health $wellness blog

USA: The American Heart Association (AHA) has released a new scientific statement on the diagnosis and management of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). The statement was published online in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s peer-reviewed journal Stroke .  The scientific statement, which is an expert analysis of current research and may inform future clinical practice guidelines, emphasizes the need to increase patients’ and physicians’ awareness of cerebral venous thrombosis to improve the recognition of this condition and initiate prompt medical treatment. A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association emphasizes the need to increase patients’ and physicians’ awareness of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) to improve the recognition of this condition and initiate prompt medical treatment. The new statement, Diagnosis and Management of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis, published today in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Associatio...

Complete Revascularization by non-IRA percutaneous coronary intervention is a common practice for improving patient prognosis in acute myocardial infarction. However, the cost-effectiveness of fractional flow reserve (FFR) guided versus angiography-guided non-IRA PCI treatment strategies remains uncertain. The use of FFR-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for non-IRA ( non–infarct-related artery) lesions was demonstrated to be more cost-effective, saving medical costs and improving life quality more effectively than angiography-guided PCI in individuals with acute myocardial infarction and multivessel disease, according to a recent JAMA study. This study used data from the FRAME-AMI trial to compare the cost-effectiveness of FFR-guided and angiography-guided PCI in patients with acute MI and multivessel disease. The trial randomly allocated patients to FFR-guided or angiography-guided PCI for non-IRA lesions (August 19, 2016-December 24, 2020). Patients were aged 19 or...

New Delhi : The drug major Sun Pharma has got approval from the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct the bioequivalence study of anticancer drug Leuprolide acetate depot suspension 7.5mg/vial (1 Month Depot), a man-made form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) that is used in men to treat the symptoms of prostate cancer. This came after the drug major Sun Pharma presented bioequivalence study protocol No. C1B03530, Version No. 01dated 18-Sep-2023. Bioequivalence of a drug product is achieved if its extent and rate of absorption are not statistically significantly different from those of the reference product when administered at the same molar dose. Leuprolide acetate is a synthetic nonapeptide that is a potent gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) agonist used for diverse clinical applications, including the treatment of prostate cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, central precocious...

New Delhi: Noting that sufficient safety data is established, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has granted approval to the drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb for approval of additional indication for the drug product Nivolumab 10mg/mL concentrate for solution for infusion. This came after the drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb presented their proposal for approval of additional indication for the drug product Nivolumab 10mg/mL concentrate for a solution for infusion based on the clinical data generated from a global clinical trial with a request for a local clinical trial waiver. The committee noted that the drug was already approved and sufficient safety data was established. Nivolumab is an oncologic drug that belongs to the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) class. Nivolumab is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older with a type of skin cancer called melanoma to help ...

Approximately 37% of adults worldwide experience low back pain, which poses a significant economic burden on both individuals and society. According to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study, low back pain was the leading cause of productivity loss and the top contributor to years lived with disability in 126 countries. Oxidative stress is considered a crucial element in the intricate pathophysiological process and pathogenic mechanism of low back pain. A recent study published in BMC Public Health found an inverse association between the composite dietary antioxidant index (CDAI) and low back pain prevalence, with gender differences influencing this association. The researchers recommended that antioxidants be studied in the dietary pattern and that caution be taken when interpreting the effects of individual antioxidant ingredients. Adjusting dietary patterns can increase antioxidant biomarkers within the body, thereby reducing oxidative stress. CDAI is a reliable method for ev...

USA: A recent study published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery has suggested multisensory impairment to be an understudied factor associated with mortality and disability in older adults, and additional impairments may lead to more negative outcomes. The retrospective cohort study of 1825 older adults showed that an increasing number of sensory impairments was associated with both a steeper decline in physical functioning and a significantly higher rate of mortality compared with individuals with no impairments. Physical functioning is a critical aspect of older adults' health and quality of life. Age-related decline in physical functioning is a critical component of morbidity associated with frailty and sarcopenia, including disability, falls, and mortality. Older adults also experience a high prevalence of sensory impairments in addition to declining physical function. In adults above 70 years, impaired olfaction (30%), touch (27%), vision (18%), and hearing (...

A call to include recommendations on low-sodium potassium-enriched salt in hypertension treatment guidelines has been made by an international group of experts today in the American Heart Association’s scientific journal Hypertension . High levels of sodium intake and low levels of potassium intake are widespread, and both are linked to high blood pressure (hypertension) and greater risk of stroke, heart disease and premature death. Using a salt substitute where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride addresses both problems at once. Professor Alta Schutte, at The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Sydney said that despite data from randomised controlled trials demonstrating the health benefits of potassium-enriched, sodium-reduced salt substitutes, they are rarely used. “We found current clinical guidelines offer incomplete and inconsistent recommendations about the use of these salt substitutes,” she said. “Given the wealth of evidence availabl...

A recent study by Ana Gonçalves Soares and team unveiled a significant association between prenatal urban environmental exposures and blood pressure trajectories in children by offering crucial insights into the long-term impacts of early-life surroundings. The study was published in the JACC Advances  and included 7,454 participants. This research employed an exposome-wide association approach after considering 43 prenatal urban exposures which ranged from noise and air pollution to built environment, natural spaces, traffic, meteorology, and food environment. This comprehensive approach uncovered the critical dynamics of how environmental factors during the pregnancy might shape blood pressure patterns from childhood into early adulthood. With a mean yearly change of 0.29 mm Hg/y, the results indicated that higher humidity was associated with a faster increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during childhood. Also, higher temperatures were linked to a slower increase in SBP b...

Sweden: A recent study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy revealed an increased risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) with recent and less recent use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and systemic antibiotics, particularly in combination. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the drugs often used to relieve acid reflux. The use of PPIs and antibiotics each has been independently associated with an increased CDI risk in several studies, few studies have examined the potential effects on CDI risk, when used in combination. Considering this, Nele Brusselaers, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues aimed to assess the short- and long-term effects of antibiotics and PPIs on CDI risk and recurrence. For this purpose, they conducted a population-based study comprising 43 152 patients with CDI diagnosis in Sweden (2006–2019), and 355 172 matched population controls without CDI. The impact of PPIs and antibiotics on CDI r...

Cancer immunotherapy has helped transform the standard of care for many malignancies, but not all patients respond to therapy, and the treatment can cause severe adverse events. Typically, immunotherapy patients are imaged around three months after starting treatment to monitor their progress, with some more recent trials exploring the value of performing scans after three to six weeks, and in some cases closer to two weeks. But Farwell designed a study to explore if results could be observed even sooner. The goal was to identify a noninvasive imaging biomarker that could guide the management of patients on these therapies and avoid toxicity in patients not likely to benefit. Farwell and his colleagues hypothesized that by using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT, which is one of the most common and readily available ways to test for cancer, they could see if patients experienced metabolic changes in tumors after a week on therapy. When a patient responds to immunotherapy, activated...

New Delhi: AIIMS Delhi and the Indian Council of Medical Research have started a multi-centre trial to evaluate three indigenous human papillomavirus tests for detecting cervical cancer so that they meet international quality standards, a senior doctor said on Thursday.  The trial began on January 22 and aims to develop an accurate and affordable test which can be integrated into the National Cancer Screening Programme, Dr Neerja Bhatla, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS said. "The present indigenous tests available have not yet been validated for conformity with international standards," she said. Also Read:Dual ICMR Recognition: Amrita Hospital, Kochi, Bags now Centre of Excellence in Groundbreaking Snakebite and Paediatric Cardiac Research The Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) test for cancer detection which has a risk of false positive is being used under the national programme currently and it is not accurate, Bhatla said. To valid...

Patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) often face hospitalization due to severe acute exacerbation (AE) or community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Now, a new study by BMJ open Respiratory Research suggests that the sensitivity of the cough reflex could be a crucial factor associated with these hospitalizations. Researchers conducted a prospective study that included 68 COPD patients between June 2018 and January 2020. They assessed patient characteristics, lung and cardiac functions, and various biomarkers, including capsaicin cough reflex sensitivity and blood eosinophil count, upon enrollment. All participants were closely monitored for 12 months for any instances of AE or CAP requiring hospitalization. The results revealed that eight patients experienced severe AE (3) or CAP (5) and needed hospitalization during the follow-up period. Patients in the hospitalization group demonstrated higher modified Medical Research Council scores and elevated blood eos...

Maharashtra: The College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS Mumbai) has released the date to submit the declaration form for Diploma students receiving Degree/Diploma in Absentia. As per the notice, the last date to send the declaration to the CPS office in Mumbai is 17th February 2024. The declaration form can be downloaded from the official website of CPS Mumbai. Under By-Law Section No.3 of Chapter XV of the College By-Laws, every holder has to make and sign a declaration before receiving the Diploma. This declaration has to be signed in the College Roll. For those students who have applied for Absentia, a sheet of declaration applicable to them and a slip with a request has been released, which should be signed by them and returned to this office. On receipt of the slip, signed as stated above, the slip will be filed in the College Roll, and the Diploma/ Certificate will be forwarded by post/courier to the students. Also Read: BOPEE Releases Tentative Schedule For Counselling, En...

In a recent study published in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease identified eosinophil to platelet ratio (EPR) as a potential predictor of adverse events in patients experiencing acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).  A comprehensive retrospective was conducted at Dalian Municipal Friendship Hospital with the analysis of records that spanned from January 2018 to December 2020 and included a total of 508 patients (316 male, 192 female) with AECOPD. The key goal was to establish a correlation between clinical characteristics and EPR with a cutoff value of 0.755. The results from the study highlighted the effectiveness of the EPR in patients of two groups with significantly different mortality rates (25.3% vs. 5.5%, P < 0.001) when the optimal area under the curve (AUC) cutoff of 0.755 was applied. The patients presenting in the emergency room with a lower EPR also expressed a higher mortality risk (35.6% vs. 11.1...

A recent study led by Keng Cheng from Sun Yat-sen University reveals a significant association between osteoporosis and a higher risk of depression in older adults. The findings emphasize the need for comprehensive mental health care for individuals with osteoporosis to enhance their quality of life and alleviate the burden of the disease. This study was published in the Journal of Public Health . Osteoporosis, a prevalent form of arthritis worldwide, is characterized by low bone mass and bone tissue deterioration. It affects approximately 14.8% of the global population older than 30, as per a 2023 study. Beyond the well-known risk of fractures, this research explores the potential link between osteoporosis and depressive symptoms in older individuals. The cross-sectional study analyzed data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning multiple years. Bone mineral density diagnoses were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, while depressi...

The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants and increasing immunity altered the impact of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection. Reliable and accurate clinical information reporting is critical for effective public health decision-making. The data of a recent study has confirmed that prior immunity protects against severe outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children, similar to adults. This study is published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. This study was an international hospital-based multicenter prospective cohort study. The real-time reporting was active from March 2020 to December 2022. In this study, researchers evaluated longitudinal incident rates and risk factors for disease severity. Key results of this study are: Researchers included 564 hospitalized children with a history of acute COVID-19 in 375 children or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in 189 children from the Netherlands, Curaçao and Surinam. In COVID-19, 134 patients, constituting 36%, neede...

Researchers have found that poor olfaction may signify impaired mobility in older adults. The study has been published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. Decreased mobility is a hallmark of aging. Olfactory dysfunction is common in older adults and may be associated with declines in mobility. A study was done to determine whether poor olfaction was associated with faster declines in mobility in older adults. This cohort study included 2500 participants from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. Participants completed the Brief Smell Identification Test during the year 3 clinical visit (1999-2000) and were followed for up to 7 years. Data analysis was conducted between January and July 2023. Results The primary analyses included 2500 participants Multivariate-adjusted analyses showed that poor olfaction was associated with slower walking speed at baseline and a faster decline over time. Taking the 20-m usual walking test as an example, compared with participants...

USA: A recent study published in The Lancet revealed that excessive weight gain during pregnancy was associated with a 9% to 12% increase in all-cause mortality risk in women with BMI in the normal and overweight range respectively.  Weight gain is a common phenomenon during pregnancy, but excessive gain may be a sign of adverse health issues for mothers. According to a study of pregnant women with low-risk pregnancy complications in Singapore, approximately 60% of them either gained too little or too much weight during pregnancy. Exceeding the recommended weight gain was associated with a higher risk of caesarean section (C-section) deliveries and the birth of larger babies – rendering this an increasingly alarming issue to be studied.  The impact of such weight gain is usually associated with greater postpartum weight retention, and pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, and pregnancy-induced hypertension, as well as a higher chance of requiring a C-secti...

A new large-scale study led by researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Northwell Health, New York's largest health care provider, found the drug metformin can help prevent or reduce weight gain in youth taking medication to treat bipolar disorder. The collaborative team presented its findings during a symposium at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry conference in New York City Oct. 27. Weight gain side effect Medications to treat bipolar disorder, known as second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), are often effective at helping young patients’ mental health improve but can have significant side effects including elevated blood pressure and glucose, increased appetite and weight gain. “We, the clinicians naively justified that we’re improving your psychosis, so just deal with the weight gain,” said Victor Fornari, MD, a child/adolescent psychiatrist at Northwell Health. “But patients stopped taking their medicine because they said they didn’t want to ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease of young adults with symptom onset generally occurring between the ages of 20 to 40 years leading to disability however mechanisms contributing to disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis (MS) are poorly understood. Blood neurofilament light chain (NfL) level, a marker of neuroaxonal injury, is known to be associated with disease activity in people with MS however, data on the association between NfL level and disability accumulation have been conflicting. A recent cohort study including 1899 individuals reveals that serum neurofilament light chain elevation, was a sign of accelerated neuroaxonal injury, and was detected approximately 1 year preceding disability worsening events associated with relapses and 1 to 2 years before worsening events independent of clinical relapses. The study findings are published in JAMA Neurology . The current study included 2 observational cohorts: results from the Express...

USA: An immune checkpoint therapy trial revealed that Nivolumab showed potential clinical activity for high-risk oral precancerous disease, adding that future trials should prioritize cancer-free survival endpoints and biomarker stratification. The study findings were published online in JAMA Oncology. The phase 2 nonrandomized controlled trial treated 33 patients with high-risk oral proliferative verrucous leukoplakia with the programmed cell death 1 protein inhibitor nivolumab and showed variable lesion regression by degree and size of dysplasia in response to therapy, while 27% of patients developed invasive oral cancer after nivolumab. "All whole-exome sequenced patients who progressed to develop cancer had 9p21.3 chromosomal loss," the study stated. "We report the first (to our knowledge) nonrandomized clinical trial of immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) in patients with precancerous disease, specifically patients with high-risk oral precancer, to mitigate progres...

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the BMC Surgery unveiled a potential connection between preoperative blood markers and postoperative complications in gastrointestinal (GI) surgeries. The study encompassed 12 research papers with a total of 2940 GI surgery patients to investigate the role of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a biomarker of inflammation. The inflammatory response has been suspected for long as a crucial trigger for epigenetic alterations, the NLR which is calculated by dividing the number of neutrophils by the number of lymphocytes also emerged as a potential indicator. The primary focus of the research was on patients who experienced an anastomotic leak (AL) after GI surgery in comparison to those who did not. The team conducted an extensive search by analyzing papers published before May 4, 2022, utilizing PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The meta-analysis employed the random-effects model due to substantial heterogeneity. The...

Children and adolescents who received one of the main COVID-19 vaccines were significantly protected from the illness and showed no increased signs of cardiac complications compared to young people who were not vaccinated, according to a new real-world study led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). When the Delta variant rose to prominence, the study showed that vaccinated young people were 98 percent less likely to be infected than their unvaccinated peers, and data indicated that the vaccine’s effectiveness decline slightly when the Omicron variant became dominant. The paper was published today in Annals of Internal Medicine. In their analysis of 250,000 patients with around half of them received at least one dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine (the vaccine produced by a collaboration between Pfizer and BioNTech), the researchers-led by Yong Chen, PhD, and Jeffrey Morris, PhD, both professors...

New Delhi: The drug major Zydus Healthcare has got approval from the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct an active post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study of the pulmonary fixed-dose combination (FDC) drug, Fluticasone Furoate plus Vilanterol Trifenatate dry powder for inhalation in a capsule. This came after the drug major Zydus Healthcare presented the active post-marketing surveillance (PMS) protocol before the committee. Fluticasone furoate is an inhaled corticosteroid that can be used as maintenance treatment of asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) depending on the product. Also available as a nasal spray to manage symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Fluticasone Furoate is used in the treatment of sneezing and runny nose due to allergies. Fluticasone Furoate is a steroid that works by blocking the production of certain chemical messengers in the body that cause inflammation (rednes...