Health

Indian scientists have developed a new smart cancer drug candidate designed to become active primarily inside cancer cells, offering a potentially more targeted approach to cancer treatment and reducing the risk of damage to healthy cells.  The research has been led by Dr Asis Bala of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in collaboration with Dr K.P. Bhabak of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.  The drug candidate, named RK-251, is designed to remain relatively inactive in normal tissues and become activated inside cancer cells, according to reports.  Conventional cancer treatments can affect healthy cells along with tumour cells, often resulting in signif...

Monsoon fever risk has moved into the period when it has historically run highest, according to a new study.  After a relatively dry start to the season, the national risk score for the study conducted by PharmEasy's Fever Watch indicator, has risen from 47 in week one to 61 as of August 12, while the number of cities reading 'high' has increased from one in mid-July to 10. Overall risk is now higher than at the start of the season in 186 of the 209 cities tracked by Fever Watch. The shift has been accompanied by stronger rainfall and mosquito breeding conditions across the country. The national weather and breeding signal has risen from 48 to 87, while 14-day national rainfall has increased from approximately 35 mm at the start of the season to around 133 mm. Some cities have seen parti...

In a noble gesture, the parents of a 17-year-old boy who died in a motorcycle accident decided to donate his organs at a hospital here on Monday, officials said. Adhil, a native of Perinthalmanna, suffered serious injuries in a bike accident while returning from catering work at Mannarmala in Malappuram and was admitted to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Following his death, his parents decided to donate his organs. Speaking to reporters, the parents said they were unable to come to terms with losing their son but wanted his death to give others a chance at life. "We could not bear his leaving this world. Despite that, we wish that at least a few patients may live through him. We also did this so that we would feel he is still alive somewhere," they said. The par...

A joyful and effortless bonding experience between a mother and her newborn recently became a challenging journey marked by feeding difficulties, discomfort, and concerns about the baby's growth due to a unique condition. Diagnosed with tongue-tie at birth, the infant struggled to latch properly during breastfeeding, making feeding painful for the mother and affecting the baby's ability to gain weight.  However, doctors in Pune came to the rescue to help the child and mother. THe multidisciplinary team comprising Dr. Abhinav Talekar, paediatric dentist, Dr. Abhimanyu Sengupta, senior consultant paediatrician, and Amrita Desai, lactation consultant at Ankura Hospital, conducted a carefully planned laser-assisted tongue-tie release. The procedure led to an immediate improvement in breastfe...

The Central Institute of Orthopaedics (CIO) at VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital achieved a major milestone in advanced orthopaedic care, with the successful completion of its first robot-assisted Total Knee Replacement (TKR), thereby expanding the availability of technology-enabled surgical treatment within the public healthcare system. The procedure was successfully performed on August 22 on a 75-year-old economically disadvantaged male patient and was carried out completely free of cost under the Ayushman Bharat scheme at the Central Government hospital. The introduction of robot-assisted orthopaedic surgery at the Central Institute of Orthopaedics has been undertaken with the leadership, support and encouragement of Dr Kavita Sharma, Director, VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital. The initi...

Greater awareness of depression and mental stress is needed alongside efforts to protect people from infectious diseases, Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said on Saturday as he inaugurated the 16th annual conference of the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society (CIDS) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. Speaking at CIDSCON 2026, being held on the theme “Addressing AMR: From Awareness to Action”, Pansheriya said mental well-being and physical health must receive equal attention, particularly amid the pressures of modern lifestyles and the impact of global infectious diseases such as COVID-19. He stressed the need to create greater awareness about serious issues such as depression and mental stress and to address them appropriately. Maintaining mental resilience, he said, had become...

Goa has declared cancer a notifiable disease across the state, making it mandatory for healthcare providers or laboratories to report it to government authorities when they diagnose it, officials said on Saturday. The notification, issued by the state Public Health Department on August 20, will pave the way for systematic surveillance of cancer cases and data-driven planning of prevention, screening and treatment programmes, they said. Welcoming the decision, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (India) president Dr Shekhar Salkar called the move a "landmark and much-needed public health decision" that could strengthen cancer control in the state. Under the notification, cancer cases are required to be reported preferably within seven days and, in any event, not later than one ...

With viral infections increasing in the monsoon, Chairman of the Institute of Internal Medicine and Respiratory & Sleep Medicine at Medanta, pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria, has advised high-risk individuals to get vaccinated. In an interview with ANI, Dr Guleria, who is the Former Director of AIIMS Delhi, also reassured the public that most cases remain mild and can be managed with standard home care. "This is something which happens on an annual basis. There is a spurt in cases, but the majority of cases have mild to moderate disease. Some patients who come under comorbidities are getting admitted in ICU's," he said. "So, like every year, we see that there is a spurt of viral infections around the monsoon months, and it usually occurs due to influenza. And most patients have uppe...

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that its nationwide study to detect cancer-causing chemicals in cars is expected to be completed by May 2027. The green body was hearing the matter in which it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a media report titled 'People are breathing in cancer-causing chemicals in their cars, study finds'. According to the report, researchers analysed the cabin air of 101 electric, gas and hybrid cars with a model year between 2015 and 2022, and found that 99 per cent of cars contained a flame retardant called TCIPP, which is under investigation by the US National Toxicology Program as a potential carcinogen. Besides, most cars also had two more flame retardants, TDCIPP and TCEP, which are consid...

Fungal infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat, with ringworm cases now reported even among urban people who maintain high standards of hygiene, a mycology expert said on Thursday as young doctors were trained on infectious disease management ahead of the 16th annual conference of the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society (CIDSCON-2026) in Gandhinagar. Dr M. R. Shivaprakash, a mycology expert and faculty member at the workshops, said the growing incidence of fungal infections and resistance to antifungal medicines required greater awareness among doctors. He said that while antibiotic resistance is widely recognised, antifungal resistance also needs attention, particularly because treating serious fungal infections can be complex. “A basic understanding of which antifunga...