Health

Mumbai, Aug 14 (IANS) AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited on Thursday reported a 4.12 per cent decline in net profit for the first quarter (Q1) of FY26, with earnings falling to Rs 55.8 crore from Rs 58.2 crore in the previous quarter (Q4 FY25). This dip came despite a strong rise in revenue from operations, which grew 9.56 per cent sequentially to Rs 526.3 crore from Rs 480.4 crore, according to its stock exchange filing.Other income saw a sharp decline of 30.43 per cent, dropping to Rs 11.2 crore from Rs 16.1 crore in Q4 FY25.However, total income rose 8.23 per cent to Rs 537.5 crore from Rs 496.6 crore, driven by solid operational performance.Total expenses increased by 12.12 per cent to Rs 462.4 crore, compared to Rs 412.4 crore in the previous quarter, the company stated in its regulator...

Seoul, Aug 14 (IANS) Seven out of 10 dog farms in South Korea have closed their doors since the country enacted a law banning dog meat consumption a year earlier, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday.Of a total of 1,537 dog farms nationwide, 1,072, or 70 percent, have shut down their operations since the special bill on banning dog meat consumption took effect in August last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.The shuttered farms had raised 346,000 dogs, which account for 74 percent of the 468,000 dogs raised for meat across the country, reports Yonhap news agency.By the end of 2025, more than 75 percent of the farms are expected to have closed their doors, according to the ministry.A ministry official said the closure rate was higher than expected t...

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Researchers from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela have uncovered how natural sugar-like molecules in the human body can alter the behaviour of a protein responsible for bone formation and repair.The findings, published in the journal Biochemistry, can be used for advanced treatments in bone and cartilage regeneration, improved implants, and more effective protein-based medicines.From building tissues and supporting chemical reactions to acting as signals between cells, proteins carry out various functions in the human body.However, for the best productivity, they need to be folded or unfolded into precise three-dimensional shapes. Understanding why and how proteins unfold is a major goal in biology, with implications for medicine, biotechnology, ...

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Amid increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medicine, a new study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal, showed that doctors regularly performing AI-assisted colonoscopies may lose their ability to detect precancerous growths (adenomas) in the colon without AI assistance.Colonoscopy, typically performed by an endoscopist, enables the detection and removal of adenomas, leading to the prevention of bowel cancer.Numerous trials have shown that the use of AI to assist colonoscopies increases the detection of adenomas, generating much enthusiasm for the technology.However, there is a lack of research into how continuous use of AI affects endoscopist skills, with suggestions that it could be either positive, by training clinician...

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Even as India aims to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) by 2027, the five-pronged strategy led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is showing results, said Dr NK Ganguly, former Director General at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).Speaking to IANS, Ganguly highlighted the government’s efforts towards eliminating the painful and profoundly disfiguring disease, commonly known as elephantiasis.With an estimated 67 crore people at risk -- accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the global disease burden -- LF continues to place a heavy toll on India’s health system.“Around 7.5 lakh individuals in India live with debilitating LF-related conditions such as lymphoedema and hydrocele. These conditions not only cause physical discomfort but also sub...

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Women with Down syndrome have more advanced signs of Alzheimer's disease than men do, according to research.However, the average age of Down syndrome diagnosis is the same for both men and women, said the University of California, Irvine.The study suggests that women with Down syndrome may carry a higher burden of beta amyloid and phosphorylated tau -- two hallmark Alzheimer's proteins -- than men. It was particularly high in the occipital lobe in women with sporadic Alzheimer's disease -- the more common, late-onset form of Alzheimer's that occurs without a clear genetic cause.This insight points to the need for more sex-specific approaches in both Alzheimer's research and treatment planning, especially in the design of clinical trials."Understanding selective vul...

Shillong, Aug 12 (IANS) The Meghalaya government, on Tuesday, launched Shillong's first Public Electric Bicycle Sharing (PBS) System, marking a milestone in clean, sustainable, and people-centric urban transport for the Northeast.Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma along with fitness icon Milind Soman, ceremonially inaugurated the city's first PBS docking station and e-cycles. Chief Minister Sangma said, "The programme is driven by a commitment to meaningfully benefit the city, its citizens, and tourists, rather than being a superficial effort. It is a part of a broader thought process and a larger goal, necessitating a comprehensive and inclusive policy to address various aspects of urban mobility."He highlighted that Shillong has the potential to become a "walkable city", noting that 80 p...

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) A team of US scientists showed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help detect early larynx or voice box cancer from the sound of the patient’s voice.Cancer of the voice box is an important public health burden. In 2021, there were an estimated 1.1 million cases of laryngeal cancer worldwide, and approximately 100,000 people died from it.Risk factors include smoking, alcohol abuse, and infection with human papillomavirus.The prognosis for laryngeal cancer ranges from 35 per cent to 78 per cent survival over five years when treated, depending on the tumour’s stage and its location within the voice box.Now, researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University showed that abnormalities of the vocal folds can be detected from the sound of the voice using AI.Su...

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Cats with dementia share brain changes similar to humans with Alzheimer’s disease, offering a valuable model for studying the condition, according to a study on Tuesday.Scientists at the University of Edinburgh in the UK discovered a build-up of the toxic protein amyloid-beta in the brains of cats with the condition -- one of the defining features of Alzheimer’s disease.Many older cats develop dementia, leading to behavioural changes such as increased vocalisation -- or meowing -- confusion and disrupted sleep -- symptoms similar to those seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease.“The findings offer a clearer picture of how amyloid beta may lead to age-related brain dysfunction and memory loss in cats,” said Robert I. McGeachan, corresponding author, from the Centre ...

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) US researchers have identified a potential biomarker for long Covid that may help develop better diagnostics and potential treatments for the condition.Currently, clinicians confer a diagnosis of long Covid based upon a collection of symptoms that patients develop after SARS-CoV-2 infection.The study, reported in the journal Infection, details the detection of SARS-CoV-2 protein fragments within extracellular vesicles (EVs) -- tiny, naturally occurring packages that help cells share proteins, metabolites, and other materials."If a patient arrives in clinic and they relate the persistence of typical signs and symptoms of long Covid, 12 weeks or more after Covid-19 infection, I give them a presumptive diagnosis, but I don't have any blood tests or biomarkers to confi...