'Seeds of Mahogany safe in treating diabetes' |  |
- 'Seeds of Mahogany safe in treating diabetes'
- Nurses refuse to come down from Kerala hospital terrace
- Probe begins into children's deaths in Tirupati hospital
- Palanquin bearers to ferry patients in Himachal
- Ohioans love their lakes, but are concerned for their future
- Three striking nurses threaten suicide in Kerala
- Indians to get free medicines, better health services
- By studying animal health, researchers find improved ways for developing, testing cancer therapies
- Chemotherapy during pregnancy does not appear to increase complications for newborn infants
- Deshmukh died of cardiac failure: Doctor
| 'Seeds of Mahogany safe in treating diabetes' Posted: 17 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, Aug 17 - Scientists in West Bengal claim that the seeds of the big leaf mahogany tree, that are used to treat diabetes in folk medicines, are non-toxic and safe natural product. Scientists at the department of Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering at the Jadavpur University say they have clinching evidence that the seeds of the mahogany may be a potent non-toxic addition to the arsenal of safe natural products for the treatment of diabetes -- a major metabolic disorder of recent time. Local people of East Midnapore, West Bengal, use a crude concentrated extract of its seeds for diabetes treatment. In the animal model-based toxicity study, aqueous - extracts of the seeds were repeatedly given orally to groups of Wister albino rats for a period of 28 days, at levels of 0, 500, 1500 and 2000 mg per kg of body weight, says Utpal Raychaudhuri of the Jadavpur University. According to the study published in 2012 in the Science and Culture Journal - a journal published by the Indian Science News Association - the extract did not produce any mortality in the animals even up to the dose level of 2,000 mg a kg. Also, the results of various blood and biochemical tests were normal. Further no changes were noticed in the liver, intestine, heart, kidney and stomach of the animals. According to the World Health Organisation, diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes is a major metabolic disorder of recent time. It may trigger major complications such as hypoglycemia - or cardiovascular - problems. Plant constituents with the ability to prevent diabetes-related complications provide an encouraging prospect, but it is of paramount importance to test them for any toxic effects. One of such plants is the big leaf Mahogany - - a beautiful, lofty, evergreen tree native to central America, Mexico, south America and India. The seeds of the big leaf mahogany may, therefore, be a potent non-toxic addition to the arsenal of safe natural... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Nurses refuse to come down from Kerala hospital terrace Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:26 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kochi, Aug 16 - The three nurses, who threatened to make a suicidal jump from the terrace of a Kerala hospital Wednesday if their demand of permanent employment is not met, refused to come down Thursday even after several rounds of talks. Since Wednesday, Labour Minister Shibhu Baby John, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar and Kerala government's chief whip P.C. George have held several rounds of talks with the trio. However, they remain adamant on their demand that they be given a permanent post at the hospital. The three nurses climbed atop the hospital building when the strike by a section of nurses in the Kothamangalam Mar Baselious Hospital in Ernakulam -- demanding that the hospital authorities make permanent the services of all the nurses working on a labour bond contract -- entered its 114th day Wednesday. When media persons tried to reach them, the nurses threatened to jump off the building. The trio has refused food till their demand is met and are not taking phone calls from their families and friends. The hospital management said that only those nurses who have completed their training could be absorbed by the hospital. We all have taken education loans and the cooling period is now over. We have no means to repay it with our meagre allowance, a colleague said. The three on the roof top recently received a recovery notice from the bank, she added. Leader of opposition V.S. Achuthanandan will meet the striking nurses later in the night. A shutdown was observed in Kothamangalam Thursday to put pressure on the authorities for an early resolution to the issue. http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Probe begins into children's deaths in Tirupati hospital Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:52 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Hyderabad, Aug 16 - The health authorities in Andhra Pradesh Thursday began a probe into the death of five children at the S.V.R. Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati the day before due to alleged negligence by doctors. Chittoor district health officials visited the hospital in the temple town to begin an inquiry ordered by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. A state minister who visited the hospital Thursday denied that the deaths were due to negligence by the doctors but admitted to shortage of doctors and lack of medical infrastructure at the government-run facility. Mines and Geology Minister Galla Aruna Kumari, who hails from the same district, said 206 children were undergoing treatment in the 90-bed hospital. There is a problem due to shortage of doctors and the government is trying to address the same, she said. The minister said unlike private hospitals which refused to admit the critically ill patients, the government facility admitted all children coming for treatment. It is unfair to blame doctors for what happened here, she told reporters. Hospital officials said the children were brought here at late stage and despite their best efforts the infants died. During the visit to the hospital, the minister had to face an angry protest from Bharatiya Janata Party workers, who demanded that the government take action against doctors for their negligence. Parents alleged that non-availability of senior doctors on Independence Day Wednesday and the negligence led to the deaths. Hospital Superintendent J. Veeraswamy also denied reports that 11 children had died. http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Palanquin bearers to ferry patients in Himachal Posted: 16 Aug 2012 01:58 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Shimla, Aug 16 - Once the mode of transport for royalty and women in purdah nearly a century ago, the palanquin will be resurrected to ferry patients from remote and inaccessible mountain villages in Himachal Pradesh that don't have road access to ambulances and hospitals. The state health and family welfare department plans to deploy palanquins, or palkis as they are called, to help patients in over 500 small villages scattered over rugged, cold and inhospitable terrain. The department will provide one palki to each village not connected by road under the '108' Atal Swasthya Sewa, an ambulance service launched by the state government in December 2010, to carry patients. Most of the villages are located in the interiors of Chamba, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla and Kangra districts. The process to identify the villages - is still on. We are also looking into the financial implications. But within three months, we will be in a position to provide palkis to some of the remotest villages, Health and Family Welfare Secretary Ali Raza Rizvi told IANS. The department would initially provide aluminium-made open palkis to 150 village health and sanitation committees. Later, all the identified villages would be covered. In case of an emergency, the palki could be hired from the committee for four people to physically carry the patient to the nearest road head from where the stationed ambulance will carry the patient to a hospital. Each palki, which will cost Rs.7,000, will have a flexible stretcher that can be stretched or folded as chair depending on the need of the patient. At present, patients ride piggyback to reach a nearby road. Often the condition of the patients suffering from grievous injuries and multiple fractures deteriorates during physical lifting, Rizvi said. Officials of the GVK-EMRI -, a Hyderabad-based company hired by the government to run the ambulance service, said locals in some villages have to trudge... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Ohioans love their lakes, but are concerned for their future Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) COLUMBUS, Ohio - Almost 41 percent of Ohioans have visited a lake, pond, river or creek in the state in the past year, and of those, nearly one-half usually spend their water-related recreational time at Lake Erie, according to preliminary findings in a new report. These figures and other findings in the report suggest that Ohio residents value their lakes and rivers, and particularly Lake Erie, as natural resources, but also help to clarify the risk that Ohioans face from contaminants in those same bodies of water, researchers say. Among the risks: Some blue-green algal blooms release a toxin called microcystin, and E. coli as a fecal indicator bacterium is often elevated in Ohio waters. The state also warns against frequent consumption of certain fish caught in Ohio because of contamination from mercury and PCBs. The report, released by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, details preliminary results from two surveys: questions related to recreational water contact and fish consumption included in the 2012 Ohio Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and a separate survey of Ohioans' perceptions about Lake Erie. The questions for each survey were designed by a research team led by Timothy Buckley, associate professor and chair of environmental health sciences at Ohio State University. Contact with surface waters is an established health risk factor, Buckley said. For the first time in Ohio, we have a set of questions to establish the extent to which that contact is occurring as a basis for evaluating the risk. Those questions are part of the Ohio BRFSS, an annual survey of adults conducted with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This survey is the primary source of state-specific information about health risk behaviors and health status among Ohio's resident population. The second portion of the report, a perceptions survey of 523 Ohioans, was conducted online and is not... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Three striking nurses threaten suicide in Kerala Posted: 15 Aug 2012 12:01 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kochi, Aug 15 - As the country celebrated Independence Day, three nurses on strike Wednesday threatened to commit suicide by jumping off their hospital's terrace. The three nurses readied to make the suicidal jump as the strike by a section of the nurses in Kothamangalam Mar Baselious Hospital, numbering around 100, entered its 114th day. Labour Minister Shibhu Baby John told IANS that the police and hospital management are doing their best to pacify the nurses to see that better sense prevailed and they came down from the terrace. Fire officials are there and we expect the situation to be defused soon, he said. We have been involved in settling their - issues and statutory policies are now being followed by the hospital management, John said. My officials have held numerous talks to settle the issue and now it appears that the strike is getting prolonged because of rivalry between two nurses' unions, said the minister. The three nurses, to attract attention, went to the terrace of the hospital building early in the morning. When media persons tried to reach them, the nurses threatened to jump off the building. http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Indians to get free medicines, better health services Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:03 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, Aug 15 - The government proposes to give away free medicines through government hospitals and health centres and also plans to expand health services to small cities and towns. This was announced here by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his address to the nation on Independence Day. The prime minister said the National Rural Health Mission - was launched in 2005 so that health services could be extended to every village. After its success, we now want to expand the scope of health services in our towns also, he said in his address from the Red Fort. The National Rural Health Mission will be converted into a National Health Mission which would cover all villages and towns in the country. We are also formulating a scheme for distribution of free medicines through government hospitals and health centres, he said. NRHM, which is the flagship programme of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, was launched with the aim to provide better health services to people living in remote areas in India. Today this mission is being implemented with the help of 10 lakh health personnel, including 8.5 lak Asha workers, the prime minister said. ASHA or Accredited Social Health Activists are local women trained to act as health educators and promoters in their communities. The prime minister also said that no new case of polio had been reported in the country in the last one and a half years. India does not figure in the list of countries affected by this disease, he said. The World Health Organisation - took India, which in 2009 had more polio cases than any other nation in the world, off its polio endemic list early this year after not a single case of the crippling disease was reported for over a year. India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are the four countries where polio is still endemic. He also described malnutrition among children as a big challenge. We have taken steps in many dimensions to deal... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| By studying animal health, researchers find improved ways for developing, testing cancer therapies Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) MANHATTAN, KAN. -- A group of Kansas State University researchers has made valuable findings in the search for cancer's cure. While researching ways to improve animal health, the scientists -- Raymond Bob Rowland, a virologist and professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, and Deryl Troyer, professor of anatomy and physiology --have made two important discoveries that can also improve human health. Not only have they found pigs with severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID, but they are also the first to discover the connection with human cancer, particularly melanomas and pancreatic cancers. The researchers call it a scientific achievement with huge potential to improve surgeries and drug development involved with cancer. This could be a game-changer, Troyer said. It began with Rowland's research with controlling and eliminating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS. The work led to a fortuitous discovery: a naturally occurring line of immunodeficient pigs. Pigs are closely related to humans anatomically and physiologically, Rowland said. This can have huge potential for human cancer research. After the discovery of SCID pigs, Rowland turned to Troyer, who performs cancer research. Their collaborative work not only enables researchers to better study SCID pigs, but they can also apply their research to the study of human cancer and anti-cancer drugs. This is a great example of collaborative and interdisciplinary research, Troyer said. With two perspectives, there is often a synergy that evolves because of different ways of thinking. The researchers have already studied human melanomas and human pancreatic cancers, which are devastating types of cancer and a big target in cancer research, Troyer said. They want to apply the same methods to other types of solid cancers and blood neoplasms like leukemia. While similar research has been performed with SCID mice, it has not adapted well to human cancer... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Chemotherapy during pregnancy does not appear to increase complications for newborn infants Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The study examined a group of more than 400 women from across Europe who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer while pregnant. 197 (48%) of the women underwent chemotherapy during pregnancy, and the authors assessed whether their newborn babies suffered any ill effects that could be attributable to the cancer drugs. While infants whose mothers had undergone chemotherapy while pregnant had, on average, a lower birth weight than those whose mothers had not had chemotherapy, there were few other noticeable differences between the groups. Babies exposed to chemotherapy in utero appeared to have no higher risk of birth defects, no lower Apgar scores, no more frequent blood disorders or alopecia than those whose mothers did not receive chemotherapy while pregnant. According to Professor Sibylle Loibl, of the German Breast Group which led the study, If our findings are confirmed by other studies, breast cancer during pregnancy could be treated as it is in non-pregnant women without putting foetal and maternal outcomes at substantially increased risk.* The number of chemotherapy cycles received during pregnancy did not appear to affect the babies' birth weight, leading the authors to suggest that the lower birth weight is not clinically meaningful. In the general population, about 10-15% of infants are born preterm, but in our study, 50% of women with breast cancer delivered preterm, with 23% delivering before the 35th week of gestation. More complications were reported in the group of infants exposed to chemotherapy than in the group not exposed to chemotherapy. However, most complications were reported in babies who were delivered prematurely, irrespective of exposure to chemotherapy.* Our findings emphasise the importance of prioritising a full-term delivery in women who undergo chemotherapy while pregnant, adds Professor Loibl. Illness and mortality in newborn babies is directly related to gestational age at delivery.... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Deshmukh died of cardiac failure: Doctor Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:35 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Mumbai, Aug 14 - Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh died of cardiac failure, said renowned doctor Mohammed Rela of Chennai's Global Health City Tuesday even as he drew attention to the urgent need for organ donations. In a statement, Rela, director of Institute of Liver Surgery & Transplantation at the GHC said that Deshmukh was rushed from Mumbai to Chennai on Aug 6 with rapidly progressing liver failure. Deshmukh was unstable and required intensive treatment, according to Rela. At the time of transfer, Deshmukh, in addition to having liver failure, also had circulatory failure requiring support for his heart, respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation and renal failure requiring continuous dialysis, Rela said. However, in the first 48 hours, he responded to treatment and his vital signs stabilised even though he was still critical requiring support for his heart, lungs and kidneys, Rela added. This was the time Rela felt there may be a small window of opportunity to consider Deshmukh for a liver transplantation. Accordingly, he was listed to receive a liver within the super urgent category which gave him priority to receive a suitable organ urgently. Deshmukh's three sons also expressed a wish to donate a part of their liver, but Rela felt that with his - condition being so poor, it would be better for him to receive a whole organ from a cadaver as it would aid recovery faster in such situations. Unfortunately, Deshmukh waited four days with no suitable cadaver organ available. This morning, his condition started deteriorating rapidly with oxygen requirement of 100 percent with very poor tissue oxygenation, an intense acid build up in the body with lactic acidosis of over 20, Rela said. Despite best efforts by the medical team attending on him, Deshmukh suffered a cardiac arrest and died at 1.40 p.m. Deshmukh's case shows us how vulnerable we are when we require an organ on an urgent basis. I hope that this... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
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