There is no significant difference in the disability outcomes for patients who have suffered acute stroke, whether they received treatment lying flat on the back with the face upwards or in a sitting-up position with the head elevated to at least 30 degrees. This is the conclusion of a major trial that involved over 11,000... Continue Reading →
IISc’s blood cancer drug shows early promise
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru have synthesised a small molecule that shows a degree of promise as an anticancer agent. In particular, the inhibitor was effective against leukaemia. The work was done in collaboration with researchers from the University of Mysore. The molecule (benzothiazole derivative), codenamed 5g, was found to be effective... Continue Reading →
CCMB develops a novel drug-delivery system for treating keratitis eye infection
Scientists at the Hyderabad-based CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) have developed a novel drug-delivery system for treating fungal keratitis. Keratitis is the inflammation of the eye, which starts with redness and itching and might eventually lead to blindness. Keratitis is caused by both bacteria and fungi. Fungi attach themselves to the cornea and... Continue Reading →
Nearly 50% of diabetics identified in 14 Indian States unaware of their condition
A large community-based study involving over 57,000 adults from 14 States and a Union Territory (Chandigarh) in the country has revealed that the average prevalence of diabetes in these States stands at 7.3%. The prevalence varied from 4.3% of the population in the case of Bihar, to 10.4% in Tamil Nadu; Chandigarh was found to... Continue Reading →
Seventy-year journey of Zika virus
Zika is an arbovirus infection which occurs through the bite of several different species of Aedes mosquitoes, including the Aedes aegypti which is active during the day; it can also be transmitted sexually. The virus was first isolated from a rhesus monkey in Uganda in the Zika forest, near the western shore of Lake Victoria,... Continue Reading →
Improving access to mental health services in remote areas
While about 10% of the population in India suffers from common mental disorders, only about 15-25% of this receives mental health care. But a small-scale study carried out on approximately 5,000 people living in 30 tribal villages in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh was able to improve the practice of seeking out mental health... Continue Reading →
Tissue-matched, unrelated donor transplants to aid thalassemics
Till recently, transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells found in the bone marrow has been the only curative option for patients with thalassemia major (genetic inability to produce normal, adult haemoglobin leading to severe anaemia). Since only 30-35% of such patients have a suitable tissue-matched donor in the family, a majority of them rely on regular... Continue Reading →
Don’t ignore the adults in deworming
A year after the Health Ministry started the massive public health exercise of using a single dose of Albendazole drug for deworming millions of children in 2015, the programme was tweaked. Since 2016, the deworming exercise is a biannual event; nearly 150 million children in the 1-19 years age group were given two doses of... Continue Reading →
Three Zika cases reported in Ahmedabad, India in Januray 2017
The dreaded Zika virus has finally reached the Indian shores. On May 15, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported to the World Health Organisation three laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease in Bapunagar area, Ahmedabad District, Gujarat. “This report is important as it describes the first cases of Zika virus infections and provides... Continue Reading →
