Page 643 - Health Medical Pharma

This organ-on-a-chip device may improve heart disease treatment

Researchers have developed an organ-on-a-chip device that can mimic the functions of human heart and help researchers better understand atherosclerosis -- the constriction of blood vessels -- the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

'Sugar coma' may slow down your brain: study

Do you feel a little sluggish after eating sugar or a big meal? You are probably feeling the effects of a sugar crash, which may slow down your brain function, a study suggests. In the study, participants demonstrated reduced attention and response times after consuming glucose or table sugar, compared to those who consumed fructose (fruit sugar) or artificial sweetener sucralose (the placebo). "Our study suggests that the 'sugar coma' - with regards to glucose - is indeed a real phenomenon, where levels of attention seem to decline after consumption of glucose- containing sugar," Mei Peng, a lecturer at the University of Otago in New Zealand, told 'PsyPost'. "In particular, how sugar consumption might change the way our brains work. In the case of sweetness perception, we have evolved to favour this taste," said Peng. Previous research on glucose ingestion has linked it to improved memory performance. However, studies that examined the effect of glucose on other ...

McGrath targets USD 1.3 million collection in SCG Test

For the much-awaited 10th 'Pink Test', the Australian and English cricket teams on Tuesday donned pink caps at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) alongside veteran cricketer and McGrath Foundation founder, Glenn McGrath.The foundation which endeavours to support breast cancer sufferers has raised millions of dollars over the years and now aims to raise USD 1.3 million during this year's 'Pink Test', triple the previous year's goal, according to The Sydney Morning Herald."We've set a fairly lofty goal but I think it's very achievable, especially with the way we've been growing and the support we've received," McGrath said.If successful, they will be able to provide free support to thousands of families struggling with breast cancer.Glenn McGrath set up the McGrath Foundation in 2005, following his wife's initial diagnosis and death due to breast cancer.The first 'Pink Test' was played in 2009, which started an official partnership between the McGrath Foundation and Cricket Australia to ...

Majority of oral cancers can be prevented! Here's how

Oral cancer refers to the cancers that occur in the mouth, lips, tongue, cheeks, palate or throat and are among the most common forms of cancers in India. In fact, oral cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men. India bears the largest burden of oral cancers in the world, with an incidence of around 11.28 percent in Indian men.It is important to propagate that oral cancer is also a highly preventable and treatable disease if detected early. Incidentally, over 80% of all oral cancers can be attributed to tobacco usage.By eliminating the use of tobacco and following healthy lifestyles, you can significantly reduce your risk of oral cancer.According to, Aparna Dhar, Medical Geneticist and Genetic Counselor, CORE Diagnostics, here are 5 measures you must take:-Quit tobacco in all its formsMore than 50 percent of oral cancers in India are attributable to smokeless tobacco products. Referred usually as gutka or khaini in India, smokeless tobacco increases the risk of ..

Kanco Tea & Industries declares lock-out at Lakmijan Tea Estate, Assam

With effect from 02 January 2018

Baby formula from cow's milk may not up diabetes risk: Study

Drinking formula made from cow's milk may not put babies at higher risk of developing Type 1 diabetes, the first large international trial showed.

High Vitamin D dose may rapidly cut arterial stiffness

High-doses of Vitamin D can potentially reduce arterial stiffness -- a major risk factor for cardiovascular-related disease and death -- in young vitamin-deficient obese adults, researchers say.

Hetero launches biosimilar Adalimumab in India

Drug firm Hetero today said it has launched its biosimilar Adalimumab, used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune disorders, under the brand name 'Mabura'. The product, which is a biosimilar version of AbbVie's Humira, will be marketed and distributed in India by Hetero Healthcare, the company said in a statement. Adalimumab is the first fully human monoclonal antibody which was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) in 2002," it added. The drug will be manufactured at the company's Hyderabad facility for Biologics, Hetero said. Mabura is an anti-inflammatory medication indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune disorders such as psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, the company added. The product will be available as a pre-filled syringe of 40 mg.

Now, AI can diagnose heart disease, cancer early

Researchers in the UK have developed new artificial intelligence (AI) systems which can help diagnose heart disease and lung cancer much more accurately and early. Currently cardiologists can tell from the timing of the heartbeat in scans if there is a problem. However, even the best doctors get it wrong in one in five cases. Patients are either sent home and have a heart attack or they undergo an unnecessary operation. A new AI system created at the John Radcliffe Hospital in the UK diagnoses heart scans much more accurately. It can pick up details in the scans that doctors cannot see. The system then provides a recommendation - positive - which means that it believes that there is a risk of the patient having a heart attack. The system has been tested in clinical trials in six cardiology units. According to Professor Paul Leeson, who developed the system, the data indicates that the system has greatly outperformed his fellow heart specialists, 'BBC News' reported. The .

New 'organ-on-a-chip' device mimics heart disease

Scientists have developed a new 'organ-on-chip device' that mimics atherosclerosis or the constriction of blood vessels, which is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. The device can help better understand heart diseases and test potential drug therapies, without experimenting with lab animals. In a study published in the journal APL Bioengineering, researchers showed how this organ-on-a-chip could also improve blood testing for patients. "Atherosclerosis is a very important and complex disease," said Han Wei Hou, a biomedical engineer at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. It develops when fat, cholesterol and other substances in the blood form plaque that accumulates on the inside walls of arteries. This buildup constricts the blood vessel, causing cardiovascular diseases. Understanding what regulates this abnormal vessel constriction is crucial to studying and treating vessel disease and preventing acute cardiac arrest. While researchers have ...

'Spider web inspired implant may control type 1 diabetes'

Scientists have developed a novel removable implant, inspired by the properties of spider web, that may effectively help control type 1 diabetes. For people with type 1 diabetes, daily insulin injections are literally a matter of life and death. In the disease, insulin-producing pancreatic cell clusters (islets) are destroyed by the body's immune system. While there is no cure, a research team led by Cornell University in the US has devised an ingenious method for implanting hundreds of thousands of islet cells into a patient. They are protected by a thin hydrogel coating and, more importantly, the coated cells are attached to a polymer thread and can be removed or replaced easily when they have outlived their usefulness. Transplantation of stem cell-derived, insulin-producing islet cells is an alternative to insulin therapy, but that requires long-term immunosuppressive drug administration. One well-researched approach to avoid the immune system's response is to coat ...

Fight your sweet tooth with these 4 natural sweeteners and fluids

We are all set to begin the New Year with new pledges and resolutions to stay fit and tune in to a healthy lifestyle. To beat a big hurdle in your healthy resolution -- dieting boredom -- one needs to keep the diet plan and healthy eating target as exciting and simple as possible. Nature has blessed us with a few natural sweeteners which can best fit into our healthy diet, says

ADHD medicines may lower risk of sexually transmitted infection

According to researchers, medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also reduce the risk of subsequent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).ADHD increases the risk of subsequent STIs among adolescent and young adult populations by about three times, reports a study.It then found that short- and long-term use of ADHD medication reduced the risk among men by 30% and 41%, respectively."ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder, and affects approximately 5%-7% of children and adolescents and 2% of young adults," said lead author Mu-Hong Chen, MD, a physician at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital and the College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei."Increasing evidence supports an association between ADHD and various health-risk behaviors, such as risky driving, substance abuse, and risky sexual behaviors. Clinical psychiatrists [should] focus on the occurrence of risky sexual behaviors and the risk of STIs among patients with

Can cow's milk prevent type 1 diabetes?

Avoiding cow's milk does not prevent type 1 diabetes in children with genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, finds a study.Previous studies have indicated that early exposure to complex foreign proteins, such as cow's milk proteins, increases the risk of type 1 diabetes in individuals with genetic risk for type 1 diabetes."In 2002, we therefore embarked on a large-scale study on 2159 infants with a family member affected by type 1 diabetes and with genetic risk for type 1 diabetes to find an answer to the question whether delaying the exposure to complex foreign proteins will decrease the risk of diabetes", says Professor Mikael Knip from the University of Helsinki, the leader of the international TRIGR Study.After breastfeeding, infants were weaned either to a special formula (extensively hydrolyzed casein formula), with the cow's milk proteins split into small peptides (small pieces of the protein), or to a regular cow's milk based formula with intact cow's milk proteins.Infants received

Can vitamin D reduce arterial stiffness?

High-doses of vitamin D are effective in reducing arterial stiffness, finds a study.Researchers said that in just four months, high-doses of vitamin D reduce arterial stiffness in young, overweight/obese, vitamin-deficient, but otherwise still healthy African-Americans.Rigid artery walls are an independent predictor of cardiovascular- related disease and death and vitamin D deficiency appears to be a contributor, says Dr. Yanbin Dong, geneticist and cardiologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.So researchers looked at baseline and again 16 weeks later in 70 African-Americans ages 13-45 - all of whom had some degree of arterial stiffness - taking varying doses of the vitamin best known for its role in bone health.In what appears to be the first randomized trial of its kind, they found that arterial stiffness was improved by vitamin D supplementation in a dose-response manner in this population.Overweight/obese blacks are at ...

Are you being diagnosed correctly?

When it comes to medical care, no one wants to compromise. Everyone wants to avail the best possible facilities as per their capacity.But in an era where medical expenses and complications are mounting with each passing day and news of malpractices by even the best names in the industry have become an almost daily affair, the customer should be aware of the various possibilities of malpractices in the diagnostic process also. After all, correct diagnosis is the first step towards correct treatment."In healthcare, a brand needs to be 100% honest with their customers. Diagnostic companies should offer accessible, affordable services while ensuring accuracy", said Dr. Manjula, Head Quality, Healthians."What is worse is that the curse of wrong diagnosis is very difficult to break. Incorrect diagnosis will lead to inaccurate treatment, resulting in prolonged treatment, leading to complications due to wrong medicines, and the burden of unwanted expenses", she added.The diagnostic sector in .

Ministry of Ayush has taken various steps for expansion of Traditional Systems of Medicines and Homoeopathy

(i) The Ministry of AYUSH is implementing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) since September 2014 onwards for development and promotion of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in the country.

More hospitalizations for heart failure patients in winter

Drastic change in temperature and atmospheric pressure is closely related to rate of hospitalization and death in elderly patients with heart failure.Numerous studies over the years have shown that hospitalization and mortality rates for heart failure patients are higher during the winter.'Heart failure' is a chronic (long-term) coronary artery disease (CAD) which, despite its literal connotation, doesn't mean that the heart has failed and is about to stop working, rather it is a potentially life-threatening condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood as required by the body.Low temperatures can cause blood vessels to narrow, restricting the flow of blood through the body and so reducing the amount of oxygen reaching the organs including heart. This means the heart needs to work even harder to continue pumping enough blood and oxygen to the body.A study shows that exposure to cold or high-pressure weather could trigger events leading to hospitalization or death in heart ..

Drugmakers raise 2018 U.S. prices, stick to self-imposed limits

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drugmakers opened the new year by raising U.S. prices on dozens of medicines, but early data showed the increases generally remained within a 10 percent self-imposed limit in response to a backlash from consumers and politicians.

Set up web portal, helpline for those suffering from mental

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the Superintendents of Police (SPs) in all districts of the state to set up web portal and dedicated toll-free helpline number, forthwith, under the provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act, for those suffering from mental illness. The high court also directed all SPs, the DGP, and the state government of HP, to file their affidavits regarding compliance of the order by January 5. The web portal and the helpline number would help the public in furnishing information regarding the whereabouts of people who are believed to be suffering from mental illness or are incapable of taking care of themselves. A Division Bench comprising the Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel gave the orders on a petition filed by Anil Kumar Bansal seeking issuance of necessary directions for complying to the mandatory provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act. The court said under Section 23 of the Act, the in-charge of a police .