Page 631 - Health Medical Pharma
Eating muesli in breakfast may help combat arthritis
Eating a fibre-rich breakfast consisting of muesli and enough fruit and vegetables throughout the day everyday can help maintain a rich variety of bacterial species in the gut, which may have positive influence on chronic inflammatory joint diseases, and prevent bone loss, a study has found.
How gut bacteria, broccoli can help keep bowel cancer away
Researchers have developed a cocktail of bacteria and cruciferous vegetables that can potentially turn into a targeting system that seeks out and kills colorectal cancer cells.
Healthureum announces Blockchain-based ecosystem to administer medical care
Estonia-based health-focused startup Healthureum on Saturday announced a Blockchain-based 360-degree ecosystem for administering medical care in a reliable and accurate manner.With the help of Blockchain, it will be easier to track the transaction nodes between the key participants like drug manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacists, and medical representatives, thus securing the product information, combating the problem of counterfeit drugs, and contributing to overall drug traceability on the smooth road.Healthureum's platform is designed on the Ethereum-based blockchain using smart contract technology to significantly improve efficiency and interoperability of healthcare services. Blockchain technology will help connect all hospitals on a global scale, thereby improving the rate at which information is shared between these institutions."India is one of the key markets for us and we will soon be launching token generation event, and will also announce new partnership and ...
'Heart-muscle patches improve recovery from heart attacks'
Heart-muscle patches created from human cells may significantly improve recovery from a heart attack, a study has found. The results are a step closer to the goal of treating human heart attacks by suturing cardiac-muscle patches over an area of dead heart muscle in order to reduce the pathology that often leads to heart failure. Each patch is 1.57 by 0.79 inches in size and nearly as thick as a dime. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the US found that transplanting two of these patches onto the infarcted area of a pig heart significantly improved function of the heart's left ventricle, the major pumping chamber. The patches also significantly reduced infarct size, which is the area of dead muscle; heart-muscle wall stress and heart-muscle enlargement; as well as significantly reducing apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in the scar boarder area around the dead heart muscle. Furthermore, the patches did not induce arrhythmia in the hearts, a ..
Taking paracetamol during pregnancy linked to language delay
Scientists have found an elevated rate of language delay in girls at 30 months old born to mothers who used acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol and hundreds of over-the-counter and prescription medicines. It is commonly prescribed during pregnancy to relieve pain and fever. This is the first study to examine language development in relation to acetaminophen levels in urine. Information was gathered from 754 women who were enrolled into the study in weeks 8-13 of their pregnancy. Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the US asked participants to report the number of acetaminophen tablets they had taken between conception and enrolment, and tested the acetaminophen concentration in their urine at enrolment. The frequency of language delay, defined as the use of fewer than 50 words, was measured by both a nurse's assessment and a follow-up questionnaire filled out by participants ..
Hyper-sensitive brain network cause chronic headaches
A new study has found that brain networks of patients with fibromyalgia primes for rapid and global, responses to minor changes. Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by memory issues, sleep, fatigue, and memory issues.It is believed that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals. The new research states that hyper-reactive brain networks could play a part in the hypersensitivity of fibromyalgia.This abnormal hyper-sensitivity of brain networks, called Explosive Synchronization (ES), can be observed in other network phenomena as well across nature. The research details only the second study about ES in the human brain.Main researchers from the University of Michigan and Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea report evidence of ES in the brains of people with fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by widespread chronic pain.Richard Harris, associate professor of
Anxiety: An early indicator of Alzheimer's disease?
Anxiety may be an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease in older adults, according to a study that suggests an association between elevated amyloid beta levels and the worsening of anxiety symptoms. Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that causes the decline of cognitive function and the inability to carry out daily life activities. Past studies have suggested depression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms may be predictors of AD's progression during its "preclinical" phase, during which time brain deposits of fibrillar amyloid and pathological tau accumulate in a patient's brain. This phase can occur more than a decade before a patient's onset of mild cognitive impairment. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US examined the association of brain amyloid beta and longitudinal measures of depression and depressive symptoms in cognitively normal, older adults. Their findings, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, suggest that ...
New patches made with human cells help boost recovery from heart attack
A research has been conducted to enhance recovery from heart attack.For the first time, large human cardiac-muscle patches have been tested in the lab on large animals in a heart attack model. It showed that it resulted in improved recovery from heart attack injury.This is the first large-animal study of muscle patches carried with a goal of treating human heart attacks by suturing cardiac-muscle patches over a specific area of dead heart muscles. It was carried out in order to reduce the pathology that often leads to heart failure.The research was conducted by Jianyi 'Jay' Zhang, from University of Alabama at Birmingham Biomedical Engineering, a joint department of the UAB School of Medicine and the UAB School of Engineering.Each patch is 1.57 by 0.79 inches in size and nearly as thick as a dime. Zhang and colleagues found that transplanting two of these patches onto the infarct area of a pig heart significantly improved the function of the heart's left ventricle, the major pumping ..
Could anxiety be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease?
According to a recent study, anxiety may be an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease in older adults.The findings support the hypothesis that neuropsychiatric symptoms could represent the early manifestation of Alzheimer's disease in them.Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that causes the decline of cognitive function and the inability to carry out daily life activities.Past studies have suggested depression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms may be predictors of AD's progression during its "preclinical" phase, during which time brain deposits of fibrillar amyloid and pathological tau accumulate in a patient's brain.This phase can occur more than a decade before a patient's onset of mild cognitive impairment. Investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital examined the association of brain amyloid beta and longitudinal measures of depression and depressive symptoms in cognitively normal, older adults.Their findings suggest that higher levels of amyloid beta may be ...
SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to return with NASA cargo
SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean today, with about 4,100 pounds of NASA cargo, science and technology demonstration samples from the International Space Station (ISS), NASA said. A variety of technological and biological studies are returning in Dragon, including hardware from the "Made in Space Fiber Optics" payload, which demonstrated manufacturing fiber optic filaments in a microgravity environment, the US space agency said. Designed by the company "Made in Space" and sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the investigation pulled fiber optic wire from ZBLAN, a heavy metal fluoride glass commonly used to make fiber optic glass. Research indicates that ZBLAN fiber pulled in microgravity may not crystalize as much, giving it better optical qualities than the silica used in most fiber optic wire. Results from this investigation could lead to the production of higher-quality fiber optic products both in
New warning system discovered in the immune defense
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown warning system that contributes to the body's immune system. According to a study published in the journal PNAS, Mitochondria in the white blood cells secrete a web of DNA fibres that raises the alarm. White blood cells are major components of the body's immune defence, and the research group has shown that several types of these cells react against small DNA fragments that are similar to the DNA from bacteria and viruses. The white blood cells spray out a web consisting of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) strands. Mitochondria are present in all cells and normally produce the energy needed by the cell, by burning sugar and fat to form water and carbon dioxide. The web that the mitochondria release sends signals to the surrounding cells that the body is under attack, and cause other white blood cells to release a signal substance known as "interferon type 1". This substance helps the immune system to combat the infection. "We show
Stingray soft robot could lead to bio-inspired robotics
Scientists have developed a tissue-based soft robot that mimics the biomechanics of a stingray, which could lead to advances in bio-inspired robotics, regenerative medicine and medical diagnostics. The simple body design of stingrays, specifically, a flattened body shape and side fins that start at the head and end at the base of their tail, makes them ideal to model bio- electromechanical systems on. The 10-millimetre long robot is made up of four layers: tissue composed of live heart cells, two distinct types of specialised biomaterials for structural support, and flexible electrodes. Imitating nature, the robotic stingray is even able to "flap" its fins when the electrodes contract the heart cells on the biomaterial scaffold, according to the study published in the journal Advanced Materials. "The development of such bioinspired systems could enable future robotics that contain both biological tissues and electronic systems," said Ali Khademhosseini, from University .
TB patients may soon get monthly 'social support' from govt
The government plans to give Rs 500 to Tuberculosis (TB) patients to help them buy nutritious food and compensate them for travel expenses until they are cured of the disease, a health ministry official has said. Under the proposal, the money would be given to patients, who number around 25 lakh, irrespective of their income level. The Expenditure Finance Committee has approved the proposal and sent it to the Mission Steering Group, the official said. The initiative is part of the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination, with the health ministry aiming to eliminate TB by 2025. "Around 25 lakh patients suffering from tuberculosis will soon be given Rs 500 per month, irrespective of their income level, as social support. A mechanism will be put in place to give the incentives to the patients on the basis of their Aadhaar number and medical documents," the official said. According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 2.8 million cases of TB occur in India every .
New prognostic tool may predict prostate cancer risk
Scientists have developed a genetic prognostic tool for predicting age of onset of aggressive prostate cancer. The tool may potentially be used to help guide decisions about who to screen for prostate cancer and at what age, according to the study published in the journal BMJ. At present, detection of prostate cancer relies primarily upon the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening blood test. But PSA testing is not very good as a screening tool. While it reduces deaths from prostate cancer, indiscriminate PSA screening also produces false positive results and encourages over-detection of non-aggressive, slow-growing tumours. The researchers used genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to determine whether a man's genetic predisposition to developing prostate cancer could be used to predict his risk of developing the aggressive and lethal form of the disease. "Polygenic Hazard Score methodology is specialised in finding age-dependent genetic risks and has already been ..
Hormone therapy helps treat eating disorders in transgenders
Hormone therapy may help reduce the feelings of body dissatisfaction associated with eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia in transgenders, a study has found. Eating disorders including anorexia, bingeing, self- induced vomiting and the misuse of diet pills and laxatives have been linked to people's deep-seated unhappiness with their body, fuelled by Western society's obsession with an idealised image of beauty. For some transgender people, striving to achieve a masculine or feminine body shape can influence their eating behaviours. While in the case of transgender males (assigned female at birth but who identify as male) who are not on hormone treatment some may even restrict what they eat as a way of stopping menstruation. "Young transgender people may restrict their food as a way to control their puberty, stop their period or reduce the development of breasts," said Jon Arcelus, from the University of Nottingham in the UK. "Eating disorder professionals ...
SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to return with key NASA cargo
Carrying approximately 4,100 pounds of NASA cargo, science and technology demonstration samples from the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft was set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Saturday.
Trump found to be in 'excellent health' after his 1st physical
US President Donald Trump is in excellent health, his physician said today after he underwent his first physical examination since taking office. The examination at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre lasted several hours and was likely to measure things like Trump's blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, heart rate and weight. "The President's physical exam today went exceptionally well," Dr. Ronnie Jackson said in a brief statement. "The President is in excellent health," said Jackson after he conducted the first physical exam of the 45th President of the United states. Dr. Jackson has been a physician to the President for three consecutive administrations. He is scheduled to brief the media on January 16 when he is expected to provide a detailed readout of the exam. A routine annual affair for every US president, Trump's medical checkup is being widely reported and has drawn media attention in view of his political opponents raising questions about his .
Trump gets 1st medical checkup since becoming president
President Donald Trump received his first medical checkup as president at Walter Reed military hospital today, undergoing a physical examination amid suggestions in a recent book and by his detractors that he's mentally unfit. Trump boarded Marine One at the medical facility in Bethesda, Maryland, outside Washington, after about three hours at the hospital. Trump shook hands with his physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, and then waved before boarding his helicopter. Later in the day, the president was travelling to Florida for the weekend. The fairly routine exam for previous presidents has taken on outsized importance in the age of Trump, given the tone of some of his tweets, comments attributed to some of his close advisers and Trump's recent slurring of words on national TV. Some of the comments were published in a new book about Trump's first year, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" by Michael Wolff, which White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has ..
Body's new warning system 'sprays' DNA to alert other cells
A previously unknown warning system that contributes to the body's immune system has been discovered.According to the Linkoping University researchers, Mitochondria in the white blood cells secrete a web of DNA fibres that raises the alarm.The results may lead to increased knowledge about autoinflammatory diseases and cancer.White blood cells are major components of the body's immune defence, and the research group has shown that several types of these cells react against small DNA fragments that are similar to the DNA from bacteria and viruses.The white blood cells spray out a web consisting of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) strands. Mitochondria are present in all cells and normally produce the energy needed by the cell, by burning sugar and fat to form water and carbon dioxide.The web that the mitochondria release sends signals to the surrounding cells that the body is under attack, and cause other white blood cells to release a signal substance known as "interferon type 1". This ...
Bio-inspired robots come closer to reality
A tissue-based soft robot that mimics the biomechanics of a stingray has been developed, which could lead to advances in bio-inspired robotics, regenerative medicine and medical diagnostics.The simple body design of stingrays, specifically, a flattened body shape and side fins that start at the head and end at the base of their tail, makes them ideal to model bio-electromechanical systems on.The 10-millimeter long robot is made up of four layers: tissue composed of live heart cells, two distinct types of specialized biomaterials for structural support, and flexible electrodes. Imitating nature, the robotic stingray is even able to "flap" its fins when the electrodes contract the heart cells on the biomaterial scaffold."The development of such bioinspired systems could enable future robotics that contain both biological tissues and electronic systems", said lead researcher Ali Khademhosseini from the University of California, Los Angeles."This advancement could be used for medical ...