A team of Singaporean researchers have identified that changes in the immune system are linked to schizophrenia, and potential resistance to treatments.
The reasons behind schizophrenia — a psychotic disorder affecting around 24 million people worldwide and 1 in 116 individuals in Singapore – continue to be unknown.
Greater exposure to air pollution particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the three months before conception can raise the risk of childhood obesity to two years after birth, according to a study on Thursday.
Past research has linked air pollution exposure during pregnancy to a broad range of health problems in children, including respiratory issues and a higher risk for chronic diseases, such as obesity and heart problems.
Researchers have revealed that routine eye tests can accurately predict a person’s risk of stroke.
The research, led by the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) in Melbourne, Australia, identified a blood vessel “fingerprint” at the back of the eye that can be used to predict a person’s stroke risk as accurately as traditional risk factors, but without the need for invasive tests, Xinhua News agency reported.
The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) or China CDC has recently been reporting a steep increase in viral infections of the respiratory tract. This is coupled with viral videos on social media about hospitals full of sick people with masks and exhibiting respiratory illness symptoms.
This has triggered fears among people all over the world that there is going to be a similar outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this scenario, people are most afraid of the human metapneumovirus (hMPV) which is gaining notoriety. Let us examine this issue closely.
A fixed-dose combination of albendazole and ivermectin may be a better tool against soil-transmitted helminths, that cause intestinal infections, according to results of phase II-III clinical trial.
Four species of parasitic worms (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus) are responsible for soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH). These parasitic worms get transmitted via contact with contaminated soil or water, causing a significant impact on nutrition and health, particularly in children and women of reproductive age.
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) revealed on Saturday, January 11, that it has developed a unique brain-computer interface-based robotic hand exoskeleton that can help in stroke rehabilitation and redefine post-stroke therapy by accelerating recovery.
The robotic hand deploys a unique closed-loop control system that actively engages the patient’s brain during therapy.
Men are three times more likely to die from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than women, according to a new study. The study based on U.S. mortality data in 2021, reveals the disproportionate impact of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) on older adults, males, and certain racial and ethnic groups.
The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Injury, indicate that suicides remain the most common cause of TBI-related deaths. This was followed by unintentional falls, and specific groups are disproportionately affected by these tragedies.
A team of researchers, led by Indian-origin neuroscientist Viji Santhakumar, has found a gene that contributes to the development of behavioral changes associated with autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy.
The gene, called neuropilin2, encodes a receptor involved in cell-cell interactions in the brain and plays a key role in regulating the development of neural circuits.
Kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis — a deadly neglected tropical disease — can be better treated using a compound derived from Nectandra leucantha (local names: canela-seca or canela-branca) — a tree native to southern Brazil, claimed a new study.
Kala-azar is caused by a protozoan parasite transmitted by a sandfly bite and is characterised by long bouts of fever, loss of weight and muscle strength, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia.
The Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is not a new virus and most of the Indian population are immune to it, said health experts on Monday, January 6, even as the number of reported cases is climbing in the country.
On Monday, health officials in the country reported three cases of HMPV — babies aged three- and eight-month-old from Bengaluru (Karnataka) and a two-year-old child in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad.
By Om Malik- (Om Malik is a partner at True Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture capital group. Prior to joining True, he was the founder of Gigaom, a pioneering technology blog and media company. The views expressed in this article are his own) Today is my 17th re-birthday. If you’ve been a longtime reader, you […]
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, on Friday, January 3, released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, outlining the direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk.
According to the news release, alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for at least seven types of cancer.
Half a decade after the Covid-19 pandemic caused millions of deaths around the world, China is currently reeling under a new respiratory virus — the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) virus.
According to media reports and social media posts, the virus is spreading rapidly in the country, marked as the origin nation of the deadly Covid-19 virus. Some reports even claimed that hospitals and crematories in the Asian country are being overwhelmed.
A team of scientists from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Bose Institute in Kolkata, has developed an advanced injectable hydrogel for targeted treatment of breast cancer.
This innovative hydrogel-based therapy delivers anti-cancer drugs directly to tumor sites, significantly reducing the side effects typically associated with conventional cancer treatments like surgery, which is not feasible for internal organs, and chemotherapy that often results in harmful side effects.
On November 27, 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that New York-based Handsome Brooke Farms was recalling organic-pasture-raised 24-count eggs that were sold under Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand name. This company founded in 2007 is the largest producer of organic-pasture-raised eggs in the United States. The recall emanated from the reasoning that these eggs could be infected with Salmonella. These egg cartons have a universal product code (UPC) of 9661910680 and a use-by date of Jan. 5, 2025. States particularly affected are Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Recently the FDA has escalated their warning to Class 1 which means a “reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
A new research has unveiled transformative insights into the relationship between inflammation and depression. This finding, as per experts, can fundamentally change the understanding of depression’s biological underpinnings.
The research by neuroscientist Professor Raz Yirmiya from Hebrew University of Jerusalem extends far beyond the laboratory.
A new report has revealed that health and convenience have become key focus areas for packaged food companies in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
As food companies navigate increasing input costs, especially in oils and fats, their innovations remain centred on health and wellness as consumers are prone to spending more on healthier foods.
A new study has revealed that high level of estrogen — female sex hormone — is responsible for making women binge on alcohol.
The study, revealed Monday, December 30, said a preclinical study was conducted in mice.
One city in the US, Dallas, has recently taken a bold initiative through an ordinance banning vaping in all locations where smoking is prohibited effective next December. This was suggested by the City of Dallas Environmental Commission and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability. As a result, along with smoking, vaping will be banned from all indoor and enclosed spaces, within 15 feet of building entrances and on the property of parks. Fitness centers, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses will need to update their signage to indicate that smoking and vaping are prohibited.
An Indian American physician has realized his dream of providing state-of-the-art medical facilities for the people of his hometown in Karnataka. Now, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will inaugurate a 300-bed KLE Society cancer hospital in Belagavi on December 30.
The Rs 300-crore hospital, equipped with cutting-edge technology, is spread over a 175,000 square feet area and is named after Indian American donor, Sampatkumar S Shivangi. The hospital will provide comprehensive cancer care, including advanced treatments like bone marrow transplants, robotic surgery, and genomic-guided precision care.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a great tool in diagnosing and management of atopic dermatitis — a chronic skin condition — leading to more accurate, early, and standardized identification of the condition, thus optimizing patient outcomes, according to a report on Thursday.
As per the NIH website: “Atopic dermatitis, often referred to as eczema, is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that causes inflammation, redness, and irritation of the skin. It is a common condition that usually begins in childhood; however, anyone can get the disease at any age. Atopic dermatitis is not contagious, so it cannot be spread from person to person.”
A team of scientists has developed a new method of scanning lungs that is able to show the effects of treatment on lung function in real time, enabling them to see the functioning of transplanted lungs.
The scan method enabled the team, led by researchers at Newcastle University in the UK, to see how air moves in and out of the lungs as people take a breath in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and patients who have received a lung transplant.
The University of Pittsburgh on December 9 announced the creation of the Vijayalakshmi Innovation Center in Women’s Health Analytics and Research (VIHAR), a global initiative to leverage advanced artificial intelligence tools and global collaborations to address disparities in women’s health.
VIHAR is fueled by an investment from Pitt’s School of Medicine and a gift from Indian-origin siblings, Vishnu Vardhan and Harsha Vardhini, who are also co-founders of Vizzhy Inc., a generative health care AI systems company that works to locate the root causes of metabolic diseases and develop personalized health management guidance.
Covid-19 infection does not worsen symptoms or disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) and is caused by an autoimmune attack on the body’s healthy cells — according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Texas’s Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas conducted the study on 2,132 adults with MS with an average age of 65. They were followed over 18 months.
Head and neck cancer, the seventh most common cancer worldwide, can be lowered by consuming coffee and tea, an analysis, published recently, revealed.
These include cancers of the mouth and throat. As per reports, the aforementioned forms of cancers are rising in low- and middle-income countries.
