Topics

AIIMS advocates special test to make blood transfusion safer

NEW DELHI - About 20,000 patients in India could be at risk of getting infected blood -- unknown to them and even the donors.

Funeral industry workers at greater leukemia risk

WASHINGTON - Funeral industry workers are at a greater risk of getting leukemia because they are exposed to formaldehyde for long durations, a new study has claimed.

Enzyme that causes breast tumours identified

LONDON - Scientists from Institute for Cancer Research have discovered an enzyme that plays a critical role in turning breast tissue into tumours.

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People more stressed during holidays

WASHINGTON - As the economic crisis continues, many people may feel more stress and anxiety during holidays.

Eat well to boost immunity, don’t pop vitamins

TORONTO - Eating food rich in nutrients is more than enough to boost your immunity against colds and flu instead of just popping too many vitamins, says a new study.

New technology to identify compounds that triggers heart failure

WASHINGTON - A breakthrough will help identify compounds implicated in heart failure more rapidly, says a new study.

Beware of free e-sample prescription drugs

WASHINGTON - When you are searching the net to learn about your asthma or high cholesterol, odds are you'll be directed to a pharma company-sponsored webpage.

Dog owners get more exercise than gym members: Study

WASHINGTON - For those who want to stay fit but low on motivation, a personal trainer is often the best option.

Brain scans could one day be used to tell a Dali from a Picasso

LONDON - Can brain scans help classify art? Well, researchers from ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, Japan seem to have found the answer.

Baba Ramdev teaches art of well being to doctors

NEW DELHI - Yoga guru Baba Ramdev taught the art to doctors here on Thursday.

Morphine shortage hits Kolkata cancer patients

KOLKATA - Hundreds of cancer patients have been hard hit by an acute shortage of morphine in Kolkata, which records 12,000 new cases of the disease every year.

Thailand looks to limit sex change surgery

BANGKOK - Thailand has issued rules making sex change surgery more difficult - including a requirement that potential candidates cross-dress for a year - over fears that some patients are rushing into the operation, a medical association said Thursday.

13 new dengue cases, over 1,000 affected in Delhi

NEW DELHI - With 13 new dengue cases in the national capital, the tally of those affected by the mosquito-borne disease touched 1,054, a health department official said Thursday.

Study of ‘bacterial immune system’ may lead to new antibiotics

WASHINGTON - A study of bacterial defence systems could lead to the development of new antibiotics, say US researchers.

Researchers discover protein that contributes to a healthy heart

LONDON - The heart has to be extremely durable and tough to pump 250 million litres of blood through the body in the course of a single lifetime.

Blocked receptor may prevent weight gain

SYDNEY - Drug-based weight loss therapies try to stop the brain from sending hunger signals to the body.

Health cards for under-privileged kids mooted

NEW DELHI - Under-privileged children will be issued electronic health cards (EHC) to help them access free medical treatment at all state-owned hospitals and primary health centres, the government said here Thursday.

India has ‘world-class health care’, say Canadians

TORONTO - Canadians are increasingly looking to India for timely medical treatment as wait periods under the country's public health system get longer.

Parent training can help reduce behaviour problems in autistic kids

WASHINGTON - A treatment plan consisting of a combination of medication and a structured training program for parents can help reduce behaviour problems in children with autism and related conditions, says a new study.

When you eat as important as what you eat

WASHINGTON - When you eat may be just as vital to your wellbeing as what you eat, says an Indian-American researcher.

Eat less meat to save Earth and your heart

LONDON - In a new research, a team of scientists has determined that eating less meat may help save planet Earth, as well as reduce the risk of heart attacks in humans.

How are we able to talk even in a noisy room

WASHINGTON - Ever wondered how are we able to understand each other's talks even in a noisy room? Well, according to the researchers, it is the brain's ability to reconstruct fragmented sounds that allows us to successfully carry on our conversation.

Stomach hormone may help slow Parkinson’s progression

WASHINGTON - Yale School of Medicine researchers have identified a hormone produced in the stomach that can help boost resistance to, or slow, the development of Parkinson's disease.

Exercise ‘cannot undo heavy drinking damage’

LONDON - Exercise cannot cure the damage that heavy drinking may cause, says UK's health care system.

First ‘genetic map’ of Han Chinese may aid search for disease susceptibility genes

WASHINGTON - Scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have published the first genetic historical map of the Han Chinese, the largest ethnic population in the world, as they migrated from south to north over evolutionary time, which may aid search for disease susceptibility genes.

Skin implant that can destroy cancerous tumours

WASHINGTON - Scientists have come up with a tiny skin implant that when introduced into the body with careful engineering can destroy cancerous tumours.

Childhood experiences influence teen pain, depression

WASHINGTON - Insecure teenagers experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, abdominal pain and joint pain and are more likely to be depressed than peers with secure attachments, says a new study.

‘Mental illness’ gene identified

LONDON - Scottish researchers have made a breakthrough as they identified a gene that could help explain the causes of mental illness.

Brain’s fear centre has built-in suffocation sensor

WASHINGTON - A new study in mice has revealed that the portion of the brain responsible for registering fear and even panic is equipped with a built-in chemical sensor that is triggered by a primordial terror - suffocation.

Customised HIV treatment closer to reality

WASHINGTON - Scientists from McGill University have come up with an innovative, customised HIV treatment that has proved to be more effective against the virus than the anti-retroviral cocktails currently used.

HIV risk behavioural survey conducted in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI - The Tamil Nadu government, with the support of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), has successfully conducted an HIV risk behavioural surveillance survey (BSS) in the state.

Implant can help addicts stay off heroin

SYDNEY - A naltrexone implant reduces cravings among heroin addicts and blocks its effects, says a new study.

Post diagnosis, some HIV patients experience sunnier outlook

WASHINGTON - Some HIV patients experience an improved quality of life post diagnosis, according to a new study.

Dentists can help determine your risk for heart attack

Washington, (ANI): Dentists can do more than just taking care of your oral health - they can help determine your risk for heart attack, according to a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy.

New class of drugs nips cancer growth in the bud

SYDNEY - Scientists have discovered a new class of drugs that practically nips lung cancer regrowth.

Dentists can help identify patients at risk of heart attack

LONDON - Dentists can help identify patients who are likely to die of a heart attack or stroke, says a Swedish study.

Doctor-hunters seek bounty in Australia

SYDNEY - Advertisements ran in local newspapers Thursday offering a finder's fee of 3,000 Australian dollars ($2,750) for anyone who can persuade an overseas doctor to work in Australia.

Ga. nurse anesthetist accused of abusing patients

ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta nurse anesthetist has been charged with molesting and sodomizing anesthetized patients in dental and medical offices, and police say the videotaped abuses could involve 100 or more victims.

CDC: Swine flu vaccine safe; no big problems seen

ATLANTA - There's no evidence that the swine flu vaccine is causing any serious side effects, U.S.

Blast yields arsenal at ex-doctor's Ohio apartment

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Police in Ohio say they found dozens of pipe bombs, an assortment of firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in a former doctor's apartment.

China reports 8 cases of mutated swine flu virus

BEIJING - China has detected eight people infected with mutated forms of the swine flu virus, a health official said Wednesday, but flu drugs and vaccines still work against it.

Madras Medical College to be shifted to new building

CHENNAI - The Tamil Nadu government has decided to shift the Madras Medical College to a new eight-storeyed building, which will come up at a place where a central jail stood once.

Healthcare to become $77-bn sector in India by 2012: Report

NEW DELHI - India's healthcare sector is expected to grow at 23 percent annually to become a $77-billion industry by 2012, a report released Wednesday said.

Diet rich in polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids ‘cuts Alzheimer risk’

WASHINGTON - A new Spanish study has found that polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids in food, patented as an LMN diet, can boost the birth of new neurons, which could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Women plastic surgeons to treat poor for free

NEW DELHI - A charity programme that brings women plastic surgeons from around the world to perform surgeries on economically backward women in developing countries, free of charge, would be held in India soon.

China reports 8 cases of swine flu mutation

BEIJING - China has detected eight cases of swine flu mutation, a health official said Wednesday, amid longstanding concerns among scientists that the virus could change into a more dangerous form.

Apollo DKV eyes tie-ups with other insurers

CHENNAI - Apollo DKV Insurance is in talks with three insurers for partnership agreements, a top official said here Wednesday.

83 percent children in Madhya Pradesh district malnourished: survey

BHOPAL - Deepak is losing his eyesight due to malnourishment.

Majority of parents overestimate child’s fitness

LONDON - Seventy one percent parents think their children are 'active enough' but only 10 percent children say they do the recommended exercise, according to a survey.

Chronic pain ‘increases risk of falls in older adults’

WASHINGTON - Chronic pain can be more dangerous than previously thought, according to a new study.

Alzheimer’s drug to be tested on humans

LONDON - A drug that has shown promise in slowing Alzheimer's disease is set to go on trial in humans.

Now, ’scarless’ thyroid surgery

WASHINGTON - Scientists from Tulane University School of Medicine have developed a novel surgical technique that would help remove all or a portion of the thyroid or parathyroid glands without leaving a scar on the neck.

19 new dengue cases in Delhi, tally 1,041

NEW DELHI - The national capital Wednesday reported 19 new dengue cases, taking the total number of those affected by the mosquito-born disease to 1,041, health officials said.

Japanese encephalitis claims over 500 lives in India

NEW DELHI - The viral infection Japanese encephalitis has claimed more than 500 lives in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar so far this year, with children facing the brunt of the disease.

Global Fund to give $47 mn for HIV awareness among gays

NEW DELHI - The Global Fund will give a $47-million grant to NGOs based in South Asia to launch a community based programme for gays to reduce the spread of HIV among them.

Researcher develops biodegradable stent for hearts patients

WASHINGTON - Stents that keep weakened arteries from collapsing have been true life-savers, but are no longer needed once the arteries are strengthened.

Soy component ‘helps fight colon cancer’

WASHINGTON - Researchers have found a component in soy that can prevent and even treat colon cancer.

Exclusive medical varsity to come up in Kerala soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The Kerala government Wednesday gave its nod for setting up a new medical university in the state.

Stop discrimination against HIV infected: Ban Ki-moon

NEW DELHI - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday said that new infections are fast out-pacing the gains achieved in controlling the spread of HIV, and urged all countries to stop discrimination against the HIV-infected.

New Alternate-Day diet ‘can help you lose weight, live longer’

MELBOURNE - Forget tedious exercise routine and counting on calories, a simple Alternate-Day diet regime could offer significant health benefits and make you live longer.

Obesity increases risk for HIV patients

WASHINGTON - Obesity can increase risk among people with HIV, according to a new study.

United States

NY dad pleads guilty to kidnapping superintendent

NEW CITY, N.Y. - A former New York City police officer has admitted he held a suburban school superintendent at gunpoint in June.

Deputies use backhoe to find drugs in septic tank

FRIERSON, La. - Flushed evidence doesn't go far if your toilet's on a septic system.

NYC boy missing for 11 days lived in subways

NEW YORK - The mother of a 13-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome who was missing in New York City for 11 days says her son spent the entire time in the subway system.

Valeant Pharma begins selling generic IBS drug

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Valeant Pharmaceuticals said Monday it began selling a generic version of Librax, a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome drug.

Trying last-ditch lung bypass for worst swine flu

WASHINGTON - A technology originally developed for premature babies may be helping to save some of the sickest swine flu patients by rerouting their blood so their lungs can rest.

GlaxoSmithKline pulls application for new drug use

TRENTON, N.J. - British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC says it's withdrawing its application for U.S.

Pentagon: Fort Hood review due Jan. 15

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon says its review of personnel, health and other policies in light of the Fort Hood massacre will be completed by January 15th.

Lethal injection creator fine with 1 drug in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The man considered the father of lethal injection in the U.S.

Former NIH chief: Ignore new mammogram guideline

WASHINGTON - The former director of the National Institutes of Health is advising women to ignore new guidelines that delay the start of routine mammogram testing for breast cancer.

Lawyer: Ex-Air Force nurse sped patients' deaths

SAN ANTONIO - A prosecutor has told a court martial that a former Air Force nurse killed three terminally ill patients with excessive medication because they were not dying quickly enough.

Medidata shares fall on offering announcement

NEW YORK - Medidata Solutions Inc., a maker of software and services for clinical development of drugs and medical devices, said Friday it plans a public offering of 4.5 million shares of its common stock.

Medidata files shelf registration for offering

Cops: Woman smuggled drugs to Pa. inmate with kiss

MERCER, Pa. - A western Pennsylvania woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges she passed a drug-filled balloon to a state prison inmate while kissing him.

Tamiflu-resistant swine flu cluster reported in NC

ATLANTA - Four North Carolina patients at a single hospital tested positive for a type of swine flu that is resistant to Tamiflu, health officials said Friday.

Pfizer's Geodon gets expanded FDA approval

NEW YORK - Pfizer Inc. said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved Geodon as a part of a combination maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder in adults.

CDC: Swine flu cases seem to be dropping in US

ATLANTA - Health officials say swine flu cases appear to be declining throughout most of the U.S., but the specter of Thanksgiving gatherings makes it hard to predict what will happen next.

NM considers scaling back Medicaid coverage

SANTA FE, N.M. - Gov.

Pfizer gets FDA approval for intravenous Revatio

NEW YORK - Drug developer Pfizer Inc.

Covidien says FDA extends Exalgo review

NEW YORK - Health care company Covidien PLC said Friday the Food and Drug Administration will take longer than expected to review the potential opioid pain drug Exalgo.

Dendreon's Provenge gets FDA review date

SEATTLE - Biotechnology company Dendreon Corp.

Antigenics pulls European Oncophage application

LEXINGTON, Mass. - Biotechnology company Antigenics Inc.

Correction: Plavix story

WASHINGTON - In a Nov. 17 story about drug interactions between heartburn medications and the blood thinner Plavix, The Associated Press misidentified Johnson & Johnson's Mylanta as part of the H-2 blocker drug family.

Ky. universities expand smoking, tobacco bans

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky's flagship public university gave the official heave-ho to tobacco on Thursday, touting the health benefits of a smoke-free policy covering all of its sprawling campus in the heart of burley tobacco country.

San Francisco's health care a model during debate

SAN FRANCISCO - This city did not wait for Washington's health care overhaul.

Report: 20-somethings can go 2 years between Paps

WASHINGTON - First mammograms. Now - in an apparent coincidence - Pap smears.

UN urges help for 1 billion deprived children

UNITED NATIONS - UNICEF urged the world to help the 1 billion children still deprived of food, shelter, clean water or health care - and the hundreds of millions more threatened by violence - two decades after the U.N.

Anatomy drawings owned by Ben Franklin on display

PHILADELPHIA - Centuries before X-rays, CAT scans and ultrasounds gave doctors a view inside the human body, the best images medical students often had were illustrations drawn by artists of bodies in a morgue.

Parker-Broderick surrogate takes stand in Ohio

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio - The woman who bore twin girls for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick said Thursday that she was living in a West Virginia motel around the time a police chief is accused of breaking into her eastern Ohio home.

UC regents vote to reopen troubled LA hospital

LOS ANGELES - California's public university system on Thursday agreed to fully reopen a troubled South Los Angeles hospital that was partially closed in 2007 after deadly lapses in care.

Director Pedro Almodovar is haunted by one taboo

NEW YORK - Sex. Drugs. Prostitution.

India

Lucknow Zoo authorities treating tiger for cancer

LUCKNOW - Lucknow Zoo authorities, aided by veterinarians, are treating a man-eater tiger diagnosed with cancer.

HIV infected women sell nutritious food items in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD - Two Non-Governmental Organisations-Aadhar and Saral-are helping HIV-infected women prepare and sell nutritious and tasty food items in Ahmedabad.

Junior doctors strike hit patients hard in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD - A strike by junior doctors in Andhra Pradesh demanding increase in stipend entered its second week on Monday.

President Patil exhorts AIIMS doctors to serve in rural areas

NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil on Monday called for strengthening the rural health infrastructure and urged young doctors to work in these areas for better health care facilities Speaking on the occasion of 37th convocation of the All India Medical Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patil said by serving in rural areas, not only would doctors be doing good work for the nation, but the stint would be a valuable addition to their professional experience.

India to have DNA related laws soon: Chidambaram

JAIPUR - Union Home Minister P.

Workshop for HIV positive organized in Siliguri

SILIGURI - In a bid to make HIV patients self reliant, an NGO organised a four-day vocational training workshop in Siliguri.

Patients bear the brunt of Patna doctors strike

PATNA - Patients are facing the brunt of a three-day strike by junior doctors at the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) here.

Corruption is a cancer to society: President Patil

NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil on Thursday expressed concern over increasing corruption in all walks of life and described it as a cancer affecting society.

Better water-management can keep water borne diseases at bay: Trivedi

NEW DELHI - Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dinesh Trivedi, on Tuesday called for the need to have better water management, as it could help in keeping many water borne diseases like Dengue at bay.

Clowns cheer up young patients at Bangalore hospital

BANGALORE - A group of four persons including a doctor spare their free time and dress themselves up as clowns to visit the children's ward at different hospitals in Bangalore.

Punjab pilgrim dies of heart attack in Pakistan

ATTARI BORDER - A Punjab woman on a pilgrimage to a Sikh shrine in Pakistan died of heart attack in Lahore.

Baba Ramdev condemns Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s anti-Bihar remark

MATHURA - Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday slammed Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan for stating that migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh would not be welcomed to work in his state.

India, EU to resolve generic drug dispute, says Anand Sharma

NEW DELHI - Trade Minister Anand Sharma has said that India will resolve a dispute with the European Union over generic drugs in an amicable way.

Noted journalist Prabhash Joshi dies

NEW DELHI - Noted journalist Prabhash Joshi died of a heart attack here last night.

Blast victims to get face-lift through cosmetic surgery in J-K

SRINAGAR - Sensing the increasing number of militancy related injuries like bomb blasts in Jammu and Kashmir which has left many victims with facial injuries, a seminar was organized here to make the doctors aware of the latest treatments and equipments to treat such cases.

Terror leaves Pakistanis mentally scarred, says expert

ISLAMABAD - Prolonged insecurity, caused by a string of terror strikes across Pakistan, has left the entire country in "a state of trauma", said a psychologist who feared that it will badly damage peoples' lives and place them in need of longer-term counselling support.

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Swine Flu