Page 578 - Health Medical Pharma
Patient weighing 200 kilos undergoes lifesaving bariatric surgery in Delhi
A 52-year-old patient weighing 200 kilos got a fresh lease of life after she underwent a lifesaving bariatric surgery at a private hospital in Delhi. Losing weight had been a concern for the patient and had led to depression, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes mellitus over the years. She had tried to introduce radical lifestyle changes by exercising diet and portion control along with routine exercise. However, the results often took time to show, weakening her resolve. Her condition deteriorated steadily and eventually she reached a weight of 200 kilos, with a body mass index of 75.8, Randeep Wadhawan, director, MAS, bariatric and GI surgery, at Fortis Flt Lt Rajan Dhall Hospital in Vasant Kunj, said. Obesity is described as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30. The patient was brought to the hospital after she began to struggle to perform her day-to-day chores and was unable to walk or breathe properly. The doctors evaluated her condition and ...
Lupin launches Memantine Hydrochloride Extended-Release Capsules
In United States
Delhi woman weighing 200 kg loses 30 kg after surgery
A 52-year-old woman weighing 200 kg, who underwent a six-hour lifesaving bariatric surgery at a hospital here has lost 30 kg and is currently recuperating well, the hospital said on Wednesday.
World's largest brain tumour removed in Mumbai hospital
In a rare and complicated surgery, doctors at a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) hospital have successfully extricated a brain tumour from a 31-year-old blind man from Uttar Pradesh.
Congenital heart disease may up risk of early dementia
People born with heart disease may be at a higher risk of early onset of dementia, finds a study involving over 10,000 participants.
Merck to buy virus-based cancer drug firm Viralytics for $394 million
(Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co, already one of the leaders in the hot area of cancer immunotherapy, said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy Viralytics for 502 million Australian dollars ($394 million) to expand its pipeline in the sector.
Lupin launches dementia treatment capsules in US
Drug firm Lupin today said it has launched its Memantine Hydrochloride extended-release capsules in the American market after getting approval from the US health regulator. The company has launched Memantine Hydrochloride extended-release capsules in the strengths of 7mg, 14mg, 21mg, 28mg having received an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) earlier, Lupin said in a statement. The company's products are generic versions of Allergans Namenda XR capsules, it added. "It is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the Alzheimer's type," Lupin said. As per IQVIA MAT December 2017 data, Memantine Hydrochloride ER capsules 7mg, 14mg, 21mg, 28mg had annual sales of approximately USD 936 million in the US, it added. Shares of Lupin Ltd today closed at Rs 812.90 apiece on the BSE, down 0.36 per cent from its previous close.
Urgent need to scale up health services in Coxs Bazar: WHO
Calling for continued efforts to scale up health services for nearly 1.3 million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, the WHO today said the "vulnerable" people remain at risk of diseases and in need of critical services for survival even though six months have passed since the crisis began. Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's violence-hit Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh in August when the military cracked down against alleged militant outfits of the community. Though immense efforts have been made by the Bangladesh government and partner agencies to provide health services, prevent diseases such as cholera and rapidly control outbreaks of measles and diphtheria, the challenges are huge, multiple and evolving, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director for WHO southeast Asia, said. "The magnitude of the crisis requires continued efforts and generous contributions by all partners to scale up health services for the vulnerable population," Singh said. According to a
Low-fat diet as effective as low-carb for losing weight
Confused whether to follow a low-fat diet or a low-carb diet to shed weight? Reducing either carbohydrates or fats from the diet shaves off excess weight in about the same proportion, claims a new study.
Digital health can reduce inequity, medical errors: Nadda
Digital health has great potential towards reducing inequity in provisioning and distribution of healthcare resources and services and it can also reduce medical errors and cost of care, Union minister J P Nadda said today. At the Global Digital Health Partnership Symposium in Sydney, Australia, the minister for health and family welfare spoke on "the role of digital health in supporting improved health outcomes in India". He said it can facilitate treatment for disabled patients, children with developmental delays and deformities and people suffering from mental health illnesses and for those suffering from stigmatic infections such as HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. He said it is evident from experiences of various countries that well-designed digital health systems and services can reduce medical errors and cost of care. "We have seen many sectors benefiting from digital revolutions in the past such as retail, banking, logistics etc. The next decade of digital revolution is ...
Hormone therapy may reduce stooped posture in women: study
Hormone therapy (HT) may guard women against the risk of developing an exaggerated curvature of the spine that creates a forward stooped posture, a study claims. Researchers found that hormone therapy use was associated with a reduction in vertebral fracture risk. The study published in the journal Menopause shows these same benefits may also guard against a woman's risk of developing hyperkyphosis, an exaggerated curvature of the spine that creates a forward stooped posture. "Women who reported early use of HT were less likely to develop age-related kyphosis, and the protective benefits continued even after stopping HT," said JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). "This supports a benefit of prescribing HT close to menopause," said Pinkerton. It is well documented that the significant declines in estrogen experienced during the menopause transition contribute to accelerated bone loss, researchers said. Hormone therapy reverses bone loss ...
Hormone therapy may reduce stooped posture for women
Turns out, an exaggerated stooped body posture can be cured with hormone therapy for women.A new North American Menopause Society-study found that hormone therapy (HT) use was associated with a reduction in vertebral fracture risk.The Women's Health Initiative found that these same benefits may also guard against a woman's risk of developing hyperkyphosis, an exaggerated curvature of the spine that creates a forward-stooped posture.It is well documented that the significant declines in estrogen experienced during the menopause transition contribute to an accelerated bone loss. Hormone therapy reverses bone loss and helps prevent fractures.During the first three years of HT use, bone density has been shown to increase steadily and then is maintained during continued use.Given that hyperkyphosis is also associated with bone loss and vertebral fractures, the authors of the article "Patterns of menopausal hormone therapy use and hyperkyphosis in older women" hypothesised that HT may also .
New wearable sensor could help detect chronic diseases
A team of scientists led by an Indian-origin researcher at the University of Glasgow have created a new wearable sensor that could help people detect chronic diseases like diabetes. Professor Ravinder Dahiya, head of the university's School of Engineering's Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group, explained that his team was successful in building a stretchable, wireless system which is capable of measuring the pH level of the user's sweat. In a new paper titled 'Stretchable Wireless System for Sweat pH Monitoring' published in the journal - Biosensors and Bioelectronics - today, the team highlights that their discovery would avoid the discomfort of regular pin-prick blood tests by monitoring the chemical composition of their sweat instead. "Human sweat contains much of the same physiological information that blood does, and its use in diagnostic systems has the significant advantage of not needing to break the skin in order to administer tests," said Dahiya. "Now ..
How humans got bigger brains decoded
Average brain size of humans increased gradually and consistently over the past three million years, growing to over three times larger than our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that the trend was caused primarily by evolution of larger brains within populations of individual species, but the introduction of new, larger-brained species and extinction of smaller-brained ones also played a part. "Brain size is one of the most obvious traits that makes us human. It's related to cultural complexity, language, tool making and all these other things that make us unique," said Andrew Du, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago in the US. "The earliest hominins had brain sizes like chimpanzees, and they have increased dramatically since then. So, it's important to understand how we got here," said Du. "Think about the entrance to a building. You can reach the front door by walking up a .
New drug targets for malaria found
Scientists have discovered crucial new processes that allow malaria parasites to escape red blood cells and infect other cells, offering potential new treatment targets. The researchers are working with pharmaceutical companies to use this knowledge to develop new antimalarial drugs - a critical step in the battle against drug-resistant malaria. "Over 400,000 people die of malaria each year, and resistance to common antimalarial drugs is growing," said Mike Blackman, professor at the Francis Crick Institute in the UK. "We're studying the deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to try to find new drug targets that work in a different way to existing treatments," said Blackman, who led the study published in the journal Nature Microbiology. The team identified two key proteins that malaria parasites need to escape red blood cells and infect fresh cells. "We have already started collaborating with GSK to see if designing drugs that target these proteins could form the basis of
Merck to buy Australian viral immuno-oncology firm for $394 million
(Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co, already one of the leaders in the hot area of cancer immunotherapy, said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy Viralytics for 502 million Australian dollars ($394 million) to expand its pipeline in the sector.
Hormone therapy may help reduce curvature of spine in women
Undergoing hormone therapy may be effective in reducing age-related curvature of the spine in post-menopausal women, finds a study.
How humans got their bigger brains
Modern humans have brains that are more than three times larger than our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, and we have the gradual increase in brain size of our ancestors over the past three million years to thank for that, a new study says.
Health dept collects swab samples of 15 Raj MLAs to test for H1N1
Health department officials today collected swab samples of 15 MLAs to test for swine flu at the Assembly here after BJP MLA Amrita Meghwal tested positive for the deadly H1N1 virus. Jalore MLA Meghwal tested positive for the virus yesterday after which Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf asked the director (Public Health) to instruct all district chief medical and health officers to screen people who had come into contact with those tested positive for swine flu, according to a release. "We have taken swab samples of 15 MLAs at Rajasthan Assembly. The samples will be sent to a laboratory for confirmation of swine flu," Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Narottam Sharma said outside the House. It is to be noted that MLA from Mandalgarh constituency, Kirti Kumari, had succumbed to the swine flu virus last year. Leader of opposition Rameshwar Dudi was also suspected to be affected by swine-flu, but the confirmatory report was negative. According to the Centre's Integrated Disease .