Health

Seoul, May 25 (IANS) The number of coffee shops, eateries and convenience stores in South Korea is on the wane amid a prolonged economic slowdown and sluggish domestic demand, data showed on Sunday.According to data compiled by the National Tax Service (NTS), 95,337 cafes were in service in the first quarter, down 743 stores from the same period last year, reports Yonhap news agency.It marks the first time the number of coffee shops has declined since record-keeping began in 2018.That year, there were 45,203 cafes before the figure jumped to 53,102 in 2019, 62,916 in 2020, 72,847 in 2021, 85,609 in 2022 and 93,913 in 2023.The number of coffee shops peaked at 96,080 last year before falling this year.The downward trend also applied to restaurant businesses in general, with the number of fas...

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) The scientific validation of traditional medicine is crucial for its growth, said Vaidya Rajesh Kotech, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush.Kotech said this while speaking at a side event of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.Kotech underscored the urgent need for integration between basic sciences, conventional systems of medicine, and traditional systems of medicine.The event, convened by the Group of Friends of Traditional Medicine in Geneva, under the title “Traditional Medicine: From Traditional Heritage to Frontier Science, for ‘Health for All,” the event marked a significant milestone: the 50th anniversary of the World Health Organization's (WHO) first Traditional Medicine Programme.It also heralded the next chapter in int...

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Infectious animal diseases are affecting new areas and species, with half (47 per cent) having zoonotic -- or animal-to-human – potential, raising the risk of newer pandemics, according to a global report.The new annual assessment, published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), provides the first comprehensive review of animal disease trends, risks, and challenges, from the uptake and availability of vaccines to the use of antibiotics in animals.It showed that the reported number of avian influenza outbreaks in mammals more than doubled last year compared to 2023 with 1,022 outbreaks across 55 countries compared to 459 outbreaks in 2023.While its risk to humans remains low, the more mammalian species such as cattle, cats, or dogs are infected, the gr...

Washington, May 24 (IANS) The US Trade Representative (USTR) has kicked off a process to collect public comments on cases of the suppression of pharmaceutical product prices below market value in foreign countries, as it seeks to stop what it calls "freeloading" on US-financed medical research.The USTR's efforts to collect comments by June 27 came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month to lower the cost of prescription drugs for American citizens to match prices paid in other countries, reports Yonhap news agency.The move spawned concerns that South Korean pharmaceutical firms could come under U.S. scrutiny, given that the USTR has taken issue with the Asian country's pricing policies for pharmaceuticals."USTR invites comments from interested parties rega...

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Swedish researchers have tracked how nerve cells get activated by weight loss drugs such as semaglutide and how it affects the brain.Semaglutide belongs to a group of drugs called GLP-1R agonists and has been shown to effectively reduce food intake and body weight. The drug is already well established as part of the treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes but can cause side effects such as nausea and muscle loss.In the study, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg showed that it is possible to distinguish the nerve cells in the brain that control the beneficial effects --such as reduced food intake and fat loss -- from those that contribute to side effects.To investigate how semaglutide affects the brain, the researchers worked wit...

New York, May 24 (IANS) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning on Saturday that some popular allergy medications could cause a rare but severe itching side effect.The FDA said in a safety warning issued in mid-May that some patients who have taken oral allergy medicines daily for long periods, at least a few months but often several years, have experienced a severe type of itching, which is known medically as pruritus, Xinhua news agency reported.FDA warned about “rare but severe itching after stopping long-term use of oral allergy medicines cetirizine or levocetirizine (Zyrtec, Xyzal, and other trade names)”. It can occur with both prescription and over-the-counter forms of these medicines, the agency said.While the reported cases of severe itching side effects are rar...

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Australian researchers have developed a new blood test that can rapidly diagnose rare genetic diseases in babies and children. The simple blood test, developed by researchers from the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), eliminates the need for costly and invasive procedures.It can rapidly detect abnormalities in up to 50 per cent of all known rare genetic diseases in a matter of days. The test works by analysing the pathogenicity of thousands of gene mutations at once, potentially replacing thousands of other functional tests, said the team in the research, published in the journal Genome Medicine."A disease is rare if it affects fewer than one in 2,000 people and there are more than 7,000 different rare diseases, most of which...

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) An international team led by Chinese scientists has developed revolutionary contact lenses that allow humans to see near-infrared light, a breakthrough that could transform medical imaging and visual assistance technologies.The study, published in the journal Cell on Thursday, combines visual neuroscience with rare earth elements to create transparent, wearable lenses that convert invisible infrared light into visible images, Xinhua news agency reported.The human eye only detects light with wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometres, thus missing much of nature's information.Near-infrared light, with wavelengths between 700 and 2,500 nanometres, excels at penetrating biological tissue with minimal radiation damage.The researchers from the University of Science and ...

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) People with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infection are more likely to suffer from in-hospital cardiac events than those with flu or Covid-19, according to a study.Researchers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore conducted a nationwide study among 32,960 adults hospitalised for an RSV, flu, or Covid infection.They compared the risk of cardiovascular events (any cardiac, cerebrovascular, or thrombotic event) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission with or without a cardiovascular event among the patients.Of the 32,960 adult patients, 6.5 per cent had RSV, 43.7 per cent had flu, and 49.8 per cent had Covid.The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that about 11 per cent of RSV patients had a cardiovascular event.“One in 10 patien...

Rourkela, May 23 (IANS) Researchers at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela have designd a novel semiconductor device-based biosensor that can identify breast cancer cells without the need for complicated or expensive laboratory procedures.The device ‘TFET’ (Tunnel Field Effect Transistor) is based on TCAD (Technology Computer-Aided Design) simulation results, that can effectively detect breast cancer cells.FETs are commonly used in electronics, but here they have been adapted to function as a sensitive detector of biological materials.Unlike many traditional tests, this biosensor does not need any added chemicals or labels to work.It uses the physical properties of cancer cells to detect them. Cancerous breast tissues, which hold more water and are denser than healthy tissu...