Page 82 - Health Medical Pharma

Anxiety 'epidemic' brewing in colleges: Study

The number of 18- to 26-year-old students who report suffering from anxiety disorder has doubled since 2008, possibly due to rising financial stress and increased time spent on digital devices, a study has found. The percentage of all students nationally who reported being diagnosed with or treated for anxiety disorder climbed from 10 per cent in 2008 to 20 per cent in 2018, according to researchers from University of California - Berkeley in the US. Rates of anxiety disorder grew at higher rates for students who identified as transgender, Latinx and black, and they increased the closer all students got to graduation. "It is what I am calling a 'new epidemic,' and that the data supports using that term, on college campuses. We need a heightened national awareness of this very serious epidemic," said Richard Scheffler, a professor at UC Berkeley. The team examined nine years of data from nationwide examinations of student well-being. The group also conducted 45-minute interviews with ..

Health Ministry left with no vaccines for Haj pilgrims

The Health Ministry is grappling with paucity of meningitis vaccines for Haj pilgrims as the only firm manufacturing them was asked to stop production last year after contamination was detected in their oral polio vaccines. According to sources in the Health Ministry, the only firm which manufactured the vaccines and provided it to the government, was asked to stop production of all human vaccines after type-2 polio virus contamination was detected in oral polio vaccines. Following the ban on the Ghaziabad-based pharmaceutical company Biomed Pvt Ltd, the ministry is now looking for options to arrange the vaccines in time for vaccinating the pilgrims, the sources said. Around 1.27 lakh people are expected to go for the annual Haj pilgrimage in July this year for which the ministry will have to arrange for at least 1.47 Lakh doses. Extra vaccines are kept as some are rendered ineffective in the process of delivery to the states. The Health Ministry is already in talks with two firms ...

Oral immunotherapy safe for children allergic to peanuts, confirms study

A recent study has claimed that oral immunotherapy given as routine treatment is safe for preschoolers allergic to peanuts.Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a treatment protocol in which a patient consumes small amounts of the allergenic food."Although there have been many clinical trials of peanut oral immunotherapy in older children and one trial in preschoolers, there has been a lack of real-world data due to safety concerns of offering this treatment to preschoolers outside of a research setting," said Lianne Soller, the lead author of the study which was published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.Children were seen by a pediatric allergist every two weeks, where they were fed a peanut dose that gradually increases in every visit.Parents also gave children the same daily dose at home, between clinic visits, until they reached a maintenance dose of 300 mg of peanut protein.Symptoms and treatment of allergic reactions at clinic visits and at home, including epinephrine use, ..

Drugs prescribed to BP patients could treat Parkinson's, Huntington's and forms of dementia: Study

A study on animals has revealed that a drug called felodipine prescribed for high blood pressure could treat conditions such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and forms of dementia.A common feature of these diseases- collectively known as neurodegenerative diseases- is the build-up of misfolded proteins. These proteins, such as huntingtin in Huntington's disease and tau in some dementias, form 'aggregates' that can cause irreversible damage to nerve cells in the brain.In healthy individuals, the body uses a mechanism to prevent the build-up of such toxic materials. This mechanism is known as autophagy, or 'self-eating', and involves breaking down the materials. However, in neurodegenerative diseases, this mechanism is impaired and unable to clear the proteins building up in the brain.Epidemiological studies have already hinted at a possible link between the drug and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease, but now the researchers have shown that it may be able to induce autophagy in several ...

Opioid overdose linked to varying dosage, claims study

A study has claimed that patients who were prescribed opioid pain medications but kept changing the dosage over time were prone three times more to overdose than those taking a stable opioid medication."Our study suggests that safely managing long-term opioid therapy is complex," said Ingrid Binswanger, co-author of the study which is published in the journal 'JAMA Network Open'.The study also found that the patients, who stopped their opioid medication for three months or more, were at half the risk of an overdose."This study suggests going up and down on opioid doses -- also called dose variability -- could present an increased risk of overdose. Through this study, we also found eventually discontinuing opioid therapy may prevent overdoses," said Ingrid.She further said, "With continued studies, we hope to find out how care providers can help patients with their pain without putting them at unnecessary risk due to rapid changes in their dose."The study followed a period of 12 years .

Study finds improved medication for treating epileptic seizures in children

Researchers have recently found that prescribing two medications -benzodiazepines and phenytoin - one after the other, could help treat epileptic seizures in children.The study, published in the journal The Lancet, shows that giving said medications halved the number of children sent to intensive care.Prolonged epileptic seizures are the most common neurological emergencies in children seen by hospitals. The seizures are potentially fatal: up to five per cent of affected children die, and a third suffer long-term complications from brain damage.In severe seizures, the first line of treatment (benzodiazepines) only stops the seizures in 40 to 60 per cent of patients. Before this study, the second line treatment was the anticonvulsant drug phenytoin, but until now this practice had never been scrutinised in a robust major randomised controlled trial. Also, phenytoin was known to have a number of serious complications.In this study, researchers compared phenytoin with newer ...

Mental health program for mood and anxiety disorders improve patient outcomes: Study

In a recent study, researchers found that treatment at 'First Episode Mood and Anxiety Program' (FEMAP), a mental health program for youth with mood and anxiety disorders, led to improved patient outcomes.The study was published in the Journal of Early Intervention in PsychiatryFEMAP provides treatment to emerging adults, ages 16 to 25, with emotional concerns that fall into the categories of mood and anxiety symptoms. The treatment takes a patient-centred approach in a youth-friendly setting where patients receive care from a multidisciplinary team."FEMAP helped me to understand that there wasn't something wrong with me and that I wasn't alone in the way that I felt. I learned to cope and deal with things in more constructive ways that made things so much easier. Before entering the program, I had trouble finishing school, no job prospects and couldn't hold down a relationship. Now, three years out of the program, I have a great job, am married and own a house, which are things I ...

John Singleton recovering after suffering stroke

Filmmaker John Singleton is currently in ICU and is recovering after suffering a heart stroke. The family of the 51-year-old "Boyz n the Hood" director and screenwriter confirmed the news to E! online. "On Wednesday, April 17th our beloved son/father, John Singleton, suffered a stroke while at the hospital. John is currently in the ICU and under great medical care. "We ask that privacy be given to him and our family at this time and appreciate all of the prayers that have been pouring in from his fans, friends and colleagues," the family said in a statement. According to Variety, the doctors have categorised Singleton's stroke as "mild". TMZ reported that Singleton suffered the stroke after taking a flight back to the United States from Costa Rica.

Torrent Pharma recalls 1.7 mn bottles of BP drug from US over quality norms

CGMP refers to the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations enforced by the USFDA

Texas cancer center ousts 3 over Chinese data theft concerns

A prominent cancer center in Houston says it has ousted three scientists whom federal authorities suggested are involved in Chinese efforts to steal American research. Peter Pisters, the president of MD Anderson Cancer Center, told the Houston Chronicle that the National Institutes of Health could withhold funding if the center didn't act. MD Anderson received $148 million in NIH grants last year. The three scientists haven't been identified. The newspaper reports they're Chinese. The agency wrote to the cancer center last year detailing conflicts of interest and unreported foreign income by five faculty members, and gave it 30 days to respond. The dismissals come amid heightened concern in Washington, D.C., that foreign governments including China have been using students and visiting scholars to pilfer intellectual property from confidential grant applications.

Vice President Naidu inaugurates medical camp

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a medical camp in Samshabad on Saturday.Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President said, "To create a wealthy country, we need a healthy country because health is the key to wealth. It is the responsibility of every citizen to maintain good habits and health.""But these days people are getting attracted to instant food and beverages and are living an unhealthy lifestyle. Due to such lifestyles, people suffer from diseases like cancer, blood pressure, and TB, etc."Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for emphasising on Yoga, Naidu said: "Ancient people said practicing yoga is the key feature for a healthy life. That is why our Prime Minister gave a call for Yoga India.

Ambulances to be checked only on specific inputs: CEO

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer S. Karuna Raju said on Saturday that as per general protocol, ambulances are not stopped at security check points and are facilitated to cross security barriers without any inconvenience to the patients.

Quit smoking to lower risk of premature birth

Expecting mothers, take note. As smoking during pregnancy is linked with negative health outcomes, a team of researchers has found that smoking cessation during pregnancy may reduce the risk of pre-term birth.

Third phase:22% Mah nominees have serious cases; 71 crorepatis

As many as 54 out of 245 candidates in the contest for third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, whose affidavits have been analysed, are facing serious criminal cases. Of the 245 analysed candidates, 71 (29 per cent) nominees of various parties, including the Shiv Sena, the BJP, the BSP, the NCP and the Congress, are crorepatis. A total of 14 constituencies, including high-profile seats like Pune, Baramati and Madha, are scheduled to vote on April 23 in the penultimate phase in the state, which sends 48 MPs to Lok Sabha. The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) has analysed the poll affidavits of 245 out of total 249 nominees who are in the fray. The 14 seats going to polls are: Madha, Pune, Aurangabad, Jalna, Ahmednagar, Baramati, Hatkanangle, Kolhapur, Raigad, Jalgaon, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Raver, Sangli and Satara. According to the ADR, out of 245 candidates, 75 (31 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves while 54 nominees (22 per cent)

Study finds why women get autoimmune diseases far more often than men

A research conducted on mice discovered that having too much molecular switch called VGLL3, which regulates immune response genes in skin cells, lead to autoimmune diseases.The study published in 'JCI Insight' pointed a key role for VGLL3. Three years ago, a team of University of Michigan researchers showed that women have more VGLL3 in their skin cells than men."VGLL3 appears to regulate immune response genes that have been implicated as important to autoimmune diseases that are more common in women, but that doesn't appear to be regulated by sex hormones," said Johann Gudjonsson, the lead author."Now, we have shown that over-expression of VGLL3 in the skin of transgenic mice is by itself sufficient to drive a phenotype that has striking similarities to systemic lupus erythematosus, including skin rash, and kidney injury," added Gudjonsson.Now, working in mice, researchers have discovered that having too much VGLL3 in skin cells pushes the immune system into overdrive, leading to a ..

200 bed hospital constructed with Pak's assistance inaugurated in Kabul

A 200-bed hospital built with Pakistan's assistance to boost the health sector of Afghanistan was inaugurated in Kabul on Saturday. Muhammad Ali Jinnah Hospital is a state of the art hospital constructed at the cost of USD 24 million and a flagship project of Pakistan's USD 1 billion development assistance to Afghanistan in pursuance of its policy objective of deepening and broadening people to people connections between the two countries. The facility was jointly inaugurated by Pakistan Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan, Afghanistan's Vice-President, Mohammad Sarwar Danish and Minister of Public Health, Dr Ferozuddin Feroz. The 200-bed state-of-art Jinnah Hospital, completed at a cost of USD 24 million, was officially handed over by the Pakistan to the government of Afghanistan, the Foreign Office said. Khan said on the occasion that the hospital would be a substantial contribution to the health sector of Afghanistan. He also conveyed the message of the ..

Endogamy may up infertility risk in Indian men

A team of researchers have identified that deletions of the Y chromosomes, responsible for production of sperms, can cause infertility in Indian men.

Violent relationship ups mental disorder risk in women

Women, please take note. If you are in a violent relationship you may be at an increased risk of suffering from mental disorders, suggests a new study.

Vice-president asks people to shun junk food

: Expressing concern over the rising trend of non-communicable diseases, Vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu Saturday urged people to avoid sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy dietary habits. He asked the medical fraternity to create awareness among the people, particularly the youth, on the dangers posed by changing lifestyles. An official release quoted Naidu speaking after inaugurating a free Medical Camp at Swarna Bharat Trust near here. The vice-president asked youth to shun junk food and pointed out that traditional Indian food was time-tested, seasonal and suitable to Indian climatic conditions. Stressing the need for building a healthy nation, he said the spread of non-communicable diseases, unequal access to healthcare and rising costs were the major challenges in the healthcare sector. Calling for concerted efforts to remedy the situation, he said all stakeholders, including NGOs, government agencies, hospitals and doctors should join hands right from the community .

How plants cope with stress and damage?

New research has found that plants use chloroplast-to-nucleus communication to cope with stress or damage caused by different sources. Plants regulate the genes expression via this communication that helps them to deal with various damage and stress.The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) could help biologists breed plants that can better withstand environmental stressors.According to the research a gene that integrates numerous chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signalling pathways, GUN1, also plays an important role in how proteins are made in damaged chloroplasts, which provides new insight into how plants respond to stress."Climate change holds the potential to affect our food system dramatically. When plants are stressed, like in a drought, they produce lower crop yields. If we understand how plants respond to stress, then perhaps we can develop a way to increase their resistance and keep food production high," said Joanne Chory, senior ...