Health

New South Wales, Julty 10: First-time older mums cope surprisingly well with the exacting demands of pregnancy, compared to their younger counterparts, but are more anxious about their unborn baby’s well-being, according to new research.

‘Generally it has been thought that older mums may not cope with the physical demands of pregnancy as well as younger mums, or they may be very anxious or find it difficult to cope with lifestyle changes,’ said Macquarie University psychologist Catherine McMahon.

London, July 10: There is a growing risk that pigs will catch the new H1N1 flu strain — commonly known as swine flu — from humans, German researchers said on Thursday.

Widespread transmission from people to pigs could mix up virus strains further, leading to unpredictable changes in the disease.

There have already been a handful of suspected cases of humans passing the current pandemic H1N1 virus to swine. The latest German research confirms it is infectious to pigs and can spread rapidly.

Latur, July 10: In a pointer to the social stigma that is still attached to AIDS, eight HIV positive students of district council school at Hasegaon village in Latur district of Maharashtra were expelled from school due to the strong opposition from other students and their parents.

The students were expelled after 140 of the total 230 students’ boycotted classes as they fear that they may contract the disease from the positive children.

In fact, for the past few days, this school in the Marathwada region has been flooded with requests by parents for transfer certificates (TC).

Washington, July 10 : People who have superior language skills early in life are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s later, even though they may have some signs, according to a new study.

“A puzzling feature of Alzheimer’s disease is how it affects people differently,” said study author Juan C. Troncoso from Johns Hopkins University.

“One person who has severe plaques and tangles, the telling signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains, may show no symptoms affecting their memory.”

Washington July 10 : Consuming fewer calories ensures a longer, healthier life, according to research on restricted diets involving monkeys.

A team of researchers reported that a nutritious but reduced-calorie diet blunts aging and delays the onset of disorders such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and brain atrophy.

“We have been able to show that caloric restriction can slow the aging process in primate species,” said Richard Weindruch, from the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, who led the study.

New Delhi, July 10: Having nasal problems at high altitudes? Try some drops of saline.

The saline has come to the rescue of many soldiers deployed in higher altitudes who complained of blocked nose and bleeding.

“We found that the use of normal saline drops is a simple and effective method to clear the nasal path,” Lt Col R Datta, ENT specialist with the Armed Forces Medical Services said.

Washington, July 10: More than 90 percent of dentists are of the view that patients complaining of dry mouth take multiple medications, says a nationwide survey conducted by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).

Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is caused by a decrease in salivary function. It affects approximately one in four Americans, placing more than 25 percent of people at risk for tooth decay.

“The number of xerostomia cases has increased greatly over time because people are taking more and more medications,” said Cindy Kleinman, member, AGD.

London, July 10: The march of old age is unstoppable, but a new study has revealed that the secret to a long life lies in the ultra low calorie diet.

An international team has found that substantially cutting calories — by as much as 30 per cent — from a normal diet could slow the ageing process and thereby increase life expectancy.

In fact, researchers have found that reducing calories just above malnutrition levels can reduce risks of developing heart disease or cancer by almost half and increase lifetimes by nearly a third.

Washington, July 10: A recent study revealed that infants and young heart patients are most vulnerable to the heart medication errors. The study also found that the highest number of errors occurred in the case of infants under the age of one.

The reason behind these medication errors could be manual miscalculation of weight-sensitive doses, and misinterpretation of safe age ranges of adult drugs used for children by the health care providers.

Kolkata, July 10: Malaria It seems that different efforts made by the government and Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s health department are not sufficient to prevent the spread of malaria.

According to statistics, 843 Kolkatans, between January and June this year, have been diagnosed with malignant malaria, as compared to just 93 cases over the same period last year. Till now, it has killed Uday Das (38), Surya Sen Street’s resident and blinded another resident, 55-year-old Toton Mukherjee.

London, July 1o: One in three breast cancer patients identified in public screening programs may be treated unnecessarily, a new study says. Karsten Jorgensen and Peter Gotzsche of the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen analyzed breast cancer trends at least seven years before and after government-run screening programs for breast cancer started in parts of Australia, Britain, Canada, Norway and Sweden.

The research was published Friday in the BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal. Jorgensen and Gotzsche did not cite any funding for their study.

Washington, July 10: A recent study revealed that ordinary household vinegar popularly used to garnish salad dressings, pickles and other foods has ability to fight fat.

Vinegar is used in various folk medicines for treatment of a range of diseases. The recent study has given scientific evidence of the fat fighting ability of the vinegar. Some studies have also shown that vinegar, called acetic acid, can help in controlling blood pressure and blood sugar.

Washington, July 10: A recent study has revealed that stress can add extra pound to already overweight persons. The present times are full of stress. Men and women have to face stress in every sphere of life. Everyone has to deal with lot of problems in personal as well professional life, which ultimately leads to stress.

The research team, led by Jason P. Block, MD, MPH, of Harvard, analyzed data collected from a nationally representative group of 1,355 men and women, from 1995 to
2004.

New Delhi, July 10: Six new cases of swine flu were reported on Thursday in the country, including three in the Capital, taking the total number of people infected with the influenza A(H1N1) virus to 164 so far, health officials said.

According to the Union Health Ministry, of the six new cases three are from Delhi and one each from Goa, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Those detected for the flu on Thursday include a four-and-a-half year old girl and a 78-year-old woman.

“About 1,040 people have been tested so far, of whom 164 have tested positive for influenza A (H1N1),” a statement said.

Washington, July 10: Is the explosive growth of obesity worldwide being triggered by an infectious agent? Investigators are closing in on the role of oral bacteria as a potential direct contributor to obesity.

J.M. Goodson and colleagues, who carried out a recent study, measured salivary bacterial populations of overweight women.

Saliva was collected from 313 women with a body mass index (BMI, weight to height ratio) between 27 and 32 and bacterial populations were measured by DNA probe analysis. A BMI above 25 is a sign of being overweight.

Washington, July 10: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says that a vaccine for swine flu should be available by mid-October.

The announcement came after the government renewed plans for an outbreak during the fall flu season. The vaccine could be ready for testing in August.

Sebelius added that the government would on Friday begin to hand out USD 350 million to states and local communities to help combat the A-H1N1 virus, DPA reported on Thursday.

Bhubaneswar, July 10: In a remarkable feat, a team of railway doctors have successfully removed a 10-kg tumour from a patient at East Coast Railway (ECOR) Central Hospital here.

The surgery was conducted for the first time at the newly established hospital yesterday, a senior railway official said adding it was a rare type of tumour.

The patient was recovering fast.

–PTI

New Delhi, july 10: If watching actors smoke on screen attracts youngsters to smoking, playing team sports keeps them away from the butt, says a report in the latest issue of Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

The study said participation in team sports plays a protective role against established smoking, even in the face of exposure to smoking on screen. Parents, teachers, coaches should thus encourage youngsters to participate in team sports to minimise chances of their picking up the stick.

Panaji, July 10: The second suspected A(H1N1) flu patient, who arrived here from US, on Thursday tested positive for the virus.

The throat swab samples of the 31-year-old male were sent to National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Delhi which has tested positive, State nodal officer for A(H1N1) flu Rajendra Tamba told PTI.

The patient has been quarantined at a facility in Chicalim, 30 kms away from the city of Panaji.

Mr. Tamba said that the patient, who is a Goan, is a seafarer and was staying in America for the last five months.

New Delhi, July 09: It was an event that deeply moved some Indian parliamentarians, including Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma, when nearly 50 HIV positive children Thursday urged them to put an end to the stigma they face by passing the AIDS bill.

‘How long can we live with stigma and discrimination,’ asked a 14-year-old boy, who contracted the disease from his parents, leaving Sangma emotional.

Mumbai, July 09: Indian drug major Cipla was issued notices by the drug pricing authority for allegedly over-pricing two drugs. The regulator has asked the company to pay up Rs.67.12 crore ($13.8 million) as penalty.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has issued demand notices to the company asking it to pay ‘an amount of Rs.64.39 crore comprising allegedly over-charged amount of Rs.43.29 crore and interest thereon of Rs.21.1 crore up to June 2009 in respect of the drug Salbutamol’, Cipla said in a regulatory statement Thursday.

New Delhi, July 09: Pictorial warnings about the dangers of smoking have finally hit the market, more than a month after they were due — but they are far from being gory as they were meant to be.

One such packet, bought Thursday, showed a hazy picture of what appeared to be an individual wearing a white tie with an arrow pointing to a red spot on a black shirt.

What it perhaps intended to show was a cancerous spot on the lungs caused by smoking.

The packet carried a red and white band declaring ‘Smoking kills’ and another message in black and white: ‘Tobacco causes cancer’.

Ranchi, July 09: Seven students were in critical condition Thursday after eating the mid-day meal in a Jharkhand school into which a lizard had fallen, police said.

The incident occurred at the Rajkiya Madhya Vidalaya in Dhanbad district’s Chungi Rajganj area, around 270 km from Ranchi.

Some 70 students vomitted and complained of stomach pain. They were taken to a hospital where most of them were discharged.

–IANS–

New Delhi, July 09: India spends a mere Rs.37 per head every month to provide healthcare facilities for its one billion plus citizens, a reply tabled in the Lok Sabha has revealed.

‘The per capita expenditure for the years 2006-07 to 2008-09 is in the range of Rs.300 to Rs. 450,’ Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in a written reply. At the top end of the scale, this works out to Rs.37 a day.

New Delhi, July 09: Five new swine flu cases were reported in India Wednesday, taking the total number of people infected with the influenza A(H1N1) virus to 158 in the country, health officials said here.

Of the five new cases, two were reported from Srinagar and one each from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

‘So far, 1,007 people have been tested, of whom 158 have tested positive for Influenza A(H1N1),’ a statement issued here said.

An official said, of the 1,007 people tested for swine flu, 303 were identified through entry screening at the 22 international airports.