Health

South-East Asia has the highest global burden of oral diseases and mouth cancers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on World Oral Health Day on Thursday.  World Oral Health Day is marked annually on March 20 to draw attention to oral health -- a key indicator of overall health, well-being, and quality of life. The theme this year is “a happy mouth is a happy mind.” Oral diseases are among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide. It affects an estimated 3.5 billion people. “Among the six WHO regions, South-East Asia reports the highest number -- approximately 900 million cases of oral diseases and conditions -- reflecting the region’s large population,” said Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia. “Our region also has the highest burden of oral ...

India is home to millions of Tuberculosis patients. It is one of the deadliest infectious diseases and needs timely attention. Cases of TB are surging at an alarming rate.  Early detection is essential in controlling its spread and improving treatment outcomes. With advancements like molecular testing, it is possible to identify the disease more precisely and detect drug-resistant strains at an early stage. Delayed diagnosis often leads to a higher risk of morbidity and mortality.Every year, World Tuberculosis Day is observed on March 24 to raise awareness about the disease and its effects on the body. TB is a bacterial infection that happens due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, taking a toll on the lungs. It is transmitted through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The sympt...

Earlier this March, Nike has officially launched its first women`s night race for the first time in Mumbai, as it is set to take place on May 10. Continuing its mission to bring more women into sport, it has announced the 2025 After Dark Tour—a global women’s race series designed as the ultimate women’s weekend.  The After Dark Tour will debut as Mumbai’s first-ever night race. The 10K run aims to foster a sense of community, self-expression, and belief, leaving runners feeling seen, supported, and motivated. For the first time, Nike is leveraging a popular messaging tool to connect women with the world of the athlete with the help of WhatsApp. The WhatsApp After Dark Tour Run Assistant has been powered by guided chatbot technology. It will provide bite-sized inspiration and expert know...

Doctors of a private hospital in Kolkata successfully implant a pacemaker in a 102-year-old woman and discharged her from the facility within two days, one of the physicians said. Implanting a pacemaker may be a common procedure but performing the surgery in the heart of a 102-year-old woman is rare, he said. Dr Smriti Kana Roy, a gynaecologist who used to treat Saint Teresa and other nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, underwent the operation on March 15. Roy, a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, had complained of dizziness when doctors found an irregular heartbeat and prescribed the implant, her younger daughter Julie Basu told PTI from the US on Tuesday. "It was an amazing experience. She has no comorbidities. But her heart rate had decreased and her ha...

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are all set to return to Earth after spending nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for a mission that was supposed to last just eight days. Spending a considerable amount of time in space can pose several health risks, some of which were well-documented as the two astronauts navigated these challenges. Bone and muscle deterioration, radiation exposure, vision impairment —these are just a few of the challenges space travellers face on long-duration missions, even before considering the psychological toll of isolation. In a previous interaction with mid-day.com, Dr Atul Narayankar, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, had highlighted how different elements in space can affect health, saying, “W...

A team of doctors in Mumbai successfully removed a cricket ball-sized adrenal tumour, known as ganglioneuroma, from the stomach of a six-year-old boy hailing from Raipur. The patient, Kush Agrawal, who was experiencing excruciating stomach pain, travelled over 1,000 kilometres with his parents to get treatment at a Mumbai hospital. According to the medical team, a tumour, which was suspected to be cancerous, was found in the right adrenal gland, which is located on top of the kidneys and is responsible for producing hormones that regulate functions such as metabolism, blood pressure and the body`s response to stress. They performed a ‘Positron Emission Tomography’ (PET) scan, and it revealed that the tumour had not spread to any other areas. Final histopathological diagnosis revealed it...

The `13th Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit` in Washington, DC, over the weekend revealed how cutting-edge research on gut microbiome science is being applied to clinical practice.  The summit showcased the latest microbiome research on coronavirus, plant and dairy-based protein, as well as probiotics. A novel study found that the gut microbiome in children is altered post-COVID-19 infection, much like it is in adults. Researchers found a significant decrease in beneficial bacteria, like Lacticaseibacillus and Bifidobacterium, in children who had COVID-19 compared to those who didn’t. These bacteria help reduce inflammation and support gut health. Children with lingering symptoms also showed different types of bacteria, in addition to elevated markers of inflammation and decreased...

Australian researchers have identified a surprising mechanism focusing on telomeres -- protective caps at the ends of chromosomes -- that can help cells defend against cancer. Telomeres are known to play a key role in ageing and cancer prevention. However, with age, these structures naturally shorten, signaling ageing cells to stop dividing -- a crucial safeguard against cancer, according to the study by Sydney-based Children`s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported. "Our data shows telomeres are much more active. They can acutely respond to stress and actively open up to turn on a cellular response that looks like ageing. They do this to avoid cancer," said Tony Cesare of the Genome Integrity Unit at CMRI. Cesare and his team worked with their collabo...

Scientists at Osaka University in Japan have devised a new AI model to estimate a person’s biological age — a measure of how well their body has aged, rather than just counting the years since birth.  Using just five drops of blood, this new method analyses 22 key steroids and their interactions to provide a more precise health assessment.  The team’s breakthrough study, published in Science Advances, offers a potential step forward in personalised health management, allowing for earlier detection of age-related health risks and tailored interventions. “Our bodies rely on hormones to maintain homeostasis, so we thought, why not use these as key indicators of aging?” said Dr Qiuyi Wang, co-first author of the study.  To test this idea, the research team focused on steroid hormones, whic...

The new study conducted among urban Indian corporate employees, has found that vitamin B12 deficiency, crucial for neurological function and energy metabolism, was significantly higher among men, with 57.16 per cent showing insufficient or deficient levels. Meanwhile, 49.9 per cent of women also exhibited deficiencies, emphasising the importance of dietary adjustments and supplementation for overall well-being. The study was released earlier this week by Indian digital healthcare company MediBuddy highlighting nutrient deficiencies among Indian corporate professionals aged 40–50. It analysed data from around 4,400 individuals (3,338 men and 1,059 women) in the age group, brings to the fore the urgent need for targeted health interventions and preventive care strategies, particularly for m...