Page 12 - Health

Experts criticise proposal to tag nicotine therapy as prescription drugs

It may hinder accessibility for smokers attempting to quit, they say

Parkinson's may be detectable 20-30 years before diagnosis: Researchers

It may be possible to detect signs of Parkinson's disease 20-30 years before symptoms appear, according to researchers in Australia. A biomarker called F-AV-133, used in combination with PET, or positron emission tomography, scans can help diagnose Parkinson's disease and accurately track neurodegeneration, the researchers from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, said. F-AV-133 is an imaging agent and has shown promise as a PET tracer for detecting and monitoring neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder characterised by tremor and impaired muscular coordination. According to the researchers, the disease, often thought of as an illness of old age, in fact, starts in midlife and can go undetected for decades. "Parkinson's disease is very hard to diagnose until symptoms are obvious, by which time up to 85 per cent of the brain's neurons that control motor coordination have been destroyed. At that point, many treatment

Annual deaths due to strokes could be as high as 10 million by 2050: Report

Strokes, a highly preventable and treatable condition, could lead to nearly 10 million deaths annually by 2050, primarily affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a report said. The projection comes from the collaborative effort of the World Stroke Organization and the Lancet Neurology Commission (LNC) under which four studies have been published. The report published in Lancet Neurology journal said that stroke deaths are expected to surge from 6.6 million in 2020 to 9.7 million by 2050. The report has emphasised on the critical role of evidence-based, pragmatic solutions in combating the crisis and made 12 recommendations to counter the deaths related to strokes. Among them are stroke surveillance, prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation. The report recommended establishing cost-effective surveillance systems for precise epidemiological stroke data to guide prevention and treatment. It also suggested elevating public awareness and fostering healthier lifestyles thr

Battling with sleeplessness? Follow these 7 tips for restful night

Great sleep is known to be vital to great health, and a survey of late studies displays on the way that vital legitimate rest is for keeping up with heart health

Viatris to sell India women health care, API businesses for $1.2 billion

IQuest Enterprises has a slew of investments in the pharmaceuticals and healthcare space - including investments in CARE Hospitals, Celon Laboratories, etc

Do blue-light glasses work? Can they reduce eye strain or help with sleep?

Blue-light glasses, blue light-filtering lenses or blue-blocking lenses are different terms used to describe lenses that reduce the amount of short-wavelength visible (blue) light reaching the eyes

India's efforts to eradicate TB by 2025 role model for world: Minister

A public-private partnership (PPP) with integrated strategy is essential to achieve a "TB-mukt Bharat" (tuberculosis-free India), Union minister Jitendra Singh has said. At an event on Sunday, Singh said India's efforts to eradicate tuberculosis by 2025 are a role model for the world. The minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office was speaking after flagging off the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Narayana healthcare "TB-Mukt Express", a mobile medical van that will visit different villages in his parliamentary constituency Udhampur, with the slogan "Chalo Chale TB ko Harane" (let's defeat TB). The event coincided with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "India's efforts to eradicate TB by 2025 are a role model for the world. The citizens need to work collectively towards TB elimination in the true spirit of 'Jan Bhagidari'," Singh said. He said considering the deep societal and economic impact caused by tuberculosis, the BJP-led Centre has placed high priority for a

Commercialisation of education, health never in interest of society: V-P

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said commercialisation of education and health can never be in the interest of society. He expressed hope that the current situation will change with the implementation of the new National Education Policy. Dhankhar was addressing the 11th foundation day ceremony of Sri Karan Narendra Agriculture University in Jobner here on Thursday. He said that earlier in India, education and health were not considered business but now the situation has changed. He stressed that commercialisation of education and health can never be in the interest of society. In this context, the vice president said the National Education Policy, prepared after extensive brainstorming, will bring about a change in the situation. The vice president said that today India's voice is being heard all over the world. There was a time when the country barely had foreign currency reserves for 15 days of imports, but today the reserves are above USD 600 billion. According to an offi

Nipah virus: All you need to know about symptoms, diagnosis and prevention

Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) is a potentially fatal complication of Nipah virus. Patients with breathing complications are more likely to transmit the virus than those without

To tackle antimicrobial resistance a global One Health approach is needed

India was one of the first few countries to develop a comprehensive national plan to manage the misuse of antimicrobials

Over 38,000 conjunctivitis cases reported in Himachal Pradesh in August

Himachal Pradesh has registered over 38,000 conjunctivitis cases this month with 1,701 infections reported on August 28 alone, officials said on Wednesday. According to data available with the state's Health Department, Mandi district reported the maximum of 6,084 cases, followed by 5,840 infections in Kangra, 5,797 in Hamirpur, 4,033 in Solan and 3,944 in Chamba. Sirmaur district has recorded 3,855 conjunctivitis cases, Una 3,471, Shimla 2,200, Bilaspur 1,839, Kullu 1,442 and Kinnaur 16, the data showed. The Lahaul and Spiti district has been free from the disease so far. As many as 38,521 cases of conjunctivitis have been reported in Himachal Pradesh between August 1 and 28, Mission Director of National Health Mission Sudesh Kumar Mokta told PTI. Director of State Health Services Dr Gopal Berry said cases of conjunctivitis or eye flu are being reported from different parts of the state with symptoms like redness in the eyes, stickiness, irritation and swelling in some cases. It

The Benefits of Fresh Meals for Dogs: A Healthier Choice by A Petter Life

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Rajasthan first to declare 29 gram panchayats as TB free: CM Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said Rajasthan is the first state in the country to declare 29 gram panchayats as tuberculosis-free. He said four district of the state got silver medal and four got bronze medal at the national level for excellent work in TB eradication. "This indicates our serious efforts towards eradication of tuberculosis," he said at a TB-free Rajasthan conference here. He said that the state government is continuously working to make Rajasthan the number one state in all sectors, including health, by 2030 to realise the vision of "Nirogi Rajasthan". "It is our commitment to provide health services to the last person by providing medical facilities in every village," he said. The programme was held at the chief minister's residence where he also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development works through video conference. He also flagged off 70 new ambulances on the occasion. "The life of a patient suffering from tuberculos

Indians slowly gaining footing in planning for retirement: Survey

Indians are slowly making progress in retirement planning, even though the country is under-protected in terms of retirement corpus, according to a survey by Max Life Insurance. The India Retirement Index Study (IRIS), conducted in partnership with data analytics company KANTAR, showed a significant upward movement to 47 from 44. The online survey was conducted among 2,093 respondents across 28 cities in India. The index mapped respondents' views on health, finance and emotion. Max Life Managing Director & CEO Prashant Tripathy said people have started giving importance to health and are resorting to health insurance and periodic check-ups, but very few are focusing on physical activity or wellness. As per the survey, 44 per cent of the respondents have a health insurance and 58 per cent have undergone health check-ups in last three years. "People in India has been putting far greater weight to health. Zone-wise, eastern region and Tier 2 cities are making good progress in terms .

Procter & Gamble Health profit dips 27% to Rs 30 cr in April-June quarter

Procter & Gamble Health on Thursday said its profit after tax declined by 27 per cent to Rs 30 crore in the quarter ended June 2023, hit by a higher material cost and one-time employee cost. The company, which follows the July-June financial year, had reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 41 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income increased to Rs 307 crore in the April-June quarter from Rs 299 crore in the year-ago period, Procter & Gamble Health said in a statement. For the year ended June 30, 2023, the company reported a PAT of Rs 229 crore, up 19 per cent from Rs 192 crore in the previous fiscal. Total income rose to Rs 1,248 crore as compared with Rs 1,128 crore in the previous year. "We continued our efforts towards brand and category development and thus delivered a strong performance in the fiscal, marked by consistent growth across all our brands," Procter & Gamble Health MD Milind Thatte stated. The quarter, however, witnessed a category slowdown ...

Two years after catching Covid, patients still risk getting sick: Research

People who were never sick enough to be hospitalized for acute Covid still had a higher risk than uninfected people of developing long Covid-related disorders

Those vaccinated before getting Covid at lower risk of post-discharge death

A one-year follow-up of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals found that participants who received at least one dose of anti-Covid vaccination before contracting the coronavirus infection had a lower risk of post-discharge mortality, according to a study by ICMR. Of the 14,419 participants who were followed up at least once between four weeks and one-year post-discharge, 942 (6.5 per cent) had died and the remaining (93.5 per cent) were reported alive at any contact during one year of follow-up. They were from 31 hospitals across the country. "Participants who had received at least one dose of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine before their COVID-19 infection had a lower risk of post-discharge mortality," the study said. Vaccination prior to the COVID-19 infection (at least a single dose) provided 60 per cent protection against post-discharge mortality. People older than 40 years, men with co-morbidities and those who had moderate to severe COVID-19 to begin with had a higher chanc

Experts stress on making regulatory framework to reduce tobacco consumption

In a series of conclaves to explore alternative approaches for reducing tobacco consumption, experts have underscored the need for a dynamic regulatory framework accommodating safer alternatives and empowering adult smokers to make informed decisions. At the interactive seminars held across Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, over 100 doctors and public health experts proposed a comprehensive framework to generate scientific evidence that supports harm reduction strategies and promotes a healthier India. Dr Chandrakant S Pandav, a global public health expert, said, "There is a need for a balanced approach, considering both the potential harm reduction alternatives and the regulation of tobacco products." "Research and science-based approaches are crucial in distinguishing different tobacco products. It is important to consider safer alternatives for individuals who are finding it challenging to quit smoking, particularly given the additional challenges posed by the grey market," he said.

Scientists rush to understand, contain highly mutated Covid-19 strain

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization designated BA.2.86 a "variant under monitoring" on Thursday, a designation that encourages countries to track and report the sequences they find"

Pandemic emergency ended but Covid-19 virus still around, says WHO

ore data are needed to understand this COVID-19 variant and the extent of its spread, but the number of mutations warrants attention. WHO will update countries and public as we learn more," WHO said