Health

A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research seeking to explain how a pregnancy is initiated has led to the discovery of a "genetic switch" that allows an embryo to implant itself on the wall of the womb, leading to conception. For a pregnancy to begin, the embryo must first attach and embed itself in the wall of the mother`s womb. But how this happens has remained a mystery. The findings, published in the international journal Cell Death Discovery, revealed a fundamental biological switch that controls embryo implantation. The study was a collaboration between the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (ICMR-NIRRCH), Mumbai; Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, ...

German researchers have identified a gene that can lead to schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.  Until now, it was assumed that schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, or depression arise from an interplay of many different factors, including genetic ones. The research, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, identified the GRIN2A gene as a key factor. The study demonstrated that changes in GRIN2A can lead to schizophrenia. "Our current findings indicate that GRIN2A is the first known gene that, on its own, can cause a mental illness. This distinguishes it from the polygenic causes of such disorders that have been assumed to date," said lead author Professor Johannes Lemke, Director of the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Leipzig Medical Centre. In the study, the ...

Exercise appears to spark a whole-body anti-ageing cascade, and scientists have now mapped out how it happens--and how a simple oral compound can mimic it. By following volunteers through rest, intense workouts, and endurance training, researchers found that the kidneys act as the hidden command center, flooding the body with a metabolite called betaine that restores balance, rejuvenates immune cells, and cools inflammation. Even more striking, giving betaine on its own reproduced many benefits of long-term training, from sharper cognition to calmer inflammation. A new study in the journal Cell from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University explains how exercise helps the body stay youthful. The researchers also highlight betaine -- a metabolite pro...

World Health Organization statistics reveal that an estimated 422 million people have diabetes globally, with the majority living in low-and middle-income countries. With India designated as the world`s “diabetes capital”, the nation is confronting a massive public health crisis.  However, among the biggest challenges is not just the sheer number of cases, but a core cultural issue: the stubborn myth of the `healthy` festive sweet that undermines effective dietary control.  This World Diabetes Day, nutrition experts debunk myths and actively challenge the widely held perception of popular traditional delicacies. Crucially, they also share practical strategies to navigate portion control, helping you ensure that indulgence remains manageable rather than harmful. Debunking the ‘healthy’ m...

Extensive dumping of poor‑quality PVC resin with high levels of carcinogen compounds by China poses a significant public‑health risk in India, and timely enforcement of the proposed Quality Control Order (QCO) is necessary, a report said on Thursday, November 13.  The report by Centre for Domestic Economy Policy Research (C-DEP.in) launched here said that PVC currently contributes to nearly 30 per cent of use cases in India’s economy, with widespread use across water, sanitation, irrigation, healthcare, construction, and infrastructure. PVCs from China contain Residual Vinyl Chloride Monomer, a Category 1A carcinogen, at concentrations up to five times higher than globally accepted safety limits, the report noted. The United States, the European Union, and Thailand regulate Residual Vin...

Prevalence of hypertension or high blood pressure among children and teenagers has nearly doubled in the last two decades, from 3.2 per cent in 2000 to over six per cent in 2020, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal. Left unaddressed, hypertension can lead to cardiovascular and kidney disease. Estimates also suggest that nearly a fifth of the world`s children and adolescents with obesity have hypertension -- about eight times the prevalence among those having a healthy weight (2.4 per cent), researchers including those from the UK`s University of Edinburgh said. The findings suggest obesity is a substantial driver of the increase in childhood hypertension. Obesity tends to cause other issues, such as insulin resistance and changes in...

An analysis of four million lab test reports by an online healthcare company in India suggests that every other person could be having high levels of blood sugar. About half of the men and women who tested were found to have had a high blood sugar or `hyperglycaemia`. Further, over 90 per cent of those having a high blood sugar also showed an abnormality in parameters of liver, lipid, heart or thyroid, the `Diabetes: The Silent Killer Sweeping Across India` report by PharmEasy said. Findings of the analysis published ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14 also show a 22 per cent improvement in blood sugar levels among those who retested within six months, highlighting how regular monitoring can be crucial to managing diabetes effectively, the authors said. Diabetes tests conducted ...

A 52-year-old woman from Mumbai, who had been struggling with poor vision due to high myopia and cataracts, has regained her eyesight and confidence after undergoing advanced cataract surgery.Surajita Swain, a homemaker from Mumbai, lived with a very high number for many years that kept increasing, making her dependent on heavy spectacles. When cataracts developed, her vision worsened drastically, affecting her work, social interactions, and daily comfort. Even basic activities like reading, cooking, and recognizing faces became difficult. Assuming that once again her number has increased, she decided to meet an ophthalmologist this time instead of her routine specs person and visited Apollo Spectra Hospital in search of some relief from her discomfort. The surgery was performed by Dr Nus...

Researchers in Australia have led a first-in-human trial for a breakthrough gene-editing therapy that halves bad cholesterol and triglycerides in people with difficult-to-treat lipid disorders.  The trial tested CTX310, a one-time CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing therapy that uses fat-based particles to carry CRISPR editing tools into the liver, switching off the ANGPTL3 gene. Turning off this gene lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, two blood fats linked to heart disease, according to a statement released Monday by Australia`s Monash University. The Victorian Heart Hospital, operated by Monash Health in partnership with Monash University, treated three of 15 patients aged 18-75 years with difficult-to-treat lipid disorders in phase 1 of the global trial conducted across Australia, N...