Page 592 - Health Medical Pharma
Sebi says looking into Fortis Healthcare matter
Market regulator Sebi today said it is examining the issues surrounding group firms of Fortis Healthcare, which has landed in a controversy over alleged regulatory lapses in transfer of funds to some promoter-linked companies. "We are examining the Fortis issue," Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi told reporters after a board meeting of the regulatory body here today. "...we also received a reference on Religare from somewhere I cannot not disclose and it will be looked into," Tyagi further said. Religare and Fortis have the same promoter groups. Fortis Healthcare was issued notices by the stock exchanges yesterday following a media report claiming that the company's promoters, the Singh bothers, took at least USD 78 million (about Rs 500 crore at current exchange rate) out of the publicly-traded hospital company they control without board approval about a year ago. Replying to the notices, Fortis Healthcare said its wholly-owned arm Fortis Hospitals had deployed funds to the ...
New tool may identify drugs for asthma, hypertension
Scientists have developed a tool that could make it easier to evaluate new drugs for diseases associated with abnormal levels of cell strength, including hypertension, asthma and muscular dystrophy. The new tool can measure the physical strength of individual cells 100 times faster than current technologies, according to a study published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. "With this new tool, we can now test for potential therapeutics that can restore normal cellular force generation and therefore restore function to diseased tissues made of these cells," said Dino Di Carlo from the University of California, Los Angeles in the US. The device is called fluorescently labeled elastomeric contractible surfaces(FLECS). Its key component is a flexible rectangular plate with more than 100,000 uniformly spaced X-shaped micropatterns of proteins that are sticky so cells settle on and attach to them. The X's embedded in the plate are elastic, so they shrink when the ..
Novel tool may identify drugs for asthma, hypertension
Researchers have developed a new tool that could evaluate new drugs for diseases associated with abnormal levels of cell strength, such as asthma, hypertension and muscular dystrophy.
New malleable 'electronic skin' self-healable, recyclable
Scientists have developed a new type of malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable "electronic skin" that has applications ranging from robotics and prosthetic development to better biomedical devices. Electronic skin, known as e-skin, is a thin, translucent material that can mimic the function and mechanical properties of human skin, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances. The new e-skin has sensors embedded to measure pressure, temperature, humidity and air flow. The technology has several distinctive properties, including a novel type of covalently bonded dynamic network polymer, known as polyimine. The polyimine has been laced with silver nanoparticles to provide better mechanical strength, chemical stability and electrical conductivity. "What is unique here is that the chemical bonding of polyimine we use allows the e-skin to be both self-healing and fully recyclable at room temperature," said Jianliang Xiao, from the University of Colorado
Ustad Bismillah Khan's son dies at 74
Zamin Hussain Khan, the third son of eminent Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, died in Varanasi on Saturday, family sources said. He was 74.
Stem cell transplants bring new hope for lung patients
Chinese scientists, in a breakthrough, have regenerated a patient's damaged lungs using stem cell transplants, a development that can lead to treatments for chronic lung diseases.
Tying Ayush with modern medicine will harm patient safety:Assn
Opposing a bridge course for Indian medicine practitioners mooted in the National Medical Commission Bill which has been sent to a Parliamentary Committee, a healthcare association today said it will undermine patient safety. Stating that modern and traditional (Ayush) systems of medicine were "disparate," president, Tamil Nadu chapter of the Association of Healthcare Providers (India), Dr S Gurushankar said "mixing up these two systems will be inappropriate and severely undermine patient safety." Ayush refers to Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. Apart from Homoeopathy, other systems are Indian. NMC Bill envisages a bridge course for Indian medicine practitioners to prescribe modern medicines to some extent. Allowing it has to be approved through voting in the proposed new Commission. The association's Tamil Nadu chief, in a statement here also sought an increase in the proportion of elected representatives from the medical fraternity in the .
Ustad Bismillah Khan's son Zamin Hussain Khan passes away
Zamin Hussain Khan, the third son of Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, has died. He was 74. Zamin, who was suffering from kidney failure, breathed his last early this morning at his residence in Kali Mahal area of the city. He leaves behind his wife, five young daughters and son, Afaq Haider, who will now carry forward the shehnai legacy of Ustad Bismillah Khan, according to family sources. His mortal remains would be laid to rest at Fatman Dargah next to where Ustad Bismillah Khan is buried.
This 'e-skin' is malleable, self-healable, recyclable
Scientists have developed a new type of malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable "electronic skin" that can be used in biomedical devices like artificial limbs and prosthetics.
Human kidney tissue capable of producing urine developed
In a first, scientists have successfully produced human kidney tissue within a living organism which is able to produce urine, a significant milestone in the development of treatment for kidney disease. Kidney glomeruli - constituent microscopic parts of the organ - were generated from human embryonic stem cells grown in plastic laboratory culture dishes containing a nutrient broth known as culture medium, containing molecules to promote kidney development. They were combined with a gel like substance, which acted as natural connective tissue - and then injected as a tiny clump under the skin of mice. After three months, an examination of the tissue revealed that nephrons: the microscopic structural and functional units of the kidney - had formed. The new structures contained most of the constituent parts present in human nephrons - including proximal tubules, distal tubules, Bowman's capsule and Loop of Henle. Tiny human blood vessels - known as capillaries - had ...
First human kidney tissue capable of producing urine developed
In a first for medical science, scientists have successfully produced human kidney tissue within a living organism that is able to produce urine, a significant milestone in the development of treatment for kidney disease.
Ways to prevent asthma readmissions
A retrospective cohort study has found that readmission rates at three months for kids hospitalised for acute asthma dropped when families received comprehensive education prior to discharge from the hospital.It has come to light that prior knowledge has proven to be the only component of discharge bundles that was strongly associated with lowered readmissions.According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, asthma is the most common chronic lung disease of childhood, affecting roughly 6 million U.S. children.Children who are hospitalised for asthma have a roughly 20 percent chance of returning to the hospital in the next year, and individual hospital readmission rates can range from 5.7 percent to 9.1 percent at three months, wrote the study team."Improving how we care for children who are hospitalized with asthma includes preparing them for a successful return home with the best tools to manage their illness and prevent a future hospital visit," said lead author Kavita ..
Positive attitude towards ageing reduces dementia risk: study
Older persons who have acquired positive beliefs about old age from their surrounding culture are less likely to develop dementia, a study has found. The research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, examined whether culture-based age beliefs influence the risk of developing dementia among older people, including those who carry the high-risk gene variant. "We found that positive age beliefs can reduce the risk of one of the most established genetic risk factors of dementia," said Becca Levy from the Yale University in the US. "This makes a case for implementing a public health campaign against ageism, which is a source of negative age beliefs," Levy said. The researchers studied a group of 4,765 people, with an average age of 72 years, who were free of dementia at the start of the study. The study demonstrated that APOE e4, a high-risk gene variant, carried with positive beliefs about ageing had a 2.7 per cent risk of developing dementia, compared to a 6.1 per cent risk
Preventing falls in older hospitalized patients
In elderly hospitalized people, the risk of sustaining a fall can be predicted through an easy physical performance test, suggests a research.A study of 807 older individuals admitted to hospital found that those who had poorer physical function at the time of admission were more likely to fall during their hospital stay; 329 falls occurred in 189 patients, including 161 injurious falls, of which 24 were serious.Poor functional performance--in areas including balance, gait speed, and lower-limb strength--was also associated with a higher incidence of falls that resulted in physical injury or fractures.The findings indicate that a simple physical performance test at the time of admission may help clinicians take steps to prevent in-hospital falls and consequent injuries in older patients.The study has been published in published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
Blood sodium levels may affect cognition in older adults
Scientists have found that lower level of sodium in the blood - known as hyponatremia - is linked with declines in cognitive function with advancing age. Hyponatremia occurs when the sodium level in the blood falls below 135 Millimoles Per Litre (mmol/L), according to a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Mild hyponatremia was once thought to be asymptomatic, but recent studies suggest that it may be associated with higher risks of attention deficits, gait disturbances, falls, cardiovascular events, and even premature death. "Slightly lower sodium levels in the blood are likely to be unnoticed in clinical practice," said Kristen Nowak, from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in the US. "Because both slightly lower serum sodium levels and mild changes in cognitive function are common occurrences with advancing age, future research on this topic is important including determining whether correcting lower sodium ...
Leprosy: Types, Diagnosis, Treatment
There around four million patients of leprosy world-wide with 750,000 new cases being detected every year. Of these cases, 70% are from India.Though the incidents are decreasing in India through the efforts of the National Leprosy Eradication programme, and India had achieved elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in 2005, it has the largest number of leprosy patients in the world and pockets of high endemicity report thousands of new cases every year.Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium Leprae. It mainly affects skin, nerves, eyes and respiratory system.Visible disabilities and sequele are associated with historical social stigma. It is also called as Hansen's disease. As this bacteria is extremely slow growing, it is difficult to isolate in vitro cultures."In 2015, a total of 127,326 new cases were detected accounting for 60% of the global total of new cases, compared with 125,785 new cases in 2014. Delhi, Lakshadweep, Chandigarh
Denied entry into Gurgaon hospital over Aadhaar, woman
A woman today delivered her baby outside the emergency ward of a civil hospital here after the staff allegedly denied her admission into the labour ward for not carrying her Aadhaar card, her family members said. After the incident came to light, Gurgaon Chief Medical Officer Dr BK Rajora said a doctor and a staff nurse were suspended from duty. The patient, identified as Munni Kewat (25), was taken to the hospital by her husband and others after she experienced labour pain this morning. "We reached the hospital at around 9 am and went to the casualty ward. The staff directed us to go to the labour ward. When we reached there, the staff there asked for my wife's Aadhaar card for admission," Arun Kewat, the woman's husband said. Kewat claimed he offered to give them the Aadhaar number as he was not carrying the physical card, and said he would provide a copy of the card later. "A lady doctor and some nurses present at the labour ward demanded a hard copy of the Aadhaar ...
Nagaland polls: Seven valid candidates withdraw candidature
Seven valid candidates about to contest the Nagaland Assembly election withdrew their candidature on Friday.Out of the seven candidates, six were Independent candidates while one represented the Indian National Congress (INC).In the scrutiny of 257 nomination papers on Thursday, 227 candidates were found valid.After the withdrawal of the seven candidates, 220 valid candidates are now left to contest the election.The last date of withdrawal of candidature is February 12, 2018.The 60-member assembly is scheduled to go to polls on February 27, while the results are to be declared on March 3.
Fortis Healthcare shares surge 17% on merger speculation
Stocks of Fortis Healthcare closed higher by over 17 per cent on Friday on the back of reports that international private equity major TPG backed Manipal Hospitals is "in advanced talks to merge Fortis Health with itself".