Health

New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attacks, may also be triggered by infectious diseases, finds a study, which showed that dormant bacteria can cause the deadly condition.The pioneering study by researchers from Finland and the UK demonstrated that the discovery challenges the conventional understanding of the pathogenesis of heart attacks and opens new avenues for treatment, diagnostics, and even vaccine development.Professor Pekka Karhunen, from Tampere University in Finland, who led the study, notes that until now, it was assumed that events leading to coronary artery disease were only initiated by oxidised low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which the body recognises as a foreign structure."Bacterial involvement in coronary artery disease has long been s...

New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Scientists have showed that when brain cells are constantly overactivated for weeks on end, they degenerate and ultimately die, a finding that may help explain what goes awry in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease.Researchers have long known that a particular subset of neurons dies as Parkinson's disease progresses, but they weren't sure why.The new study, published in the journal eLife, shows that in mice, chronic activation of these neurons can directly cause their demise.The scientists hypothesise that in Parkinson's, neuron overactivation could be triggered by a combination of genetic factors, environmental toxins, and the need to compensate for other neurons that are lost."An overarching question in the Parkinson's research field has been why the cel...

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Spatial repellents -- called a "spatial emanator" can prevent mosquito bites and offer significant protection against malaria, according to a study.Researchers from the University of California-San Francisco, US, said that spatial repellents are a relatively new class of insecticide that can be disseminated on something the size of a sheet of paper, offering protection for up to a year against mosquitoes that spread malaria, as well as dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, and Zika.In a systematic review, appearing in the journal eBioMedicine, the team analysed more than 25 years of data on some 1.7 million mosquitoes.The findings showed that this “spatial emanator" distributes chemicals through the air and can prevent more than one out of every two mosquito bites.The a...

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Greater awareness and stricter monitoring are crucial to curb the rising cases of hysterectomy, said Sanjeev Sanyal, an economist, on Wednesday.A hysterectomy is a major surgery that involves the surgical removal of the uterus, with the option to also remove the cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. While it may be unavoidable in some extreme cases of excessive menstrual bleeding, fibroids, cysts, and uterine disorders, it also poses several health risks to women, including inducing early menopause.“Almost 10 per cent of Indian women in the 40-49 year age group have gone through this major surgery,” said Sanyal, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the PM, in a post on social media platform X."While unavoidable in extreme cases, hysterectomy takes a big toll on the...

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Adults with cardiovascular disease must be immunised against conditions such as Covid-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pneumonia, herpes zoster (shingles), and other diseases, according to new recommendations released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC).The guidance also provides detailed evidence for each vaccine recommendation and answers to frequently asked questions to guide conversations between clinicians and patients.“Vaccination against communicable respiratory diseases and other serious diseases is critical for people with heart disease, but barriers exist to ensuring people are educated on which vaccines to get, how often to get them, and why they are important,” said Paul Heidenreich, chair of the CCG writing committee.“With this...

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) People with Type 2 obesity-driven diabetes tend to have more aggressive breast cancers. A new study showed that blood factors drive breast cancer aggression.Researchers at Boston University, US, showed that tiny particles in the blood -- known as exosomes -- get altered by diabetes. These exosomes can reprogramme immune cells inside tumours, making them weaker and allowing the cancer to grow and spread more easily.“Breast cancer is already challenging to treat, and people with type 2 diabetes have worse outcomes, but clinicians don’t fully understand why,” said corresponding author Gerald Denis, Professor at BU.“Our study reveals one possible reason: diabetes changes the way the immune system works inside tumours. This could help explain why current treatments, lik...

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Common painkillers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are quietly fueling antibiotic resistance -- one of the world's biggest health threats, according to a study.Researchers from the University of South Australia found that ibuprofen and acetaminophen are not only driving antibiotic resistance when used individually but also amplifying it when used together.The team assessed the interaction of non-antibiotic medications, the broad-spectrum antibiotic ciprofloxacin, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) -- a common bacterium that causes gut and urinary tract infections.The findings, published in the journal npj Antimicrobials and Resistance, showed that ibuprofen and acetaminophen significantly increased bacterial mutations, making E. coli highly resistant to the antibiotic...

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 26 (IANS) Bringing festive cheer ahead of Onam, the Kerala government has announced that nearly 24.7 lakh schoolchildren will receive four kg of rice each under the state’s mid-day meal scheme.General Education Minister V. Sivankutty launched the state-level distribution on Tuesday at Cotton Hill School in Thiruvananthapuram."Onam is a festival that fills our hearts with joy and prosperity. This is not a charity, but the right of every child," the minister said, highlighting that food is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution and recognised by the United Nations.The scheme covers all students from pre-primary to Class 8 who are enrolled in the mid-day meal programme.A total of 9,910 metric tonnes of rice will be distributed across 12,024 schools, with sup...

New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) on Tuesday urged for a balanced approach on the impending Goods and Services Tax (GST) rejig on medical devices.AiMeD said that if not carefully managed, changing GST rates for medical devices could impact domestic competitiveness.Most devices now have a 12 per cent GST, while inputs are taxed at 18 per cent, causing an inverted duty structure and margin pressures. AiMeD noted that proposed GST changes -- to either 5 per cent or 18 per cent -- both present significant risks requiring carefully nuanced consideration.“For equipment, electronics, reagents, and implants, reducing GST to 5 per cent would enhance affordability and market reach. However, applying a 5 per cent rate to low-margin consumables like syr...

Geneva, Aug 26 (IANS) A whopping 2.1 billion people or one in every four people globally lack access to safely managed drinking water, according to a joint report by UN agencies WHO and the UNICEF on Tuesday.This includes 106 million people who drink directly from untreated surface sources, stated the report, released as part of the World Water Week 2025.Despite progress over the last decade, billions of people around the world still lack access to essential water, sanitation, and hygiene services, putting them at risk of disease and deeper social exclusion.The report noted that 3.4 billion people worldwide lack safely managed sanitation, including 354 million who practice open defecation. Another 1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home, including 611 million without access ...