Health

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Adani Foundation has unveiled its "Butterfly Effect" framework that has been empowering women at every stage of their lives.The ‘Butterfly Effect’ is a transformative approach that addresses the evolving needs of women through every stage of their lives.It was unveiled at the first national-level roundtable consultation on Wednesday, in New Delhi, ahead of the upcoming International Women’s Day on March 8.The roundtable served as an important platform to engage stakeholders and derive strategic insights on pathways to enhance the outreach and impact of women-centric interventions. It also aimed at identifying newer collaborations to scale up the socioeconomic empowerment of women across all age groups pan India."Our interventions are designed to ensure equitable ac...

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20 (IANS) The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) is aimed at strengthening healthcare infrastructure and fostering indigenous innovation, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.The minister noted that the PMSSY initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen India’s healthcare infrastructure."The scheme is designed to provide quality medical care while promoting indigenous innovation in health-related R&D," he said while inaugurating the PMSSY-driven upgraded super-specialty Neurosurgery and Cardiovascular Surgery Building Block at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Thiruvananthapuram.He emphasised that the PM Narendra Modi government's new initiatives are aimed at making quality health...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) A team of US and Canadian researchers has found that a simple blood test can help determine which mothers are more likely to deliver a baby preterm, an advance that may lead to the development of a universal screening strategy to prevent preterm births that can both cause harm to the mother and the baby.Researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto showed that low levels of placental growth factor (PlGF) -- a protein that signals placental development -- are associated with preterm birth. Preterm birth is defined as a birth before 34 weeks' gestation.Their findings, published in JAMA Network Open, also suggests that a simple blood test to detect the level in expectant mothers could alert physicians to a need for enhanced monitoring and deliver...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) A team of scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali -- an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) -- has identified some common metabolites of hard to detect pancreatic and glioma cancers, which can boost their early diagnosis and lead to better treatment outcomes.The team identified metabolites in exosomes derived from pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and glioma cancer cell line, which offers potential universal biomarkers resulting in enhanced clinical applicability.“This offers a potential non-invasive method for early cancer diagnosis as well as therapeutic strategies for cancer,” said the researchers in the paper, published in the journal Nanoscale.Aggressive cancers like pancreatic and glioma canc...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to revolutionise drug discovery in India, and enable the country to become a global hub for pharmaceutical advancements, said Dr. Balram Bhargava, Former Director General, ICMR. He was speaking at the 9th "International Symposium on Current Trends in Drug Discovery Research” at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow.“India's strength in drug discovery stems from its rich heritage in chemistry, making it a global hub for pharmaceutical advancements,” said Bhargava, Dean and Senior Consultant, Holy Family Hospital, New Delhi.“The integration of Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionise drug discovery, accelerating research and reducing costs,” he added.The expert noted that Ind...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Tech advancements and expanding healthcare access are driving the surgical market in India, according to a report on Thursday.The report by 1Lattice showed that India’s healthcare sector is witnessing a transformative shift, with its surgical landscape evolving rapidly due to increasing demand for high-quality and cost-effective procedures.India performs an estimated Rs 3 crore surgeries annually, with general surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology emerging as the dominant specialties. The report highlights key trends, including the rising adoption of robotic-assisted surgeries (RAS), the shift toward minimally invasive procedures, and the expansion of healthcare services into Tier II and beyond. These developments, combined with growing medical tourism and advance...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) In a bid to tackle the escalating burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday launched a nationwide screening drive against hypertension (also known as high BP), diabetes and cancer in adults aged over 30 years and above. The Intensified Special NCD Screening Campaign will run from February 20 to March 31.The campaign “aims to achieve 100 per cent screening of all individuals aged 30 years and above for prevalent NCDs, including diabetes, hypertension, and three common cancers -- oral, breast, and cervical,” said the ministry.“The Government of India is steadfast in its commitment to strengthening preventive healthcare and ensuring universal access to quality health services under the Ayushman Bha...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Adults with chronic back pain must not be given spine injections as they provide little or no pain relief compared with sham injections, according to an international study, published on Thursday.A team of clinicians and patients from Canada, the US, and Australia strongly recommended against epidural steroid injections and nerve blocks for people living with chronic back pain (lasting at least three months) that is not associated with cancer, infection, or inflammatory arthritis.Chronic back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide -- estimated to affect one in five adults aged 20-59. Older adults tend to suffer more with the condition. Epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and radiofrequency ablation (using radio waves to destroy nerves) are widely ...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) India has seen a more than 30 per cent reduction in the suicide death rate in India from 1990 to 2021, according to a study published in The Lancet Public Health on Thursday, marking a significant progress in health strategies.The analysis, based on the results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, showed that the suicide death rate in India was 18.9 per lakh population in 1990, in 2019 it stood at 13·1 lakh per lakh population and 13 per lakh population in 2021.From 1990 to 2021, the suicide death rate in India declined to 31·5 per cent.The reduction in death rates by suicide was seen more in females than males. In 1990 suicide death rate among females stood at 16·8 per lakh population, which reduced to 10·3 per lakh popul...

Hyderabad, Feb 19 (IANS) A lawyer of the Secunderabad City Civil & Criminal Court collapsed and died on Wednesday, in the second such incident in the city in two days. B. Venkata Ramana, collapsed in the premises of the Indian Bank's Marredpally Branch. He is reported to have sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot.The 58-year-old had come to the bank to pay a challan when he suddenly collapsed and succumbed. It is suspected that the lawyer suffered cardiac arrest.This is the second such incident in the city in as many days.Lawyer Pasnooru Venugopal Rao suffered a heart attack while arguing a case before the Telangana High Court on Tuesday and breathed his last. He was 66.Rao was making submissions before Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty when he felt uneasy and collapsed. H...