Page 62 - Health Medical Pharma
Scientists clear another obstacle in creating transplant arteries, study suggests
Scientists are working towards a dream of creating artery banks, similar to blood banks common today with readily available material to replace diseased arteries during surgery.A study on the same was published in the journal 'Stem Cell Reports'.The research highlights a better way to grow smooth muscle cells, one of the two cellular building blocks of arteries, from pluripotent stem cells. The work also identifies a potential drug for reducing post-surgical risks in patients who undergo bypass surgery."We decided to focus on blood vessels because cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death worldwide," says the Thomson Lab. "In the US for example, heart disease and stroke are the No 1 killers, respectively. And this work also has implications beyond making vessels for transplantation; it's sort of a stepping stone to more advanced tissue engineering," Thomson added.Producing arteries in the lab require two essential cell types: endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. In 2017, .
Britney Spears appears in court regarding conservatorship case
American singer-songwriter Britney Spears appeared in a Los Angeles court for a case her parents are fighting over her conservatorship.Spears came with her mother Lynne Spears who is claiming the access to her daughter's medical information but is not willing to be a co-conservator, reports TMZ.However, Lynne and Britney have been estranged for the last 15 years after her break up with then partner Justin Timberlake.After Lynne read online about Jamie forcing their daughter into a mental health facility, she came to stay with Spears for 30 days at the health facility.Jamie Spears, Britney's father has been her conservator since 2008 and is also known to save her life in 2008 when the singer was facing a hard time.After the hearing, Britney and her parents came to an agreement on one thing. The judge, however, also ordered an expert evaluation, probably a mental examination for the singer.Britney also requested the judge to grant her certain freedom, which she is unable to get under ...
DASH diet can reduce heart failure risk in people under 75
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet proven to have beneficial effects on high blood pressure may also reduce the risk of developing heart failure by almost half in people under 75 years, according to research.The research was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.The DASH diet emphasises eating of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, poultry, fish, and low-fat dairy products while reducing consumption of salt, red meat, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages. It is similar to the Mediterranean diet but differs in recommending low-fat dairy products and excluding alcoholic beverages.The observational study of more than 4,500 people showed that those individuals under 75 who most closely adhered to the DASH diet had a significantly lower risk of developing heart failure than those whose eating habits were least in keeping with the diet."Only a few prior studies have examined the effects of the DASH diet on the incidence of heart failure, and they ...
This pill may help curb 2.7 lakh HIV cases in India
Paired with a biannual testing programme, a combination drug used to prevent HIV infection has the potential to improve average per-person survival by nearly one year and block more than 270,000 HIV transmissions in India over a period of 15 years, says a study.
70% moms in India use smartphone for parenting: Survey
While eight in 10 mothers in India believe technology has made parenting easier, 70 per cent mothers claim to have used a smartphone for rearing their kids, according to a new survey.
Tech-savvy people more likely to accept robot doctors
People with advanced computer skills are more likely to accept and use digital healthcare services and robot doctors, says a study by an Indian-origin researcher.
This combination drug can reduce chances of HIV in high-risk groups
A combination drug, Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), when taken consistently once a day can reduce the chance of HIV acquisition in high-risk groups by over 85 per cent, a study has found.The study published in 'Clinical Infectious Diseases' suggested that making PrEP available to men who have sex with men (MSM) and people who inject drugs (PWID) in India may be a cost-effective way of curbing the epidemic in the country."We know PrEP helps stop the spread of infection; the question is whether it is a good use of limited resources? Our study shows that PrEP is a cost-effective strategy for both MSM and PWID in India. For these groups, especially in areas with high HIV incidence, PrEP is worth rolling out," said lead and corresponding author Pooyan Kazemian, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Medical Practice Evaluation Center.Using a widely-published mathematical model to project clinical and economic outcomes of HIV disease, the authors compared various prevention and testing ...
Indian-American doctor gets 9 years for fraud
A US court has sentenced an Indian-American doctor to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty in 2016 to illegally dispensing prescription painkillers and defrauding Medicare, the national healthcare programme, the media reported.
Good sleep, mood can help you stay sharp in old age
Memory slips with age, but getting a fair amount of sleep every night and having a cheerful mood each day may help you stay sharp even when you grow old, suggests new research.
Good sleep quality, mood leads to good working memory, suggests study
A study has found strong association between working memory and factors like sleep, age and mood.The study was published in 'Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society'.Working memory is the part of short-term memory that temporarily stores and manages information required for cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. It is critically involved in many higher cognitive functions, including intelligence, creative problem-solving, language, and action-planning. It plays a major role in how we process, use, and remember information.The researchers found that age is negatively related to the "qualitative" aspect of working memory--that is how strong or how accurate the memory is. In other words, the older the person, the weaker and less precise the memory of that person becomes. In contrast, poor sleep quality and depressed mood are linked to a reduced likelihood of remembering a previously experienced event, the "quantitative" aspect of working ...
Study finds why UTI occurs more in postmenopausal women
A study has found why Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) have a high recurrence rate in postmenopausal women.The study was published in the journal, 'Journal of Molecular Biology'.The treatment of UTI is the most common reason for antibiotic prescriptions in older women."Recurrent UTI (RUTI) reduces the quality of life, places a significant burden on the health care system, and contributes to antimicrobial resistance," said Dr Kim Orth, senior author of the study.The investigation demonstrates that several species of bacteria can work their way inside the human bladder's surface area, called the urothelium, in UTI patients. Bacterial diversity, antibiotic resistance, and the adaptive immune response all play important roles in this disease, the study suggests."Our findings represent a step in understanding RUTIs in postmenopausal women," said Orth."We will need to use methods other than antibiotics to treat this disease, as now we observe diverse types of bacteria in the bladder wall of .
Indian-origin doctor gets 9 years jail for health care fraud in US
An Indian-origin doctor has been sentenced to nine years in prison by a US court for committing health care fraud and illegally distributing prescription painkillers. Pawankumar Jain, 66, a former physician, was sentenced in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release for unlawfully dispensing controlled substances and health care fraud, US Attorney John Anderson said. Jain previously entered guilty pleas in February 2016 to one count of unlawfully dispensing a controlled substance and one count of health care fraud. In his plea agreement, Jain admitted that he previously was licensed to practice medicine in the State of New Mexico and was registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prescribe controlled substances, including pain medication. He admitted that for several years he operated a high-volume pain management practice in Las Cruces, and frequently performed only cursory examinations of his patients ...
HIV vaccine in small doses over many days gives stronger immune response: Study
Researchers have identified a new HIV vaccine delivery strategy, which provides small doses over series of days leading to stronger immune response than when the same vaccine is given all at once.A new study demonstrates that changing a vaccine's delivery, not the vaccine itself, can have dramatic results on its success."If you change the way the immune system sees viral proteins, it really can make a dramatic difference," said Shane Crotty, leader of the study published in the Journal of Cell.Researchers compared three vaccine dosage strategies to see if one might stand a better chance of prompting neutralizing antibody production.They tested the strategies in rhesus monkeys, the best animal model for studying how the human immune system reacts to HIV.Firstly, the team needed a window into the immune system. The researchers took advantage of a new technique, adapted recently, to repeatedly extract small samples of germinal center cells from the lymph nodes.This enabled them to see ...
People with dementia could benefit from Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) can turn out to be a boon for people with dementia as it could aid them recall their memories, minimise aggression and also better their relations with their caregivers, a new study discovered.The study published in the journal Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems incorporated eight patients between the ages of 41 to 88.Each patient used a VR headset to 'visit' one of five virtual environments (VEs) of a cathedral, a forest, a sandy beach, a rocky beach, and a countryside scene. Sixteen sessions were monitored with feedback gathered from patients and their caregivers.According to the findings, VR helped patients recall old memories by providing new stimuli difficult to achieve, due to ill-health, or inaccessible within a secure environment.For example, one patient recalled a holiday when they saw a bridge in the VE because it reminded them of that trip while another remembered a holiday where they visited a market.Dr Jim Anf, .
New therapy can heal damage of heart attack
Researchers have discovered a therapy through which they can induce heart cells to regenerate after a heart attack.Myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack, caused by the sudden blocking of one of the cardiac coronary arteries, is the main cause of heart failure, a condition that now affects over 23 million population in the world, according to the study published in Journal Nature.At present, when patients survive a heart attack, they are left with permanent structural damage to their heart through the formation of a scar, which can lead to heart failure in the future.Researchers have delivered a small piece of genetic material, called microRNA-199, to the heart of pigs, after a myocardial infarction which resulted in the almost complete recovery of cardiac function at one month later.Lead author Professor Mauro Giacca, said: "It is a very exciting moment for the field. After so many unsuccessful attempts at regenerating the heart using stem cells, which all have .
Instagram to block anti-vaccine hashtags
People searching for misinformation through anti-vaccine hashtags on Instagram will have hard luck as the Facebook-owned company is cracking down on posts which deliver false information.Instagram has confirmed to Engadget that it will block hashtags that surface false information regarding vaccinations.The company has previously blocked hashtags that are too obvious about misinformation, such as #vaccinescauseautism. It will now also ban hashtags that may seem unrelated but are used to spread wrong information about vaccinations, such as #vaccines1234.
Virtual reality can help people with dementia
Virtual reality (VR) technology can enhance the quality of life for people with dementia by helping them to recall past memories, reduce aggression and improve interactions with caregivers, says a study.
University of Pittsburgh, ISB inks pact on mutual cooperation
: Indian School of Business (ISB) Friday said it signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Pittsburgh, USA, to work on joint research projects and exchange of scholarly publications and reports among others. Under the MoU, both the academic institutions will share experiences in innovative teaching methods and course design, organise joint symposia, workshops and conferences, work on faculty development and exchange and exchange students, an ISB release said. Rajendra Srivastava, Dean, ISB said, "With this prestigious MoU with the University of Pittsburgh, we are very keen to take up joint initiatives of global importance, touching upon various areas of collaborative research and pedagogy. Pitt has been a trendsetter and a pioneer in the area of healthcare research. Through this MoU, we will work together to take ideas and research from the laboratory to the marketplace to enhance healthcare delivery systems." University of Pittsburgh ..
Anger more harmful for older adults compared to sadness
Anger could be more harmful to the physical health of older adults as compared to sadness, potentially putting them to a higher risk of inflammation, which is associated with heart disease, arthritis and cancer, a new study has shown.The study was published in Psychology and Aging."Our study showed that anger can lead to the development of chronic illnesses, whereas sadness did not," said Meaghan A. Barlow, the lead author of the study."As most people age, they simply cannot do the activities they once did, or they may experience the loss of a spouse or a decline in their physical mobility and they can become angry," Barlow added.Barlow and her co-authors examined whether anger and sadness contributed to inflammation, an immune response by the body to perceived threats, such as infection or tissue damage.While inflammation, in general, helps protect the body and assists in healing, long-lasting inflammation can lead to chronic illnesses in old age, according to the authors.The ...
Bihar Orthopaedics to see magic of surgical robot at RoboTech
Orthopaedics medical fraternity in Bihar will witness the latest and most advanced technology in joint replacement space, Stryker's Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery system, at RoboTech, being jointly organized by Anup Institute of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation and Vattikuti Technologies, the exclusive distributors for the Mako Surgical system in India.The workshop will be held at Hotel Lemon Tree, Patna.Stryker is a leading medical device company headquartered in the US and Vattikuti Technologies is Stryker's strategic partner for Mako in India.Dr Ashish Singh, Consultant, Anup Institute of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation will facilitate the clinical discussions and demonstration on Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery system. RoboTech is expected to be attended by over 100 Orthopaedics experts from Bihar and Jharkhand."We are excited to have Mako at RoboTech. Mako System, the most advanced technology in joint replacement transforms the way knee and hip replacements are performed. We .