Page 67 - Health Medical Pharma
Community volunteers' involvement shows promise for decreasing health care use by older adults
Including community volunteers into health care system has shown promise in decreasing health care usage by older adults and also in shifting care from hospitals to primary care, a recent study has found.The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal."We found that older adults who took part in the Health TAPESTRY program changed the way in which they used health care services," said lead author Dr Lisa Dolovich."Encouragingly, participants had more visits to primary care with fewer (emergency department) and hospital admissions compared to those, not in the program," she added.The Health TAPESTRY (Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality) project combines new elements, such as using trained volunteers and electronic software, with the current health system, to support optimal ageing in adults aged 70 years or older.While results from the randomised controlled trial did not affect the primary goal of the study, which was to help older ...
New blood test may detect Alzheimer's eight years earlier
Scientists have developed a simple blood test that may help detect Alzheimer's disease eight years before the first clinical symptoms occur. Using current techniques, Alzheimer's disease, the most frequent cause of dementia, can only be detected once the typical plaques have formed in the brain, said researchers from Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB) in Germany. At this point, therapy seems no longer possible, they said. However, the first changes caused by Alzheimer's take place on the protein level up to 20 years earlier. A two-tier method, described in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring, can help detect the disease at a much earlier stage. "This has paved the way for early-stage therapy approaches, where the as yet inefficient drugs on which we had pinned our hopes may prove effective," said Professor Klaus Gerwert from RUB. In Alzheimer's patients, the amyloid beta protein folds incorrectly due to pathological changes long before the ...
India Will Have 2500 New Hospitals In Next Five Years Says Niti Ayog
V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog recently said that in next 5 years, India will have 2,500 new hospitals thereby creating 2.5 million additional jobs. By 2024, India is also likely to attain the WHO norm of having one doctor for every thousand patients, he said. Speaking at the launch of certificate course on 'Specialist Training To Tackle The Burden of NCDs' organized by FICCI, Paul added that with the improvement in the ease of doing business in the private healthcare sector, new players will enter the sector which will not only create new employment opportunities but also provide better healthcare services.
Dr Reddy's launches generic testosterone gel in US market
Drug maker Dr Reddy's Laboratories Monday said it has launched in the US market its generic version of AndroGel testosterone gel which is used in treating adult males with low or no testosterone due to certain medical conditions. The company's testosterone gel 1.62 per cent, which is a therapeutic equivalent generic version of AndroGel 1.62 per cent of AbbVie Inc, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Dr Reddy's said in a regulatory filing. Citing IQVIA Health data for the 12 months ended February 2019, the company said AndroGel brand and generic versions had US sales of around USD 815.6 million. Shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories were trading at Rs 2,908.20, up 0.15 per cent on the BSE.
Fitness level impacts cancer risk and outcomes
In a recent study, researchers have revealed that fit adults have the lowest risk of developing lung and colorectal cancer. Also, individuals who developed the cancers, those who had high fitness levels before their cancer diagnosis, were less likely to die compared with those who had low fitness levels.The study was published in the journal CANCER.There is limited data on the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and lung and colorectal cancer risk and mortality.To investigate, researcher Dr Catherine Handy Marshall and her colleagues studied 49,143 adults who underwent exercise stress testing from 1991-2009 and were followed for a median of 7.7 years.The study represented the largest of its kind, as well as the first of its kind, to involve women and a large percentage of non-white individuals.Those in the highest fitness category had a 77 per cent decreased risk of developing lung cancer and a 61 per cent decreased risk of developing colorectal cancer.Among individuals who
Scientists debunk heart failure myths
Scientists have debunked myths about heart failure and have highlighted that there is low awareness of heart failure among patients as per a survey.The research will be presented at Heart Failure 2019 the annual congress of the Heart Failure Association (HFA).Revealing the myths about heart failure, the survey stated: one in five members of the public said patients should avoid exercise, while just over half of the patients knew that exercise can be a treatment for their disease.The HFA is set to launch the Heart Failure Atlas which maps disparities in prevention and treatment.Novel research on many heart failure topics will be presented during the event in 1,700 abstracts, including in-vitro fertilisation: linked to heart failure?, you are what you eat: diet, gut microbes, and heart failure outcomes, how yogic breathing is being used in chronic heart failure, what determines who follows heart failure treatment advice, and who doesn't?, how machine learning could help select patients .
Ayushman row: BJP attacks Congress over death of Amethi man; hospital denies allegation
A day before Amethi votes for Lok Sabha, a major controversy broke out with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP candidate Smriti Irani alleging that a man died here after being rejected treatment by a hospital associated with the Gandhi family for having an Ayushman Bharat card, even as the hospital denied the allegations as "baseless". Irani is locked in a bitter political battle against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in this Lok Sabha constituency considered as his family bastion. At an election rally in Gwalior on Madhya Pradesh, Modi Sunday alleged a patient died after an Amethi hospital with trustees from the Gandhi family denied him treatment saying it was not "Modi's hospital" where Ayushman Card would be accepted. Modi also alleged that Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are not giving benefits of the Ayushman Bharat medical scheme to the poor and asked the people to teach the Congress a lesson in the polls. "The Congress has always been insensitive to the poor. In Amethi
Kin of deceased accuse Sanjay Gandhi Hospital of rejecting Ayushman card, hospital denies charges
Kin of the deceased Nanhe Lal Mishra on Sunday alleged that Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, where Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi are trustees, refused to accept Ayushman card for his treatment, a charge the hospital administration has rejected."Nanhe Lal Mishra was my uncle. We took him to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. He had problems in legs and in the stomach. We deposited Rs 3,000. When we showed them the Ayushman card, they said it was of Yogi (UP CM Yogi Adityanath) and Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) while this (hospital) is of the Congress. They said that it will not work here," said Arun Mishra, nephew of Nanhey Lal Mishra, while talking to ANI.Arun Mishra also insisted that they have nothing to do with politics. "We told Smriti Irani all that happened. We have nothing to do with politics," he said.Rohit Kumar Mishra, son of the deceased, also repeated these charges."My father was ill. We got him admitted to the hospital on April 25. They were ...
Director of Amethi hospital dismisses allegation that patient with Ayushman card turned away
The director of a hospital in Amethi, at the centre of a raging controversy, Sunday dismissed the allegation that a man, who died at the facility last month, had been denied treatment on the ground that Ayushman Bharat card was not accepted. The matter came to light ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Amethi, where Congress president Rahul Gandhi is pitted against Union minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani. Modi, at a poll rally in Gwalior, alleged a patient died after an Amethi hospital with trustees from the Gandhi family denied him treatment, saying it was not "Modi's hospital" where Ayushman Card would be accepted. Earlier in the day, Irani tweeted a video in which a man is heard saying that his uncle died as he was denied treatment by the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital after being told that "Modi's Ayushman Bharat card" was not accepted there. SM Chaudhary, the director of the hospital, said, "The claims in the tweet are baseless and politically-motivated. The deceased patient has been
Heart abnormalities from premature birth can be corrected with exercise in young adulthood
People who suffer from heart abnormalities due to preterm birth could correct the damage with exercise in young adulthood, according to a study, which was presented at EuroCMR 2019.Around one to two per cent of adults today were born more than two months prematurely (very preterm) and have heart abnormalities that increase their risk of cardiovascular disease. For instance, the heart is smaller and has to pump harder to supply the body with blood."Until now we did not know if this was permanent or amenable to improvement. Now, for the first time, we have shown how to make preterm hearts function as well as their peers. No drugs were required - just a 14-week exercise programme," said Anne Monique Nuyt, co-principal investigator.The study enrolled 14 participants aged between 18-29 years, of whom eight were born very preterm and six acted as controls. All participants underwent a 14-week exercise programme of aerobic and resistance training three times a week. This included two ...
First-time marathon makes cardiovascular system 'younger'
Getting trained and completing the first-time marathon reverses ageing of major blood vessels, says a recent study.The study, presented at EuroCMR 2019, also states that older and slower runners benefit the most from the training and completing a marathon.Study author Dr Anish Bhuva says: "Novice runners who trained for six months and completed their first marathon had a four-year reduction in arterial age and a 4 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure.""This is comparable to the effect of medication, and if maintained translates to approximately 10 per cent lower risk of stroke over a lifetime," he adds.A hallmark of normal ageing is stiffening of the blood vessels, which increases the risk of stroke and heart disease even in healthy people.Compared to their peers, lifelong athletes have biologically younger blood vessels. This study investigated whether training for a marathon could modify aortic stiffness even in novice runners.The study included 139 healthy first-time marathon ...
Hospital with Rahul, Priyanka as trustees reject Ayushman card, says Smriti; hospital administration denies
Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha seat Smriti Irani on Sunday alleged that Sanjay Gandhi hospital where Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi are trustees refused to accept Ayushman card of a poor patient, a charge which was outrightly rejected by the hospital administration."I am speechless today. I cannot imagine that one can stoop so low. A poor person was left to die because he had Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ayushman card but the hospital was of Rahul Gandhi," tweeted Irani along with a 122-second video clip.In the video, a young man can be heard saying that in Sanjay Gandhi hospital, Dr Sidhartha told him that Ayushman card won't work here because the hospital is run by the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. He had gone there for the treatment of his uncle.Asked how his uncle is now, the man replies: "He died on April 26 itself." He also claims that the helpline number given on the Ayushman card could not provide the required
Maa tujhe salaam: SRK tells Gauri
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan could only recount words from A.R. Rahman's "Maa tujhe salaam" on seeing his wife Gauri Khan with their youngest son AbRam, and their filmmaker friend Karan Johar's twins.
New study offers potential new drug targets for Alzheimer's
There are certain genes in the individual brain cells of an Alzheimer's patient that show distinctive cellular pathways, say researchers.The study has been published in the journal of 'Nature'.This analysis could offer many potential new drug targets for Alzheimer's, which afflicts more than five million people in the United States."This study provides, in my view, the very first map for going after all of the molecular processes that are altered in Alzheimer's disease in every single cell type that we can now reliably characterize," says a key researcher of the study. "It opens up a completely new era for understanding Alzheimer's."The study has revealed that a process called Axon Myelination is significantly disrupted in patients with Alzheimer's. The researchers also found that the brain cells of men and women vary significantly in how their genes respond to the disease.The researchers also analysed post mortem brain samples from 24 people who exhibited high levels of Alzheimer's ..
Prolonged exposure to low-dose radiation could increase the risk of hypertension
A study has revealed that prolonged exposure to low-dose radiation could increase the risk of hypertension, a known cause of stroke and heart ailments.The study published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association was conducted on workers at a nuclear plant in Russia."It is necessary to inform the public that not only high doses of radiation but low to moderate doses also increase the risk of hypertension and other circulatory system diseases, which today contribute significantly to death and disability. As a result, all radiological protection principles and dose limits should be strictly followed for workers and the general public," added Tamara Azizova, lead author of the study.Uncontrolled hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other serious health problems.Earlier studies linked exposure to high doses of radiation to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and death from those diseases.This study is ..
Two soldiers injured in IED explosion near LoC
Two soldiers were injured on Sunday in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, army sources said.
Completing first-time marathon 'reverses' ageing of blood vessels: Study
Training for and completing a first-time marathon reverses ageing of major blood vessels, according to a study which found that the older and slower runners benefit the most. A hallmark of normal ageing is stiffening of the blood vessels, which increases the risk of stroke and heart disease even in healthy people. Compared to their peers, lifelong athletes have biologically younger blood vessels, researchers said. The study investigated whether training for a marathon could modify aortic stiffness even in novice runners. "Novice runners who trained for six months and completed their first marathon had a four-year reduction in arterial age and a four mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure," said Anish Bhuva, from the University College London in the UK. "This is comparable to the effect of medication, and if maintained translates to approximately 10 per cent lower risk of stroke over a lifetime," Bhuva said. The study included 139 healthy first-time marathon runners aged 21-69 years who .
Germany mulls fines to boost measles vaccination rates
Germany's health minister is proposing fines for parents of school-age children who haven't been vaccinated for measles. Minister Jens Spahn told the German weekly Bild am Sonntag that parents who can't prove their children have been vaccinated for the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease should have to pay up to 2,500 euros (USD2,790). In an interview published Sunday, Spahn said children without measles vaccinations would also be banned from going to daycare facilities to protect those who are too young or medically unable to have the measles vaccinations. Germany had 203 reported cases of measles in the first 10 weeks of 2019, more than twice as many as in the same period last year but fewer than in 2017. Neighbouring Switzerland last week reported two adult deaths from measles this year.
Concealing information from brain imaging can be beaten with simple countermeasures: study
A study claims that there are people who are good in hiding information and can easily fool the brain imaging technique called fMRI. They can easily get away by using mental countermeasures which reduces the results of the test.The study was published in the journal, 'Human Brain Mapping'The work was led by a group of researchers in Plymouth, in collaboration with the University of Padova, Italy.This research is the first to explore the effects of mental countermeasures on brain activity in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and it showed that when people used the countermeasures, the test proved to be 20 per cent less accurate.How do concealed information tests work?Concealed information tests work because a person who is hiding something will 'give away' what they are concealing when faced with it in a list. For example, if a thief has stolen a diamond ring, the ring will be more striking to the thief than similar control items such as necklaces and bracelets and the thief