Page 48 - Health Medical Pharma

Decreasing use of Diuretic can cure heart failure patients, study suggests

According to a recent study it has been found that patients with a stable heart can easily be cured if they decrease the consumption of Diuretics, a relief drug for patients with heart failure.The study was discussed in a meeting, 'Heart Failure 2019'.Dr Luis E. Rohde, principal investigator of the research said, "Heart failure patients have many pills to take for their heart failure and for comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. Withdrawing one drug when it is no longer necessary should make it easier to take the ones that are needed.""Patients don't like using diuretics because they feel they have to stay at home to use the bathroom and they get cramps," he added. "Patients would welcome being able to stop this medication."Diuretics are commonly prescribed for symptom relief in patients with heart failure. The drugs get rid of the excess fluids (congestion) which causes shortness of breath, swollen legs, coughing, and weight gain. Once the symptoms have resolved, patients .

Less than 10% heart failure patients follow treatment recommendations

A new study has found that less than 10 per cent of lonely patients with heart failure follow the recommendation on salt and fluid restriction, daily weighing and physical activity.The study was presented at the 'Heart Failure 2019'."Loneliness is the most important predictor of whether patients adopt the advice or not," said senior author Professor Beata Jankowska-Polaska, Wroclaw Medical University."Patients who are alone do worse in all areas. Family members have a central role in helping patients comply, particularly older patients, by providing emotional support, practical assistance, and advice," added Jankowska-Polaska.Failure to adhere to lifestyle recommendations or regularly take medications contributes to worsening heart failure symptoms and a raised risk of hospitalisation. Breathlessness, swollen ankles and legs, and tiredness occur because the heart can no longer pump effectively. Fluid backs up in the lungs and is retained in parts of the body, and the muscles receive ..

Simple device can help monitor stress levels

Scientists have developed a new test that can easily measure common stress hormones using sweat, blood, urine or saliva. Stress is often called "the silent killer" because of its stealthy and mysterious effects on everything from heart disease to mental health. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati in the US hope to turn the system into a simple device that patients can use at home to monitor their health. "I wanted something that's simple and easy to interpret. This may not give you all the information, but it tells you whether you need a professional who can take over," said Andrew Steckl, a professor at University of Cincinnati. Scientists developed a device that uses ultraviolet light to measure stress hormones in a drop of blood, sweat, urine or saliva. These stress biomarkers are found in all of these fluids, albeit in different quantities, Steckl said. "It measures not just one biomarker but multiple biomarkers. And it can be applied to different bodily fluids. That's ..

Weekly pharmacy visits improve adherence to heart failure medications in elderly patients

Elderly patients with heart failure often miss their medicines or take a lower dose than the prescribed one which can worsen their condition. However, weekly pharmacy visits can improve adherence to medications and quality of life, a study has shown.The study was presented at 'Heart Failure 2019'."Patients would need to see the pharmacist every week lifelong for the benefits to continue: The key point is that pharmacy visits need to be used as an opportunity to provide structured care," said co-principal investigator Martin Schulz, Freie Universitaet, Germany."Adhering to a complex medication regimen is a huge challenge for elderly patients with heart failure," pointed Schulz."It is estimated that 30-50 per cent of patients in Europe are non-adherent to heart failure medications, which results in increased frequency and severity of symptoms such as breathlessness, worsening heart failure and consequent hospitalisations, and higher mortality," added Schulz.Non-adherence includes not ...

Pregnancy linked to depression: Study

Women go through several physical and emotional changes during pregnancy and their negative attitude towards body changes during this time can lead to depression after childbirth, suggests a new study.

Now test stress level at home

Feeling stressed out? Take this newly discovered home-test that can easily measure your stress level and tell you whether you need to consult a doctor or not.

Acharya Balkrishna receives 'UNSDG 10 Most Influential People in Healthcare Award'

Patanjali Ayurved Limited's Managing Director, Acharya Balkrishna received the 'UNSDG 10 Most Influential People in Healthcare Award' on behalf of Patanjali Group of Institutions in Geneva yesterday."I am humbled to receive the prestigious @UNSDGHealth Award to ten most influential people in Healthcare on behalf of Patanjali Group of Institutions. This award is dedicated to all who contributed to mainstream Yoga and Ayurveda at the Global Level" tweeted Acharya Balkrishna."I feel proud when I put forth the culture, #Yoga_Ayurveda of India in front of the whole world and it accepts and listens carefully. I am really grateful to our sages that I got the opportunity to raise my voice in # UN, I am overwhelmed by your love and emotion," he said in a subsequent tweet.The five keynote speakers of the UNSDG (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) organisation included Randy Oostra, UNICEF executive director Henrietta H Fore, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Abe ...

Indigo flight diverted to Bhubaneswar due to medical emergency

Indigo flight -- 6E292 -- between Chennai and Kolkata was diverted here on Saturday due to a medical emergency."6E292 Chennai to Kolkata was diverted to Bhubaneswar due to medical emergency on board, as there was a sick passenger on board," Indigo informed in a release.The aircraft was accorded priority by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and landed at 3.17 pm in Bhubaneswar.The sick passenger in an AAI ambulance along with a doctor was taken to the Capital Hospital for the treatment.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad skipping lunch, says doctor

RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has been skipping his lunch for the last two days, according to doctors treating him at RIMS Hospital here."His daily routine has been in complete disarray. He has not had his lunch for the last two days," said Dr Umesh Prasad of RIMS."We have been urging him to take all his meals properly so that we can administer proper medicine and insulin to him," added Dr Prasad.Asked if the RJD supremo was going through anxiety in the wake of his party getting routed in the Lok Sabha results, Prasad said: "We did not ask him such questions. You are free to draw conclusions. But from his state, it appears like anxiety.On the other hand, RJD leaders who had come to meet Prasad denied the news of their leader suffering from anxiety."It's not the first election for Laluji. There is no stress, no anxiety. We had not met him for 2-3 months so came today to visit him," said RJD MLA Ram Vilas Paswan.Another party leader said that their leader ..

Assisted reproductive technology associated with fatal heart disease in pregnancy

Women who opt for assisted reproductive technology (ART) methods to get pregnant should right away see their doctor if they have heart failure symptoms, recent findings suggested.According to the study presented at Heart Failure 2019, symptoms like shortness of breath, swollen legs and waking up in the night to urinate could be warning signs of a pregnancy-associated heart failure called peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) as the heart becomes enlarged and weak in late pregnancy or after delivery."It is very difficult to distinguish normal pregnancy discomfort from heart failure symptoms," said Dr Tobias Pfeffer, study co-author and cardiologist at Hannover Medical School."Our study shows that the risk of PPCM is five times higher in women who have fertility treatment so they should be aware that this discomfort may not be benign. PPCM is often diagnosed much too late, with direct consequences on prognosis," Pfeffer added."In all women who have conceived artificially, gynaecologists and .

Drug-resistant fungal infections could be treated by starving fungus: Study

Fungal infection resistant to drugs could be treated by limiting fungus' access to its feed, critical for the organism's survival, research has found.Researchers repurposed drug to deny drug-resistant fungus of iron, an element crucial to its survival. "In the absence of novel drug candidates, drug repurposing aimed at using existing drugs to treat diseases is a promising strategy," said Mira Edgerton, co-lead investigator of the study.The research was published in the 'Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy'.To treat Candida albicans, common yeast that can cause illness in those with weakened immune systems, researchers limited the fungus' access to iron, an element crucial to the organism's survival.They did so by using deferasirox, a medication used to treat blood disorders. Tested in mice, the results were promising: investigators decreased iron levels in saliva by four times, which altered the expression of more than 100 genes by the fungus, diminished its ability to infect oral ..

Don't eat too much potato chips during pregnancy

Women should avoid eating too much vegetable oil and potato chips during pregnancy as such a diet may result in an increased risk of pregnancy complications and poor development of the babies, warns a study.

App to boost physical activity in women shows promise

A mobile phone application designed to boost physical activity for inactive women has shown promise in a trial.

Himachal man with spoons, knife, rod in stomach

In a bizarre incident, a man in Himachal Pradesh was found with seven spoons, two toothbrushes, two screwdrivers, a metal rod and a knife in his stomach.

Kids of less-educated moms at higher obesity risk

Children of poorly-educated mothers face higher risk of obesity than those whose mothers are well-educated, suggests a new study.

Overdose of omega-6 fat consumption during pregnancy, a risk for heart disease: Study

A recent study claims that overdose of omega 6 fats also known as linoleic acid which is present in foods such as potato chips and vegetable oil can increase the risk of heart disease during pregnancy.The study was published in the journal, 'The Journal of Physiology'.The research showed that eating a diet with three times the recommended daily intake of linoleic acid might be harmful in pregnancy. Testing the results on animal models, the researchers found three changes in rat mothers who ate a high linoleic acid diet: their liver had altered concentrations of inflammatory proteins, their circulating concentrations of a protein that can cause contraction of the uterus during pregnancy were increased, and a hormone that can regulate growth and development was decreased. These changes may result in pregnancy complications and poor development of the babies.If the effects of high linoleic acid are the same in rats and humans, this would suggest that women of child-bearing age should ...

Infants less receptive to different sounds might be at risk of developing autism

If an infant is less or unable to differentiate between varying speech patterns, he/she is likely to be at a higher risk of developing autism, suggested a new study.The findings of the study were published in Brain and Language."Humans are born with an astonishing ability to distinguish basic sound units that make up all of the world's languages," says Kristina Denisova, the study author."But why some infants at high familial risk for autism spectrum disorder are less likely to develop their language-specific competence in toddlerhood has remained a mystery."Previously, Denisova in her studies showed that high-risk infants (those who had a sibling with autism) were less likely to turn their heads in response to spoken language than other developing infants.She said, "Our team dissociated between head movements in infants at high vs. low familial risk for developing autism and detected the signal of future atypical development as early as 1-2 months after birth."Research suggests that .

Himachal Pradesh: Spoons, knife, toothbrush, screwdriver found in man's stomach

Doctors removed eight spoons, two screwdrivers, two toothbrushes, a kitchen knife and a door latch from the stomach of a mentally ill man in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on Friday.The 35-year-old man was admitted to Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College here with a stomach problem.A few days back, the man, who has been identified as Karn Sen, had complained of having a pimple in his stomach. Doctors at a clinic in Sundernagar town found that there was a knife in his stomach. After primary treatment, he was referred to the government hospital here.An X-ray test was conducted on Sen at the hospital here revealed that there was not just a knife, but several other objects as well in his stomach.A team of three surgeons removed the knife and other objects after a four hours long exhausting surgery.Doctors who were part of the team said termed the case as rare. "It is a rare case," doctor Nikhil said."After investigation, it was found that some metallic objects were ...

Flower pesticides linked to high BP in kids: Study

Exposure to flower pesticide may increase blood pressure in children and put them at the risk of hypertension, a study has found. Researchers at University of California San Diego in the US found a link between higher blood pressure and pesticide exposures in children -- especially heightened pesticide spraying period around the Mother's Day flower harvest, a holiday with one of the highest sales of flowers. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, involved boys and girls living near flower crops in Ecuador. According to the researchers, Ecuador is among the largest commercial flower growers in the world, with significant rose exports to North America, Europe and Asia. Commercial rose production relies on the use of insecticides, fungicides and other pest controls, but little is known about their human health effects. "These findings are noteworthy in that this is the first study to describe that pesticide spray seasons not only can increase the exposure to ...

Novartis gets US approval for USD 2.1 million gene therapy

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis on Friday announced it had received US regulatory approval for a gene therapy that treats a rare childhood disorder and has a price tag of USD 2.1 million, making it the most expensive drug in history. The company said Zolgensma was a one-time treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, a disease that affects about 1 in 10,000 births and which results in death or the need for permanent ventilation by the age of two in 90 per cent of cases. But the announcement comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has vowed to tackle soaring drug costs. Novartis defended the pricing by saying that gene therapy was a transformative new type of treatment and was 50 per cent cheaper than current treatments. "Zolgensma is a historic advance for the treatment of SMA and a landmark one-time gene therapy," Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said in a statement, which added that the company was working with government and insurers to accelerate coverage. The total .