health $wellness blog

Nainital: In yet another ragging incident reported from Government Medical College, Haldwani, three senior MBBS students of 2021 batch have been expelled from the college for 6 months and fined Rs 25,000 after reports of alleged ragging on junior students came to the fore. Taking cognisance of the matter, the anti-ragging committee had taken action against the seniors after a report of alleged ragging on juniors reached the ears of the principal. A meeting was held recently in which the committee found the three accused students guilty and expelled them for different time periods. While the main accused was debarred from the hostel and all academic activities for six months, the other two boys, who were "not fully involved", were debarred for one month and a fine of Rs 25,000 has been also imposed on them. Also read- Ragging At Haldwani Medical College: Why No FIR? HC Asks Institute The atmosphere at the medical college was chaotic on Saturday when these three senior st...

USA: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first over-the-counter version of the opioid overdose antidote Narcan. The approval paves the way for the life-saving medication to reverse an opioid overdose to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, and online. The FDA approved Narcan, 4 milligram (mg) naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter (OTC), nonprescription, use-the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription. Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose.  The timeline for the availability and price of this OTC product is determined by the manufacturer. The FDA will work with all stakeholders to help facilitate the continued availability of naloxone nasal spray products during the time needed to implement the Narcan switch from prescription to OTC status, which may tak...

Both sufficient exercise and healthy sleep contribute to prolonged life expectancy. However, it has been unclear how physical activity may interact with sleep duration to promote health. Sleeping too little or too long is linked with a shorter life, but scientists have found that physical activity counteracts some of these negative effects. The research in more than 90,000 adults is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “The study showed that increased physical activity levels weakened the mortality risks associated with short or long sleep duration,” said study author Dr. Jihui Zhang of The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China. The main limitation of previous studies was the use of self-reported physical activity and sleep, which is subjective and may be inaccurate. In contrast, an accelerometer device records movement, thereby providing objective and more reliable estima...

Although paranasal sinus disease has been extensively studied in literature, it has yet to be comprehensively studied in the pediatric population. The difficulty arises as a result of the variability in the size, shape, and pattern of development of each of the sinuses, along with a wide spectrum of pathologies that can affect them. These pathologies include congenital malformations, traumas, neoplasms, and inflammatory etiologies. Among all the paranasal sinuses, the frontal sinus is of particular significance due to its close anatomical relationship to the orbit and anterior skull base, which makes it vulnerable to complications, caused by either the disease or surgery The aim of this article was to study the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and endoscopic management of six different rare frontal sinus pathologies in pediatrics, which include extensive allergic fungal sinusitis, mucoceles, osteoma, superior sagittal sinus thrombosis, CSF leak, and subdural empyema.. All were manage...

Lucknow: Doctors at the King George's Medical University (KGMU) hhave given a new lease of life to a 36-year-old woman who had damaged her esophagus (food pipe) and a part of stomach by accidentally drinking acidic battery water.  The surgeons made an alternate 'food pipe' using a segment of the colon of the patient with a procedure called esophago coloplasty that connected the throat to the small intestine directly for digestion. Also Read:KGMU Doctors perform PEG surgery on 57-year-old woman suffering from rare motor disease The surgery was done last week by a team of doctors led by associate professor of the general surgery department Dr Pankaj Kumar. The patient was discharged on Wednesday after full recovery. Such a complex surgery was done for the first time in KGMU, said doctors. The woman, a resident of Gonda, was brought to the General Surgery department of KGMU in December 2022. "The patient required immediate surgery, but it could not be done becaus...

A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that in patients with persistent limb-threatening ischemia who had no other choices for therapy, such as traditional surgery or endovascular revascularization, transcatheter arterialization of the deep veins proved safe and effective. Researchers have found in The PROMISE II U.S. pivotal clinical trial that minimally invasive LimFlow therapy enabled most patients to avoid amputation and experience wound healing. The procedure is designed to bypass blocked arteries in the leg and rush blood back into the foot through the veins. Amputations above the ankle are required in 20% of patients with persistent limb-threatening ischemia due to lack of revascularization alternatives. A percutaneous procedure called transcatheter arterialization of the deep veins establishes an artery-to-vein link in order to transfer oxygenated blood via the venous system to the ischemic foot and avoid amputation. In order to determine the ...

Guwahati : A medical-grade oxygen plant with 500 LPM (litres of oxygen per minute) capacity, set up at the Cardiothoracic and Neuroscience Centre, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, was dedicated to the people of Assam on Wednesday. The state's Health and Family Welfare minister Keshab Mahanta was present on the occasion. Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, has set up the oxygen plant at the hospital, in partnership with LabourNet as part of its CSR initiative. GMCH is the largest tertiary care hospital with 2500 beds, catering to a population of over ten lakh people in Guwahati and patients from neighbouring districts. "The plant will provide an adequate oxygen supply to meet the hospital's demand, enabling it to provide high-quality healthcare services to the community," a release stated on Wednesday. When operated for 8 hours a day, the plant can produce 202,500 litres of oxygen in...

Head and neck cancer is a deadly form of cancer that arises in the lining of the mouth and throat. Worldwide more than 700,000 people were diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2021. The disease is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) or environmental carcinogens, including the regular use of tobacco or alcohol. When the cancer comes back after curative treatment, patients have an overall survival of less than two years. A new combination drug treatment showed promising results in patients with pan-refractory, recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. “Our study was conducted in patients with heavily resistant head and neck cancer, whose cancer had continued to grow in the face of all standard treatments including cetuximab,” Julie E. Bauman, M.D. the study’s lead author and professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, said. “In this pan-refractory pop...

More than 100 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States since 2019, and there is limited information on the long-term health effects of the infection. Pregnant women make up 9% of reproductive-aged women with COVID-19, and millions of babies will be exposed to maternal infection during fetal development over the next five years. Children born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy may be more likely to develop obesity, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. “Our findings suggest that children exposed in utero to maternal COVID-19 have an altered growth pattern in early life that may increase their risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease over time,” said Lindsay T. Fourman, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass. “There is still a lot of research needed to understand the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their children.” The researchers studied ...

USA: A new form of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can cross the eye's retina and prevent visual decline related to diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other disorders, researchers report in a recent study.  The research was presented at Discover BMB, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting, March 25–28 in Seattle, by Sugasini Dhavamani, a research assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  The DHA found in fish oil capsules and other supplements is typically called triacylglycerol (TAG) DHA. Although TAG-DHA has benefits in other parts of the body, it does not reach the eyes because it cannot travel from the bloodstream into the retina. Researchers created a new lysophospholipid form of DHA or LPC-DHA for the study. In mice studies, LPC-DHA successfully increased DHA in the retina and reduced eye problems associated with Alzheimer’s-like processes.  “Dietary LPC-DHA ...

Immediate Postoperative QoL After Single-Visit Endodontic Therapy not significantly affected by Instrumentation Technique suggests a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. Root canal treatment (RCT) eliminates damaged pulpal tissue and protects the tooth from recurrent microbial invasion. Post-endodontic pain (PEP) is a frequently encountered complication of root canal therapy. It can have an impact on patients’ quality of life (QoL) and their subjective perception of treatment options. Thus, a self-assessment questionnaire was used to evaluate and compare the influence of manual, rotary, and reciprocating file shaping procedures on immediate post-operative quality of life (POQoL) involving single-visit root canal therapy. Root canal therapy (RCT) is a conservative therapeutic option that entails the removal of diseased pulpal tissue and prevents or treats pulpal/periradicular pathosis and safeguards the treated tooth from recurrent microbial invasion. Post-endod...

A new study by Zhi Cao and team showed that the risk of mortality associated with reversion to normoglycemia varied depending on whether people were obese or physically active, even while it did not reduce the overall risk of death compared to chronic prediabetes throughout a 3-year period. The findings of this study were published in Journal of American Medical Association. The risk of mortality is greater for those with prediabetes than for healthy people. Yet, prior research has indicated that those who go from prediabetes to normoglycemia may not have a decreased chance of dying than people who have continuous prediabetes. In order to clarify the involvement of modifiable risk factors in these connections, this study was done to look into the relationships between changes in prediabetes status and risk of mortality. Data from the Taiwan MJ Cohort Study's 45 782 prediabetic patients who were enrolled between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2007 were utilized in this populat...

Growing concerns over the potential health effects of exposure to phthalates, a component of many plastics and also known as a plasticizer, have led to a search for safer alternatives. In a new study conducted in cell cultures, researchers found that the chemical acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) might not be the best replacement because it appears to interfere with the growth and maintenance of neurons. “In the past, industries have promptly shifted away from the usage of toxic chemicals only to produce an equally toxic chemical, so this is something we are actively trying to avoid repeating,” said Kyle Sease, a graduate student at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. “Our study suggests that ATBC, but not other non-phthalate alternatives, could interfere with cells that maintain brain health. We think this finding warrants further testing of ATBC at different doses, in different settings and in whole organism models.” Phthalates are used in hundreds of products, o...

We all are aware that immune-mediated conditions associated with COVID-19 have been reported, including vasculitis, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, myositis, and lupus. Emerging studies have reported the potential occurrence of reactive arthritis in patients previously infected with COVID-19. A systematic review in Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research summarized the current evidence on the occurrence of reactive arthritis in patients previously infected by COVID-19. This study was conducted according to the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. The data on COVID-19 severity and management were retrieved such as type of treatment, hospitalization regimes (inpatient or outpatient), admission to the intensive care unit, need of mechanical ventilation, pharmacological management. The following data on reactive arthritis were collected: time elapsed between COVID-19 infection to the onset of reactive arthritis symptoms (days), pharmacological management, type of arthritis (mono- or bilatera...

France: An original investigation published in JAMA Dermatology has concluded that, pertaining to the availability of treatment modalities for alopecia areata totalis (AT) or universalis (AU, methotrexate combined with low-dose prednisone is considered to be an inexpensive and effective therapeutically. Data from previous studies have shown poor therapeutic results among AT or AU, which are the severe and disabling types of alopecia areata (AA). There is a probability that one of the inexpensive treatment approaches, methotrexate, can be effective in AU and AT. The researchers in the present study answered this fundamental question in their research. The summary of the study is explained under the given points: 45 Patients were given methotrexate (25 mg/wk) for six months. There were 44 patients on placebo. Those with more than 25% hair regrowth (HR) at month 6 continued their treatment until month 12. Those with less than 25 % of hair regrowth were rerandomized: methotrexa...

The use of standard zirconia abutments yield better esthetic outcomes, albeit with similar clinical behavior as titanium abutments suggests a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology A study was done to evaluate the influence of the abutment material (zirconia vs. titanium) on the long-term aesthetic and clinical outcomes of implant-supported restorations. In 30 patients, a single implant-supported restoration with either a zirconia or a titanium abutment was placed in the anterior maxilla (incisors, canines, and bicuspids). Aesthetic (Implant Crown Aesthetic Index or ICAI), clinical, radiographic, and patient-centred outcomes were recorded at baseline (1 month after final restoration), 1 year, and 5 years of follow-up. This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02315794). Results Twenty-five subjects completed the follow-up visits at 1 and 5 years. ICAI values showed statistically significant better aesthetic outcomes when zirconia abutments were ...

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) benefit from early rhythm control therapy. It reduces cardiovascular deaths, strokes, and other adverse outcomes by 20% compared to usual care.Pan-European EAST – AFNET 4 trial and other large health studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of early rhythm control. A new cost-effectiveness analysis has revealed that health benefits of early rhythm control come at reasonable additional costs. The analysis was published in EP Europace , a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Atrial fibrillation is a rising epidemic. The number of AF patients in the European Union is projected to increase to approximately 18 million by 2060. Affected persons are at higher risk for stroke and other adverse events associated with high costs for treatment and long-term care. This leads to an increasing economic burden. The EAST-AFNET 4 (Early Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation for Stroke Prevention) trial investigated whether rhythm control thera...

People with mental health disorders tend to have shorter lives, and poorer quality health, than the general population. Estimates of the effect vary according to the mental health condition. Often people with poor mental health show an increased tendency to develop conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and these conditions tend to worsen with age. A 2019 study found that on average people with mental disorders had shorter life expectancy (in comparison to the general population) by around 10 years for men and seven years for women. New research shows that people with a lifetime history of mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety disorders have blood markers suggesting that they are older than their actual age. This may go some way to explaining why people with mental health problems tend to have shorter lifespans and more age-related diseases than the general population. Dr Julian Mutz and Prof Cathryn Lewis, from King’s College London, looked at da...

Cancer cells often form the glycocalyx with high levels of cell-surface mucins, which are thought to help protect the cancer cell from immune cell attack. However, a physical understanding of this barrier has remained limited, especially as it relates to cell-based cancer immunotherapies, which involve removing immune cells from a patient, modifying them to seek and destroy cancer, and then putting them back into the patient’s body. One of the ways that cancer cells hide from the body’s immune system is by forming a thin surface barrier called the glycocalyx. In a new study, researchers examined the material properties of this barrier with unprecedented resolution, revealing information that could help improve current cell-based cancer immunotherapies. “We found that changes in the thickness of the barrier that were as small as 10 nanometers could affect the antitumor activity of our immune cells or the engineered cells used for immunotherapy,” said Sangwoo Park, a graduate student ...

21st century is the era of technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning. People around the globe are able to access any information at their fingertips. Medical information and healthcare have also gained an ample amount of importance in the tech world. Recently, OpenAI Inc. launched a new chatbot, called ChatGPT that interacts in a conversational way and its dialogue format makes it user-friendly and fast. The current paper is yet to appear in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, aimed to explore the current position and the accuracy of currently available version of ChatGPT in relation to healthcare and medical research. Raju Vaishya and team searched different databases and found 29 results in PubMed and 9 results in Scopus database., in English language. In addition, they (RV, AM) interacted with ChatGPT multiple times to review the accuracy of 20 responses to various medical questions. The researchers found that us...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more frequent in patients presenting with tooth fractures suggests a new study published in The International Journal of Periodontic and Restorative Dentistry Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a severe sleep disorder characterized by recurrent interrupted breathing during sleep. The symptoms of sleep apneac Include loud snoring, gasping, choking during sleep, difficulty staying asleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Factors which make individuals more prone to developing OSA include obesity, age, particularly those over the age of 65, as well as smokers, users of sedatives, and people with medical conditions such as hypothyroidism and craniofacial abnormalities.Since OSA involves the soft tissues in mouth and many dental problems may be associated with development of sleep apnea dentist may be the first medical professional to diagnose the problem. Several factors in the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may increase the likelihood...

USA: Older adults with type 2 diabetes have better blood sugar control before admission and during hospitalization than younger adults; however, frailty is tied to a more prolonged presence of hypoglycemia, a recent study published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice has found. The study showed that older patients in their hospital stay had lower HbA1c and blood glucose levels and a higher percentage of time in range than younger patients. Also, the researchers observed no difference in hypoglycemia between the groups. Furthermore, frailty was linked with a longer duration of hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients. Hospitalized older adults with diabetes are generally managed similarly to younger adults. However, the degree of frailty affecting glucose control among hospitalized patients is unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, T. Idrees from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, United States, and colleagues examined glycemic parameters derived from CGM (contin...

For the treatment of pancreatic insulinoma (PI), Endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) is both safer and more successful than surgery, says an article published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.   Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are increasingly being treated safely and successfully with endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation. In order to compare EUS-RFA with surgical excision for the treatment of pancreatic insulinoma, Stefano Francesco Crin and colleagues did this study. Propensity-matching analysis was used to assess the results of patients with sporadic PI who had EUS-RFA at 23 sites or surgical resection at eight high-volume pancreatic surgery institutes between 2014 and 2022. The main result was safety. Clinical effectiveness, length of hospital stay, and recurrence rate following EUS-RFA were secondary outcomes. The key findings of this study were: 89 patients were divided equally among the two groups (1:1) using propen...

People with atopic (allergic) diseases like asthma or eczema may be at heightened risk of the painful and often disabling joint condition, osteoarthritis, finds research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases . Drugs used to dampen down the physiological prompts for allergic reactions in the body may help lessen this risk, suggest the researchers. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. But despite the high prevalence, substantial costs, and debilitating impact of the disease, there is as yet no effective cure. Treatment primarily focuses on symptom management. Mounting evidence suggests that activation of a type of white blood cell called mast cells and inflammatory chemicals (cytokines) involved in allergic reactions may have key roles in the development of osteoarthritis. But it’s not clear if people with allergic asthma or eczema may be at increased risk of the condition. To try and find out, the researchers drew on claims submitted to a nationwi...

Mumbai : Global pharma major Lupin Limited has announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has completed a Post-marketing Adverse Drug Experience (PADE) inspection of the company’s operations.  The inspection closed with no observations. The inspection was conducted at Lupin’s global pharmacovigilance group based out of Mumbai from 20th March to 24th March, 2023. The inspection included a comprehensive scrutiny of practices and procedures for reporting of adverse events of Lupin’s marketed products worldwide. “As a pharmaceutical company, ensuring the safety of patients is our top priority. We are pleased to have successfully completed the FDA inspection for our Pharmacovigilance group with zero observations. This continues to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to compliance and patient safety,” said Nilesh Gupta, Managing Director, Lupin. Read also: Lupin gets USFDA nod for primary biliary cholangitis drug Obeticholic Acid Lupin is a transnati...

New Delhi: The Delhi police have arrested a 38-year-old web designer for allegedly creating fake websites of Patanjali Yogpeeth and duping people on the pretext of providing services, an official said on Saturday.  The accused has been identified as a resident of Laxmi Nagar in Delhi. According to police, a complaint was received at Dwarka Cyber police station where the victim alleged that he was searching for treatment for his wife on the internet and found a mobile number. Also read- The Dark Side Of Degrees And Awards: Are All Accolades Really Deserved? - Vivek Hattangadi After that, he contacted that number and one Dr Sachin Agrawal asked him to deposit Rs 50,000 in a bank account. However, after that, the complainant couldn`t contact again on that number. "The complainant again searched the number on Google and found another mobile number and the alleged person asked to deposit Rs 45,600 in another bank account. When the complainant again contacted him, he again demand...