Health

New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) In the first-ever study, Australian researchers have demonstrated the feasibility and safety of using stabilised hyaluronic acid (sHA) gel during radiation treatment for gynaecological cancers.The gel is already approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration for use in prostate cancer radiation treatment.The team led by experts from Monash University investigated hyaluronic acid gel for the first time in women as a means to gently create more space between the tumour and the rectum during MRI-guided brachytherapy -- a type of internal radiation treatment.By creating this space, clinicians aimed to reduce radiation exposure to the rectum, allowing a higher dose of radiation to reach the tumour with more effective targeting, reducing damage to healthy tissu...

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) Integrating ocean science and biotechnology will help strengthen India’s economy, environment, and employment, said Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, on Saturday.Singh said this while on a visit to the Atal Centre for Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (ACOSTI) to launch and review key marine technology initiatives aimed at strengthening the Blue Economy and livelihoods in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands."India’s future economic value addition will increasingly come from untapped marine resources as the country moves rapidly towards becoming one of the world’s top economies,” the Minister said.He highlighted that the government’s strong focus on the Blue Economy reflects Prime Minis...

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) India accounted for the second‑highest global use of US AI firm Anthropic's Claude.ai, with most activity concentrated in technical and software development work, a report has said.The report from Anthropic said that five of the top 10 use cases in India fall within software development and that 45.2 per cent of use cases revolve around computer and mathematical work.The report highlighted that Indian users are two times overrepresented in the survey conducted on Claude's usage in CSS, HTML, and UI styling tasks and 1.7 times overrepresented in building and debugging web applications.Other distinct Indian use cases include developing AI systems such as chatbots and workflow automation at 1.5 times representation, and that users also employ Claude for job searching,...

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) Adolescent girls who actively partake in recreational physical activity can have significant protection against risks of breast cancer, according to a study.Researchers from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in the US showed that recreational physical activity may be associated with breast tissue composition and biomarkers of stress in adolescent girls.In the study, girls who reported engaging in at least two hours of recreational physical activity in the prior week, compared with none, had lower percent water content in breast tissue -- an indicator of lower breast density and lower concentrations of urinary biomarkers linked to stress.The findings, published in the journal Breast Cancer Research, shed new light on how physical activity durin...

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has reiterated its dedication to foster entrepreneurship, innovation in Ayurveda through its startup incubation centre, Incubation Centre for Ayurveda Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIIA-iCAINE), the Ministry of Ayush said.Through AIIA-iCAINE, the Institute supports new-age ventures that contribute to evidence-based, sustainable, and inclusive health solutions.“AIIA-iCAINE continues to empower innovators by providing a structured platform to transform ideas into impactful enterprises,” the Ministry said.The Institute also successfully organised an awareness programme on MSME opportunities for Ayurveda-based startups on the occasion of National Startup Day 2026 on Friday.The programme was conducted in collaboration with t...

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) Mother’s intake of paracetamol during pregnancy does not raise the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disability in children, according to a new study on Saturday, which further refutes claims made by US President Donald Trump about the common painkiller.Speaking at a White House event in September, Trump had called on mothers-to-be to “tough it out” rather than take acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) -- the main ingredient in Tylenol.Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is the most commonly used analgesic and antipyretic during pregnancy, recommended globally as a first-line option for pain relief and fever reduction. Its safety profile is generally more favourable than that of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs a...

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) The government reportedly plans to launch a microcredit programme in April 2026, offering collateral‑free loans of up to Rs 10,000 per annum to gig workers, domestic helpers, and other vulnerable groups.The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is apparently designing the scheme on the lines of the PM Street Vendors Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM‑SVANidhi), which provides street vendors with small working‑capital loans, according to reports.Under PM‑SVANidhi, vendors receive initial loans starting at Rs 10,000, and on timely repayment, they become eligible for subsequent tranches of Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000, along with a 7 per cent interest subsidy and additional incentives for adopting digital payments.The new scheme aims to help gig and platform workers -- many of whom la...

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) A team of Australian researchers has tested a new way of treating childhood brain cancer by combining two medicines in lab studies.The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, found that using the two treatments together may work better than using either on its own.The team from the Children's Cancer Institute and University of New South Wales, tested a combined therapy approach on a group of difficult-to-treat brain tumours: diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) in the lab.This group includes diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) -- a rare but fatal childhood brain cancer and a type of DMG. Children diagnosed with DIPG usually survive for about 12 months."We recognise that no single drug treatment is able to eradicate the most aggressive of brain ...

New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) worked to transform India’s scientific ecosystem by reinventing roads using green technology, protecting biodiversity, and boosting healthcare with indigenous diagnostic kits, according to a report.In 2015, CSIR’s laboratories across the country played a significant role in developing innovations that strengthened infrastructure, improved healthcare outcomes, enhanced climate resilience, and reinforced India’s strategic autonomy, the Times of Oman reported.“The year 2025 will be remembered as a defining chapter in India’s scientific journey -- one in which research moved decisively from laboratories to the heart of national development,” the report said.Under the CSIR, the green technology was scaled up for e...

New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative, a flagship national programme implemented by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has trained over 2 lakh workers across the country, the Ministry of Science & Technology said on Friday.“During phase I and II of the Initiative, more than 1.90 lakh individuals were trained, through 5200+ skill-based trainings, including special targeted initiatives for rural citizens and women,” the Ministry said.The third phase of the initiative was officially launched in June 2025 by Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR, and Secretary, DSIR, with a reinvigorated focus on advanced skilling, bridging academia-industry gaps, and accelerating development and growth.“The first year of the third phase of this initiative...