Health

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Amid the surging number of cancer cases in women, a new study on Tuesday found its association with increasing global warming conditions.In the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, scientists found that global warming in the Middle East and North Africa is making breast, ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer more common and more deadly.While the rise in rates is small it is statistically significant and suggests a notable increase in cancer risk and fatalities over time.“As temperatures rise, cancer mortality among women also rises -- particularly for ovarian and breast cancers,” said Dr Wafa Abuelkheir Mataria of the American University in Cairo.“Although the increases per degree of temperature rise are modest, their cumulative public health...

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) With India on the brink of becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy, the milestone will boost the country’s manufacturing and medical technology sector, according to the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) on Tuesday.NITI Aayog on Monday said India is set to become the fourth largest economy in the world by overtaking Japan by the end of 2025.The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) report released in April, said that India is expected to be the fourth largest economy in the world with a GDP of $4.19 trillion in 2025, ahead of Japan.For the medical devices sector, the achievement will boost indigenous manufacturing and self-reliance, said Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator of the AiMeD.“A growing economy allows us t...

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) The recent directive by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to install "Sugar Boards" in schools is an essential public health measure that also aligns with global nutrition goals, said health experts on Tuesday.Amid increasing cases of diabetes and obesity among young children, the CBSE, last week, instructed over 24,000 affiliated schools across India to establish sugar boards.The Sugar Boards will provide essential information, including recommended sugar intake, the sugar content in commonly consumed foods (such as junk food and cold drinks), health risks associated with high sugar consumption, and healthier dietary alternatives.“This initiative educates children about the dangers of excessive sugar consumption, which is a major contributor to child...

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) A carefully distilled guide to inner harmony and mindfulness, drawing on ancient Indian arts and sciences, is fast emerging as the choice of readers.Ishan Shivanand's "The Practice of Immortality: A Monk’s Guide to Discovering Your Unlimited Potential for Health, Happiness, and Positivity" provides a practical perspective for personal transformation through ancient yogic secrets.As per its publishers, the work, intended to be both a philosophical exploration and a hands-on guide, focuses on reorienting readers' relationship with time, stress, and internal conflict -- key issues of contemporary life.It draws on the acclaimed Acharya and mental health researcher's two decades of monastic training and a 21-generation yogic lineage to introduce Yoga of Immortals (YOI) ...

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) India is emerging as a trusted destination for holistic and evidence-based wellness, said Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Ayush.He was speaking at the South Regional Summit on Ayush Medical Value Travel, held in Chennai.With over 1,600 Ayush Visas issued to citizens from more than 75 countries, “India is emerging as a trusted destination for holistic, evidence-based wellness”, Jadhav said.Jadhav also emphasised the importance of India’s traditional systems -- ayurveda, siddha, yoga and naturopathy, unani, sowa rigpa, and homeopathy -- in a post-pandemic world that increasingly values safe, scientifically backed, and sustainable health approaches.“States must develop wellness models that are both culturally rooted and globally relevant, st...

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) Covid-19 infections are increasing in India but there is nothing to worry about as these are not severe, Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl said on Monday.Bahl also assured that the government is actively monitoring the cases.As per the latest data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has 1,009 cases of Covid, with Kerala (430), Maharashtra (209), and Delhi (104) reporting the highest number of cases. Seven deaths have also been reported from Maharashtra (4), Kerala (2) and Karnataka (1).The Director General stated that the seriousness of the situation depends on "how transmissible the virus is -- that is, how quickly the cases are increasing". While previous cases used to double in a day or earlier, this time it does...

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) People with poor sleep for just three nights may be at an increased risk of developing heart diseases, according to a study.With chronic lack of sleep growing as a public health concern, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden found that disturbed sleep may raise inflammation, increasing the risk of heart disease. “Many of the larger studies that have been done on the link between sleep deprivation and the risk of cardiovascular diseases have generally focused on slightly older individuals who already have an increased risk of such diseases. That is why it was interesting that the levels of these proteins increased in the same way in younger and previously perfectly healthy individuals after only a few nights of sleep deprivation. This means that it’s importa...

Chandigarh, May 26 (IANS) In a significant milestone, Chandigarh-based PGIMER’s Department of Neurosurgery has treated over 100 pituitary tumor cases, comprising one of the tallest recorded patients at 7 feet 7 inches.Acromegaly, a hormonal disorder caused by functional pituitary adenomas, is treated through the endoscopic transnasal approach -- a minimally invasive technique that avoids any incision on the head.The neurosurgery team, led by Dr Rajesh Chhabra, Dr Apinderpreet Singh, and Dr Shilpi Bose, performed 100 intricate procedures with support from the neuroanaesthesia team led by Dr Rajeev Chauhan and assisted by Dr Ikjot and Dr Drishti Parekh.The operation theatre team, including OT technician Gurpreet Singh, played a crucial role in ensuring these smooth and safe surgeries, the Po...

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS, a common endocrine disorder in women, can affect attention and other cognitive abilities, according to a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Monday.Women with PCOS often suffer from irregular or absent periods, polycystic ovaries, and increased levels of male hormone (androgen).While previous research showed an increased level of anxiety and depression among women with PCOS, the new study focussed on attention -- the precursor for all vital cognitive processing such as receiving, understanding, and making sense of the information.Maitreyi Redkar and Prof Azizuddin Khan from the Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the IIT Bombay assessed two groups of p...

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) Australian researchers have developed a new, rapid testing method to help diagnose rare diseases in babies and children.There are more than 7,000 types of disease caused by mutations in more than 5,000 known genes, affecting approximately 300 million individuals worldwide.Currently, about half of all patients with a suspected rare disease remain undiagnosed, and existing testing methods for undiagnosed conditions are typically slow.Researchers from the University of Melbourne developed a new blood-based method of analysing thousands of proteins in a single, untargeted test.The DNA sequence of most genes is the code to produce proteins, the molecular machines of our cells and tissues, said Dr. Daniella Hock, a Senior Postdoctoral student at the varsity, while presen...