Health

A new review has analysed billions of administered doses of messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines and confirmed that they protect against infectious diseases, including severe COVID-19, across diverse populations, including children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people. mRNA vaccines act by delivering genetic instructions to human cells to manufacture harmless viral proteins which train the immune system to recognise and fight the real virus. Researchers, including those from the University of British Columbia in Canada and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said existing evidence reinforces that mRNA vaccines are safe. They noted that serious adverse events, including myocarditis, are rare, with protection against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death substanti...

A 70-year-old man suffering from complete heart block and a life-threatening pacemaker infection has successfully received a new lease of life by doctors at a hospital in Kolkata through an advanced dual-chamber leadless pacemaker implantation.  The complex procedure was performed by (Prof.) Dr. Rabindra Nath Chakraborty, Senior Consultant – Interventional Cardiology and Head – Department of Cardiovascular Services at Manipal Hospitals Kolkata. The man, a resident of Bihar, was initially diagnosed with complete heart block after experiencing repeated episodes of unconsciousness and a dangerously slow heart rate. Considering the severity of his heart condition, doctors implanted a dual-chamber MRI-compatible pacemaker. Following the procedure, it was discovered that the patient was comple...

Researchers have developed a blood-based indicator of age of an organ that can be used to assess its current age and predict the risk of a disease that might affect it 10 years later. One's biological age measures how well the body functions, compared to the chronological age.  However, the organs inside the body are all said to be ageing at different speeds.  The researchers, including those from the US' Stanford University, looked at 11 separate organ systems -- brain, muscle, heart, lung, arteries, liver, kidneys, pancreas, immune system, intestine and fat.  "We've developed a blood-based indicator of the age of your organs. With this indicator, we can assess the age of an organ today and predict the odds of your getting a disease associated with that organ 10 years later," senior au...

Improving sleep by reinforcing the body's natural daily rhythms could help the brain recover after a stroke, potentially providing a new strategy to enhance the brain's waste clearance and outcomes, according to a new study.  The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, show that interventions designed to reinforce the body's natural circadian rhythms, such as timed light exposure, melatonin or a body clock-targeting drug, improved recovery in mouse models of stroke.  Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center also found improvements in the glymphatic system -- the brain's waste-clearing network -- and reduced levels of inflammatory molecules that can linger in the brain after a stroke.  The system moves cerebrospinal fluid along blood vessels and t...

Doctors across India are witnessing a growing number of patients developing cataracts in their 40s and 50s, with diabetes increasingly emerging as a major contributing factor. As the burden of diabetes rises in the country, ophthalmologists say persistently high blood sugar levels are accelerating changes in the eye’s natural lens, leading to earlier onset and faster progression of cataracts. India is currently home to over 101 million adults living with diabetes and 136 million with prediabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation, and this number is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. While diabetic retinopathy is among the better-known eye complications associated with the condition, experts note that cataract is also becoming a significant concern, parti...

The arrival of the monsoon is often welcomed with relief from the scorching summer heat. But while the rains bring cooler temperatures and lush greenery, they also usher in a less-discussed seasonal challenge: digestive discomfort. Many people notice that during the rainy season they feel bloated more easily, experience sluggish digestion, lose their appetite, or become more susceptible to stomach infections. According to gastroenterologists, these symptoms are not merely coincidental. Changes in humidity, food contamination risks, and seasonal shifts in gut function can all influence digestive health. This is where the ‘slow-cook philosophy’ comes in—a simple yet evidence-based approach that prioritises warm, cooked foods over raw salads, chilled beverages, and difficult-to-digest meals...

A sudden episode of severe breathing difficulty in a teenage girl from Jharkhand initially appeared to be a case of a serious respiratory infection, but there was more to it, as doctors at a hospital in Kolkata recently found.  However, when her condition worsened rapidly despite treatment, doctors had to look beyond the obvious and identified a rare neurological emergency, Myasthenia Gravis leading to Myasthenic Crisis, a condition where weakness of the muscles can severely affect breathing. Doctors navigate a complex diagnosis The girl was referred to Manipal Hospital Broadway from a railway hospital in the month of May with acute respiratory distress. Her initial symptoms, along with CT scan findings, suggested pneumonia, and she was started on intravenous antibiotics for a suspected...

AIIMS Jammu has achieved a major milestone in cancer care by successfully performing Jammu and Kashmir's first-ever interstitial brachytherapy procedure on a 26-year-old woman diagnosed with Stage II vulvar cancer, the institute said. Vulvar cancer is a rare gynaecological malignancy, accounting for only four percent of all gynaecological cancers, and is particularly uncommon in young patients. The case was extensively reviewed by a multidisciplinary tumour board comprising experts from the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radiation Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Radiodiagnosis, and Pathology to formulate an individualized treatment strategy, the AIIMS Jammu said in a statement. It said the interstitial brachytherapy procedure was successfully performed by the Department of Radi...

In a remarkable story of courage, resilience, and timely medical care, a three-year-old child who suffered nearly 60 per cent burn injuries and survived a cardiac arrest was successfully treated at a hospital in Pune. A normal day for the child, a three-year-old resident of Thergaon in Pune, quickly turned into a terrifying ordeal for his family.  Cause of injuries While playing at home on March 28, the young child accidentally fell into a container filled with hot tamarind liquid, his father was preparing for his chaat shop, suffering severe scald burns over large parts of his body. In a matter of seconds, laughter turned into panic as his parents rushed to pull him to safety. The burns affected his chest, back, abdomen, face, neck, arms, legs, genital and gluteal region, covering near...

Bengaluru doctors have successfully treated a 68-year-old man diagnosed with metastatic, Stage 4 gastric adenocarcinoma, reflecting the potential of molecular testing and highly personalised, risk-mitigated chemotherapy protocols. The man was living with prevailing health challenges like morbid obesity (weighing 99 kilograms), diabetes, and coronary artery disease. He sought medical attention after experiencing progressive fatigue, anaemia, and melena (black, tarry stools indicating internal gastrointestinal bleeding). An urgent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy performed by clinical teams revealed a massive, highly fragile ulcer proliferative tumour occupying a large portion of his stomach. The location and size of the growth carried a severe, immediate risk of life-threatening bleeding ...