Health

Chennai, September 01: A digital mammography system for early detection of breast cancer was inaugurated here today by Kanimozhi, DMK Rajya Sabha MP and daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Unveiling a plaque on the occasion at the Chennai Breast Centre, she said more such centres should be set up in rural areas for the benefit of women living there.

She lauded the initiative taken by Dr Selvi Radhakrishna Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon of the Centre in getting the system, reportedly the first in the city, installed.

New Delhi, September 01: Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Tuesday said that the condition of the six-day-old baby with a protruding heart is “stable” and that they may perform a cardiac surgery on him Thursday.

“The baby is alright and we will perform a second exchange blood transfusion on the baby Wednesday to rule out any infection. We may do a cardiac surgery upon him Thursday,” A.K. Bisoi, a cardiologist and additional professor at the cardiothoracic and vascular surgery department of AIIMS, told IANS.

Washington, September 01: A team of French scientists has identified just the right dose of DHA acid that prevents heart disease in healthy men.

This study is the first to identify how much DHA or docosahexaenoic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) is necessary to promote optimal heart health.

Scientists show that a 200 mg daily dose of DHA is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes.

Washington, September 01: Loss of libido and impaired sex is common among those undergoing antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C, according to a new study.

This is the first time a study evaluating the combination therapy, peginterferon and ribavirin, has identified sexual dysfunction (inability to fully enjoy sexual intercourse) as a side effect.

The therapy has the potential to affect all three components of sexual health: desire, function and satisfaction.

Washington, September 01: Chronic alcohol consumption blunts the biological clock’s ability to synchronise daily activities with light, even days after the drinking ends, according to a new study.

The study describes the changes that drinking can produce on the body’s masterclock and how it affects behaviour. The research provides a way to study human alcoholism using an animal model, said researcher Christina L. Ruby of the University of Tennessee (UTE).

New Delhi, September 01: Swine flu deaths continued unabated in the country with the figure crossing 100 on Monday after the virus claimed eight more lives in three states as Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad held a meeting to take stock of the situation.

While two deaths were reported from Karnataka, four were from Maharashtra and one from Chhattisgarh, a senior Health Ministry official said.

London, September 01: It will not only add life to your years, but a brisk walk a day can also add years to your life, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from the Veterans Affairs Medical Centres in Washington and Palo Alto in California have carried out the study and found that brisk walking for 20 to 40 minutes daily can halve the chance of dying for elderly men.

“The overall message is that although ageing and death are inevitable, the rate for both can be modulated by simply maintaining a physically active lifestyle at any age,” said lead researcher Peter Kokkinos.

Sydney, August 31: An Indian researcher has found that the flavour-potent chilli could wallop diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are the leading cause of mortality in developed countries.

University of Tasmania School of Human Life Sciences research fellow Kiran Ahuja said it was possible that one day chillies would replace aspirin, or be combined with aspirin as a medication for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

“Aspirin… has a nasty side effect, which causes stomach bleeding in patients,” said Ahuja.

London, August 31: Taking aspirin to prevent heart attack can do more harm than good for healthy individuals without any history of heart attack, revealed a study.

A large number of people – including a substantial number of the “worried well” – take a daily dose of the drug in the belief it will keep them healthy.

However, at a conference for leading doctors, British scientists have claimed that they have found that for healthy people, taking aspirin does not significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack.

New Delhi, August 31: Haryana Janhit Congress chief Kuldeep Bishnoi has shown symptoms of swine flu and his throat swab samples have been sent for tests, party general secretary Ran Singh Mann said today.

“Whether he actually has swine flu will be known once we get reports from NICD,” he said.

He said Bishnoi, the younger son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, was under medical supervision here and has been advised a week’s rest by the doctors.

—Agencies

Lucknow, August 31: Swine flu cases in the country continued to swell with 128 more people testing positive for the viral infection on Sunday, taking the total number of H1N1 cases to 3,881, an official release said.

Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum with 27 cases followed by Delhi (22), Tamil Nadu (21), Karnataka (17), Maharashtra (12) and West Bengal (10).

Till date, samples of 21,477 people have been taken, of which 3,534 were found positive, the release said on Sunday.

Paris, August 31: Obesity has emerged as a possible contributing factor in fatal swine flu cases, according to ground-breaking research looking at deaths caused by the pandemic in countries around the world.

The claim is made by a team from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, which has studied the characteristics of 574 deaths associated with the pandemic H1N1 influenza.

Vadodara, August 30: Purshotam Lal, recipient of Padma Vibhusan, country’s second highest civilian award, has suggested to the Union Health Ministry on appointing a committee to make survey of the private hospitals across the country for treatment of swine flu patients.

Madurai, August 30: Breast cancer surgeries performed on 14 patients, by a team of doctors in the Oncology Department in Government Rajaji Hospital here, had been done properly and the patients who underwent the surgeries were in good condition, S Vinayagam, Director of Medical Education (DME) said today.

New Delhi, August 30: The country continued to battle swine flu with a UK national among 128 persons testing positive today for the deadly virus, taking the number of such cases across the country to 3881.

The 28-year-old woman, a permanent resident of UK, along with four others tested positive for the virus in Chandigarh, where confirmed cases of the pandemic swelled to 17.

New Delhi, August 30: Swine flu cases in the country continued to swell with 128 more people testing positive for the viral infection today, taking the total number of H1N1 cases to 3,881, an official release said here today.

Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum with 27 cases followed by Delhi (22), Tamil Nadu (21), Karnataka (17), Maharashtra (12) and West Bengal (10).

Till date, samples of 21,477 people have been taken, of which 3,534 were found positive, the release said.

Chandigarh, August 30: Three new swine flu cases — an NRI and two teenage boys — have been reported here, taking the number of people infected with the H1N1 virus in this city to 15, health officials said here Sunday.

A 14-year-old boy, a resident of neighbouring Panchkula town who returned from Hong Kong a few days back, is one of the patients. He had contacted doctors of the government hospital here in Sector 32 Thursday with complaints of a runny nose and high fever.

Patna, Augsut 30: Thirty two patients admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) have died amid a strike by junior doctors that entered its fourth day Sunday, authorities said.

‘Eleven patients died in the last 24 hours alone (Saturday and Sunday) due to lack of doctors and treatment in the hospital,’ a government official said.

Six patients died during the first 12 hours of the strike beginning Wednesday, followed by 15 on Thursday and Friday, he said.

Delhi, August 30: On a frightful Friday evening in mid-August when stormy winds blew away a portion of the roof at Delhi Airport, 41-year-old Preetha Nair was stuck at the wheels for four hours, like thousands of others.

The rains played havoc with traffic and Nair, on her way home, was among the tide of office-goers trapped on the roads. The next day saw Nair, a media professional, confined to her bed with an excruciating back pain brought on by her hours in the car.

Washington, August 30: Doctors are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients infected with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need hospital care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic.

New Delhi, August 30: single deep breath will soon be enough to vaccinate children against measles as human trials of an inhalable vaccine for the deadly disease are expected to begin early next year in India.

Serum Institute of India will be conducting the trials of the new vaccine in the country.

“The phase-I trials are expected to begin by the first quarter of next year once the animal testing, currently under process, is completed,” Prasad Kulkarni, Additional Medical Director, Serum Institute of India said.

Barcelona, August 30: A new drug to prevent blood clots in heart patients reduced their chances of dying by more than 20 percent compared to the standard treatment, new research says.

Researchers followed 18,624 patients worldwide from 2006 to 2008. About half the patients were taking clopidogrel, also known as Plavix, while the other half were taking an experimental drug called ticagrelor, or Brilinta, made by AstraZeneca PLC.

Lucknow, August 30: More than a week after police busted a massive racket in adulterated blood in Uttar Pradesh, another report on the quality of blood seized reveals that it was infected with the highly contagious Hepatitis B and C virus – painting an alarming picture of the possibility of patients having contracted it.

New Delhi, August 30: A single deep breath will soon be enough to vaccinate children against measles as human trials of an inhalable vaccine for the deadly disease are expected to begin early next year in India.

Serum Institute of India will be conducting the trials of the new vaccine in the country.

“The phase-I trials are expected to begin by the first quarter of next year once the animal testing, currently under process, is completed,” Prasad Kulkarni, Additional Medical Director, Serum Institute of India told PTI.

Mexico City, August 30: The Mexican government has forecast that influenza A (H1N1) cases in the country will soar to 1 million in winter 2009.

Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said on Friday that the swine flu virus epidemic is currently stabilised with an average number of daily infections between 80 and 100 nationwide.

Cordova said that authorities are preparing a complementary national plan to deal with that emergency that includes such measures as closing schools, suspending certain activities and getting hospitals fully prepared.