Don’t panic, these 2 simple measures can protect you from Nipah virus

Simple good hygiene practices such as frequent washing of hands and cooking food properly before consuming it can help you avoid contracting the brain-damaging Nipah virus. The virus has claimed 13 lives in Kerala till now and led to quarantining of at least 40 others.

The Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that is naturally transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans, while human-to-human transmission has also been documented. It was first identified among pig farmers in Malaysia, and the disease surfaced in Siliguri, West Bengal in 2001 and again in 2007.

Historically, the virus largely remained in a cluster, and affected those that came in close contact to the patients. The latest outbreak in India has so far affected mainly four districts of Kerala — Kozhikode, and its neighbouring districts of Malappuram, Kannur and Wayanad. People in other states do not have much to worry, unless they travel to the affected areas, or come in contact with someone who has contracted the virus.

“All the previous epidemics were reported to be in clusters and historical evidence shows no simultaneous outbreaks,” says Vidya Menon, clinical professor at the Department of Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi. “So people who come in close contact to the patients are usually the ones who acquire the disease. If that contact group increases or travels to other places, the disease is likely to spread,” Menon said.

Nipah virus can be transmitted by infected pigs, or by fruit bats, through their secretions of saliva, urine or faeces. The other mode of transmission is human to human, through body secretions and respiratory secretions. Contracting Nipah causes an upper respiratory infection, leading to fever, body ache, breathlessness and cough. “There is no need to panic, but if you have symptoms similar to this or if you have visited the state recently, visit a doctor at the earliest,” said Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant — Internal Medicine at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.

Depending upon the exposure to the virus, it can also lead to further complication like Encephalitis — inflammation of the brain. This can result in mental confusion and deteriorate into a coma. “The progression is very severe. While the incubation period is long for some, in an average in 90% of cases, the disease manifests itself within two weeks of exposure to the virus,” Menon said.

“Those infected should be isolated for at least 10-15 days, till the virulence of the virus settles and our immune system also starts fighting,” says Vikas Maurya, Head of Department — Pulmonolgy, Fortis Hospital — Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi. There is no treatment as such for it but supportive care is given to the affected patients, which means treating the symptoms differently.

“For example, people suffering from fever are treated for it, for those with breathlessness, support is provided to them with artificial ventilators, and for those with seizures or convulsions, anti-epileptic drugs are given as a support to the brain,” Menon said.

The Kerala government has now recommended using the anti-viral Ribavarin as a life-saving measure. It is not a proven treatment, but is approved because of a few studies that have proved the anti-viral’s benefits. “Beginning on Thursday, the Kerala government has recommended using Ribavarin but only in proven cases,” Menon said.

Besides maintaining hygiene, experts suggest you avoid eating fruits that have any paw marks on it or is contaminated. Food should be properly cooked before consuming. Restricting mobility to and from the affected areas can curtail the virus up to some extent, Chatterjee suggested. “If you are travelling to the infected area, use a general mask. While coughing, close your mouth with a handkerchief or cough on your sleeve, wash hands properly, and maintain hygiene,” Menon said.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/don-t-panic-these-2-simple-measures-can-protect-you-from-nipah-virus/story-Fm94arKVlVMo8ojEJ8LJzL.html

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Private hospitals will need government nod for C-section

With an aim to encourage normal deliveries, the Centre has planned to take caesarean deliveries in private hospitals under the its National Health Protection Mission (NHPM) only if the patient is referred from a government hospital specifying reasons for the need for a C-sec surgery. The base rate of C-section under the scheme has been fixed at Rs 9,000.

A caesarean surgery is used for delivery when normal vaginal delivery poses a medical risk to the mother or the child. However, in India, caesarean deliveries have become rampant, especially in private hospitals indicating commercialisation of deliveries.

“Caesarean sections will only be allowed in private hospitals under the scheme after they are referred there from public hospitals specifying the reasons, which could be bed or human resource shortage or other issues,” said Indu Bhushan, CEO of Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission.

He said normal deliveries will not be covered under the scheme, which aims to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually and benefits more than 10 crore families belonging to the poor and vulnerable sections of the society.

“According to WHO, the ideal rate of C-section is 10-15 per cent for a country, but in India, caesarean deliveries have become rampant especially in private hospitals indicating commercialisation of deliveries,” he said.

According to the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) data released by the Union health ministry in May last year, private hospitals carried out 40.9 per cent of caesarean sections as compared to 11.9 per cent performed in government health institutions.

The Centre has included 1,354 packages in the scheme and rates for over 20 specialties, including orthopaedics, cardiology, cancer and neurosurgery are included in the package.

The rates of packages have been finalised after analysing the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and CGHS rates and are on an average 15-20 per cent lower than that of CGHS, Bhushan had said.

DELIVERY NOTES
As per WHO, the ideal rate of C-section is 10-15% for a country, but in India, C-section has become rampant. 
National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) data says private hospitals performed 40.9% C-sections & govt hospitals 11.9%

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-private-hospitals-will-need-govt-nod-for-c-section-2619455

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Most vitamins, mineral supplements have no health benefits

According to a study conducted by the St. Michael’s Hospital, common vitamin and mineral supplements have no consistent benefit for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke or premature death or no harm.

The systematic review of existing data and single randomized control trials published in English from January 2012 to October 2017 found that multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium and vitamin C – the most common supplements – showed no advantage or added risk in the prevention of cardiovascular matters or early death.

Generally, vitamin and mineral supplements are taken to add to nutrients that are found in food.

“We were surprised to find so few positive effects of the most common supplements that people consume,” said David Jenkins, the study’s lead author. “Our review found that if you want to use multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium or vitamin C, it does no harm – but there is no apparent advantage either.”

The study found folic acid alone and B-vitamins with folic acid may reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke. Meanwhile, niacin and antioxidants showed a very small effect that might signify an increased risk of death from any cause.

“These findings suggest that people should be conscious of the supplements they’re taking and ensure they’re applicable to the specific vitamin or mineral deficiencies they have been advised of by their healthcare provider,” Jenkins said.

His team reviewed supplement data that included A, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6, B9 (folic acid), C, D and E; and ß-carotene; calcium; iron; zinc; magnesium; and selenium. Read: The top 5 food sources of Vitamin D

The term ‘multivitamin’ in this review was used to describe supplements that include most vitamins and minerals, rather than a select few.

“In the absence of significant positive data – apart from folic acid’s potential reduction in the risk of stroke and heart disease – it’s most beneficial to rely on a healthy diet to get your fill of vitamins and minerals,” Jenkins said. “So far, no research on supplements has shown us anything better than healthy servings of less processed plant foods including vegetables, fruits and nuts.”

The study appears in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Source: http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/study-most-vitamins-mineral-supplements-have-no-health-benefits-ag0518/

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Sitting for long hours is setting you up for heart risks, diabetes, stress and back problems; here’s how

Sitting for more than eight hours can lead to postural problems like disc damage, strained neck and swayed back in the long run. It can also lead to some other serious health concerns.
If there is a constant ache in your neck, sitting at your desk for long hours may be one of the reasons. Besides this, uninterrupted sitting for a long period of time can lead to a number of health problems.

Sitting for more than eight hours can lead to postural problems like disc damage, strained neck and swayed back in the long run. It can also lead to some other serious health concerns like:

Heart problems
Sitting for long hours can lead to high blood and increased cholesterol levels. These conditions can lead to various heart problems.

More chances of diabetes
Lack of movement by the body leads to a slower response of cells in the body muscle to insulin produced by the pancreas. Thus, they produce more insulin that can cause diabetes.

Muscle degeneration risk
In order to maintain strength and flexibility of the muscles, it is important to use them or the muscle fibres can weaken and break down. Sitting for long at your desk can lead to developing hyperlordosis, tight hips, and lump glutes.

Elevated stress levels
When the muscles are indulged in movement, breathing quickens that increases the oxygen supply to the brain and blood. This releases mood-enhancing hormones, called endorphins that help you feel happy, thereby reducing stress. However, a sedentary lifestyle leads to elevated stress levels.

Back problems
Long hours of sitting can lead to imbalances in the spinal structure including disc damage, inflexible spine, strained neck, sore shoulders and back. While physiotherapy is recommended to deal with the pain, some easy exercises can help correct the damage.

Perform Yoga
Several yoga postures engage almost all the muscles in the body giving them a good work up. Performing yoga asanas in the morning and evening can be beneficial.

Take a stroll
Instead of sitting at your desk the whole day, make sure that you take a five-minute stroll every hour to improve your blood circulation.

Stretch now and then
Make sure to stretch your limbs now and then, while sitting. When you are at home, stretch hip flexors every morning/evening for five minutes.

Correct posture
A number of back problems can be avoided with the right sitting posture. Try sitting in an upright position without crouching and make sure you give your back a good rest.

Neck exercise
Performing neck exercises can help relieve the stiffness. While sitting straight, drop the head slowly to one side, then the other. Performing this daily for five minutes can help provide relief.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/sedentary-lifestyle-heart-risks-diabetes-stress-back-pain-5195517/

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Parkinson’s treatment: A new self-tuning brain implant may help treat patients

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Scientists have developed a self-tuning brain implant that can help manage symptoms of Parkinson’s patients by delivering stimulation in real time, in response to neural signals. Deep brain stimulation has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms for 25 years, but limitations have led researchers to look for ways to improve the technique.

The first fully implanted DBS system that uses feedback from the brain itself to fine-tune its signalling. “The novel approach taken in this small-scale feasibility study may be an important first step in developing a more refined or personalised way for doctors to reduce the problems patients with Parkinson’s disease face every day,” said Nick B Langhals, programme director at the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Deep brain stimulation is a method of managing Parkinson’s disease symptoms by surgically implanting an electrode, a thin wire, into the brain. Traditional deep brain stimulation delivers constant stimulation to a part of the brain called the basal ganglia to help treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

However, this approach can lead to unwanted side effects, requiring reprogramming by a trained clinician. The new method described in this study is adaptive, so that the stimulation delivered is responsive in real time to signals received from the patient’s brain.

“This is the first time a fully implanted device has been used for closed-loop, adaptive deep brain stimulation in human Parkinson’s disease patients,” said Philip Starr, professor at University of California, San Francisco in the US.

Signals from this electrode are then fed into a computer program embedded in the device, which determines whether to stimulate the brain. For this study the researchers taught the programme to recognise a pattern of brain activity associated with dyskinesia, or uncontrolled movements that are a side effect of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease, as a guide to tailor stimulation.

Doctors saw and patients noticed no differences in the improvement in movement under adaptive stimulation versus constant, open loop stimulation set manually by the researchers. Since adaptive deep brain stimulation did not continuously stimulate the brain, the system saved about 40% of the device’s battery energy used during traditional stimulation.

Many patients with Parkinson’s disease who would benefit from deep brain stimulation are difficult to treat because too much stimulation can cause dyskinesia. Thus, finding the correct level of stimulation is like trying to hit a constantly moving target. An adaptive system could offer an effective alternative and may also limit adverse effects of traditional deep brain stimulation, but considerable testing remains to be done, researchers said.

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Government issues advisory over Nipah, says virus localised

In the wake of the spread of Nipah virus in Kerala, the Delhi government on Thursday issued an advisory asking people to be cautious, but said that no human infection from the deadly virus has been reported in the national capital. “No human infection of the Nipah virus has been reported in Delhi till date,” it said.

The government has asked people to “stop consumption of raw date palm sap” and take special precaution when it comes to consuming mangoes that have fallen off trees and lying under them this season.

It is “not a major outbreak” of the disease and only a local occurrence, limited to a few districts in Kerala — Kozhikode and Malappuram, the advisory said.

The available data suggests that “there is no need for the general public to be apprehensive about the safety of individuals and their family members,” the advisory said.

Meanwhile, the death toll due to Nipah virus in Kerala rose to 16 on Thursday. “Its is a zoonotic disease (spreads from animals to humans) and its transmission can happen through infected bats by their bite or indirectly by consuming fruits like mangoes or date palm sap contaminated by their saliva, close contact with infected pigs or patients of Nipah virus infection,” the Delhi government said.

The illness commonly presents as brain fever. In some cases during early part of illness it may also present with fever with persistent cough and difficulty in breathing.

“By and large there is no travel advisory. However unnecessary travel to the affected districts of Kerala can be avoided for time being,” the advisory said.

The advisory has also asked people not to consume any fruit which are partially eaten or having a bite marks by bats or any other animal. People are also supposed to report to health care facility immediately if someone is having viral fever-like symptoms with neck rigidity.

The advisory has also asked people to not go for self-medication. “Maintain respiratory hygiene (avoid spiting) and coughing etiquettes (use clean handkerchief). Wash hands with soap and water before and after meals, and after coming back from markets after buying fruits and vegetables.

“Healthcare workers are advised to use full barrier personal protective equipment before examination of patients,” it said.

Source: http://www.asianage.com/metros/delhi/010618/government-issues-advisory-over-nipah-says-virus-localised.html

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Early-stage breast cancer patients may not require chemotherapy, says new study

There’s good news for cancer patients. A new study done by Montefiore Medical Center in New York says that most women with early-stage breast cancer can safely skip chemotherapy without hurting their chances of beating the disease.

The landmark study is the largest ever done of breast cancer treatment and used genetic testing to gauge each patient’s risk. The results are expected to spare patients the ordeal and expense of the chemo drugs. “The impact is tremendous. Most women in this situation don’t need treatment beyond surgery and hormone therapy,” said the study leader Dr Joseph Sparano of Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute, some foundations and proceeds from the US breast cancer postage stamp. Results were discussed at an American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago and published by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Moving away from chemo

Cancer care has been evolving away from chemotherapy — older drugs with harsh side effects — in favour of gene-targeting therapies, hormone blockers and immune system treatments. When chemo is used now, it’s sometimes for shorter periods or lower doses than it once was.

For example, another study at the conference found that Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda worked better than chemo as initial treatment for most people with the most common type of lung cancer, and with far fewer side effects. The breast cancer study focused on cases where chemo’s value increasingly is in doubt: women with early-stage disease that has not spread to lymph nodes, is hormone-positive (meaning its growth is fuelled by estrogen or progesterone) and is not the type that the drug Herceptin targets.

The usual treatment is surgery followed by years of a hormone-blocking drug. But many women also are urged to have chemo to help kill stray cancer cells. Doctors know that most don’t need it, but evidence is thin on who can forego it.

What the study found

About 17% of women had high-risk scores and were advised to have chemo, while 16% women with low-risk scores skipped chemo, based on earlier results from this study. The new results are on the 67% of women at intermediate risk. All had surgery and hormone therapy, and half also got chemo. After nine years, 94% of both groups were still alive, and about 84% were alive without signs of cancer, so adding chemo made no difference.

Some of the women aged 50 or younger did benefit from chemo. Slightly fewer cases of cancer spreading far beyond the breast occurred among some of them given chemo, depending on their risk scores on the gene test.

Women should get gene testing to guide their care, said Dr Richard Schilsky, chief medical officer of the oncology society. Testing solved a big problem of figuring out who needs chemo, said Dr Harold Burstein of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “Many women think ‘If I don’t get chemotherapy, I’m going to die, and if I get chemo, I’m going to be cured’, but the results show there’s a sliding scale of benefit and sometimes none,” he said.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/good-news-for-breast-cancer-patients-many-may-not-require-chemotherapy/story-Zz20ypuV5WlaqIzEicpnUP.html

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New device to detect cancer with urine test is here

A novel nanowire device that is able to non-invasively detect microscopic levels of cancer markers in the urine, has been developed by Japanese researchers and could aid in improving diagnosis and treatment of the deadly disease.

The device was found with potential to efficiently capture extracellular vesicles (EVs) from urine and potentially use them to screen for cancer.

“The ongoing challenge for physicians in any field is to find a non-invasive diagnostic tool that allows them to monitor their patients on a regular basis — for example, a simple urine test,” said lead author Takao Yasui, from the Nagoya University in Japan.

However, the content of EVs in urine is extremely low, at less than 0.01 per cent of the total fluid volume, which becomes a major barrier to their diagnostic utility.

The new device — embeded with zinc oxide nanowires into a specialised polymer — was found highly efficient at capturing these vesicles.


“Our findings suggest that the device is indeed quite efficient. We obtained a collection rate of over 99 per cent, surpassing ultracentrifugation as well as other methods that are currently being used in the field,” Yasui added.

Using the device, the scientists were able to net over a thousand types of microRNAs, which are short pieces of ribonucleic acid that play diverse roles in normal cellular biology.

The presence of certain microRNAs in urine might serve as a red flag for serious conditions such as bladder and prostate cancer, the study reported in Science Advances showed.

To test the device, the team compared the microRNAs of EVs isolated from healthy patients with those isolated from patients who were already diagnosed with bladder, prostate, and other forms of cancer.

Compared with the standard approach, they found a substantially greater number and different types of microRNAs with just 1 milliliter of urine, the researchers said.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/health/new-device-to-detect-cancer-with-urine-test-is-here-2070180

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US FDA approves first artificial iris

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first stand-alone prosthetic iris, a surgically implanted device to treat adults and children whose iris is completely missing or damaged due to a congenital condition called aniridia or other damage to the eye.
Iris is the coloured part of the eye around the pupil.
Director of the Division of Ophthalmic, and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Malvina Eydelman in a statement said patients with iris defects may experience severe vision problems, as well as dissatisfaction with the appearance of their eye.
“Today’s approval of the first artificial iris provides a novel method to treat iris defects that reduces sensitivity to bright light and glare. It also improves the cosmetic appearance of the eye in patients with aniridia.” he said.
The FDA granted approval of the “CustomFlex Artificial Iris” to HumanOptics AG a Germany-based firm that produces and distributes intraocular implants of the highest quality.
The CustomFlex Artificial Iris is made of thin, foldable medical-grade silicone and is custom-sized and colored for each individual patient.
A surgeon makes a small incision, inserts the device under the incision, unfolds it and smooths out the edges using surgical instruments.
The prosthetic iris is held in place by the anatomical structures of the eye or, if needed, by sutures, FDA said.
“The safety and effectiveness of the CustomFlex Artificial Iris was demonstrated primarily in a non-randomised clinical trial of 389 adult and paediatric patients with aniridia or other iris defects.”
The study measured patients’ self-reported decrease in severe sensitivity to light and glare post-procedure, health-related quality of life, and satisfaction with the cosmetic improvement or appearance of the prosthesis.
“More than 70 percent of patients reported significant decreases in light sensitivity and glare as well as an improvement in health-related quality of life following the procedure.
In addition, 94 percent of patients were satisfied with the artificial iris’ appearance,” the regulator said with regards to the efficacy of the artificial iris.
The study found low rates of adverse events associated with the device or the surgical procedure, it added.
The FDA also suggested that the CustomFlex Artificial Iris is contraindicated, or should not be used, in eyes under certain conditions such as uncontrolled or severe chronic inflammation (uveitis), abnormally small eye size (microphthalmus), untreated retinal detachment, untreated chronic glaucoma, and cataract caused by rubella virus.

Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/us-fda-approves-first-artificial-iris/597985.html

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VR sessions could reduce anxiety, boost chances of IVF success

Trying for In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatments may make you stressed. Now a new pilot study by the Catholic University of Leuven in Brussels, Belgium, shows that giving women different types of virtual reality (VR) sessions prior to sedation for IVF treatment can reduce their anxiety and improve successful pregnancy rate.

“Virtual reality distraction was shown to be effective to reduce experimental pain as well as the discomfort associated with burn injury care. The technology is being used more and more in medicine, notably in psychiatry to treat phobias,” said Fabienne Roelants, professor at the Catholic University of Leuven.

What the study shows

In the study, 100 women aged between 18 and 42 years and undergoing IVF were randomly assigned one of two types of VR session. In the “distraction group”, women received a VR session — an underwater walk cut off from all ambient noise — and the hypnosis group received a VR session with hypnosis focused on breathing, slowing respiratory rhythm, along with suggestions to repeat the technique later to find well-being and calm as needed.

While there was no statistically significant difference regarding anxiety scores between groups, on the visual anxiety scale of 100 points, the distraction group women’s average anxiety score fell from 34 before the VR session to 23 after. In the hypnosis group, the score fell from 40 to 26 points.

Further, 48 of 55 women in the distraction group, had embryos successfully transferred, but only 10 of these women (22%) were biologically confirmed as pregnant, and only seven of these women (15%) had an ultrasound confirmed successful pregnancy at 12 weeks gestation.

In the hypnosis group, 35 women had embryos successfully transferred, with 16 of these (46%) biologically confirmed as pregnant, and eight of these (23%) went on the have an ultrasound confirmed clinical pregnancy at 12 weeks. The results were presented at 2018 Euroanaesthesia congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“The preliminary results show that VR sessions before sedation for fertility treatment significantly reduce women’s anxiety. The type of suggestions used during hypnosis session might show a significant positive impact on the biological pregnancy rate, but not on clinical pregnancy rate at 12 weeks,” Roelants said.

Tips for fertility and IVF treatments

* Acupuncture can boost chances of pregnancy.

A study done by IVF Cube in Prague, Czech Republic, shows that acupuncture therapy can boost your chances of getting pregnant by six per cent. The study found that acupuncture stimulates the sensory nerves under the skin and muscles of the body along with an increased blood flow to the uterus, which makes it more receptive to the embryo implanting when it is transferred during IVF.

* The Mediterranean diet can help.

A study done by the Harokopio University of Athens shows that a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and olive oil — also called as a Mediterranean diet — would greatly benefit women trying for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

* Fertility treatments do not spike divorce risk.

A study done by the University of Porto in Portugal suggests that undergoing fertility treatment does not increase divorce risk. Previous studies have suggested that undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) greatly increases couples’ stress and anxiety levels.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/vr-sessions-could-reduce-anxiety-boost-chances-of-ivf-success/story-dlXuQFo6xnvDucsB8A3RMN.html

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