Health

Doctors in Kolkata successfully carried out a highly complex microsurgical reimplantation of a completely severed right thumb of a man after he damaged it in an every day activity.  The intricate procedure was led by Dr Akhilesh Kumar Agarwal, consultant – Plastic Surgeon, at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur supported by a multidisciplinary team. Proloy Bose, a 32-year-old businessman from Subhashgram in Sonarpur, was brought to the hospital after his thumb was accidentally amputated while cleaning his motorcycle. His thumb got caught in the motorcycle’s chain cover, the protective casing over the moving chain. The injury caused severe crushing damage to the thumb, making treatment and reconstruction more difficult than a clean-cut injury. Recognising the urgency of the situation, the emerge...

The Supernova Stent -- a new and advanced brain treatment device -- has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for stroke patients, said experts at AIIMS Delhi on Saturday, who led the first clinical trial.  AIIMS Delhi was the national coordinating centre and the lead enrolling site of the GRASSROOT trial for the Supernova Stent. “This trial is a turning point for stroke treatment in India,” said Dr. Shailesh B. Gaikwad, Professor & Head, Department of Neuroimaging & Interventional Neuroradiology, AIIMS Delhi, and National Principal Investigator of the GRASSROOT Trial. “The Supernova stent has shown excellent safety and efficacy outcomes in the treatment of severe strokes, according to the preliminary trial results,” revealed the preliminary findings published in the repute...

Bringing blood glucose to normal range through lifestyle changes could halve the risk of heart attack, heart failure and premature death among prediabetics, according to a study. Findings published in `The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology` journal show that remission of prediabetes -- achieving normal blood glucose levels -- may establish a new, measurable target for clinical guidelines, according to researchers. A fasting blood glucose value of under 97 milligrams per decilitre proved to be a simple marker for a persistently lower risk of heart disease, regardless of age, weight, or ethnic background, the researchers said. This threshold could be applied in primary care practices worldwide, making prevention more tangible, they added. "Our results suggest that remission of prediabete...

School-going children are picking up drug and smoking habits and engaging in consumption of alcohol, with the average age of introduction to such harmful substances found to be around 13 years, suggesting a need for earlier interventions as early as primary school, a multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi said. The findings also showed substance use increased in higher grades, with grade XI/XII students two times more likely to report use of substances when compared with grade VIII students. This emphasised the importance of continued prevention and intervention through middle and high school. The study led by Dr Anju Dhawan of AIIMS`s National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, published in the National Medical Journal of India this month, looks at adolescent substance use across diverse regio...

A year-long autopsy-based study conducted by the AIIMS, New Delhi, found no scientific evidence linking Covid-19 vaccination to sudden deaths among young adults, reaffirming that the vaccines are safe and effective.  The study, titled ‘Burden of Sudden Death in Young Adults: A One-Year Observational Study at a Tertiary Care Centre in India’, has been published in the ‘Indian Journal of Medical Research’, the flagship journal of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Researchers closely examined sudden death cases of people aged between 18 and 45 years using verbal autopsy, post-mortem imaging, conventional autopsy and detailed histopathological tests. According to the findings, there was no statistically significant association between Covid-19 vaccination status and sudden deaths in t...

Gender equity and community participation are essential to combat the rising cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, high BP in India, said experts here on Friday.  NCDs, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and obesity, are responsible for 65 per cent of deaths in India. “Community participation has helped improve infrastructure, service delivery, and health awareness, even in remote regions where challenges are many. We have seen that empowering local leaders and women to take part in planning and monitoring creates ownership and lasting change,” said Dr. Thomas Keppen, Nagaland - Deputy Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, at an event held in the national capital. Keppen suggested boosting community-based approaches a...

Prediabetic patients, who lower their blood sugar levels and can achieve remission, can effectively reduce the likelihood of serious heart problems by nearly 60 per cent, according to a study.  The research, published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, showed that bringing blood glucose back to normal levels -- effectively reversing prediabetes -- cuts the risk of death from heart disease or hospital admission for heart failure. People who had achieved remission from prediabetes had a 58 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalisation from heart failure. This effect persisted decades after normalising glucose levels, suggesting a lasting impact on regulating blood glucose, said researchers from King`s College London, UK. This finding is especially imp...

A collaborative Indo-German research team has identified a clear biological mechanism linking disturbances in gut bacteria to impaired memory, learning, and cognitive function, CUSAT said on Thursday. The study, published in the latest issue of `BMC Biology`, demonstrates how disruption of the gut microbiome, commonly triggered by prolonged antibiotic use or dietary imbalance, initiates systemic inflammation that ultimately affects the neural circuits responsible for memory formation, CUSAT said in a statement. `BMC Biology` is an open-access scientific journal publishing original, peer-reviewed research across all fields of biology. The research was conducted under a program supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Th...

A study has found gene variants that impact both addiction and education attainment in opposite directions -- a higher genetic risk for addiction was related with an increased chance of a lower education level. The analysis published in the journal `Addiction` also showed that the genetic link between addiction and education level could increase chances of substance use disorder by up to 66 per cent. "We have long known that substance use problems and school difficulties often appear together and make each other worse. Our research shows that part of this connection is explained by shared genetic factors," lead author Judit Cabana-Domínguez, from the Vall d`Hebron Research Institute in Spain, said. Over 1,400 participants with substance use disorder involving use of cocaine, opiates, ca...

Just as respiratory infections and heart ailments tend to increase during winter, experts are also witnessing a noticeable surge in brain stroke cases. The drop in temperature can trigger several physiological changes that elevate stroke risk, including higher blood pressure, thickened blood, dehydration, and reduced physical activity. Doctors are urging people, especially those with hypertension, diabetes, or heart disease, to be extra cautious during the cold season. A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. The most common type, ischemic stroke, happens due to a blood clot blocking a vessel, while hemorrhagic stroke results from a ruptured blood vessel, causi...