health $wellness blog

New research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London has found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment for postnatal depression is associated with improvements in child behaviour up to five years after childbirth. Researchers at King’s IoPPN, in collaboration with the University of Oslo, analysed data from over 61,000 mothers and their children recruited during pregnancy from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. The researchers investigated how postnatal SSRI treatment modified the negative outcomes associated with postnatal depression in mothers and their children. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that SSRI treatment for postnatal depression was associated with better outcomes up to five years after childbirth than mothers with postnatal depression who did not take SSRIs. These included reduced child behavioural difficulties (such as conduct problems and antisocial be...

Madurai: In a landmark achievement for the city's medical fraternity and for complete South Tamil Nadu, Preethi Hospital successfully performed the first robotic-assisted Total Knee replacement surgery in Madurai using Next Generation robot that delivers a smarter and more efficient solution for joint replacements. The surgery was done by Dr R. Sivakumar, Chief of Orthopaedics and Traumatology and Chairman of the Preethi Hospital, employing the state-of-the-art CORI Robotic Surgical System. The CORI system, an imageless technology, eliminates the necessity for preoperative CT Scan.   Also Read:Doctors at Kauvery Hospital perform Robotic kidney transplant on 24-year-old patient This not only reduces the utilization of preoperative healthcare resources and the cost burden on patients, but also minimizes patient radiation exposure in comparison to image-guided robotic-assisted TKR procedures. The advent of imageless TKA platforms represents a pivotal advancement towards the broad...

New Delhi : In response to the proposal presented by the drug major MSN Laboratories to manufacture and market the antiepileptic drug Vigabatrin, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has opined the firm to submit the pool data along with Indian patient data and meta-analysis of concurrent therapy of the proposed drug Vigabatrin. This came after MSN Laboratories presented its proposal for manufacturing and marketing Vigabatrin tablets 250 & 500 mg along with justifications for waiver of local clinical trial and Bioequivalence study before the committee. Vigabatrin is in a class of medications called anticonvulsants. It works by decreasing abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Vigabatrin is a medication used in the management and treatment of infantile spasms and refractory complex partial seizures. It is in the anti-epileptic class of medications. Vigabatrin was rationally designed to have a specific ef...

Basel : Roche has announced that the European Commission has approved the extension of the Evrysdi (risdiplam) European Union (EU) marketing authorisation to include infants with a clinical diagnosis of SMA Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 or with one to four SMN2 copies from birth to below two months. Interim data from the ongoing RAINBOWFISH trial in pre-symptomatic babies from birth to six weeks with Type 1 SMA supported the marketing authorisation extension. “The SMA community welcomes the European Commission’s decision to extend the use of Evrysdi from birth,” said Dr Nicole Gusset, President & CEO of SMA Europe. “Preserving motor neurons from the earliest age possible and preventing their irreversible loss can have a substantial impact on a person’s future ability to move and function. We look forward to continued collaborative efforts to improve diagnosis, including newborn screening, and ensuring all individuals living with SMA have access to medicines.” “With this label extens...

Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant on Monday said that almost 11,000 posts in the C and D categories in various government hospitals and health institutions will be filled soon.  The Health Minister on Monday said 10949 posts pertaining to nurses, technical and non-technical staff in the C and D categories in various government hospitals and health institutions will be filled soon. Also Read:Maha: Fifty percent vacant seats in DMER, Health Dept to be filled under mega recruitment drive He further said that the previous recruitment drive for these posts under Health Minister Rajesh Tope were caught up in alleged irregularities and had to be put on hold. "There are 60 different types of posts in the C and D categories including nurses, technical staff and non-technical staff. With this, the state will be able to fill almost all the posts in C and D categories in all the government hospitals," the Health Minister stated. Health Minister Sawant informed that...

Europe : Europe will continue to face a shortage of Eli Lilly & Co's blockbuster diabetes drug Trulicity through September, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Monday. Like rival Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly has also been struggling to meet high demand for its diabetes drugs including Trulicity, which treats type 2 diabetes in people older than 10. Novo's diabetes drug Ozempic was in short supply for months in the U.S., partly driven by prescriptions to non-diabetic patients seeking to lose weight. Ozempic and Lilly's Trulicity belong to a class of medicines called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes but also mimic a gut hormone that suppresses appetite and promotes a feeling of fullness. The EMA said on Monday Austria, Finland, Greece, Poland and Sweden are currently affected by the Trulicity shortage, while temporary shortfalls are also expected in Denmark and Norway. In January, Eli Lilly planned to invest an ad...

Indore: In a major reshuffle of academic duties, the Head of departments (HoDs) of eight departments of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College has been replaced with those who were second in the list of seniority. This came after the Medical Education Department instructed the concerned authorities to implement the new system of a two-year roster for the HoDs of different departments. The college has issued the order assigning new HoDs for most of the departments including departments of pathology, microbiology, general medicine, psychiatry, anaesthesia, ophthalmology, gynaecology, and general surgery. Also Read: MP CM to inaugurate 2000-bed hospital at Gandhi Medical College Dr Manish Banjare will take over as the new head of Anesthesiology department. Previously, Dr KK Arora was serving as the head of Anesthesiology.  Dr Meena Mittal has taken charge of Dr Ashok Panchonia as the new head of Pathology department. Dr Shashi Gandhi has succeeded Dr Anita Mutha as the ...

North Carolina:   Pfizer said on Monday it expects to restart production at its North Carolina plant by the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2023 as it seeks to repair tornado damage to one of the world's largest sterile injectable drug facilities. The facility was struck by a tornado on July 19, and Pfizer had earlier said some drugs, including painkiller fentanyl, could see a supply disruption. Pfizer has since placed limits on how much supply of those drugs its customers can buy. Most of the damage from the tornado was to a warehouse, and not production facilities, but Pfizer had indicated it would be a monumental task to repair the damage. On Monday, Pfizer said a temporary warehouse location has been secured to accommodate product storage. The company added it had started releasing units of product that were not impacted by the tornado to distribution centers. Pfizer's sterile injectable products include anesthesia, painkillers and anti-infective medicines for use...

Kanpur: The Department of Pediatrics at Kanpur's Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital has set up a Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) where lactating mothers can donate their breastmilk for infants who have no access to breastmilk.  "We are going to open a Lactation Management Unit here which is also called a Breakmilk Management Bank. Here mothers can donate their milk, they do not need to dry them up. Just like we donate blood or organs, milk donation will be started in the same process. Also Read:Hyderabad: Human milk bank launched at KIMS Cuddles This will be a revolution for Kanpur, " Yashwant Rao from the Department of Pediatrics at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital said, speaking on Sunday. Speaking about the usual process which takes place when a mother loses her child after birth, Yashwant Rao said, "Usually those mothers whose children expire, get their breastmilk dried up by medication. However, the Union government has made an arrangement to store mother's milk." Th...

Andhra Pradesh: Dr YSR University of Health Sciences has extended the registration process for admission into PhD courses till 20th September 2023. The application form is available at https://drysr.uhsap.in. The candidates will have to submit a nonrefundable fee of Rs.5900 (Rupees Five thousand and nine hundred only), including GST charges @18% by way of Demand Draft drawn in favour of “The Registrar, Dr YSR University of Health Sciences payable at Vijayawada. Also Read: Dr YSR University of Health Sciences Begins Choice Filling Process For Phase 1 MDS Admissions Under Competent Authority Quota The following is the list of documents to be attached along with the application form – 1. Educational Qualifications (Undergraduate, Postgraduate etc.) 2. Date of Birth Proof (Copy of SSC) 3. Service Certificate issued by the Directorate concerned in respect of Govt. Service and the Management in Respect of Private Service 4. No Objection Certificate for doing PhD programme from the ...

Mehsana: A group of parents in Mehsana, whose students studied medicine in the Philippines, have demanded a grant of their children's permanent registration without asking for a 12-month internship under Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship (CRMI) Regulations, 2021. The parents gathered and staged a demonstration demanding the exemption from the National Medical Commission's (NMC) gazette for the students of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 batches and also for those who took admission before August 18, 2021. Also Read:2 years Internship for FMGs without Clinical Training: SC Seeks response from NMC, Centre Ketan Bhai Patel, a man who was among the protestors said, "I would like to appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and also to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to exempt the students enrolled before the NMC's 2021." On November 18, 2021, NMC, India’s apex medical education regulator, enacted the new Foreign Medical Graduate Licen...

Suture reduction technique may reduce surgical time and surgical trauma for treating comminuted patellar fractures suggests a new study published in the BMC Surgery Surgical management of comminuted patella fractures remains a major challenge for the surgeon. We developed a suture reduction (SR) technique to better preserve the comminuted patella. The study aimed to compare the suture reduction technique with conventional reduction (CR) technique in the management of comminuted patellar fractures using the modified Kirschner-wire (K-wire) tension band. From May 2016 to September 2020, a total of 75 patients with comminuted patellar fracture were reviewed retrospectively. Among these cases, 35 patients were in the suture reduction group with a mean age of 52 years, while 40 patients were in the conventional reduction group with a mean age of 53 years. All cases were closed fractures. Comminuted patellar fractures were classified as type 34-C3 according to the AO/OTA classification. ...

Bengaluru: The apex centre for mental health, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru is planning to set up a brain and mind museum called ‘Human Brain Museum’ to create awareness about mental health and neurosciences and to understand brain functioning.  The museum would be set up in its platinum jubilee year, and a new facility would house the existing Heritage Museum and the proposed museum which the officials have termed as the 'first, largest and most innovative Museum of the Brain and Mind in the world'.  Also Read:NCBS launches Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind for Research on Mental Disorders The museum would aggregate advances in information and communication technology, graphics and animation, incorporate virtual reality, and professional expertise in various fields of mental health and neuroscience. The visitors would be able to witness an experiential and interactive experience on the functioning of the brain and th...

New Delhi : In response to the proposal to enroll an additional 298 patients from India in the study of the ophthalmic drug Aflibercept, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has opined the drug major Lupin to submit interim analysis results of the study in Russia and India before the committee for further review. This came after the drug major Lupin presented their proposal for protocol no, LRP/LUBT017/2021/003 version 1.0, dated 14 March 2022 to enroll the additional 298 patients from India. Aflibercept is a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor used to treat Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), various types of macular edema, and diabetic retinopathy. Aflibercept is in a class of medications called vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and placental growth factor (PlGF) antagonists. It works by stopping abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage in the eye(s) that may c...

Patients with specific cardiac conditions such as valvular heart disease and congenital abnormalities, or those requiring a pacemaker, should practice good dental and skin hygiene to help prevent rare but potentially deadly infections of the heart’s inner lining and valves, according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on infective endocarditis, published online today in European Heart Journal . “Infective endocarditis is an uncommon but very serious disease that can present with many different symptoms, and thus may be challenging to diagnose,” said Guidelines task force chairperson Professor Michael Borger of Leipzig Heart Centre, Germany. “Patient education is therefore paramount to early diagnosis and treatment. Those with valvular heart disease or previous heart valve surgery should be particularly diligent with regards to prevention and recognising symptoms.” Infective endocarditis refers to an infection of the heart’s inner lining, most frequently the heart va...

After six months of dialysate cooling, there was a decrease in the levels of inflammatory markers and the frequency of hypotensive episodes during dialysis. However, the patient's midarm circumference decreased, and their malnutrition inflammation score (MIS) deteriorated. This study, "Could cooling dialysate improve inflammatory and nutritional status of hemodialysis patients?" is led by Asmaa Elemshaty and is published in BMC Nephrology . Reducing the dialysate temperature to 0.5 °C below central body temperature (dialysate cooling) decreases the likelihood of intradialytic hypotension. However, other factors affecting hemodialysis patients have not been thoroughly investigated. This research aimed to evaluate the impact of individualized dialysate cooling on nutritional and inflammatory parameters in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients in 70 patients. It divided them into control and intervention groups. The standard dialysate temperature in the control and interven...

A recent study conducted by researchers in JIPMER has shown that Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level was significantly lower in the migraineurs than that in the nonmigraineurs, and hypovitaminosis D was significantly associated with migraine.  The exact mechanisms contributing to the pathophysiology of migraine are elusive. Recent evidence supports the role of underlying neurogenic inflammation activating meningeal nociceptors and vascular smooth muscle dysfunction. Vitamin D modulates brain-derived reactive oxygen species production, regulates calcium signaling in the brain, and also stimulates neurotrophic factor production. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with lower serum magnesium levels, which is also associated with migraine attacks.Diverse neurological diseases, such as fibromyalgia and depression, which are associated with vitamin D deficiency, are often closely associated with migraine. There is also growing evidence regarding the role of endothelial dysfunction in the path...

New Delhi:  While considering a plea challenging the NRI quota MBBS seats at the medical colleges in Assam, the Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice in the matter. Filed under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution, the petition challenged the rules implemented by the State Government of Assam, which allowed 7% of seats in medical colleges to be kept reserved for the NRIs. Issuing notice in the matter, the top court bench comprising ustices Ravindra Bhatt and Aravind Kumar also put a stay on the further allocation of seats under the NRI quota in the ongoing counselling of seats. The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 11. This year, an amendment was made to the existing Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges of Assam (Regulation of Admission into 1st year MBBS or BDS Courses) Rules 2017 (2017 Rules). Introducing the amendment, the State Government sought to reserve 7% quota in seats for NRI/NRI sponsored candidates. Also Read: Students who take admission t...

New York:  Pfizer Inc. has announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for ABRYSVO, the company’s bivalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F (RSVpreF) vaccine, to help protect both infants through maternal immunization and older adults. ABRYSVO is indicated for: Passive protection against lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV in infants from birth through six months of age following maternal immunization during pregnancy Active immunization of individuals 60 years of age and older for the prevention of LRTD caused by RSV “The approval of ABRYSVO in Europe marks significant progress in the scientific community's efforts to provide meaningful protection against RSV, a common respiratory virus that could potentially be severe and even life-threatening, especially for infants and older adults,” said Annaliesa Anderson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer. “Last year’s signif...

United States: Health insurer Cigna Group said on Thursday it would remove the use of prior authorization or paperwork required to get approval for insurance coverage for 25% of medical services. Health insurers have come under pressure as physicians claim that the pre-authorization requirements for some procedures are restrictive and increases their paperwork. "Clinicians and health plans alike agree that more can be done to reduce the administrative burden on clinicians," said Scott Josephs, chief medical officer of Cigna Healthcare. Read also: Zydus Lifesciences to present on ZYIL1 at International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders The prior authorization, or pre-certification process, requires healthcare providers to get coverage approval for certain non-emergency procedures. UnitedHealth Group said earlier this year that it plans to reduce use of prior authorization requirements by 20% for some non-urgent surgeries and procedures. Re...

Basel : Sandoz has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its biosimilar Tyruko (natalizumab-sztn), developed by Polpharma Biologics. Tyruko is approved to treat all indications covered by the reference medicine and is the first and only FDA-approved biosimilar for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Keren Haruvi, President North America, Sandoz Inc., said, “Of the nearly one million people in the US living with multiple sclerosis, hundreds of thousands experience disease relapse. Tyruko has the potential to extend the reach of natalizumab treatment for these patients, increase healthcare savings and fuel innovation through competition in the market.” Tyruko is approved as a monotherapy to treat all indications covered by reference medicine Tysabri* (natalizumab) for relapsing forms of MS, including clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and active secondary progressive disease, as well as Crohn’s disease in adults. ...

Tulane University researchers  have found in one of the largest global studies of treatments for heart arrhythmias DECAAF II trial, that personalized, MRI-guided ablation treatments to correct irregular heart rhythms may benefit Younger atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients. The findings  of the study  have been presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2023 in Amsterdam this week. There’s been debate among physicians on whether going beyond traditional ablation treatments provides a benefit to patients. In 2021, the DECAAF II trial found that simple treatments are as effective as more intensive approaches. The study initially found that using advanced image-guided technology to target additional diseased areas causing arrhythmias, beyond the usual treatment zones, did not yield superior results compared to simpler methods. However, when Tulane researchers looked more closely at the study results using AI-modeling analysis they found screening crite...

Medical abortion is a procedure in which prescription drugs are used to terminate pregnancy without resorting to any surgical procedure. Usually it is performed through the ninth week of pregnancy and involves taking two medications — mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone works by blocking the hormone progesterone without which the pregnancy cannot continue to grow in the uterus. However Misoprostol causes cramping and bleeding to empty the uterus. Dr Elizabeth G. Raymond and associates have found in a new study that Misoprostol-only is an effective and safe option for terminating a first trimester intrauterine pregnancy when mifepristone is unavailable or inaccessible, according to there recent study results. The study's main objective was to update the 2019 systematic data review on the effectiveness and safety of misoprostol-only for first-trimester abortion. The team searched PubMed and found articles describing outcomes of treatment with misoprostol-only for abortion...

Tokyo : Daiichi Sankyo has announced that ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan) has been approved in Japan for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with HER2 (ERBB2) mutations that has progressed after chemotherapy. Lung cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in Japan, with more than 138,000 cases diagnosed in 2020. Only 18.2% of patients with metastatic NSCLC in Japan live more than three years following diagnosis, making prognosis particularly poor for these patients. The approval of ENHERTU by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is based on results from the DESTINY-Lung02 phase 2 trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022 Congress. ENHERTU previously received an Orphan Drug Designation by the Japan MHLW for this tumor type, a designation that provided priority review of the application. In DESTINY-Lung02, a pre-specified interim analysis of patients with previous...

Bengaluru: Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta Road in Bengaluru has performed a complex hand replantation surgery on a 28-year-old young woman whose arm got severed while working at an ayurvedic powder manufacturing facility in Bengaluru.   Dr Sathya Vamsi Krishna, Consultant - Hand, Upper-limb and Microvascular Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road performed the replantation surgery where bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and tendons were accurately identified and sutured using microsurgical techniques.   Also Read:Doctors at Fortis Hospital perform Intraoperative Radiation Therapy procedure on 41-year-old Brain Tumor Patient Timely presentation at the hospital and medical expertise ensured that the replantation was successful after six-hour complex surgery. The patient was amputated near the elbow, following which she was immediately rushed to Fortis Hospital. The doctors had to first fuse the bone and shorten the limb, followed by delicate reconnection of criti...

New Delhi : The drug major Troikaa Pharmaceuticals has got a go-ahead from the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to manufacture and market the sedative drug Zolpidem sublingual spray 3.85 %. However, this approval is subject to the condition that Troikaa Pharmaceuticals should conduct a Phase IV clinical trial and submit data on potential dependence that may be caused due to the use of Zolpidem Tartrate sublingual spray. This came after Troikaa Pharmaceuticals presented a bioequivalence study report of Zolpidem Sublingual Spray 3.85 % w/v before the committee. Zolpidem is used to treat insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Zolpidem belongs to a class of medications called sedative-hypnotics. It works by slowing activity in the brain to allow sleep. Zolpidem, the active moiety of zolpidem tartrate, is a hypnotic substance with a chemical structure that is not related to the structure of benzodia...