Health

New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) A 43-year-old UK man has been declared free from deadly glioblastoma -- the most aggressive and common type of primary brain tumour -- after taking the new immunotherapy drug.Ben Trotman was 40 years old when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma.He became the first patient in the world to participate in a groundbreaking trial of the immunotherapy drug -- ipilimumab -- at the University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in the UK.Trotman received ipilimumab before the standard treatment when the immune system is at its strongest.Following treatment, he underwent the current standard treatment of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.More than two and a half years on from treatment, “Trotman is doing well with no active tumour present on scans,” the university said in...

New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) Amid resurgence of measles outbreak in the US and Canada, India has seen a surge in vaccine coverage for the highly contagious disease, Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, said in the Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session on Tuesday.In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Patel informed that the measles vaccine is provided free of cost across the country, including in vulnerable regions, under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).“As per Health Management Information System (HMIS) (2024-25), the coverage of Measles containing Vaccine 1st dose (MCV-1) & 2nd dose (MCV-2) stands at 97.8 per cent and 93.3 per cent respectively,” the MoS said.India aims to eliminate measles and rubella by 2026. Data from the World Hea...

Mumbai, July 22 (IANS) Blue Jet Healthcare Limited on Tuesday reported a 17.18 per cent drop on sequential basis in its net profit for the April–June quarter (Q1) of FY26, with earnings falling to Rs 91.1 crore from Rs 110 crore in the previous quarter. Following the earnings report, the company’s shares hit a 10 per cent lower circuit on Tuesday, closing at Rs 906.15 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).Total expenses also jumped significantly by 16.89 per cent to Rs 240.1 crore, according to its stock exchange filing.However, the company’s revenue from operations rose to Rs 354.7 crore in Q1, up from Rs 340.4 crore in the previous quarter -- marking a 4.2 per cent growth.Total income also increased by 2.95 per cent to Rs 363 crore during the quarter, the company said in its regulatory fi...

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) In a significant breakthrough, an international team of researchers has created a genetic test called a polygenic risk score (PGS) that predicts the risk of obesity in early childhood.The test, which predicts the risk of obesity by age 5, may be key to identifying children and adolescents at higher genetic risk of developing the condition. It may help to target them with preventative strategies, such as lifestyle interventions, at a younger age."What makes the score so powerful is its ability to predict, before the age of five, whether a child is likely to develop obesity in adulthood, well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. Intervening at this point can have a huge impact," said lead author Roelof Smit, Assistant Professor f...

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited expressions of interest (EoI) from eligible companies and manufacturers to undertake the transfer of technology for the commercialisation of the IgM ELISA Kit for detecting Chikungunya -- a vector-borne disease.The IgM-based diagnostic ELISA kit for Chikungunya virus detection, developed by the ICMR- National Institute of Virology, aims to enable the detection of chikungunya virus-specific IgM antibodies in patient serum. It will aid in the early diagnosis of individuals presenting symptoms consistent with the infection."ICMR-Medical Innovations Patent Mitra is offering its validated Chikungunya IgM ELISA Kit for technology transfer and commercialisation. The kit is developed for early-stage detection, is c...

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) The increasing resistance to antibiotics may not only lead to an increase in deaths but may also surge treatment costs from the current $66 billion per year to $159 billion per year by 2050, according to a study.Antibiotic-resistant bacteria or superbugs, which emerge due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, can increase the number of hospital admissions and lead to longer and more intensive hospital stays. Resistant infections are roughly twice as expensive to treat as those for which antibiotics are effective, posing a significant threat to global health and economic stability. However, its impact would be more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, noted the study.The study by the think tank Center for Global Development integrates human health bu...

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) More than a lack of exercise, a higher caloric intake may be the primary driver of obesity worldwide, finds a study.While many experts have offered that rising obesity rates are due to declining physical activity as societies become more industrialised, the findings led by researchers from Duke University in the US, show that people in wealthier countries expend just as much -- or even more -- energy daily.“It’s clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity,” said Herman Pontzer, principal investigator and Professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the varsity.In an article recently published in the journal PNAS, the researchers analysed thousands of measurements of daily energy expenditure, body fat percentage, a...

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) Children who own a smartphone before the age of 13 are more likely to experience poorer mental health and well-being in early adulthood, according to a global study of more than 100,000 young people released on Monday.The study, published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, found that 18- to 24-year-olds who had received their first smartphone at age 12 or younger were more likely to report suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, poorer emotional regulation, and low self-worth.Smartphones give early social media access and increase the risks of cyberbullying, disrupted sleep, and poor family relationships by adulthood, the team said."Our data indicates that early smartphone ownership -- and the social media access it often brings ...

New York, July 20 (IANS) A team of US researchers has found that inhaling agricultural dust may pose significant risks to gut health for workers in animal agriculture.Led by Declan McCole, a professor of biomedical sciences in the, a University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, the study expands on prior findings that hog farm dust causes airway inflammation. The study in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found that inhaling this dust also alters the gut microbiome and impairs intestinal function, including increased “leaky gut” or intestinal permeability. Leaky gut is associated with a range of chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and type 1 diabetes.“Exposure to swine farm dust, which contains high levels of bacteria and endotoxins, caused bo...

London, July 20 (IANS) New research has suggested that vaccination of pregnant women has been linked to a drop in newborns being admitted to hospital with a serious lung infection.Researchers found the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, introduced across the UK in late summer 2024, led to a 72 per cent reduction in babies hospitalised with the virus if mothers were vaccinated.The findings, published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, are the first to show the real-world effectiveness of the vaccine in pregnant women in the UK.Uptake of the jab among pregnant women could help to limit the number of sick babies each winter, reducing hospital pressures, experts say.RSV is a common virus that causes coughs and colds but can lead to a severe lung infection called bro...