Page 87 - Health Medical Pharma
Drug 'canagliflozin' lowers the risk of kidney failure in diabetes patients
In a landmark clinical trial, researchers have found that a drug called canagliflozin decreases the risk of kidney failure by third in the patients' suffering from Type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.The study published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine involved 4,401 participants in 34 countries."For the first time in 18 years, we have a therapy for patients with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease that decreases kidney failure," said Kenneth Mahaffey, senior author of the study.The drug, canagliflozin, improves a nearly two-decades-old therapy, currently the only approved treatment to protect kidney function in people with Type 2 diabetes. In the trial, canagliflozin was also found to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events.Canagliflozin increases the excretion of glucose through the kidneys. It has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to lower blood glucose in patients with Type 2 diabetes and to reduce the risk of major adverse ...
Statins are safe for rheumatoid arthritis patients
A clinical study has indicated that statins are completely safe for rheumatoid arthritis patients and do not pose an additional risk.The research was published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have an approximately 50 per cent higher risk of experiencing cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke compared with the general population.Statins are known to help prevent such occurrences in certain high-risk individuals by lowering LDL cholesterol. But it's unclear whether they are safe and effective for patients with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.To investigate the potential risks and benefits of statins in moderate-risk patients with rheumatoid arthritis, researchers designed the Trial of Atorvastatin for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (TRACE RA), a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind trial comparing the statin atorvastatin with placebo.The trial ...
Common sleep myths might pose serious risks
People holding sleep myths- like five hours of sleep is sufficient for them, snoring has no harm or drinking helps you to fall asleep- are at a significant health threat, reveals a new study.The findings were published in the Journal 'Sleep Health'."Sleep is a vital part of life that affects our productivity, mood, and general health and well-being. Dispelling myths about sleep promotes healthier sleep habits which, in turn, promote overall better health," says study lead investigator, Rebecca Robbins.Researchers reviewed more than 8000 websites to identify 20 most common assumptions about sleep. They ranked them based on whether each could be dispelled as a myth or supported by scientific evidence, and on the harm that the myth could cause.Among the top myth researchers were able to dispel was the claim by people that five hours of sleep is enough for them. This misconception poses risks to health from long-term sleep deficits.Another common myth relates to snoring. Robbins says ...
Genetic metabolic disorder linked with DNA mutation, claims study
Researchers have identified that genetic metabolic disorder is linked with DNA mutation.According to the research published in New England Journal of Medicine, inherited metabolic disorders- in which the body can't break down specific nutrients from food leading to a range of serious health problems- are often caused by a defective gene.In the study by BC Children's Hospital, the University of British Columbia (UBC) and an international team of researchers, researchers found an unusual genetic mutation behind three children's undiagnosed, degenerative conditions: a repeat expansion of DNA.In this specific mutation, the gene appears undamaged but does not function because the DNA adjacent to it has extended several hundred times its normal length."To detect this kind of DNA multiplication, you can only use whole-genome sequencing and have to search through billions of pieces of DNA; it's truly a search for the needle in the haystack," said the lead author, Dr Clara van Karnebeek."With .
80 per cent hemophilia cases undiagnosed in India: Doctors
Despite improvement in the medical technologies for the treatment of hemophilia, health experts believe that nearly 80 per cent of Indians with the serious blood disorder are not diagnosed due to the absence of proper diagnostic facilities in the remote areas. India with nearly two lakh cases is estimated to have the second highest number of patients with hemophilia, a lifelong bleeding disorder that prevents blood from clotting, doctors said ahead of the World Hemophilia day on April 17. According to Hemophilia Foundation of India, the umbrella body for registration of the patient with the disorder, the cause of hemophilia is the inability of the body to produce the anti-hemophilic factor (AHF) in the required quantity. There is no known cure for this disorder. If not diagnosed early, the repeated bleeding into joints, bones muscles may lead to synovitis, arthritis and permanent joint deformities. The bleeding itself can lead to wasting and atrophy of muscles. In a case study from ...
Deprived of clean drinking water, North Bengal tea garden workers cry foul
Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], Apr 16 (ANI): "We experience a severe scarcity of drinking water here throughout the year. However, the problem intensifies during the summer. Most of the wells dry up and all the families here rely on nearby taps as the only water source. Vote or no vote, our condition has never improved," says Vijoy Munda a tea worker from Matigara Tea Estate, Darjeeling District.Akin Munda, thousands of workers working in tea gardens of North Bengal are deprived of clean drinking water.Tea companies, which employ these workers instead of offering help, shrug off their responsibility or silently put the onus on the state government.Another tea garden worker from Mohurganj Gulma Tea Estate, Sanjay Souriya said, "Corporation water is available in cities twice a day but we are deprived of that too. Are we not voters, don't we cast our vote? In fact, we never missed our vote yet we have remained victims since ages. Either the company or the state government, someone must .
Bengal has some of the best results in healthcare: Envoy
British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith on Monday said West Bengal has achieved some of the best results in the healthcare sector. Speaking at the 10th Foundation Day of the Institute of Neuro Sciences, Kolkata, he said the state attaches great importance to health services. "The state has some of the best results in terms of health outcomes across India. For example, West Bengal has some of the lowest rates of neo-natal and infant mortality, and some of the highest rates of immunisation," Asquith said. He said there was a strong partnership between the UK and the West Bengal government in critical areas like general and mental health nursing. Hailing Indian doctors practising in the UK, he added that their contribution was invaluable along with nurses in the British healthcare system.
Cipla, Pulmatrix join hands to co-develop asthma drug
Drug major Cipla Monday said it has inked a pact with Pulmatrix Inc to co-develop a formulation for the treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in patients with asthma. Cipla Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of the company, and Pulmatrix Inc have inked definitive agreement for the co-development and commercialisation of Pulmazole, the Mumbai-based firm said in a regulatory filing. Pulmazole an inhaled iSPERSE formulation of the antifungal drug itraconazole for the treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in patients with asthma, it added. As per the pact, Cipla Technologies will make an upfront payment of USD 22 million to Pulmatrix in exchange for assignment of all rights for Pulmazole in relation to pulmonary indications. Thereafter, both parties will equally share costs related to the future development and commercialisation of Pulmazole, and equally share worldwide free cash flow from future sales of Pulmazole, the statement said. Pulmatrix ...
Easy 3-step hand rub technique superior to 6-step technique: Study
A shortened 15-second application time and an easy three-step technique for use of alcohol-based hand rub is as effective in reducing bacteria as the 30-second application and six-step technique recommended by World Health Organization(WHO), new research says.The research, which is being presented at this year's 'European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases' (ECCMID), claimed that the new technique could also improve hand hygiene compliance.Hand hygiene is the single most effective thing healthcare workers can do to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, but there is limited evidence on which technique is most effective.WHO recommends a six-step 'how to hand rub' technique for using alcohol-based hand rub. However, adherence to all six steps is low and previous research indicates that a simplified three-step hand rub technique is superior to the six-step technique in terms of compliance and killing bacteria.In this research, Dr Sarah Tschudin-Sutter and ..
UK experts join Indian medics to counter surgical infection threat
Experts from the University of Birmingham have tied up with medical professionals in India to set up an innovative research centre that will help improve care for surgical patients. A team from the university's joint research team, involving the UK's National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery (NIHR), travelled to Punjab recently to launch the first-ever surgical research hub in India at Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMC) in Ludhiana and deliver a training workshop. "Each year, 4.2 million people die within 30 days of an operation, half of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries such as India. Surgical Site Infection (SSI) is the most common surgical complication and this workshop represents an important step forward in reducing SSI in India and other countries," said NIHR's Clinical Research Fellow Dr Dmitri Nepogodiev. "SSI can have a catastrophic impact on patients in India, driving many people into poverty as ...
'First' 3D print of heart with human tissue, vessels unveiled
Scientists in Israel unveiled a 3D print of a heart with human tissue and vessels on Monday, calling it a first and a "major medical breakthrough" that advances possibilities for transplants. While it remains a far way off, scientists hope one day to be able to produce hearts suitable for transplant into humans as well as patches to regenerate defective hearts. The heart produced by researchers at Tel Aviv University is about the size of a rabbit's. It marked "the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers," said Tal Dvir, who led the project. "People have managed to 3D-print the structure of a heart in the past, but not with cells or with blood vessels," he said. But the scientists said many challenges remain before fully working 3D printed hearts will be available for transplant into patients. Journalists were shown a 3D print of a heart about the size of a cherry at Tel Aviv ...
Novel way to make tasty low-salt food
Researchers have found a way to make food taste salty but with less of the sodium chloride tied to poor health. "It's a stealth approach, not like buying the 'reduced salt' option, which people generally don't like," said Carolyn Ross, a Food Science professor at Washington State University (WSU) in the US. "If we can stair-step people down, then we increase health while still making food that people want to eat," Ross said. The study, published in the Journal of Food Science, looked at salt blends that use less sodium chloride and include other salts like calcium chloride and potassium chloride. Both of those salts have no adverse health effects on people, Ross said. Potassium can actually help reduce blood pressure. However, they are not very tasty. "Potassium chloride, especially, tastes really bitter and people really don't like it," Ross said. The researchers used tasting panels and WSU's 'electronic tongue' to see just how much they could add of the replacement salts for ...
This gene could reduce inflammation after stroke
Researchers have found that a gene could help the brain heal itself after a stroke or any other head-related injuries.
AI can track neurons faster than humans
Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) based automated process that can track and map active neurons as accurately as humans can, in a fraction of the time. The technique, described in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, interprets video images, addressing a critical roadblock in neuron analysis. It allows researchers to rapidly gather and process neuronal signals for real-time behavioral studies, said researchers at Duke University in the US. To measure neural activity, researchers typically use a process known as two-photon calcium imaging, which allows them to record the activity of individual neurons in the brains of live animals. These recordings enable researchers to track which neurons are firing, and how they potentially correspond to different behaviours. While these measurements are useful for behavioral studies, identifying individual neurons in the recordings is a painstaking process. Currently, the most accurate method requires .
Inhalable chemotherapy may help treat lung cancer
Scientists are testing a targeted chemotherapy for lung cancer patients, that can be inhaled instead of being injected or taken orally. According to pharmaceutical scientist Nazrul Islam, from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia, lung cancer is one of the deadliest and most common cancers. "Drug delivery directly into the lungs via an inhaler is an efficient way to achieve local and systemic effects of medications," Islam said. "My research is concerned with dry powder inhalation using chitosan nanoparticles loaded with drugs that can reach the lower respiratory tract and from there diffuse into the bloodstream," he said. Chitosan is a natural polymer that is biodegradable and biocompatible. It is low toxicity and it can be bound with therapeutic drugs and made into nanoparticles. "As yet, no studies have conclusively shown complete biodegradation or elimination of chitosan nanoparticles in lung tissue and my research is concerned with finding the form of chitosan ..
Metropolis Healthcare attracts modest premium on debut
Settle at Rs 959.55 on BSE, a premium of 9.04% over the initial public offer price of Rs 880.
Alumni of Manipal American University of Antigua, College of Medicine, Creating Success Stories
/ -- The alumni of Manipal American University of Antigua, College of Medicine are certainly the perfect brand ambassadors of Manipal AUA. The community of their alumni mirrors Manipal AUA's success at what they stand for, that is shaping well-rounded doctors through their global medicine program to address the projected shortage of physicians globally. A recent U.S. study reveals that India alone is short of 6 lakh doctors and 2 million nurses. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/834877/MAUA_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/871575/Dr_Swaiman_Medical_Camp.jpg) We bring you an inspiring story from India about the success of Dr. Swaiman Singh's Medical Camps. In March, Dr. Swaiman Singh, American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine - Class of 2015, organized a series of medical camps in three cities in the state of Punjab, India, where he grew up. In each of the camps, in Pakhoke, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana, large numbers of residents turned out for ...
Celebrity fat shaming boosts 'weight bias' in women
Celebrity 'fat-shaming' can have a ripple effect through the population at large, leading more women to develop a negative attitude towards weight, a study has found. Female celebrities are routinely criticised about their appearance, making "fat-shaming" a fairly regular pop-cultural phenomenon. Although comments criticising weight may be considered trivial and inconsequential, the effects of these messages can extend well beyond the celebrity target and ripple through the population at large. Scientists from McGill University in Canada compared 20 instances of celebrity fat-shaming with women's implicit attitudes about weight before and after the event. They found that instances of celebrity fat-shaming were associated with an increase in women's implicit negative weight-related attitudes. They also found that from 2004-2015, implicit weight bias was on the rise more generally. Explicit attitudes are those that people consciously endorse and, based on other research, are often ...
Boost fading memory with Electrostimulation
A recent study suggests that electrostimulation or neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can improve people's memory. The process of electrostimulation can enable people in their 70s to perform like a 20-year-old, in memory tasks.Electrostimulation is basically a process where electric impulses are used for elicitation of brain's muscle contraction.The study, by Rob Reinhart & John Nguyen, was published in 'Nature Neuroscience.'The research targets working memory - the part of the mind where consciousness lives, the part that is active whenever we make decisions, reason, and recall our grocery lists.Working memory starts to decline in our late 20s and early 30s, Reinhart explains, as certain areas of the brain gradually become disconnected and uncoordinated. By the time we reach our 60s and 70s, these neural circuits have deteriorated enough that many of us experience noticeable cognitive difficulties, even in the absence of dementias like Alzheimer's disease.But the duo ..
Gestational Diabetes can seed diabetes in children
A new study claims that mothers who suffer from gestational diabetes, are more likely to pass on the ailment to their children.Early detection of diabetes is important in children and youth since a quarter of them are diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis- a potentially life-threatening complication of the disease, it said.The study was published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)."Although type 1 and type 2 diabetes in parents are well-established risk factors for diabetes, we show that gestational diabetes mellitus may be a risk indicator for diabetes in the mother's children before age 22," says Dr. Kaberi DasguptaThe study compared mothers with and without gestational diabetes. And the result revealed that a child or teen whose mother had the condition was nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes before the age of 22 years."This link of diabetes in children and youth with gestational diabetes in the mother has the potential to stimulate clinicians, parents, and ...