Health

Human evolution has long been tied to growing brain size, and new research suggests prenatal hormones may have played a surprising role. By studying the relative lengths of the index and ring fingers, a marker of prenatal exposure to oestrogen and testosterone, researchers found that higher prenatal oestrogen exposure was associated with larger head size in newborn boys. Human evolution is closely tied to a steady increase in brain size. New research suggests that this expansion may be partly influenced by pre-birth oestrogen levels, with an unexpected indicator in the length of our fingers. Professor John Manning, part of Swansea`s Applied Sports, Technology, Exercise and Med-icine (A-STEM) research team, has spent years studying what is known as digit ratio. This measure compares the ...

The entrepreneurial dream is alive and well. Every year, millions of people launch side hustles, hoping to turn passion projects into profitable ventures. Yet a surprising number of these promising businesses never make it past the initial setup phase. The culprit? Not lack of demand, insufficient capital, or poor marketing—but something far more mundane: paperwork. The Documentation Disconnect Most aspiring entrepreneurs spend months perfecting their product or service. They research their market, build their brand, and dream about their first sale. But when it comes time to make their business official, many hit an unexpected wall. The excitement of creation collides with the reality of registration, and suddenly that brilliant side-hustle idea starts collecting dust. The statistics t...

Mumbai doctors have successfully resolved a complex neurological case involving a 35-year-old nurse diagnosed with myasthenia gravis based on a positive antibody test and started on long-term medication. Expert reassessment and advanced neurophysiological testing overturned the diagnosis, safeguarding the patient from unnecessary immunosuppressive therapy. The patient from Navi Mumbai presented with drooping of her left eyelid (ptosis) that had persisted for several months. With a prior diagnosis of hyperthyroidism already complicating her plans for pregnancy, she initially consulted a neuro-ophthalmologist and later a neurologist at a healthcare facility in Mumbai. A blood test for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies returned positive, leading to a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Sh...

Tamil Nadu has crossed a critical public health threshold, registering more than one lakh new cancer cases in a single year for the first time. The latest figures for 2025, according to data submitted in Parliament by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, show 1,00,097 fresh cases in the state, underscoring a sharp and sustained rise in incidence and raising concerns among health authorities about prevention, early detection, and treatment capacity.   Experts caution that without stronger screening programmes and lifestyle interventions, the numbers could continue to climb in the coming years. The upward trend has been consistent over the past five years. Annual registrations rose from 68,750 cases in 2020 to 76,968 in 2021; 89,265 in 2022; 92,816 in 2023, and 96,486 in 2024, ...

Highlighting the growing financial strain in cancer care across India, a new analysis claims data reveal that cancer treatment is prolonged and costs a significant amount that can push patients and families. Every year, World Cancer Day 2026 is observed on February 4 to raise awareness about the disease that has adverse effects on human life, encouraging not only its prevention but also its detection and treatment. The claims analysis by Care Health Insurance shows that cancer treatment costs are rising sharply, with early-stage treatment typically costing Rs 5–7 lakh per case, while high-complexity and advanced cancers can push expenses to ₹20–30 lakh per treatment, depending on disease progression, care intensity, treatment protocol and period of treatment. This is particularly relevan...

Doctors at AII India Institute of Medical Sciences successfully performed a complex medical procedure to save the life of a 14-month-old girl who had swallowed a two-inch-long metal spring, it said on Thursday, February 5.  The metal spring stuck in the oesophagus, also known as the food pipe, was successfully removed after an endoscopic surgery, AIIMS said in an official statement.  The child, a resident of Yamunanagar, was brought to the hospital after suffering from continuous vomiting for about a week and not eating for two days.   “During the examination, an X-ray revealed a large metal spring lodged in the upper part of the child`s oesophagus,” AIIMS said, "with ulcerations extending along the mucosa". “The spring was stuck on the upper part of the food pipe. And the thickness of...

On the occasion of World Cancer Day observed on February 4 earlier this week, health experts have raised concerns over the rising number of gallbladder cancer cases in Delhi, particularly among women.  Often mistaken for common digestive issues, early symptoms such as acidity, bloating, nausea, or gastric pain are frequently ignored or treated with over-the-counter antacids. This delay in medical consultation leads to late-stage diagnosis, when treatment options become limited. Timely screening and diagnostic testing can play a critical role in improving outcomes and survival. Gallbladder cancer is a relatively rare but aggressive cancer that develops in the gallbladder, a small organ located beneath the liver.  Dr Kavita Jain, senior consultant in oncology pathology, Apollo Diagnostic...

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have developed a simpler and more efficient method to recover immune cells grown in the lab for T-cell–based cancer therapies.  In immunotherapies such as CAR T-cell, T-cells (a type of immune cell) are taken from a patient’s blood and modified in large numbers in the laboratory and infused back into the patient’s bloodstream to help fight cancer. These cells, grown outside the body, must be collected gently so that they remain alive and functional when returned to the patient. Finding safe and efficient ways to grow T-cells and retrieve them is therefore an important part of making these therapies work. “Cell recovery sounds simple on paper, but in practice it turns out to be one of the biggest challenges,” said Prof. Prakr...

As tuberculosis (TB) continues as the deadliest infectious cause of deaths globally, a new study has shown that artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled digital stethoscopes can help fill critical screening gaps, especially in hard-to-reach areas.  In a commentary published in the journal Med (Cell Press), global experts contended that stethoscopes combined with digital technology and AI can be a better option against the challenges faced in screening programmes, such as under-detection, high cost, and inequitable access. “AI-enabled digital stethoscopes have demonstrated promising accuracy and feasibility for detecting lung and cardiovascular abnormalities, with promising results in early TB studies. Training and validation in diverse, high-burden settings are essential to explore the poten...

Amid several claims of vaccination and reduced fertility, a study of nearly 60,000 women showed that the Covid vaccine played no role in a decrease in childbirth.  Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, unfounded rumours have circulated, especially on social media, alleging that vaccination impairs chances of becoming pregnant.   In the later stages of the pandemic, there was a decrease in the number of children born in some countries, including Sweden. This raised the question of whether this could be due to the new vaccines.  "Our conclusion is that it`s highly unlikely that the mRNA vaccine against Covid-19 was behind the decrease in childbirth during the pandemic," said Toomas Timpka, professor of social medicine at Linkoping University, Sweden.  The study, published in the ...