VoteUpIndia » Health http://voteupindia.com Top News of India... Sat, 19 May 2012 05:37:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Pune doctor appointed MCI board member http://voteupindia.com/pune-doctor-appointed-mci-board-member/ http://voteupindia.com/pune-doctor-appointed-mci-board-member/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 02:34:09 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9710
For the first time, a medical professional from the city has been appointed a member of the board of governors of the Medical Council of India (MCI): Dr Rajiv Yeravdekar, dean of Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences of the Symbiosis International University.

The board of governors, which took over regulatory responsibilities of the MCI last year, was reconstituted on Friday with eminent medico, Dr KK Talwar being nominated as chairperson and four fresh members inducted on the panel.
Yeravdekar said, “The thrust would be on medical curriculum, an inter-disciplinary approach and integrated medical course. I would also like to reduce the lacunas in the medical system.” He is also a member of the Indian Medical Association and Maharashtra Medical Association.

He added, “The MCI has a vision document 2015, which aims at bringing a change in the medical curriculum and the entire system in the country. So as a member I would be working on it under the chairmanship of Dr Talwar.”

Dr Yeravdekar said the MCI is working on curriculum modification and members would also contribute to it. Apart from Dr Yeravdekar, the three other board members are KS Sharma, professor and head, department of anaesthesiology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai; Harbhajan Singh Rassam, director of clinical cardiac sciences and a senior interventional cardiologist, Max Heart and Vascular Institute, Delhi; and Dr Purushottam Lal, director of interventional cardiology, chairman, Metro Group of Hospitals.

The government recently brought out a gazette notification extending the tenure of the MCI board from one to two years. The government had decided to bring in an ordinance to replace the MCI with the board after a crisis hit the regulatory body when its president, Ketan Desai was arrested on April 22 last year by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs2 crore to recognise a medical college in Punjab even though it did not meet the MCI standards.

The present board had reported differences with the ministry on some issues, including conducting a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). (With inputs from agencies)

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]]> http://voteupindia.com/pune-doctor-appointed-mci-board-member/feed/ 0 Goa FDA Says Tea Bags are Adulterated http://voteupindia.com/goa-fda-says-tea-bags-are-adulterated/ http://voteupindia.com/goa-fda-says-tea-bags-are-adulterated/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 02:34:09 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9711

The Food and Drug Administration in Goa has revealed that a raid earlier this month in Usgaon had netted tea bags that were adulterated.

The assistant drug controller R Y Arlekar of FDA Goa said that the agency found nearly 600 tea bags, each weighing 5 kgs.

On testing, the agency found that the tea bags contained a �colored� substance which is in clear violation of the Food Adulteration Act, 1964.

Arlekar added that the agency will now be prosecuting both the wholesaler as well as the company that had manufactured the tea powder. �Oil soluble colour was found in the tea powder which means it was adulterated. We will file a case under prevention of food adulteration�, he said.

Read more: Goa FDA Says Tea Bags are Adulterated http://www.medindia.net/news/Goa-FDA-Says-Tea-Bags-are-Adulterated-84985-1.htm#ixzz1MPlUsJjL
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]]> http://voteupindia.com/goa-fda-says-tea-bags-are-adulterated/feed/ 0 BBC News – Monkey HIV vaccine ‘effective’, say researchers http://voteupindia.com/bbc-news-monkey-hiv-vaccine-effective-say-researchers/ http://voteupindia.com/bbc-news-monkey-hiv-vaccine-effective-say-researchers/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 02:34:08 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9712

A new vaccine can protect macaques against the monkey equivalent of HIV and could provide a fresh approach to an HIV vaccine, a study suggests.

US researchers say the vaccine offered protection to 13 of 24 rhesus macaques treated in the experiment.

In 12 of the monkeys, the vaccine was still effective 12 months later.

They claim the work, published in the journal Nature, could “significantly contribute” to the development of an effective HIV/Aids vaccine.

The researchers gave 24 healthy rhesus macaques a vaccine containing a genetically modified form of the virus, rhesus cytomegalovirus (CMV).

In 13 of the monkeys, the vaccine appeared to offer protection against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the monkey equivalent of HIV. Of these 13, 12 monkeys were still protected one year on.

The researchers say the vaccine works by stimulating the production of a particular type of blood cell, called “effector memory T-cells”, which can remain vigilant in the body long after an infection has abated.

Lead author Professor Louis J Picker, of the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Oregon, compares these cells to armed soldiers at the ready.

“There are soldiers that are back at the base with their rifles in the shed, and then you have the guys out in the field,” he told the BBC.

There was also evidence, he said, that the vaccine all but eradicated traces of SIV in the monkeys, something which he said was “unprecedented” in HIV vaccine research.

Safety concerns

Researchers in the field welcomed the study, but said safety issues would need to be addressed before similar approaches could be tried in humans.

“I’m excited by the science because it really does demonstrate that it may be possible to eradicate the HIV virus by a strong immune response,” said Professor Sir Andrew McMichael of Oxford University.

“But at the same time I’m scratching my head how to take this approach into humans.”

An artist’s impression of the HIV virus, which is thought to have originated from a similar virus in chimpanzees Professor McMichael said HIV arose from a type of SIV found in chimpanzees, so the animal model used in the study was a good one. The problem, he said, was the potential safety and regulatory issues with introducing CMV into humans, even though many of us already carry the virus.

“CMV is not totally benign, it does cause a number of diseases. If you’re giving people something you’re not going to be able to get rid of should it cause problems, then that’s quite a difficult risk to manage.”

Professor Robin Shattock of Imperial College, London, agreed safety would be key.

“The breakthrough here is in using a viral-delivered vaccine that persists – essentially using an engineered virus to thwart a pathogenic virus. The tricky part will be showing it is safe and effective in humans.”

Professor Picker responded by saying such issues would be addressed in forthcoming work, pointing out that early forms of the smallpox vaccine also carried health risks to humans.

“On one level 99% of people in sub-Saharan Africa are CMV-positive and half the people in the developed world are, so we know at lot about it and it’s mostly non-pathogenic, except in vulnerable populations like pregnant women,” he said.

“We’re fully aware to make it available to humans, then the next step is to make a virus which retains or has an enhanced ability to make effector memory cells, but no longer has the capacity to infect vulnerable parts of the population.”

Vaccine failure

Developing an HIV vaccine has so far proved a deeply challenging task, but there have been some promising results.

In 2009, researchers in Thailand published in the Lancet the results of an experimental HIV vaccine, which they said reduced by nearly a third the risk of contracting HIV.

Then last year, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested a drug used to treat HIV-positive patients may offer gay and bisexual men some protection against contracting the virus.

Trials of the combination drug Truvada among nearly 2,500 men suggested it could reduce the chances of male-to-male HIV infection by 44%.

But major breakthroughs remain hard to come by. Indeed, the new Nature study comes as a separate paper in The Lancet Infectious Diseases reports on the failure of an HIV vaccine trial in South Africa.

The MRKAd5 HIV-1 vaccine was trialled in a study involving 801 patients, and no evidence was found that the vaccine was effective.

However, the report authors concede that the study’s conclusions may have been compromised by a premature end to the trial.

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]]> http://voteupindia.com/bbc-news-monkey-hiv-vaccine-effective-say-researchers/feed/ 0 New Cancer Facilities at Mazumdar http://voteupindia.com/new-cancer-facilities-at-mazumdar/ http://voteupindia.com/new-cancer-facilities-at-mazumdar/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 23:52:07 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9674

Mazumdar-Shaw Center for Advanced Therapeutics (MS-CAT) was established at the Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Center, Narayana Health City by the Secretary of Department of Biotechnology, Dr. MK Bhan. The centre announced about the new facilities for the treatment of cancer on Friday.

GANIT labs, Strand Genomics, Cornell University, University of California, and Irvine are some of the institution, who is supporting the cancer centre. MS-CAT will also help these institutions in the further researches to make the easier cancer treatments.

They ensured people that the centre will surely bring some advanced therapies for the cancer treatment. The new facilities will include the India’s largest bone marrow or stem cell transplant facility. The centre will also have some advanced treatment facilities such as immunotherapy, gene therapy and biomodulators.

The Head, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Mazundar-Shaw Cancer Centre, Dr. Sharad Damodar, asserted, “It is a 14-bed transplant unit, so far the biggest in Karnataka. Haploidentical transplants, gene therapy and cord blood transplants are some of the advanced therapies that will be conducted here”.

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]]> http://voteupindia.com/new-cancer-facilities-at-mazumdar/feed/ 0 Mixed stem cell cure creates history http://voteupindia.com/mixed-stem-cell-cure-creates-history/ http://voteupindia.com/mixed-stem-cell-cure-creates-history/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 23:52:07 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9675
KOLKATA: Five-year-old Moinam Pal, an e-beta thalassaemia patient, walked into medical history on Friday as the first Indian patient to be cured by mixed stem cell therapy.

The unique method of treatment that combines stem cells taken from cord blood as well as bone marrow works better than cord blood and bone marrow stem cell therapies administered in isolation.

Moinam received stem cells from his two-year-old sister Ahona`s cord blood on April 3 and was released on Friday from the Netaji Subhas Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) after a month of intense therapy. The youngster is stated to be on the path of recovery.

Carried out in three phases, the stem cell transplantation commenced with the destruction of Moinam`s existing bone marrow cells.

“We used conditioning chemotherapy for that and then stem cells from his sister, extracted from her cord blood and bone marrow, were injected into him. It was done in a highly-steralized chamber but required no surgery. Tests reveal that Moinam`s blood group has started changing from AB+ to B+, while female chromosomes have already appeared in his bone marrow which suggest he is well on the way to recovery and would soon be cured of thalassaemia,” said Ashish Mukhopadhyay, director NCRI who conducted the procedure.

Stem cells in the cord blood are not sufficient to wipe out thalassaemia. Often, the cell count in cord blood is not high enough. The result is a partial cure. Bone marrow stem cells, on the other hand, often lead to a Graft Versus Host Disease ( GVHD) which is triggered by the body`s defense mechanism while the transfusion is being done. “Taken together, the two therapies can complement each other and lead to a complete cure. In this case, the signs are there to suggest that the procedure has been successful,” explained Mukhopadhyay.

The combination therapy has been attempted successfully in Greece and China which have the highest number of thalassaemia patients in the world. Both the countries have tried it on one patient each, resulting in a complete cure. “It`s time we felt that we tried it here for thalassaemia patients have to live with a partial cure after pinning hopes on cord blood or bone marrow therapy. Both are expensive procedures but don`t g u a r a n tesuccess, ” a d d e d Mukhopadhyay. Moinam`s parents Ashim Kumar Pal and Manisha Pal were advised to go for a second child to acquire the cord blood needed to cure the boy.

Stem cell therapy is the only possible ray of hope for thalassaemia patients like Moinam. About 10,000 thalassaemic children are born in India each year. Most die before they turn 10 while the rest survive on transfusion. “Regular transfusions are both expensive and painful. So, stem cell therapy, particularly the mixed method that we have just carried out successfully, is the future. Storing cord blood will be necessary to take advantage of this procedure. Moinam`s recovery confirms that we have the required technology and facilities,” said Prosanto Chowdhury, medical director of CordLife India which had stored Ahona`s cord blood.

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]]> http://voteupindia.com/mixed-stem-cell-cure-creates-history/feed/ 0 HIV drives 15 lakh kids homeless http://voteupindia.com/hiv-drives-15-lakh-kids-homeless/ http://voteupindia.com/hiv-drives-15-lakh-kids-homeless/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 23:52:07 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9676

JAIPUR: City-based NGOs observed World AIDS Orphans Day on Saturday to draw attention to the plight of such children. They organised programmes to sensitise people.

Lata Singh, programme cordinator of FXB India Suraksha, said 15 lakh children are homeless due to HIV in India. The situation is getting worse in Rajasthan despite the government’s massive awareness programmes, she added.

“Jaipur has around 2,000 HIV positive children. This data is collected with the help of NGOs and hospitals. However, many of them are out of the reach of both,” added Singh.

Suraksha organised this programme at Virandavan marriage garden. They called around 20 HIV positive children along with activist working for rights of these children and government officials.

During the programme some children narrated their tragic tales through songs. Sukhdev Singh (name changed) (14), a HIV positive says how his uncle abandoned him outside railway station in Solapur barely months after the death of his parents in a road accident.

After living at the mercy of beggars at the station for some days, he came to Jaipur on the train and started consuming drugs. Here he was spotted by this NGO. After a medical test it was revealed that he is HIV positive.

Since then, he underwent many counselling sessions and started going to school. Singh fears that people discriminate against HIV positives despite the government’s massive awareness programmes.

RU Professor Shashi Sahay addressed HIV positive students. She said that biggest challenge for civil society is to bring them into the mainstream.


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]]> http://voteupindia.com/hiv-drives-15-lakh-kids-homeless/feed/ 0 Centre of excellence for nursing to come up in city http://voteupindia.com/centre-of-excellence-for-nursing-to-come-up-in-city/ http://voteupindia.com/centre-of-excellence-for-nursing-to-come-up-in-city/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 23:52:07 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9679

VADODARA: The first ever centre of excellence for nursing will come up in the city. The foundation stone for the college of nursing that will also serve as the centre of excellence was laid in the city on Saturday.

The nursing college will come up at the Vaccine Institute land on Old Padra Road. The institute is being built at a cost of Rs 40 crore. The state government plans to develop it as a state-of-the-art facility to cater to the future needs in nursing that is expected to become more and more special.

State health minister Jay Narayan Vyas said the nursing institute would provide BSc, MSc and PhD courses. “Nursing is an emerging profession that has bright prospects in the future. According to the Planning Commission, the country will need 12.5 lakh nursing professionals by 2025,” Vyas said.

Vyas said the centre will emphasise on specialized nursing courses. “Like medicine, we will need specialized nursing professionals for oncology, neurology, cardiology and infectious diseases,” he added.

Vyas said the institute would be amongst the best in the country . The nursing institute at SSG Hospital will eventually be merged into the new centre. The existing nursing institute is the oldest in the state and had come up in 1926 during the reign of the visionary Maharaja Sayajirao III. Vyas said the infrastructure at the new institute would be sufficient for 150 students. At its beginning, it will cater to 60 graduate students, 30 post-graduate and PhD students depending on the registrations made.

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]]> http://voteupindia.com/centre-of-excellence-for-nursing-to-come-up-in-city/feed/ 0 Avastin is More Risky than Lucentis: Study | News Tonight http://voteupindia.com/avastin-is-more-risky-than-lucentis-study-news-tonight/ http://voteupindia.com/avastin-is-more-risky-than-lucentis-study-news-tonight/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 23:52:07 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9680
A recent study carried out by the researchers from the National Eye Institute in the United States has claimed that Avastin is slightly riskier as compared to Lucentis for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The new study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Lucentis is more expensive as compared to Avastin and costs $2,000 per dose. The drug is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of AMD. Avastin is manufactured by Roche Holding and cost about $50 for per dose. The researchers have also said that despite the side effects or the risk associated with the use of Avastin, both the drugs are equally effective.

The study involved more than 1,200 patients with age-related macular degeneration. The results of the examination found that Avastin was effective as Lucentis for the treatment of AMD though it was not approved by FDA.

The findings of the study also reveal that patients who were treated with Avastin were at a 30% higher risk of serious problems affecting the rest of the body as compared to those who were treated with Lucentis.


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]]> http://voteupindia.com/avastin-is-more-risky-than-lucentis-study-news-tonight/feed/ 0 J&K Govt seals one more illegal ultrasound clinic in Jammu, IBN Live News http://voteupindia.com/jk-govt-seals-one-more-illegal-ultrasound-clinic-in-jammu-ibn-live-news/ http://voteupindia.com/jk-govt-seals-one-more-illegal-ultrasound-clinic-in-jammu-ibn-live-news/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 23:52:07 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9681

Jammu, May 7 (PTI) Continuing its crackdown against illegal ultrasound clinics, the Jammu and Kashmir government today sealed one more such clinic in the city. With this, a total number of 23 illegal ultrasound clinics were sealed by the health department teams in Jammu division. Health officials team led by Deputy Director, Health, Dr T K Moza today inspected M/S Treat Well diagnostic centre at Canal Road in the city and found that the centre was being run without proper permission, department officials said, adding that the centre was immediately sealed by the inspecting team. Earlier, the team of health officials sealed six such clinics in Rajouri district, five in Udhampur district, eight in Jammu and three in Samba district. Meanwhile, Director Health Services Jammu along with a team of senior officers of the department today visited Samba and Kathua districts to conduct inspection of ultrasound clinics in the twin border districts, they said. Jammu and Kashmir’s overall sex ratio has been pegged at 883 females per 1000 males indicating a fall of 9 points compared to 2001 Census, according to provisional figures of 2011 Census.


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]]> http://voteupindia.com/jk-govt-seals-one-more-illegal-ultrasound-clinic-in-jammu-ibn-live-news/feed/ 0 ‘No smoking signs’ evoke desire in smokers to have a puff. http://voteupindia.com/%e2%80%98no-smoking-signs%e2%80%99-evoke-desire-in-smokers-to-have-a-puff/ http://voteupindia.com/%e2%80%98no-smoking-signs%e2%80%99-evoke-desire-in-smokers-to-have-a-puff/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 23:52:06 +0000 prashant agarwal http://voteupindia.com/?p=9682
A recent study conducted at oxford university says that any form of ‘No Smoking ‘signs create an interest and it evokes a desire in smokers to have a puff.

The effect of ‘No Smoking’ signs in smokers to create a desire for smoking is described as ‘Ironic Effect’.
Earp who led the team said that every smoker who passes through a street having five to six ‘No Smoking’ boards in doors and windows develops a craving within themselves for smoking.

Earp and his colleagues involved smoker-volunteers and the group of smokers were shown with number of photos related with ‘No Smoking’ signs which created a craving in their mind and smoking related images poured inside them.

“ no smoking signs’ are meant for discouraging smoking, but on the contrary, it creates a craving for smoking—what supposed to prohibit the thoughts in smokers becomes more desirable within them’ Earp remarked.

The finding of this study is to be presented at the British Psychological Society’s annual meeting in Glasgow.

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]]> http://voteupindia.com/%e2%80%98no-smoking-signs%e2%80%99-evoke-desire-in-smokers-to-have-a-puff/feed/ 0