1 August, 2013

Sleep apnoea: ENT surgeon performs robotic surgery live

Over 2,000 doctors across the world viewed a real-time live robotic surgery performed on two patients at the Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai on Tuesday to cure them of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) or stoppage of breathing during sleep.

The live ‘workshop’ by well known ENT surgeon DrVikas Agrawal was conducted to display the latest robotic technique called transoral robotic surgery at the base of the tongue – a complex procedure since it is a very heavy muscle situated deep inside the throat. ‘OSA, which afflicts 13 percent of Indians, is a disorder in which a person stops breathing during the night, perhaps hundreds of times. These gaps in breathing are called ‘apnoeas’. The disorder occurs when tissues in the upper throat collapse at different times during sleep, thereby blocking passage of air,’ Agrawal said.

The first-of-its-kind live session was attended by world-renowned robotic surgeons for OSA, Italian doctors Claudio Vicini and Filippo Montevecchi and AHI vice chairman Ramakanta Panda. Agrawal said that both the patients operated upon Tuesday were non-obese and had attempted the continuous airway pressure therapy, but it did not work on them. Though studies have suggested that obese people are four times more vulnerable to OSA, nowadays, more and more non-obese persons are coming up with severe OSA symptoms, he said. Referring to a 2009 study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Agrawal said that the number of patients suffering from OSA could be strongly underestimated.

Of the approximate 13 percent of the population which is suffering from OSA, only four percent approach a doctor, and the incidence is three times higher in men compared to women, he said. Speaking on the occasion, Ramakant Panda, a renowned heart surgeon, said the ‘live surgery’ on TORS is a step towards honing the skills and expertise of the medical community who will benefit from this surgical knowledge-sharing.

Source: http://health.india.com

01.08.2013

Notification of TB cases needs to be made strict: Experts

Strict enforcement of laws on TB notification, infection and control at all levels and uninterrupted laboratory supplies are some of the steps needed for control of tuberculosis, experts said on Monday. ‘It is very important to integrate home-based care, rehabilitation and social support for people with drug-resistant TB,’ Amod Kumar, head of Community Medicine, St. Stephen’s Hospital, Delhi, said.

Kumar and others were part of a team of health advocates who met Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed to hand over a report of the review done on 14 sites in India where multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is being treated. (Read: Ten facts you need to know aboutTB)

MDR-TB is a serious and difficult-to-treat form of tuberculosis resistant to many antibiotics. The team has documented how standard guidelines for Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT) of Central TB Division are getting implemented. ‘PMDT guidelines were being followed in all the 14 sites we visited in the public sector. Our team also visited government sites along with few programmes managed by non-profit agencies and a private laboratory in Delhi and were very inspired to see that not only are the guidelines being strictly upheld, but an enormous effort has also gone into establishing and managing these sites,’ Bobby Ramakant of CNS Vote For Health campaign said.

The report has a series of personal stories of cured MDR-TB patients, as well as those with MDR-TB or Extensively Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB) who are currently receiving treatment from government PMDT sites. Despite challenges of health systems and the highest TB disease burden globally, India has come a long way in its response to providing access to standard WHO-recommended anti-TB treatment through Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) to more than 14.2 million (1.42 crore) people across the country.

However, TB continues to remain one of the key public health priorities in India. Drug-resistant TB is one of the major concerns, and India is on track to providing universal access to quality diagnostics and treatment services for all patients with drug-resistant TB in the next five years.

Source: http://health.india.com

01.08.2013

Make rest a necessity, not an objective. Only rest long enough to gather strength

Jim Rohn

31 July, 2013

Blame the full moon for bad night's sleep

The research group around Prof. Christian Cajochen of the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel in Switzerland analyzed the sleep of over 30 volunteers in two age groups in the lab.

While they were sleeping, the scientists monitored their brain patterns, eye movements and measured their hormone secretions. The findings suggest that even today, despite the comforts of modern life, humans still responds to the geophysical rhythms of the moon.

The data show that both the subjective and the objective perception of the quality of sleep changed with the lunar cycles.

Around full moon, brain activity in the areas related to deep sleep dropped by 30 percent. People also took five minutes longer to fall asleep and they overall slept for 20 minutes less.

The volunteers felt as though their sleep had been poorer during fullmoon and they showed lower levels of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wake cycles.

According to the researchers, this circalunar rhythm might be a relic from past times, when the moon was responsible for synchronizing human behavior.

This is well known for other animals, especially marine animals, where moon light coordinates reproduction behavior. Today, other influences of modern life, such as electric light, masked the moon's influence on us.

However, the study shows that in the controlled environment of the laboratory with a strict study protocol, the moon's hold over us can be made visible and measurable again.

The results have been published in the journal Current Biology.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

31.07.2013

Brushing teeth regularly helps prevent dementia

Brushing your teeth not only helps you keep adazzling smile, but it could also stave off dementia, a new study has revealed. 

In a recent research, brain tissue from people suffering from Alzheimer was found to be infected with a type of bug that causes gum disease, the Mirror reported. 

Dentistry Professor Stjohn Crean told the publication that people should pay particular attention to brushing teeth and visiting the dentist to reduce bugs in their mouths. 

The presence of 'Porphyromonas gingivalis' was found in the tissue of 10 dementia sufferers. 

The study conducted by the University of Central Lancashire found that the bug triggers a response in the brain that destroys neurons and brings on symptoms such as memory loss and confusion. 

Dr Alison Cook, of the Alzheimer's Society, told the publication that the best way to reduce your risk of dementia is to lead a healthy lifestyle and enjoying a balanced diet.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

31.07.2013

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated

Confucius

30 July, 2013

Soon, glass scaffold that can help heal bone injuries

Washington: Scientists have developed a type of glass implant that could help in regeneration of injured bone.

The study conducted by Missouri University of Science and Technology has found that it could help in repairing the bones in the arms, legs and other areas of the body that are most subject to the stresses of weight.

The researchers reported that the glass implant, in the form of a porous scaffolding, integrates with bone and promotes bone growth.

Lead author Dr. Mohamed N. Rahaman, professor of materials science and engineering said that this combination of strength and bone growth opens new possibilities for bone repair.

Rahaman and his colleagues implanted bioactive glass scaffolds into sections of the calvarial bones (skullcaps) of laboratory rats, then examined how well the glass integrated with the surrounding bone and how quickly new bone grew into the scaffold. 

The scaffolds are manufactured in Rahaman`s lab through a process known as robocasting - a computer-controlled technique to manufacture materials from ceramic slurries, layer by layer - to ensure uniform structure for the porous material.

The researchers found that the bioactive glass scaffolds bonded quickly to bone and promoted a significant amount of new bone growth within six weeks.

While the skullcap is not a load-bearing bone, it is primarily a cortical bone. 

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate how well this type of glass scaffolding - already shown to be strong - would interact with cortical bone.

The study was published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia. 

Source:www.zeenews.india.com/news/health

30.07.2013

Indian doctors give new life to African patient

Gurgaon: Afflicted with a rare cancer that affected a large part of his face, leaving intact only the eyes and a 10 per cent survival chance, a 22-year-old from Congo has now received a new lease of life from a city-based hospital, which reconstructed his facial structure.

Several hospitals in India and abroad had given up hope for Nkosi who suffered 90 per cent cancer in mouth, lip, cheeks, jaw bone and part of his tongue which left him unable to speak and eat since past four years.

"This is the sixth such case of its kind in the world. When Nkosi approached us five months ago, his condition was horrific and his mother had lost all hopes after her son was denied treatment everywhere," Rakesh Durkhure, who led a team of surgeons who operated on Nkosi at Gurgaon based Paras hospital told PTI.

"The poor guy had not been able to even speak, chew and eat for four years. His mother used to feed him in drops," he said.

Several hospitals in India and abroad had denied him treatment due to the risk of death involved.

Durkhure performed the surgery in three stages with the final surgery slated in six months time.

"We have performed his surgery in three stages and finally been able to bring back his voice. A third surgery will be performed after six months when we will carve out his lips and mouth" the doctor said.

Only last week Nkosi`s teeth were brushed for the first time in four years. "He got emotional and was in tears," said the doctor.

Source:www.zeenews.india.com/news/health

30.07.2013

Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart

C.G. Jung

29 July, 2013

Minister thinks of unique way to win over Maoists – organises eye camps

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh seems to have adopted a unique method to win over the impoverished and exploited population in Jharkhand’s forested and remote areas that are under Maoist sway – holding eye camps.

‘Poor children, youth and old people are suffering from eye problems. Such camps can inculcate confidence among villagers, particularly among children and youth, that the government is concerned about them and their health and studies,’ an official told IANS of the camps Ramesh has been organising as a means to penetrate areas that are controlled and dominated by Maoist rebels. The latest camp, to be held in Latehar district July 30, is linked to the Saryu Action Plan in Latehar and neighbouring districts to fight Maoist guerrillas. It will be organised in association with Ranchi’s Kashyap Eye Memorial Hospital.

Bharti Kashyap, director of the hospital, told IANS: ‘Jairam Ramesh will inaugurate the eye camp. The camp is a continuation of our series of eye camps focussing on children living in Maoist-infested areas.’ Around 2,000 people of 12 panchayats will be checked for eye problems by 200 local teachers who have been trained by the hospital’s optometrists in taking vision tests in schools to identify visually challenged children. Kashyap said the State Bank of India has assured financial assistance for cataract surgery on 50 patients in Latehar district.

Ramesh had first launched the Saranda Action Plan in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district under which the central government provided funds to 2,750 Ho tribals to build houses under the Indira Awas Yojna. Singhbum had for long been the headquarters of the CPI (Maoist). In January, an eye camp was organised at Maoharpur block of West Singhbhum district. In Maoharpur of West Singhbhum district, the hospital had checked 1,000 patients and found that over 32 percent of them had cataract. Doctors from the hospital – in association with Red Cross – had operated on 250 people, including children, restoring their vision.

Source: http://health.india.com

29.07.2013

Doctors worldwide get to see live surgery in India

More than 5,000 doctors from all over the world will witness a live surgery to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder, to be performed at the Asian Heart Institute (AHI) here Tuesday, an official said . This is the first time that such a live robotic surgery will be performed before a global audience of medicos along with expert lectures on the occasion.

Leading ENT surgeon Vikas Agrawal will operate on three patients to show the different issues pertaining to OSA among Indians. Two Italian medicos and pioneers in OSA – Claudio Vicini and Filippo Montevecchi – shall discuss different aspects of Transoral Robotic Surgery for OSA.

OSA is a disorder in which a person stops breathing during night, maybe several times – with the gaps called ‘apneas’ (literally ‘without breath’). The disorder occurs when tissues in the upper throat collapse at different times during sleep, thereby blocking passage of air.

According to Agrawal, OSA increases with age and the latest Indian studies have revealed that its prevalence is three times higher in men as compared to women. Agrawal is the first Indian medico to cure this complex ENT procedure robotically and endoscopically. AHI Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Ramakanta Panda (who operated on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh four years ago), has lauded the initiative which would help AHI set new benchmarks globally.

Source: http://health.india.com

29.07.2013

You can choose to be kind or be right. If you choose kindness, you are right every time

Richard Carlson

27 July, 2013

Spending time outdoors may improve veterans` mental health

Washington: Veterans who participate in outdoor excursions enjoy better mental health than their peers who are confined indoors, according to a new study.

Veterans were surveyed before and after a multi-day wilderness recreation experience, which involved camping and hiking in groups of between six and 12 participants. More than half of participants reported that they frequently experienced physical or mental health problems in everyday life.

One week after the experience, veterans reported a greater than 10 percent improvement in several measures of psychological well-being, a 9 percent increase in social functioning, and a nearly 8 percent gain in positive life outlook. In some cases, the results persisted over the next month.

"The findings suggest that extended group-based nature recreation can have significant positive impacts on veterans struggling with serious health problems," said Jason Duvall , a research scientist at the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment and one of the study`s lead authors.

Veterans may identify more strongly with activities outdoors that involve physical challenge, camaraderie and achievement of an objective - experiences that are shared with their military service. As a result, the approach used by these programs may be more appealing than conventional clinical treatments when it comes to dealing with mental health issues.

"The excursions are a supportive environment because in many ways, they recreate many positive aspects of the military experience," Duvall said. "They are outside, in a group, sharing similar mental models and, in a sense, on a mission. In that scenario, the impact of the natural environment might be heightened."

"Veterans with more serious health problems seemed to benefit most," Duvall said. 

Source: www.zeenews.india.com/news/health

27.07.2013

Doctors turning to lasers and LEDs to `see` under the skin

Washington: New non-invasive optical techniques using lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and spectroscopic methods helping probe and render images from beneath the surface of the skin.

The techniques may be used in a wide variety of medical and cosmetic applications such as treating burns, identifying cancer, or speeding the healing of wounds.

"The skin is the biggest organ of the body, and serves as its barrier to the environment," Special Section Guest Editor Jurgen Lademann of the Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, said.

"It provides protection against water loss, keeps micro-organisms from invading the body, and responds sensitively to external stimuli. As a sensory organ, the skin is an essential means of interpersonal communication," he said.

Because they are easily accessible, the skin barrier and the underlying living cell layers are ideal subjects for investigation by optical and spectroscopic methods using light-based technologies that work from outside the body, Lademann said.

Technologies such as fluorescence, reflectance, laser scanning microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy enable identification of tissues and fluids based on how their specific physical and chemical properties cause them to react to different wavelengths of light.

Optical imaging methods are becoming increasingly popular in the field of pharmacology, specifically for investigating the penetration of topically applied substances into and through the skin barrier.

Other uses are imaging blood flow and analyzing the wound healing processes.

The findings are published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics. 

Source: www.zeenews.india.com/news/health

27.07.2013

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours

Wayne Dyer

26 July, 2013

More and more Indians getting weight loss surgeries

With diabetes and obesity on the increase in the country, weight reduction procedures or bariatric surgeries are in huge demand in the country, said an expert. ‘Bariatric surgeries are in huge demand. This is an indicator of the rising obesity and diabetes cases. There is a vast difference in the number of cases from five years ago,’ said Om Tantia, consultant bariatric and metabolic surgeon, ILS Hospital in Kolkata. India has the second largest number of diabetes patients with an estimated 61 million people affected. Nearly 140 million people in India have high blood pressure, which is 14 percent of the world’s total such patients. The surgical procedures performed on the stomach (such as sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass surgery) lead to long-term weight loss and resolution of diabetes. ‘The advantage is that diabetes is resolved in patients and those overweight lose 70 to 80 percent of their excess weight,’ said Tantia, adding that the risk factors are less than a percent.

For people who are over-weight and cannot shed the excess fat through lifestyle changes (including exercise), dietary control and drugs, bariatric surgeries become the best option. According to Tantia, the deciding factors for people who choose to go under the scalpel is the Body Mass Index (BMI). As per international protocols for the Asia Pacific region, BMI is pegged at 37.5 as the criterion.

‘People overweight by 30 to 40 kg are greatly benefited,’ said Tantia. A Live Workshop and Conference on Bariatric Surgery will be organized by ILS Hospital July 26-27.

Source: http://health.india.com

26.07.2013

Skipping breakfast could give you a heart attack!

Skipping breakfast could make you vulnerable to greater risk of heart attack, US researchers have warned. Health experts have suggested that older men not bothering to eat after getting up are a quarter more likely to have a cardiac arrest or die from coronary disease than those who do, Daily Mail reported.

According to the researchers, missing a morning meal or eating very late at night may trigger changes in the body’s metabolism that leads to coronary heart disease. It may also affect blood sugar and hormone levels that make heart disease more likely.

For their study spanning 16 years, the researchers tracked the health of 26,902 male health professionals aged 45-82 and asked them to complete a series of eating questionnaires. Altogether 1,572 men had a first-time ‘cardiac event’ during the period, said the study published in the medical journal Circulation.

Men who skipped breakfast were found to have a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease than breakfast eaters. The men who did not eat breakfast were younger than those who did, and were more likely to be smokers, employed full-time, unmarried, less physically active and to drink more alcohol. Men who ate after going to bed had a 55 percent higher coronary heart disease risk than those who did not, but it was a small minority of the total. 

Source: http://health.india.com

26.07.2013

When a man finds no peace within himself, it is useless to seek it elsewhere

L. A. Rouchefolicauld

25 July, 2013

Now, patch that makes you invisible to mosquitoes

A patch that is being hailed as the new age product of mosquito prevention has been developed.

According to the product's Chief Scientist Michele Brown, the patch, which can be attached to clothes and bags, uses non-toxic compounds to block ability of a mosquito to find people through carbon dioxide that humans exhale, ABC News reported.

Olfactor Laboratories and the University of California at Riverside were helped in their endeavour to create the Kite Patch by Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

The patch has been designed to be durable and affordable everywhere.

Grey Frandsen, co-founder of Kite, said that the patch has been made up of materials which are both flexible enough and lightweight.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

25.07.2013

Poor sleep accelerates skin ageing

A new study has found that sleep quality impacts skin function and ageing. 

The recently completed study by physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center, commissioned by Estee Lauder, demonstrated that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin ageing and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors, such as disruption of the skin barrier or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Poor sleepers also had worse assessment of their own skin and facial appearance. 

"Our study is the first to conclusively demonstrate that inadequate sleep is correlated with reduced skin health and accelerates skin ageing. Sleep deprived women show signs of premature skin ageing and a decrease in their skin's ability to recover after sun exposure," Primary InvestigatorElma Baron, MD, Director of the Skin Study Center at UH Case Medical Center and Associate Professor of Dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, said. 

"Insufficient sleep has become a worldwide epidemic. While chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to medical problems such as obesity,diabetes, cancer and immune deficiency, its effects on skin function have previously been unknown," she said. 

Skin functions as an important barrier from external stressors such as environmental toxins and sun-induced DNA damage. 

The research team set out to determine if skin function and appearance is also impacted by sleep quality, which is vital to the growth and renewal of the body's immune and physiological systems. The researchers found that good quality sleepers recovered more efficiently from stressors to the skin. 

Recovery from sunburn was more sluggish in poor quality sleepers, with erythema (redness) remaining higher over 72 hours, indicating that inflammation is less efficiently resolved. 

A Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) test was used at various time points to determine the ability of the skin to serve as an effective barrier against moisture loss. 

In measurements 72 hours after a skin barrier stressor (tape-stripping), the recovery of good quality sleepers was 30 percent higher than poor quality sleepers (14 per cent vs. -6 percent) demonstrating that they repair the damage more quickly. Additionally, poor quality sleepers were significantly more likely to have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). 

For example, 23 per cent of good quality sleepers were obese compared to 44 per cent of poor quality sleepers.  Not surprisingly, self perception of attractiveness was significantly better in good quality sleepers (mean score of 21 on self evaluation) vs. poor quality sleepers (mean score of 18).

Source: www.timesofindia.com                  25.07.2013

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality

John Lennon

24 July, 2013

Can poor sleep increase knee pain?

Washington: It makes sense that pain can interfere with a good night`s sleep, but growing evidence suggests that poor sleep can itself lead to an increase in pain.

It`s like a vicious cycle that researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are trying to understand.

"Understanding this relationship could open up new avenues in pain management through the treatment of sleep disorders," said Megan Ruiter, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in UAB`s Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.

Ruiter is studying the sleep and pain relationship among patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disease affecting mainly the hands, knees, hips and spine. Pain from this disease is common, though the experience of the pain can widely vary among patients, regardless of how much the disease has progressed.

Ruiter is recruiting patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who are already participating in an ongoing pain study at UAB, the Understanding Pain and Limitations of Osteoarthritic Disease (UPLOAD) study, to also participate in a sleep study. Participants from the UPLOAD study who qualify for the sleep study will undergo sleep testing on two nights in the UAB Sleep Wake Disorders Center. The first night will be used to identify those without pre-existing sleep disorders, who will then undergo a second night of testing.

"There is reason to believe that poor sleep can cause a cascade of physiological problems that can lead to pain issues," said Laurence Bradley, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology and lead investigator of the UPLOAD study.

"Sleep is a modifiable phenomenon," Ruiter said. "Treating sleep to modify pain may allow more options than simply treating pain at the source, which is often extremely difficult."

Bradley said there may be three factors that primarily influence pain in these patients. There are biological factors such as blood pressure or hormone levels, psycho-social factors like perceptions and expectations, as well as genetic factors. 

Source: www.zeenws.india.com/news/health

24.07.2013

116 convictions for violating sex determination law: Azad

New Delhi: About 288 cases of violation of sex determination test were reported last year and 116 resulted in convictions, union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Tuesday.

Speaking at the 21st meeting of the Central Supervisory Board (CSB) on Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, Azad said his ministry has increased its engagement with the states to identify and address challenges in the implementation of law.

"Out of 288 cases filed last year, 116 convictions have been secured under the Act and licenses of 53 doctors have been suspended by state medical councils," he said.

Azad said new challenges keep emerging with each passing day.

"Blood tests that disclose the sex of a foetus are available on the internet or abroad including ultrasound procedures on mobile phones," he said.

"For this reason, all stakeholders should act in partnership with government to counter the unethical practice of gender biased sex selection through misuse of rapidly evolving technologies," he said.

Quoting the Annual Health Survey 2011, Azadsaid sex ratio at birth in urban areas is lower than the rural areas except Rajasthan.

"But there is still preference of son and discrimination against the girl child in our country. Against the backdrop of son preference, the mushrooming of ultrasound diagnostic facilities has compounded implementation of the law," he said.

"To deal with the challenging socio-cultural attitudes, a comprehensive and innovative and information, education and communication (IEC) strategy has been put in place to promote positive attitudes for ensuring survival and protection of girl child," he added.

Source: www.zeenws.india.com/news/health

24.07.2013

Strong souls have willpower, weak ones only desires