Page 46 - Health Medical Pharma

Children belonging to disadvantaged background have lower levels of physical activity

A recent study finds that children who belong to disadvantaged or minority background, including from Pakistan and Bangladesh, are considered to have lower levels of physical activity.The study was published in the journal, 'BMJ Open'.The changes seen in the children, suggests a need for a greater focus on the promotion of vigorous physical activity, particularly for those children from more disadvantaged backgrounds.Over the past four decades, the global frequency of childhood obesity has increased tenfold. Obesity in childhood is associated with illness and early death in adulthood, so tackling childhood obesity is increasingly a public health priority for governments.There are also widening inequalities in obesity prevalence. By age 11, UK children from disadvantaged families are three times as likely to be obese than more advantaged children. There are also stark ethnic and racial differences in levels of childhood obesity, with higher rates of obesity within certain ethnic ...

AI detects new class of mutations behind autism

Scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to detect a new class of mutations behind autism spectrum disorder. Many mutations in DNA that contribute to disease are not in actual genes but instead lie in the 99 per cent of the genome once considered "junk." Even though scientists have recently come to understand that these vast stretches of DNA do in fact play critical roles, deciphering these effects on a wide scale has been impossible until now. Using AI, a research team led by Princeton University in the US has decoded the functional impact of such mutations in people with autism. The researchers believe this powerful method is generally applicable to discovering such genetic contributions to any disease. Published in the journal Nature Genetics, the research analysed the genomes of 1,790 families in which one child has autism spectrum disorder but other members do not. The method sorted among 120,000 mutations to find those that affect the behaviour of genes in people with ..

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds at higher risk of obesity

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds indulge in lower levels of vigorous physical activity, researchers suggest. This lack of physical activity exposes them to obesity.According to a recent study, children who belong to disadvantaged backgrounds and certain ethnic minority backgrounds, including some in Pakistan and Bangladesh, have lower levels of vigorous physical activity.The patterns mirror inequalities seen in levels of childhood obesity, suggesting a need for a greater focus on the promotion of vigorous physical activity, particularly for those children from more disadvantaged backgrounds.Over the past four decades, the global prevalence of childhood obesity has increased tenfold. Obesity in childhood is associated with illness and early death in adulthood, so tackling childhood obesity is increasingly a public health priority for governments.There are also widening inequalities in obesity prevalence. By age 11, UK children from disadvantaged families are three times as ...

SC notice to Rajasthan government on a cancer patient's bail plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Rajasthan government on the bail plea of an accused who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Dr Payal suicide case: Head of Gynaecology dept suspended until further notice

Amidst the ongoing internal investigation in the case of suicide by a post-graduate student, Dr Payal Salman Tadvi on May 22, the BYL Nair Hospital on Tuesday suspended the head of its Gynaecology department, Dr Yi Ching Ling until further notice.Ling along with the other three doctors suspended by Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) will not be allowed to take part in any activity in the hospital.The hospital had formed an internal investigation committee to look into allegations by the victim's mother, Abeda Tadvi, that Payal was being harassed by three female seniors for her caste and had also been subjected to ragging.Three doctors - Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehar, and Ankita Khandilwal - all accused of abetting Dr Tadvi to commit suicide by persistently harassing her on the pretext of her social identity - urged the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) to ensure 'fair' probe into the whole issue on Monday.In a letter to the MARD on Monday, the trio has also

Compound that kills superbugs discovered

Scientists have discovered a novel compound which visualises and kills antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria that cause infections such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections, a finding that may help combat the rapidly emerging global threat of superbugs. The team, led by Jim Thomas from the University of Sheffield in the UK, is testing new compounds on antibiotic resistant gram-negative bacteria, including pathogenic E coli. The research, published in the journal ACS Nano, describes the compound which kills gram-negative E coli, including a multidrug resistant pathogen said to be responsible for millions of antibiotic resistant infections worldwide annually. 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. Antimicrobial resistance is already responsible for thousands of deaths in each year, and ...

E-cigarette use may increase heart disease risk: Study

The flavouring liquid used in electronic cigarettes may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease when inhaled, a Stanford study warns. Scientists investigated the effect of the e-liquids on cells called endothelial cells that line the interior of blood vessels. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that endothelial cells exposed to the e-liquids -- or to blood collected from e-cigarette users shortly after vaping -- are less viable and exhibit significantly increased levels of molecules implicated in DNA damage and cell death. The cells are also less able to form new vascular tubes and to migrate and participate in wound healing. The severity of the damage, aspects of which occur even in the absence of nicotine, varies among popular flavours, the researchers said. Cinnamon and menthol were found to be particularly harmful. "Until now, we had no data about how these e-liquids affect human endothelial cells," said Joseph Wu, director of the .

Rajasthan: Patients diagnosed with help of astrology at this hospital

Unique Sangeeta Memorial Hospital situated in the Pink City is now diagnosing patients with the help of astrology. Doctors here said that using astrology in medical science is not only helping them to detect the disease but is also providing required psychological counseling to the patients.This Astro-Medical Hospital is situated in the Jaipur's Vaishali Nagar area."Here we are trying to incorporate astrology into medical sciences. It surely helps us to detect the disease among the patients. In Indian culture, astrology holds a lot of importance. We have one astrologer here Pandit Akhilesh Sharma. When a patient comes, he is subjected to astrological evaluation & astrological diagnosis. The medical & astrological diagnoses are then compared. Treatment is done with advanced technology but we take the help of astrology for diagnosis. Patients are satisfied, " said Dr Mahesh Kulkarni, Surgeon."Till now we have attended 70 cases and the astrologer had predicted the diseases ...

Over 830,000 cholera vaccinations planned in DR Congo: WHO

More than 830,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province will be vaccinated against cholera, which has claimed over 240 lives this year, the World Health Organization said Monday. The campaign will be implemented by DR Congo's health ministry with support from the WHO and partners, and funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. "A total of 835,183 people in Binza, Goma, Kayina, Karisimbi, Kibirizi, Kirotshe and Rutshuru areas will be vaccinated by 1 June," a statement said. "Over 10,000 cases of cholera have been reported in the country since January 2019, leading to more than 240 deaths. In addition, over 80,000 suspected cases of measles have led to over 1,400 deaths so far this year," it said. "The DRC is confronted with an unprecedented combination of deadly epidemics," said Seth Berkley, chief executive of Gavi. "While the Ebola outbreak continues to cause untold misery in the East, measles and cholera epidemics are claiming the lives of thousands of people ..

Multiple-birth families need support to improve outcomes: Study

Who does not love kids? But having multiple-baby births may put the babies and their families at a disadvantage when compared to single-birth families, claimed a study.Led by Twins Research Australia based at the University of Melbourne, the report identified common challenges facing these families, including a greater risk of pregnancy complications and premature birth, infant development delays and special needs, as well as financial, psychological and social support obstacles.Over the last 40 years, multiple births in Australia have almost doubled with 9056 multiple-births in 2017, compared to 4740 in 1975.Murdoch Children's Research Institute Honorary Fellow Christie Bolch said the report showed that health knowledge, services and practices have not kept pace with this rise. "Twins - plus triplets and above - bring many special experiences. But at every point of contact in our health system, these families experience disadvantage, and this is not well recognised," Dr Bolch ...

Protein coat makes viruses more infectious, links them to Alzheimer's

A new study has found that a layer of protein forms on the viral surface when they interact with the biological fluids of their host. The coat of protein makes the virus more infectious and helps in the formation of plaques linked to Alzheimer's disease.The study was published in the journal 'Nature Communications'."Imagine a tennis ball falling into a bowl of milk and cereals. The ball is immediately covered by the sticky particles in the mix and they remain on the ball when you take it out of the bowl. The same thing happens when a virus gets in contact with blood or lung fluids that contain thousands of proteins. Many of these proteins immediately stick to the viral surface forming a so-called protein corona," explained Kariem Ezzat of Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet.Kariem Ezzat and his colleagues studied the protein corona of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in different biological fluids.RSV is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in .

WHO says excessive gaming is officially a disorder

Games may help the human brain in ways only the gamers want to believe. However, the World Health Organisation has officially labelled excessive gaming as a disorder.The WHO announced in its official release that the member states agreed to adopt the 11th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) which adds 'Gaming Disorder' to the section on addictive disorders.Gaming disorder is characterised by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour which may or may not be online. It is defined by WHO as manifested by impaired control over gaming, increased priority is given to gaming, continuation despite negative consequences.The revised ICD-11 will come into effect on 1 January 2022.

Poor diet linked to cancer: Study

Consuming a poor diet may have more impact on your health than you thought, as a recent study has claimed that a poor diet can lead to a number of health issues, one of them being cancer.More than 80,000 cancer cases in some parts of the world were linked to poor diet, or around 5 per cent, according to a study published in the journal 'JNCI Cancer Spectrum'.The study, conducted by the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, analysed cancer diagnoses among adults from 2015 along with data from two national surveys on Americans' diets to determine how many cases were linked to poor diets, especially low in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and high in processed sugar, sugary beverages and red meats.The findings are comparable to the number of cancer cases linked to alcohol consumption, which amount to between 4 and 6 per cent. Excessive body weight is linked to 7 per cent to 8 per cent of cases and lack of physical activity is associated with 2 per cent to 3 per ...

Overuse of herbal products can cause trouble: Study

Herbal products can have harmful side effects too, says a study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It was corroborate by an incident in Canada when a man landed up in a hospital for high-blood pressure emergency after over-consuming homemade tea made from licorice root.

Overweight teens more likely to develop heart disease in adulthood: Study

A study conducted in Sweden has highlighted that those men who were mildly overweight around the age of 18 were more likely to develop cardiomyopathy in adulthood, a rare heart muscle condition that can cause heart failure.The study was published in the journal 'Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association'."We were interested in studying cardiomyopathies because heart failure caused by this historically uncommon disorder doubled in Sweden between 1987 and 2006," said Annika Rosengren, co-author of the study.The study examined data on height, weight and overall fitness from a Swedish registry of 1,668,893 men who enlisted in compulsory military service between 1969 and 2005 when they were 18 or 19.The researchers then used two other national databases that track the causes of all hospitalisations and deaths in Sweden to determine whether the men had serious heart disease as they aged, and followed them for up to 46 years.Among the men in the study, 4,477 were diagnosed with .

Why sleeping less than 7 hours may harm your health

Scientists have found why people who sleep fewer than seven hours every night are at greater risk of stroke and heart attack. The research, published in the journal Experimental Physiology, shows that sleep deprivation can increase the level of three physiological regulators (microRNAs) in the blood, which influence gene expression and play a key role in maintaining vascular health. The findings could potentially lead to new, non-invasive tests for sleep deprived patients concerned about their health, according to researchers from University of Colorado Boulder in the US. "This study proposes a new potential mechanism through which sleep influences heart health and overall physiology," said Christopher DeSouza, a professor at UC Boulder. MicroRNAs are small molecules that suppress gene expression of certain proteins in cells. The exact function of circulating microRNAs in the cardiovascular system, and their impact on cardiovascular health is receiving a lot of scientific attention, ..

Less than 7 hours of sleep bad for your heart

People who sleep less than seven hours each night are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease, warn researchers.

Licorice herbal tea can elevate blood pressure: Study

Licorice tea, widely consumed for its herbal properties may come with its own health risks, claims a new study, which is associating the consumption of the beverage with elevated blood pressure. Researchers arrived at the conclusion after an 84-year-old man was hospitalised after drinking the tea."Excessive amounts of some herbal products can have harmful side effects. Products containing licorice root extract can raise blood pressure, cause water retention and decrease potassium levels if consumed in excess," said, a neurologist Dr Jean-Pierre Falet, in the study published in the Journal of Canadian Medical Association.The 84-year-old man visited the emergency department for a high-blood pressure emergency, which was found to be induced by consuming homemade tea made from licorice root.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 ..

First fully albino giant panda filmed in China

A fully albino giant panda has been filmed roaming bamboo forests in China -- the first ever recorded in the wild, an expert said on Monday.

Researchers draw link between bipolar disorder and Parkinson's

People with bipolar disorder were nearly seven times as likely to develop Parkinson's disease later in life compared to those who did not have bipolar disorder, claims a new study."Previous studies have shown a relationship between depression and Parkinson's disease, but few studies have looked at whether there is a relationship between bipolar disorder and Parkinson's," said study author Mu-Hong Chen, MD, Ph.D., of Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan.For the study, researchers examined a national Taiwanese health database for people were diagnosed with bipolar disorder between 2001 and 2009 and who had no history of Parkinson's disease, for a total of 56,340 people.They were matched with 225,360 people of the same age, sex and other factors who had never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or Parkinson's disease as a control group. Then the two groups were followed until the end of 2011.During the study, 372 of the people with bipolar disorder developed Parkinson's disease, ..