Page 600 - Health Medical Pharma
Maharashtra: Tiger to get prosthetic limb
In what may be the first instance, a tiger in Maharashtra will be getting a prosthetic limb, with the joint efforts of Maharashtra Animal and Fisheries Science University (MAFSU) and a leading orthopaedic surgeon of Nagpur.The veterinary doctors of Maharashtra Animal and Fisheries Science University (MAFSU) and orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Sushrut Babhulkar have joined hands for surgically attaching prosthesis in a male tiger at Nagpur's Gorewada Rescue Centre.While such a surgery has been done on some of the animals across the world, it is possibly the first time that a tiger will undergo it.
Data science ushering in next wave of drug innovation: Biocon
Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw today said data science is ushering in the next wave of drug innovations by promising to transform every stage of the new discovery and development process in the sector. Speaking at the annual lecture on 'strategic importance of data science in research and innovation', she said leveraging advance data analytics presents a real and significant opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry. Citing a Mckinsey report, she said in an increasingly cost-constrained global healthcare market, pharma companies that leverage analytic for advanced data-driven decision- making over the next one to three years will gain decisive advantage over their peers. "Data analytics is helping predict clinical outcomes, inform clinical trial designs, support evidence of effectiveness, optimise dosing, predict product safety and evaluate potential adverse event mechanisms," the biotechnology pioneer told reporter here. She further said while it is true that the cost
Antibiotics sold in India pose global superbug threat: study
Millions of unapproved antibiotics are being sold in India each year, posing a threat to the global fight against the spread of drug resistant microbes, British researchers warned today. A study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology showed that multinational pharmaceutical companies continue to manufacture dozens of unapproved formulations, despite the global health crisis of rising antimicrobial resistance. India has among the highest rates globally of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption, and parliamentary investigations have highlighted failures of the country's drug regulatory system, researchers said. "Selling unapproved, unscrutinised antibiotics undermines measures in India to control antimicrobial resistance," said Patricia McGettigan, from Queen Mary University of London in the UK. "Multinational companies should explain the sale of products in India that did not have the approval of their own national regulators and, in many .
Britain hits back at Trump over attack on healthcare system
Britain reacted angrily today to a tweet from US President Donald Trump attacking its public healthcare system in the latest spat to strain US-UK ties, casting further doubt on his possible visit to London. "The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working," Trump wrote in an early morning tweet. "Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!" The tweet came after thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday in support of the state-funded National Health Service (NHS), which is straining under the weight of winter demand. One possible explanation for Trump's criticism was an appearance by Brexit champion Nigel Farage, a personal friend of the president, on Fox News earlier Monday where he talked about the NHS. British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt issued a sharp rebuke, tweeting: "I may disagree with claims .
21 become HIV infected as Unnao quack uses common syringe: CMO
At least 21 people became infected with HIV here allegedly after a quack used a common syringe to administer injection, an official said today. A case has been registered against the quack, he said. Chief medical officer Dr SP Chaudhary said the matter came to light after the health department launched a probe following reports of "high number of HIV cases" in the area. "Seeing the high number cases, the health department constituted a two-member committee which visited various hamlets of Bangarmau to investigate the reasons behind the spike," he said. Chaudhary said the team visited Premganj and Chakmirpur areas of Bangarmau and filed a report, based on which screening camps were held at three places (in Bangarmau) on January 24, January 25 and January 27. "In the camps, 566 people were examined of whom 21 were found to be infected with HIV," the CMO said. He said the probe also found that quack Rajendra Kumar, living in a neighbouring village, had used a single syringe .
Woman dies days after giving birth
A 36-year-old woman died today at the government medical college hospital here, five days after her delivery, following which her relatives staged a protest alleging medical negligence. However, the hospital authorities said the woman was suffering from HELLP syndrome, a serious pregnancy complication, and had been on ventilator after her delivery. Relatives of the woman alleged that she was suffering from stomach ache and breathing difficulty, but was given medicines for gastric problems only. Though she died in in the morning, they were informed about it very late, the relatives charged. "It is an unfortunate incident. An inquiry commission has been set up to probe the issue," hospital superintendent R V Ramlal said. He said an inquiry has also been ordered into the alleged discovery of a piece of cloth in the private parts of another woman who had been recently admitted to the hospital for delivery.
Severe pre-eclampsia may lead to high BP after pregnancy
Women with severe pre-eclampsia during pregnancy may be at increased risk of developing lingering hypertension that may go undetected, as well as heart diseases, warns a new study.
Homeopathy, ayurveda doctors hold rally supporting NMC
Hundreds of homeopathic and ayurvedic practitioners from across the country on Monday held a rally here in support of the proposed National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which they said would benefit poor patients in the rural and remote areas of the country.
Trump attacks Britain's public healthcare system
US President Donald Trump today attacked Britain's public healthcare system in comments that are likely to call his much-delayed visit to the country further into doubt. "The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working," he wrote in an early morning tweet. "Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!" The tweet came after thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday in support of the National Health Service, which is straining under the weight of winter demand. NHS staffing levels have been in crisis for months, an issue made worse by a winter flu outbreak. Despite its current woes, the public health service, which was created after World War II, is a revered institution and Trump's comments are likely to stoke resentment. The "special relationship" between Britain and the United States has shown some ...
More women venture into neurosurgery in Singapore
Turns out, more and more women are venturing into one of the last bastions of male dominance - Neurosurgery.According to a new finding, Singapore saw its first full-fledged female neurosurgeon in 2013. As of now, there are only two full-fledged female neurosurgeons at the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI). Together with three female neurosurgery residents, they make up 15 percent of NNI's pool of 33."Changing cultural and social norms have resulted in women making inroads into "one of the last bastions of male dominance", Ng Wai Hoe, NNI medical director, told Today Online.The speciality remains one of the "toughest and most technically demanding surgical fields which requires exceptional physical and mental resilience," said Associate Professor Ng.The neurosurgeons work with drills, saws and knives to slice through brains. Mere millimetres could mean a difference between life and death for their patients, and operations could take 36 hours or more.The higher proportion of women ..
CDC invests $21 m in Asian Institute of Medical Services
The CDC Group, the British developmental finance institution, has invested USD 21 million in the Northern markets-focused healthcare services provider Asian Institute of Medical Services (AIMS). CDC's long-term investment will support the hospital's five-year expansion into small towns in Jharkhand, Bihar and UP, where it will add 1,000 beds at the new and existing multi-specialty facilities. This expansion will create around 2,000 new jobs and deliver training and improved skills for nursing and paramedic staff in these cities, the hospital said in a statement today. The CDC Group, wholly-owned by the British government, invests in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with the aim of supporting economic development to create jobs. CDC invested in the healthcare having backed Narayana Health, Rainbow Hospitals and Manipal-CDC Ventures in the last three years. Established in 2010, AIMS is a 775-bed hospital operator focused on bringing multi-specialty facilities including ...
Molecular biologist to get T'gana award for genome work
Eminent molecular biologist Professor Michael N Hall of the Biozentrum University of Basel, Switzerland, has been chosen for the Genome Valley Excellence Award which will be presented to him during BioAsia 2018, an annual flagship event of the Telangana government. The event begins on February 22, an official release stated, adding that Prof Hall will be presented the award during its opening ceremony. The release informed that Prof Hall had been bestowed with the 2018 Genome Valley Excellence Award for his pioneering work in discovering the nutrient-activated TOR (Target of Rapamycin) proteins and their central role in the metabolic control of cell growth. The award, instituted in 2004, was in recognition of the 'transformative advances toward biomedical research and facilitating improvement in human life' and was chosen by an international advisory board consisting of eminent personalities of the life sciences industry, it informed. Announcing the 2018 Genome Valley ...
Antibiotics sold in India pose global superbug threat
Millions of unapproved antibiotics are being sold in India each year, posing a threat the global fight against spread of drug resistant microbes, researchers warned today. A study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology showed that multinational pharmaceutical companies continue to manufacture dozens of unapproved formulations, despite the global health crisis of rising antimicrobial resistance. India has among the highest rates globally of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption, and parliamentary investigations have highlighted failures of the country's drug regulatory system, researchers said. "Selling unapproved, unscrutinised antibiotics undermines measures in India to control antimicrobial resistance," said Patricia McGettigan, from Queen Mary University of London in the UK. "Multinational companies should explain the sale of products in India that did not have the approval of their own national regulators and, in many cases, did not .
28 swine flu deaths in SKIMS last year: J-K Govt
The Jammu and Kashmir government today said 28 patients died of swine flu last year in Kashmir's premier health institute -- Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). Replying to a question in the Assembly, Bali Bhagat, the state health minister, said out of 137 cases of swine flu registered at SKIMS last year, 28 patients have died, 107 were discharged and two are currently admitted in the hospital for treatment. Moreover, separate isolation wards have been established in the government medical colleges in Jammu and Srinagar, where trained staff are deployed round the clock, Bhagat added.
After 154 years, Nepali tea receives international trademark
Nepalese tea has finally received an international trademark, over a century-and-a-half after cultivation began in the country, authorities said on Monday.
Homoeo docs' support Bill that could allow them to practice
Homoeopathic doctors' bodies today came together at the Ramlila Maidan here in support of a Bill that the might allow doctors pursuing Indian systems of medicine to practice allopathy after clearing a bridge course. The National Medical Commission Bill, 2017, which seeks to replace the existing apex medical education regulator Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body, was moved by the government recently. One of its recommendations include that specific educational modules or programmes be introduced to bridge various systems of medicine and promote medical pluralism, with the approval of bodies concerned. Dr Sunil Takalkar, core committee member of the All India Homoeopathic Doctors' Association said that they were holding a two-day rally to support the Bill as it will enhance the quality of services being rendered to patients. This Bill would also provide special facilities to the people living in rural and remote areas, where allopathic medicines are not ...
Medicines sold in India pose threat to antibiotic resistance control
Turns out, medicines sold in India pose a global threat to antibiotic resistance control.A new study has revealed that multinational pharmaceutical companies continue to manufacture dozens of unapproved formulations, despite the global health crisis of rising antimicrobial resistance.The study also noted that millions of unapproved antibiotics are being sold in India each year.Notably, India has rate is amongst the highest rates globally of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption, and parliamentary investigations have highlighted failures of the country's drug regulatory system.To examine the availability of antibiotics and their approval status in India, researchers analyzed the regulatory records of antibiotics as well as sales data from 2007 to 2012.The analysis included information on fixed dose combination (FDC) antibiotics (formulations composed of two or more drugs in a single pill) and single drug formulation (SDF) antibiotics (composed of a single drug) on the ...
Old drug may have new tricks to fight cancer
Turns out, old powerful drugs may have new tricks to fight cancer.In recent years, a powerful suite of drugs known as kinase inhibitors have been developed to treat cancer and other diseases.In a new study, researchers at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute used an innovative method to screen a broad range of kinases for a drug's effectiveness.Primary targets of such drugs include a family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) which protrude from cell surfaces like antennae and can activate cancer-related pathways virtually in all types of cancer when signalling molecules bind with them.The compound, known as ibrutinib - an inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosoine kinase (BTK) in white blood cells, was first approved by the FDA in 2013 for the treatment of leukemia.Using a sophisticated microarray platform invented by Dr. Joshua LaBaer, the new research demonstrated that ibrutinib can also target a little-studied member of the RTK family, known as ERBB4, potentially thwarting the ...
Prostate Cancer: Symptoms and Treatment
Prostate cancer is extremely prevalent among asymptomatic men throughout the world. As per a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the incidence and mortality estimates per 100,000 age-normalized populations in India is nine and three respectively.Talking about the risk factors for prostate cancer, Dr. Madhu Y C, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals said, "Age is the most important risk for prostate cancer. Among adult malignancies, no other cancer is as age-related as prostate cancer. Prostate cancer rarely occurs before the age of 40, but the incidence rises rapidly thereafter.""African men have one the highest incidences of prostate cancer in the world. Men with a brother or father diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 50 have approximately a twofold increased risk of prostate cancer and those with two or more first-degree relatives affected have approximately a seven- to eightfold increased risk compared with the general population," he ...
Are you eating your way to diabetes?
You may want to cut down on the intake of lamb, beef, pork and poultry as they can give you diabetes.Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) in Singapore found that the higher intake of red meat and poultry is associated with significantly increased risk of developing diabetes, which is partially attributed to their higher content of heme iron in these meats.The consumers of red meat were 23% likelier to develop diabetes whereas those who consume poultry products are at a risk of 15%.Senior author Koh Woon Puay said, "We don't need to remove meat from the diet entirely. Singaporeans just need to reduce the daily intake, especially for red meat and choose chicken breast and fish/shellfish, or plant-based protein food and dairy products, to reduce the risk of diabetes."The team analysed 63,257 adults aged 45-74 years between 1993 and 1998 and then followed them up for an average of about 11 years.