Health

New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) Around 76,000 startups in India today are women-led and a large number of them from tier 2 and 3 cities, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said on Saturday.The minister said that India’s path to becoming a developed nation by 2047 will be led by empowered women and youth, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the paradigm of women-led development.Addressing a conference here, Dr Singh stated that over the last 11 years, the PM Modi government has focused its governance architecture around four pillars — the Poor, Farmers, Youth, and Women.“Women-centric governance has not only empowered individuals, but reshaped society. What began as targeted welfare has now evolved into institutional leadership,” he told the gathering.The minister launched the Jeevi...

New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) India’s leadership in developing a group standard for whole millet grains was appreciated during the 88th Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CCEXEC88), held at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy from July 14-18, it was announced on Saturday.The Committee reviewed the progress of this work, which is being chaired by India with Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal as co-chairs, said Health Ministry in a statement.The terms of reference for the same were finalized at the 11th Session of the Codex Committee on Cereals, Pulses and Legumes (CCCPL11) held in April 2025.CCEXEC88 critically reviewed the works chaired by India on the new standards of fresh dates as recommended by the 23rd session of Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables...

New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) The Indian credit market is witnessing some structural shifts with headline bank credit growth and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) credit has bucked the overall headline trend in credit growth, according to an SBI report.An increased supply of credit to existing borrowers has been observed, with the MSME sector witnessing a notable improvement in balance sheet serious delinquencies — measured as 90 to 120 days past due (DPD) and reported as ‘sub-standard’, which has dropped to a five-year low of 1.8 per cent.This improvement, particularly among borrowers with exposures ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 50 crore, marked a 35 basis points decline from the previous year, according to Dr Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India.Ther...

New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are rising at alarming rates worldwide in adults younger than 50 years, according to two studies.The first study, published in JAMA, showed that the surging cancer cases go beyond colorectal, and include gastric, oesophageal, and pancreatic."Colorectal cancer is the most common early-onset GI cancer worldwide, accounting for more than half of the cases, but it is not the only GI cancer that is rising in younger adults. Unfortunately, pancreatic, gastric, and oesophageal cancers are also increasing in young people," said Dr. Kimmie Ng, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US."The rising incidence of early-onset GI cancers is alarming and underscores the need for enhanced prevention strategies and early detection methods," Ng added....

New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) -- a condition where leg veins do not allow blood to flow back to the heart -- explaining the swollen ankles and bruises on his hands.The 79-year-old US President was recently photographed at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final in New Jersey, where visible swelling around his ankles sparked public speculation about his health.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt informed that the ultrasound exams performed on Trump's legs confirmed CVI -- seen frequently among people over the age of 70.However, additional exams showed "no signs of heart failure, renal impairment or systemic illness" in Trump, Leavitt said, adding that the US President is not experiencing any discomfort due ...

Hanoi, July 18 (IANS) Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued a directive calling for strong and coordinated efforts to control African swine fever (ASF), local daily newspaper Nhan Dan (People) reported Friday.Since early 2025, over 514 ASF outbreaks have occurred in 28 out of 34 provinces, killing or forcing the culling of more than 30,000 pigs nationwide, the report cited data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.The directive urges local authorities to detect and eliminate outbreaks promptly, enforce strict culling, and punish illegal pig trading and carcass dumping that may spread the virus, according to the report, Xinhua news agency reported.Veterinary agencies must guide farmers, expand safe zones, and promptly report outbreaks, while ministries are tasked ...

New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) Environmental factors such as the temperature, the water level in lakes and ponds in winter, and the presence of mute swans (Cygnus olor) could be key reasons that predict the potential of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) occurring in Europe, according to a study.The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, are derived from a machine learning model trained on the characteristics of 21st-century European HPAI outbreaks and could help improve future monitoring programmes.The model showed that the coldest recorded temperature in autumn had the greatest effect on the likelihood of an outbreak occurring.However, the actual effect varied considerably by region. In some areas, warmer minimum temperatures were associated with a higher likeli...

New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) Scientists have identified a key gene essential for vitamin D absorption, which may also boost treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.The gene, called SDR42E1, is crucial for taking up vitamin D from the gut and further metabolising it -- a discovery with many possible applications in precision medicine, including cancer therapy."Here we show that blocking or inhibiting SDR42E1 may selectively stop the growth of cancer cells,” said Dr Georges Nemer, Professor at the University of College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.Previous research showed that a specific mutation in the SDR42E1 gene on chromosome 16 is associated with vitamin D deficiency.The mutation caused the protein to be cut short, rendering it inactive.In the ...

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) The Indian medical tourism market is set to surge from $18.2 billion in 2025 to $58.2 billion by 2035, according to a new report on Thursday.The report, by the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), in collaboration with KPMG, showcased the country’s ambitious vision to become the global medical hub by 2035, rising at a CAGR of 12.3 per cent.The report also outlines a transformative national strategy that integrates India’s clinical expertise with its centuries-old wellness traditions, aiming to make the country the world’s most trusted destination for medical value travel (MVT).It showed that India is emerging as a cost-effective alternative offering both modern surgeries and natural recovery options like Ayurveda, Yoga, and Panchakarma...

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) A higher dose of rifampicin -- a bactericidal antibiotic used primarily to treat tuberculosis (TB) -- may be safe, and its use can potentially lead to recurrence-free survival in patients with pulmonary TB, according to a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).TB is curable but still remains the most common cause of death due to infectious diseases, with an estimated 1.3 million deaths globally in 2022. Rifamycins are a crucial drug group in the anti-TB regimen, which sterilise the lesions and aid in recurrence-free cure.Currently, rifampicin is administered at 10 mg/kg for six months to all patients with pulmonary TB.The team reviewed the available evidence from published clinical trials to determine whether higher doses of rifampicin (more...