Page 79 - Health Medical Pharma

Ghana eyes world record in medical drone service

Ghana launched on Wednesday a fleet of airborne drones carrying medical supplies to remote areas, with President Nana Akufo-Addo declaring it would become the "world's largest drone delivery service." The drones are part of an ambitious plan to leapfrog problems of medical access in a country with poor roads. "No one in Ghana should die because they can't access the medicine they need in an emergency," Akufo-Addo said as he launched the programme. "That's why Ghana is launching the world's largest drone delivery service," Akufo-Addo said. "It represents a major step towards giving everyone in this country universal access to lifesaving medicine." The drones have been flying test runs with blood and vaccines, but the project was officially inaugurated Wednesday at the main drone base in Omenako, 70 kilometres (40 miles) north of Accra. Omenako is the first of four distribution centres, which when fully operational, will each have 30 drones serving 500 clinics within an 80-kilometre ...

Phase 4 polls: 210 candidates with criminal cases

A total of 210 candidates contesting in phase four of the Lok Sabha elections face criminal charges, with 158 having serious cases and 12 of them convicted cases, according to the National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Natural ingredients can protect baby's skin in summer (Health Tips)

Being a parent, you might always be anxious and concerned about your little one, and being a new parent comes with a different set of worries, especially during seasonal changes.

Consumption of elderberries essential to counter influenza, claims study

Researchers have recently observed that consuming elderberries can help tackle influenza and its symptoms.Otherwise known as Sambucus Nigra, elderberry is a small, antioxidant-rich fruit common in Europe and North America that is commonly consumed in the form of jam or wine.Results of the study, which was published in 'Journal of Functional Foods', showed that compounds from elderberries can directly inhibit the virus's entry and replication in human cells, and can help strengthen a person's immune system to respond to the virus.Although elderberry's flu-fighting properties have long been observed, researchers performed a comprehensive examination of the mechanism by which phytochemicals, compounds that positively affect health, present in elderberries combat influenza infections."What our study has shown is that the common elderberry has a potent direct antiviral effect against the flu virus. It inhibits the early stages of infection by blocking key viral proteins responsible for ...

Asthma-causing microbes contaminate e-cigarettes: Study

Popular electronic cigarette products were contaminated with bacterial and fungal toxins linked with myriad health problems, including asthma, a Harvard said. The study, which examined 75 popular e-cigarette products -- cartridges (single use) and e-liquids (refillable material) -- found that 27 per cent contained traces of endotoxin, a microbial agent found on Gram-negative bacteria, and that 81 per cent contained traces of glucan, which is found in the cell walls of most fungi. Exposure to these microbial toxins has been associated with myriad health problems in humans, including asthma, reduced lung function, and inflammation, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. "Airborne Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin and fungal-derived glucans have been shown to cause acute and chronic respiratory effects in occupational and environmental settings," said David Christiani, a professor at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health. "Finding these ...

Asthma-causing toxins found in e-cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes, popularly known as e-cigarettes, may contain microbial toxins associated with myriad health problems, including asthma, reduced lung function and inflammation, warns a new study.

A happy wife secret to longer, healthier life

Is your wife a cheerful person? If yes, then you are more likely to lead a healthier and longer life as compared to those who have less happy partners, reveals a new study.

Bajaj Finserv's Doctor Loan to ease the purchase of healthcare equipments

Based on your specialisation, your medical practice needs to have the right tools and equipments. This is as important a requirement as any other and is imperative to increase your efficiency and accuracy as a healthcare professional.This is even more pertinent if your clinic features a diagnostic section. Instead of simply toeing the line, you must have equipment that is new and supports up-gradation. This will immensely improve the quality of patient care that you offer and make your one-time investment worth the cost.Since the Indian healthcare industry imports more than 80% of its machinery from countries like the US, it's easy to see how purchasing medical equipment can eat into your budget for the year. So, if you don't have the amount saved, or have other expenses lined up, a specialised financing solution is what you need.The Bajaj Finserv Doctor Loan is a tailor-made option that you can rely on to ensure that when it comes to healthcare equipment, your facility isn't lacking.

Nose and tongue have same receptors, finds study

A recent study claims that sensors, called functional olfactory receptors, that detect odours in the nose are also present on the tongue. The new finding may help to modify food flavour, claim researchers.The details were published in The Journal of Chemical Senses."Our research may help explain how odour molecules modulate taste perception. This may lead to the development of odour-based taste modifiers that can help combat the excess salt, sugar, and fat intake associated with diet-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes," said study senior author Mehmet Hakan Ozdener,While many people equate flavour with taste, the distinctive flavour of most foods and drinks comes more from smell than it does from the taste.Smell provides detailed information about the quality of food flavour, for example, is that banana, liquorice, or cherry? The brain combines input from the taste, smell, and other senses to create the multi-modal sensation of flavour.Until now, taste and smell were ...

Researches find how lifestyle affects genes

Researchers in a new study called 'Epigenetic Mechanisms', have discovered how lifestyle affects genes and disease development in a human body.The details were published in The Journal of Cell Metabolism.Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in genes. Epigenetic changes can be influenced by several factors including age, environment, and particular disease state.Following categories were considered in the latest epigenetics findings - the significance of diet, physical activity, aging, the significance of genes, is the epigenome heritable? How can epigenetics contribute to novel treatments?In the past decade, knowledge of how lifestyle affects our genes has grown exponentially."Epigenetics is still a relatively new research field; however, we now know that epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in disease development. Similarly, the epigenetic patterns are affected by the disease. Variations in genetic material (DNA), age, exercise, and diet also have an impact on ...

World's first malaria vaccine launched in Africa

The world's first malaria vaccine has been launched in Malawi after concerted efforts of over 30 years to protect children from the deadly disease that claims over 435,000 lives globally every year. The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomed the Government of Malawi's landmark pilot programme. The launch of the first and only malaria vaccine, known as RTS,S, makes Malawi the first of three countries in Africa where it will be made available to children up to 2 years of age. Ghana and Kenya will introduce the vaccine in the coming weeks, WHO said in a statement. Malaria remains one of the world's leading killers, claiming the life of one child every two minutes. Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 250,000 children die from the disease every year. WHO estimates that India accounts for 89 per cent malaria cases in South-East Asia. According to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), 1,090,724 cases and 331 deaths due to malaria were reported during ...

USFDA retains OAI status for Indoco's Goa plant

Drug firm Indoco Remedies Wednesday said the US health regulator has retained Official Action Indicated (OAI) status for its Goa plant and may impact approval of pending applications from this facility. "The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) retains the Official Action Indicated (OAI) status for Goa plant-I (finished dosages facility) of Indoco Remedies Ltd," the company said in a BSE filing. The facility was inspected by the USFDA in January 2019. "We are in the process of sending our responses to the regulators, as and when the commitments given in response to Form 483 observations are fulfilled. We believe that this OAI status will not impact our current commercial supplies to USA or revenues from this manufacturing facility. However, this may withhold approval of our pending abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) from this facility," Indoco Remedies Managing Director Aditi KarePanandikar said. As per the USFDA, observations have been made after inspection of a

Happy and active spouse can help you live longer

A recent study suggests that people with happy partners tend to have longer marriage and longer life.The details were published in The Journal of Psychological Science."The data show that spousal life satisfaction was associated with mortality, regardless of individuals' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, or their physical health status," says study author Olga Stavrova.Notably, spouses' life satisfaction was an even better predictor of participants' mortality than participants' own life satisfaction. Participants who had a happy partner at the beginning of the study were less likely to pass away over the next 8 years compared with participants who had less happy partners."The findings underscore the role of individuals' immediate social environment in their health outcomes. Most importantly, it has the potential to extend our understanding of what makes up individuals' 'social environment' by including the personality and well-being of individuals' close ones," says ...

World's first malaria vaccine launched in Africa: WHO

The world's first and only malaria vaccine was launched in the African country of Malawi on Tuesday, as part of a landmark pilot program hoping to protect, in particular, hundreds of thousands of children under five against one of the world's leading killers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Malawi rolls out ground-breaking malaria vaccine

Malawi on Tuesday rolled out the world's first licensed malaria vaccine in a landmark campaign against a disease that each year kills hundreds of thousands of people, especially African children. After more than three decades in development and almost USD 1 billion (890 million euros) in investment, the new vaccine began to be distributed in Malawi's capital Lilongwe. It will be extended to Kenya and Ghana in coming weeks. "We have seen tremendous gains from bed nets and other measures to control malaria in the last 15 years but progress has stalled and even reversed in some areas," World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. "We need new solutions to get the malaria response back on track, and this vaccine gives us a promising tool to get there." Known by its lab initials as RTS,S but branded Mosquirix, the vaccine has passed lengthy scientific trials, which found it to be safe and reduced the risk of malaria by nearly 40 per cent .

FSSAI for continuing ban on milk products imports from China

Food regulator FSSAI Tuesday recommended that the ban on import of milk and milk products from China should be extended further till laboratories at ports are upgraded to test chemical content 'melamine'. The ban on import of milk and milk products from the neighbouring country was imposed in 2008. The ban has been extended regularly and the latest one ends Tuesday (April 23, 2019). The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) reviewed the matter recently and decided to recommend a further extension of the ban on milk and its products shipped from China. "Accordingly, the ban on import of milk and milk products, including chocolates and chocolate products and candies/confectionary/food preparations with milk and milk solids as ingredients from China may be extended until the capacity of all laboratories at ports of entry have been suitably upgraded for testing melamine," the FSSAI said in a statement. The import of chocolates and chocolate products and ...

Polio vaccine fears spread panic in Pakistan

More than 25,000 children were rushed to hospitals in northwest Pakistan after rumours spread that some had suffered reactions to a polio vaccine, officials said Tuesday. The panic came as health workers were carrying out a three-day vaccination campaign in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where many residents are already suspicious of the polio vaccine. Authorities said the fears were unfounded, but declared an emergency at major hospitals in three provincial districts as the panic spread. An AFP reporter in Peshawar visited two hospitals where he saw thousands of panicked parents arriving in cars, motorcycles and other vehicles with their children. Most of the parents later told AFP their children exhibited no signs of any problems after being vaccinated, but that they had rushed them to hospital anyway after hearing the rumours. Qazi Jamil, police chief in the provincial capital Peshawar, told reporters that the rumours began when dozens of children complained of vomiting .

Milind Soman to feature in fitness show

Model-actor-fitness enthusiast Milind Soman is coming up with a fitness-based web series.

Mediterranean diet prevents overeating: Study

Can't stop overeating? Adopt a Mediterranean diet as it not only deters overeating but also protects against obesity and liver diseases, suggests a new study.

Almonds may cut heart disease risk in diabetics: Study

Eating tree nuts, such as almonds, may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease for adults with type 2 diabetes, a Harvard study has found. The study shows that people with diabetes who ate at least five servings of nuts per week had a 17 per cent lower risk of total cardiovascular disease incidence compared to those who ate one or less weekly servings. They also had a 20 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, a 34 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease death and a 31 per cent reduced risk of death from all causes. The study included 16,217 men and women who either had type 2 diabetes at the start of the study or who were diagnosed during the time of the study. A serving in the study was defined as one ounce or 28 grammes of nuts. The researchers from Harvard University in the US said that compared to those who did not change their nut-eating habits after their diabetes diagnosis to those who did begin to eat more nuts had an 11 per cent lower risk of ...