Boston, July 09: Giving the “abortion pill” orally instead of vaginally and with antibiotics cut the risk of serious infection and death by 93%, researchers at Planned Parenthood reported on Wednesday.
The threat of infection is now down to 1 in 16,000 from one in 1,000, the researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Kathmandu, July 09: Over 100 people have been killed and more than 4,000 affected as Nepal’s ancient enemy diarrhoea struck remote districts, reports said.
Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), Nepal’s biggest rights agency with offices in all 75 districts, Thursday said the disease, which started in Jajarkot, a neglected district in western Nepal about 325 km west of Kathmandu, has assumed epidemic proportions. It has spread to three other adjacent districts: Salyan, Dailekh and Sukhet.
Sydney, July 09: 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.
Washington, July 09: Pregnant women who eat at least seven daily servings of fruits and vegetables cut down the risk of developing upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), according to a new study.
URTI include the common cold and sinus infections, which can lead to respiratory infections like asthma or pneumonia.
“Pregnant women may require more fruits and vegetables than usual because of the extra demands on the body,” said study co-author Martha M. Werler, professor at Slone Epidemiology Centre, Boston University Medical Centre (BUSM).
Washington, July 09: In a landmark research, neuroscientists have located the neurons responsible for fear conditioning in the mammalian brain, a development that will facilitate better understanding and treatment for human phobias and anxiety disorders.
Researchers at the University of Washington used an imaging technique, which enabled them to trace the process of neural activation in the brains of rats, to pinpoint the basolateral nucleus in the region of the brain, called the amygdala, as the place where fear conditioning is encoded.
Washington, July 09: A new review by Cochrane Researchers suggests that iron supplements do not increase the likelihood of contracting malaria and should not be withheld from children at risk of the disease.
“Based on our review, children should not be denied iron supplements, even if they are living in areas where malaria is prevalent. Iron is important for growth and development, and maintaining a healthy immune system,” says lead researcher Juliana Ojukwu of the Department of Paediatrics at the Ebonyi State University in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Washington, July 09: An antibiotic pill originally developed to help prevent rejection in organ transplant patients helps mice live longer and might offer a route to fighting age-related disease in people, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
The drug, called rapamycin or sirolimus and marketed under the brand name Rapamune by Wyeth, suppresses the immune system but also fights inflammation, which underlies cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and a range of other ills.
Washington, July 09: Roughly a fourth of American women getting early abortions last year did so with drugs rather than surgery, statistics show, as a new study reported improved safety in using the so-called “abortion pill.”
Some experts predict the percentage of such “medical abortions,” which offer more privacy than surgical termination at an abortion clinic or hospital, will rise even more due to the new study.
Washington, July 09: Have you ever covered yourself with a blanket to stave off the shivers? A new study shows that a blanket can also help alleviate shivering in patients who have been cooled to prevent brain damage.
Patients with brain injuries or dangerously high fevers are often cooled to reduce their core body temperature to prevent further damage and aid healing.
Washington, July 09: A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Chungbuk Oriental Medicine Center in South Korea are exploring the possibility of using Asian medicinal herbs to manage the global epidemic of Type II diabetes and obesity.
Young-Cheul Kim, a UMass Amherst assistant professor of nutrition and an expert in how fat cells develop in the body, will study molecular-level biological function of certain medicinal herbs such as the vetch, Astragalus, also known as milk vetch or huang chi.
London, July 09: Scientists claim to have created artificially human sperm in the laboratory for the first time, a major breakthrough which could pave the way for development of treatments for male infertility.
A team at the University of Newcastle has treated male embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with a range of substances, which converted them first into germline stem cells and subsequently into spermatogonial stem cells.
These divided to produce “haploid” spermatocytes with just 23 chromosomes, which went on to mature into sperm, the ‘New Scientist’ reported.
Kolkata, July 09: With malaria cases in Kolkata rising alarming, a West Bengal minister named global warming as one of the major reasons.
Health Minister Surya Kanto Mishra, who is a doctor himself, said global warming was one of the reasons for the rising cases of malaria in the city.
Even in cooler climes like Kalimpong in Darjeeling district, the disease has struck with a vengeance all because the snowfall has stopped there due to the warming of the climate, he said.
New Delhi, July 08: An anti-dengue drive to prevent mosquitoe breeding in the capital has been launched by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) though the region is drying up due to less than normal monsoon rains.
‘We have written a letter early this month to the civic authority, transport, health and education department besides all government offices to take preventive measures to check breeding of mosquitoes,’ said MCD chief medical officer N.K Yadav.
Gandhinagar, July 08: The Gujarat government has decided to set up a commission to probe the illicit liquor tragedy in Ahmedabad which has left 27 dead so far, State Home Minister Amit Shah told the Gujarat legislative assembly Wednesday. The minister during his reply to the opposition members, however, did not immediately provide any time line by which the commission would start probing the tragedy.
Pune, July 08: The government has plans to set up link Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) centres in jails to ensure the easy availability of drugs for HIV positive prisoners.
Presently, a review of the ART centres is underway and a national team including Dr B B Rewary, national coordinator for the government’s ART programme and other National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) officials will be visiting Pune on July 9 and 10.
Kolkata, July 08: Several children were taken ill after being allegedly administered out-of-date anti-Japanese encephalitis injections at a medical camp at Khanakul in Hooghly on Tuesday by a medical team of the district health department. A probe has been ordered.
District health authorities have rushed a medical team to Khanakul Block Primary Health Centre for treating the children for the “toxic effect” that could bring about serious health hazards.
Washington, July 08: African-Americans tend to die earlier from breast, ovarian and prostate cancer than patients of other races due to biological and genetic factors, not socioeconomic ones, a study said.
The analysis was the first to find that the disparities remain even when African-American patients receive identical medical treatment and other socioeconomic factors are controlled, said the authors of the study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Ottawa, July 08: A “novel” influenza type A virus was confirmed in two hog farm workers in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan, according to health authorities who stressed the virus was “non-pandemic.”
“A novel non-pandemic influenza A virus has been confirmed in two hog farm workers in Saskatchewan and a third case is under investigation,” the provincial authorities said, noting the workers had fully recovered.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said: “We are working closely with the province of Saskatchewan to learn as much as we can about this new flu virus.
Washington, July 07: Make sure that your daily diet contains breads, beans, potatoes, rice and cereals, for a new study says that these foods that are high in carbohydrates act as tumour suppressors in breast and prostate cancers.
A team at Burnham Institute for Medical Research has discovered that specialised complex sugar molecules (glycans) which anchor cells into place suppressors tumours in breast and prostate cancers.
Washington, July 07: Are you tired of compulsively pulling your hair? Well, now a common anti-oxidant, easily available as a health food supplement, may curb this habit.
Patients with the disorder, known as trichotillomania, reported an improvement after taking the supplement.
“Trichotillomania is compulsive in the sense that people can’t control it. People feel unable to stop the behaviour even though they know it is causing negative consequences,” said Jon Grant, professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota (U-M).
Nasik, July 07: Eight patients suspected to be suffering from dengue like symptoms were found here, an official said on Tuesday.
The blood samples of these patients have been sent to Pune’s National Institute of Virology for examination, health officer, Nasik Municipal Corporation, Dr Kondiram Pawar said.
Our staff is conducting survey to find out patients suffering from same symptoms and asking people how to take precautions, he said.
—PTI
Sydney, July 07: Many people link obesity, smoking, drugs and stress with infertility problems, but lifestyles could also come in the way of conception for many couples.
A University of Adelaide study has advised infertile couples to seek advice about their lifestyle before embarking on in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment or other assisted reproductive technologies.
London, July 07: Sleepless people sometimes use the Internet to get through the night. Now a small study shows promising results for insomniacs with nine weeks of Internet-based therapy.
No human therapist is involved. The Internet software gives advice, even specific bedtimes, based on users’ sleep diaries. Patients learn better sleep habits — like avoiding daytime naps — through stories, quizzes and games.
Washington, July 07: Schizophrenia, a mental disease, is thought to be caused by the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors.
Researchers have, however, identified additional genes that confirm what scientists have long suspected – that the immune system may play a role in the development of schizophrenia.
“Knowing these specific genes are involved in the pathway leading to schizophrenia provides unique clues as to which molecular mechanisms are involved,” said Roel Ophoff, professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
New Delhi, July 06: India’s health budget has gone up by nearly Rs.4,000 crore to Rs.21,113.33 crore ($4.35 billion) with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday giving special emphasis to the rural healthcare.
The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) that aims to provide quality healthcare to villagers Monday saw its budget allocation increase by Rs.2,057 crore.