Health

Brain’s immune cells may explain why a fading sense of smell is an early signal for Alzheimer`s disease even before cognitive impairments manifest, according to a study. Researchers at DZNE and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) in Germany revealed that the brain`s immune response seems to fatally attack neuronal fibres crucial for the perception of odours. These olfactory dysfunctions arise because immune cells of the brain called "microglia" remove connections between two brain regions, namely the olfactory bulb and the locus coeruleus, they noted in the paper published in the journal Nature Communications. These findings, based on observations in mice and humans, including analysis of brain tissue and so-called PET scanning, may help to devise ways for early diagnosis and, ...

A poor lifestyle with lack of sleep, binge drinking, and high stress, coupled with genes, is playing a significant role in the rising heart-related deaths in India, said experts on Saturday. Recently, an increasing number of heart-related deaths have been reported in the country. These have also been among people who are seemingly fit and are maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “Not all can be called heart attacks. About 20 per cent of the heart-related deaths in India are because of certain genes,” said Dr Rajiv Bhal, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). He also blamed “binge drinking (alcohol) among the younger generation, silent hypertension, increasing stress, and a lack of proper sleep, as well as childhood obesity” for the surge in heart-related deaths. ...

Doctors at a hospital in Kolkata have successfully treated a 76-year-old male patient from Patna in Bihar, who had been battling a recurring pacemaker-related infection for nearly a decade, caused by incomplete lead removal.  The complex case was treated at Manipal Hospital at EM Bypass by Dr Dilip Kumar, director - Cath Lab, senior interventional cardiologist, device and structural heart expert.  The patient got a pacemaker first implanted on the right side of his chest in 2015 at a local hospital in Patna. In 2018, the pacemaker was taken out and re-implanted on the left side but the initial lead that remained from the right-side implantation was not entirely removed.  Instead, it was severed and left within, which resulted in a subacute infection that gradually worsened. Though anoth...

Preterm babies with very low birth weight who received a probiotic alongside antibiotics had fewer multidrug-resistant bacteria and a more typical gut microbiome, according to a study.  The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is based on a trial testing probiotics among a group of 34 preterm babies born with a very low birth weight, under 1,500g, representing around 1-1.5 per cent of babies born around the world. Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK sequenced gut bacteria from the babies during the first three weeks after birth. They found that among babies who received a probiotic treatment of a certain strain, including Bifidobacterium, alongside antibiotics -- the typical bacterial strains associated with early-life gut microbiota -- were at leve...

UK researchers have discovered eight new genes associated with schizophrenia, an advance that will improve the understanding and future treatment development for the severe mental disorder.  Schizophrenia significantly affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It can cause a range of symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thinking, and changes in behaviour. In the breakthrough study, scientists at the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) at Cardiff University focused on detecting rare, high-impact mutations in protein-coding genes that are significantly more common in people with schizophrenia. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, identified two genes -- STAG1 and ZNF136 -- that were linked to schizophrenia with stron...

A simple blood or urine test may now help better predict how chronic kidney disease is likely to progress, according to a study on Friday, which identified key biological signals of the disease. The team from The University of Manchester showed that higher levels of Kidney Injury Molecule-1(KIM-1) -- a special marker of kidney damage in the blood and urine -- are associated with higher risks of mortality and kidney failure. Last month, the team measured 21 markers in blood and urine that reflect key processes driving kidney disease, inflammation, and heart disease. Unlike the generic tests used in routine kidney clinics, these markers shine a light on the biological changes, underpinning CKD, that truly drive the disease. By revealing the hidden drivers, the discovery opens the door to...

A study of population-specific responses to fermented food shows that the health effect of the bioactive peptides they contain, differ across populations and can personalise nutrition for India`s diverse population, the government said on Thursday. A recent study conducted by Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) emphasises the health benefits of traditional fermented foods. They showed that the bioactive peptides (BAPs) or short protein fragments consisting of 2 to 20 amino acids that they contain can regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, immunity and inflammation. The study, published in Food Chemistry and led by Professor Ashis K. Mukherjee, corresponding author and Director I...

The recent spotlight on samosas and jalebis due to the health advisory by the Union Health Ministry in July had led to quite a stir among Indian street food lovers. While the health messaging about hidden fats and excess sugar in various food items is not for vendors, it certainly serves as a warning for people who consume them frequently, especially so that they can check on how healthy these foods are, and how we are consuming them.  Among the many street foods popular in the city, the vada pav is Mumbai’s favourite street food, and undoubtedly nobody will give it up even for the sake of health. However, dietitians say there is more to the fried snack than meets the eye and express the need for caution. While there are minimal benefits, and the vada pav is tempting, they say it is impor...

Over six in every one thousand deliveries in India in 2020 could have been a stillbirth, with higher rates among urban mothers compared to rural, according to an analysis of data from national surveys and the civil registration system. Researchers, including those from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, and the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, also identified that stillbirth hotspots are located primarily in northern and central India. Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan in north India recorded the highest rates of stillbirth, the findings published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal show. The team analysed data gathered from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and the 2020 report of the civil registra...

Women with Down syndrome have more advanced signs of Alzheimer`s disease than men do, according to research. However, the average age of Down syndrome diagnosis is the same for both men and women, said the University of California, Irvine. The study suggests that women with Down syndrome may carry a higher burden of beta amyloid and phosphorylated tau -- two hallmark Alzheimer`s proteins -- than men. It was particularly high in the occipital lobe in women with sporadic Alzheimer`s disease -- the more common, late-onset form of Alzheimer`s that occurs without a clear genetic cause. This insight points to the need for more sex-specific approaches in both Alzheimer`s research and treatment planning, especially in the design of clinical trials. "Understanding selective vulnerabilities with...