Health

Holy Family Hospital in Bandra has successfully carried out the birth of healthy quadruplet girls, an exceptionally rare event that has brought immense joy to the family and medical community. Born on October 7, the quadruplets are thriving under the care of the hospital’s expert team, marking a milestone in maternal and neonatal care.   Quadruplet births occur in only 1 in 700,000 pregnancies worldwide, making this event a truly extraordinary occurrence. Due to the seamless collaboration between the hospital’s specialists and its state-of-the-art facilities, the mother and her babies are in excellent health.   The quadruplets were delivered under the expert care of Dr Jacintha Mathias, consultant gynaecologist at Holy Family Hospital who managed the high-risk pregnancy and delivery with...

According to the Global Cancer Observatory, ovarian cancer was the third most common cancer among women in India in 2022, with 47,333 new cases. Given its high prevalence, it is important to be aware of its symptoms, and subsequent diagnosis and treatment process. Ovarian cancer begins in the ovaries, which produce eggs and hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Explaining how the disease is caused, Dr Swati Gaikwad, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospital, Pune, says, “The disease occurs when cells in the ovaries grow abnormally. While the exact cause of ovarian cancer remains unknown, several factors can contribute to its development. Genetics, age, family history of ovarian cancer, obesity, smoking and hormones are among these factors.” “Women who started mens...

The air quality in the national capital fell back to `very poor` on Thursday from being in `severe` category a day before, as AQI was recorded at 304 as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Several residents complained of irritation in the eyes and difficulties in breathing amid the rising pollution levels. According to the CPCB data, the AQI measured at DTU as of 7 am was 261, Pusa at 281, ITO at 284, Lodhi Road at 250, and IGI Airport (T3) at 301, which are in the `poor` category. However, several places in Delhi recorded the air quality as `severe` with AQI in Dwarka Sec 8 at 332, Jahangirpuri at 354, Sonia Vihar at 315, Wazirpur at 330, Ashok Vihar at 318, and Bawana at 341 as of 8 am today. Chittaranjan Tripathi, a Delhi resident, attributed the main reason for the risi...

US President-elect Donald Trump on November 26 announced that he was thrilled to nominate Kolkata-born Indian-American scientist Jay Bhattacharya as the head of National Institutes of Health. It is the country`s leading health research institution. The NIH, an agglomeration of 27 separate research organisations dealing with different diseases and health issues, has an annual budget of $48 billion  An elated Bhattacharya said on X (formerly known as Twitter), "We will reform American scientific institutions so that they are worthy of trust again and will deploy the fruits of excellent science to make America healthy again!" Bhattacharya is yet another Indian-origin expert in the US government, apart from Kamala Harris, who was in the race for the position for the US president, before she ...

Various factors like stress, unhealthy diets, obesity, and diabetes but also air pollution can negatively impact the fertility of both men and women. These factors can take a toll on one’s reproductive health and result in challenges with conception. It is crucial to consult a fertility specialist to enhance the chances of conceiving successfully. Air pollution is becoming an increasing concern. It not only affects your respiratory, eye, or skin health but also hurts your fertility. There is a significant link between air pollution and infertility problems in males and females. “Pollutants present in the air like particulate matter (PM), toxic chemicals, and heavy metals can take a heavy toll on the reproductive health of males and females. Long-term exposure to these pollutants can highl...

Women suffering from depression are more likely to experience menstrual pain (also known as dysmenorrhea), finds a study on Wednesday. Previous research has shown women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and often experience more severe physical symptoms. While the links between mental health and reproductive health have been found, the associations have remained underexplored. To decode this, researchers from China and the UK led a study where they analysed genetic variation and identified specific genes that may be responsible for the effect of depression on menstrual pain. "Our findings provide preliminary evidence that depression may be a cause, rather than a consequence, of dysmenorrhea," said lead author Shuhe Liu, a doctoral student at Xi`an Jiaotong-Liverpool-U...

Men with cardiovascular disease risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking may have brain health decline, leading to dementia, 10 years earlier than women, finds a study on Wednesday. The findings of a long-term study, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, showed that men with cardiovascular disease risk factors can have dementia onset a decade earlier -- from their mid-50s to mid-70s -- than similarly affected women who are most susceptible from their mid-60s to mid-70s. Researchers from Imperial College London, UK found that the most vulnerable regions of the brain are those involved in processing auditory information, aspects of visual perception, emotional processing, and memory. They noted that the damaging e...

A video shared by Ministry of Railways, showcasing a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a 70-year-old conscious passenger who had suffered a heart attack has attracted criticism on social media, with medical experts pointing out that performing this procedure on a conscious person can be dangerous. CPR is a life-saving emergency procedure and given its critical nature, it becomes essential to administer it accurately at the correct time. In a conversation with mid-day.com, Dr Pradeep Kumar D, Senior Consultant – Cardiology, Manipal Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, discusses the essentials of performing CPR. When should CPR be given? When should it be stopped? Dr Pradeep: CPR should be administered to a patient who is unresponsive, not breathing spo...

Chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation forms the backbone of the treatment against cancer and there is no single magic formula against the disease, said oncologists on Monday while slamming former cricketer and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu’s recent claims of his wife being cured of the deadly disease via diet. The oncologists slammed Sidhu, a former Member of the Rajya Sabha, for “creating sensationalism” and misguiding people. In a recent press conference in Amritsar, Punjab, Sidhu described his wife, Navjot Kaur`s treatment for her breast cancer as "starving cancer by not eating dairy products and sugar". In the widely circulated video on social media, Sidhu said that his wife “consumed haldi (turmeric) and neem which helped cure her ‘incurable’ cancer. Also Read: `Unproven remedie...

The decision by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ban the use of some antibiotics in animal food products will help curb the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to a new report.  In October, the FSSAI banned the use of some antibiotics used in the production of meat, meat products, milk, milk products, poultry, eggs, and aquaculture. The ban in usage of antibiotics will enhance the quality of livestock farming in India. This regulatory decision is a crucial move to safeguard public health and curb the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which renders certain bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat with standard medications among consumers, said GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. “Being one of th...