted as saying by the Dawn. The CDC is a leading public health ...

Scientists find cause of autism in 'junk' DNA

Autism can be caused by mutations in the so-called 'junk' DNA, scientists have claimed.The study published in the journal 'Nature Genetics' is the first to functionally link such mutations to the neurodevelopmental condition.The research team led by Olga Troyanskaya used machine learning to analyse the whole genomes of 1,790 individuals with autism and their unaffected parents and siblings. These individuals had no family history of autism, meaning the genetic cause of their condition was probably spontaneous mutations rather than inherited mutations.The analysis predicted the ramifications of genetic mutations in parts of the genome that do not encode proteins, regions often mischaracterised as 'junk' DNA.The number of autism cases linked to the noncoding mutations was comparable to the number of cases linked to protein-coding mutations that disable gene function.The implications of the work extend beyond autism. "This is the first clear demonstration of non-inherited, noncoding ...