Health

In an extraordinary display of medical skill and human compassion, doctors in Kerala performed an emergency surgical procedure on the roadside, saving a critically injured accident victim when there was no time to reach a hospital. With no operation theatre, no medical equipment, and minutes to spare, the doctors decided to act immediately. Using the light from mobile phones, they carried out a life-saving intervention right at the accident site, while local residents and police assisted, transforming the stretch of road into a makeshift operation theatre. The remarkable incident was narrated in a Facebook post by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday. The account has since resonated widely, serving as a powerful reminder of how courage, presence of mind and empathy can save...

CD4 tests is strongly recommended as the preferred method to identify advanced HIV disease among people living with HIV, said the World Health Organization (WHO). The new recommendation is part of the 2025 guidelines on advanced HIV disease. The WHO defines advanced HIV disease in adults, adolescents, and children five years and older, "as a CD4 cell count less than 200 cells/mm3". "Advanced HIV disease is the major cause of AIDS-related deaths among people living with HIV. It is a serious public health issue, including in settings with good coverage of HIV testing and treatment, and despite having achieved or made good progress towards the 95–95–95 targets," the WHO said. At presentation, all children living with HIV younger than five years should be considered as having advanced HIV di...

When Pramila Kavar first held her son Neeraj in her arms, everything seemed perfect. He was a healthy baby, feeding well and growing normally in their small village of Chinchore in Maharashtra’s Nashik district.Like any young mother, Pramila dreamed of watching her child grow stronger with every passing month.But when Neeraj was around nine months old, those dreams began to fade.Each time Pramila tried to introduce solid food, a little khichdi, a soft morsel meant to mark a new stage of growth, Neeraj would vomit violently. What began as an occasional episode soon turned into a frightening routine. Feeding time became a moment of anxiety, followed by tears and helplessness.Over the next few months, Neeraj’s condition worsened. He started losing weight instead of gaining it. His tiny body ...

Doctors in Mumbai have successfully treated a young ex-airhostess suffering from palmar hyperhidrosis, a medical condition characterised by excessive sweating of the hands, through Bilateral Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy (VATS)—a safe, minimally invasive, day-care surgical procedure with immediate results. Hyperhidrosis is estimated to affect 2–5 per cent of the population in India, yet remains significantly underreported, as many individuals do not recognise it as a medical condition and continue to suffer silently. The disorder can severely impact daily functioning, emotional well-being, and professional life if left untreated. The patient had been experiencing symptoms since adolescence and had sought multiple medical opinions over the years with no lasting relief. The condition eventua...

In our hyper-connected modern world, the "always-on" culture has convinced us that constant productivity is the only path to success. However, mental health experts are increasingly vocal about the danger of this myth. As we approach the end of the year, the Christmas break emerges not just as a festive tradition, but as a clinical necessity for our cognitive and emotional health. According to leading neurologists and psychiatrists, the human brain is simply not wired for perpetual output. When we fail to truly unplug, we remain in a state of chronic stress that clouds our judgement, exhausts our willpower, and erodes our most cherished relationships. By understanding the neurological shifts that occur during deep rest, we can transform this seasonal pause into a powerful tool for recover...

US researchers have found a gut bacterium that may help people lose weight and enhance their metabolic health.  This comes amid several weight-loss injections and medications that have proved their ability to help people lose weight. In studies on mice, the team from the University of Utah found that a specific type of gut bacteria, called Turicibacter, can improve metabolic health and reduce weight gain. People with obesity tend to have less Turicibacter, suggesting that the microbe may promote healthy weight in humans as well. The results could lead to new ways to control weight by adjusting gut bacteria, said the team, in the paper published in the journal Cell Metabolism. Turicibacter, a rod-shaped bacterium, was found to single-handedly reduce blood sugar, levels of fat in the blo...

An international team of researchers led by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has developed a cutting-edge nanoinjection drug delivery platform that has the potential to make breast cancer treatment safer and more effective.  Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality among women worldwide. Conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, often harm non-cancerous tissues due to systemic drug exposure. The new nanoinjection system delivers the anticancer drug doxorubicin directly into cancer cells using thermally stable nanoarchaeosomes (NAs) loaded into vertically aligned SiNTs etched onto a silicon wafer. The approach creates a precise and sustained therapeutic system that minimises damage to healthy cells by combining nanoarchaeosome-based ...

Exposure to air pollution may have serious implications for a child`s developing brain and cause damage to language development, memory, and mood regulation, according to a study.  Air pollution causes harmful contaminants, such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone, to circulate in the environment. The study led by physician-scientists at Oregon Health & Science University in the US warned that exposure to air pollution is associated with structural changes in the adolescent brain, specifically in the frontal and temporal regions -- the areas responsible for executive function, language, mood regulation, and socioemotional processing. "What we discovered was a slow and subtle effect happening on the brain, and while it might not be causing symptoms immediately, it coul...

For a 26-year-old young woman, a routine health concern turned unexpectedly serious when persistent neck discomfort was diagnosed as a follicular thyroid nodule.  The medical part was straightforward -she needed surgery. The emotional part wasn’t. Traditional thyroid surgeries often leave a long, visible scar across the front of the neck. For someone stepping into some of the most important years of her life personally, socially, and professionally the thought of a permanent neck mark felt overwhelming. “Her fear was very real,” recalls Dr. Amol Wagh, consultant – General & Laparoscopic Surgery, Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai Central. “Every time we discussed the procedure, her hand instinctively went to her neck. It wasn’t about vanity, it was about confidence and comfort.” To prot...

A new study conducted by scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has decoded the specific risk factors for breast cancer among women in India.  Breast Cancer is among the top three cancers amongst women in India. The incidence of breast cancers in the country is expected to rise by about 5.6 per cent annually, translating to an estimated increase of 0.05 million new cases per year. The team from ICMR’s National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on 31 studies covering a total of 27,925 participants, with 45 per cent being diagnosed with breast cancer. The findings, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, showed that “reproductive timing, hormonal exposure, central obesity, and family h...