AIIMS conducts 11th heart transplant this year, total 48

New Delhi:Doctors at AIIMS have transplanted a heart, harvested from a young traffic accident victim in Indore, into a 45-year-old cardiac patient from south Delhi, taking to 48 the number of such surgeries performed at the premier institute since the first transplant in 1994.

This is the 11th heart transplant undertaken at the AIIMS in 2016, the highest number in the last few years, officials said.

"The patient suffered from ischemic heart disease (condition that affects the supply of blood to the heart) and already had a stent procedure surgery. The heart was harvested from the 30-year-old man in Indore who had died in a road accident.

"It was flown through a green corridor to Delhi and transplanted in him, between three-and-a-half to four hours," Professor of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at AIIMS, Balram Airan said.

WHO certifies Sri Lanka as Malaria-free

In a remarkable public health achievement, Sri Lanka has been certified as malaria-free island country by World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday.

"Sri Lanka's achievement is truly remarkable. In the mid-20th century it was among the most malaria-affected countries, but now it is malaria-free. This is testament to the courage and vision of its leaders, and signifies the great leaps that can be made when targeted action is taken. It also demonstrates the importance of grass-roots community engagement and a whole-of-society approach when it comes to making dramatic public health gains," WHO Regional Director, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, said here.

Freeze your egg, don't kick your career: Doctors

Barely five per cent of working women in Indiaprefer egg freezing to delay pregnancy as compared to 30-40 per cent in the West. City doctors say avail the technique to say good bye to the biological clock.

Apart from the lack of proper awareness, social stigma plays a huge role in the adoption of new reproduction medical technology.


IVF Expert at city based Indira IVF, Sagarika Agarwal, said: "Egg freezing could be a boon for the working women in India."

People with alcohol addiction lack key enzyme: Scientists

In people with alcohol dependence, the production of a key enzyme shuts down in brain cells and the deficiency leads to continued use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, say researchers.

The enzyme, PRDM2, has previously been studied in cancer research.


"But we didn't know that it has a function in the brain," said Markus Heilig, head of the Centre for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN) at Linköping University in Sweden.

BP control may reduce premature death in kidney diseases

A stringent blood pressure control regime may reduce the potential risk of early death among individuals suffering with chronic kidney disease, revealed a study.

The study's findings, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, show that having a lower blood pressure target than the current recommended goal of 140/90 mm Hg was safe and associated with protection against premature death.

New device launched to detect colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer, which is gradually turning to be a major health-concern among the Indian population, can be prevented with early detection using enhanced technology, health experts said at an event here on Tuesday.

G-EYE, an endoscopy technology which is claimed to detect gastrointestinal diseases more accurately was introduced in India during the event, organised by Smart Medical Systems- manufacturer of gastrointestinal endoscopy devices along with enhanced technology products supplier Ventura Business Solutions.

Doctors gearing up for east India's first cadaver liver transplant

Kolkata,  Bolstering efforts to carry out cadaver organ transplants in West Bengal, a team of doctors is gearing up to perform eastern India’s first such liver transplant in the city, a doctor said on Tuesday.

Family members of a 45-year-old male patient who was declared brain dead on Monday have assented to the procedure to transplant the heart and liver that could bequeath a new lease of life to a potential female recipient with liver damage.

Physical strength declines early as we grow old

New York, July 24 : Physical strength begins to decline sooner in life than typically detected, often when people are still in their 50s, according to a study.

It suggested that efforts to maintain basic strength and endurance should begin before age 50, when it’s still possible to preserve the skills that keep people mobile and independent later in life.

“Typically, functional tests are conducted on people in their 70s and 80s, and by then you’ve missed 40 years of opportunities to remedy problems,” said Miriam C. Morey, researcher, Duke University School of Medicine in the study published in the journal Duke Health.

Women need proper Zzzs while men can get away with napping

Does too little sleep leave you feeling groggy and not your male partner? Turns out, you're not alone in this particular battle of the sexes.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute analysed the sleep patterns of 160 adults to consider how sleep affects intellectual capacity and found that getting a good night's sleep boosts women's brain power, while men benefit from shorter naps, the Independent reported.

Low cost HLL clinics to function from tomorrow

Bringing high quality healthcare at low costs, particularly to the poorer sections of society, public sector undertaking (PSU) HLL Lifecare will launch outpatient clinics here from tomorrow.

The clinics are being opened at Hindlabs Diagnostics Centre and Speciality Clinic, opposite Thiruvannthapuram Medical College, thus bringing super speciality OP services under one umbrella for the first time in the public sector in the state capital.

The clinics will operate in two shifts from 9 AM to 1 PM and from 4 PM to 8 PM, a press release said.

Boost needed to keep world below 2C or 1.5C: Study

 The latest comprehensive analysis of national plans to address climate change after 2020 shows that the world will not reach its target of keeping warming to below 2C off pre-industrial levels.

Instead, the globe could suffer a median rise of between 2.6 and 3.1C by 2100 according by the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted in preparation for the 2015 climate talks in Paris.

While it is an improvement from current policy and no-policy scenarios, it still falls short of the 2C target, not to mention the hopeful goal of 1.5C warming.

Smoking Alzheimer's out with weed

 Cannabis has long been accused of affecting memory and thinking ability, but now, a team of researchers has found that it may actually help with the effects of brain ageing.

Salk Institute scientists found preliminary evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds found in marijuana can promote the cellular removal of amyloid beta, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.

While these exploratory studies were conducted in neurons grown in the laboratory, they may offer insight into the role of inflammation in Alzheimer's disease and could provide clues to developing novel therapeutics for the disorder.

Call upon all Indians to pledge to donate organs and save lives: JP Nadda

While noting that donating organs is a gift of life and is an altruistic, egalitarian and essentially moral act, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda urged people to come forward and donate organs to save lives.

Speaking at a function organised by Dadhichi Deh Dan Samiti (DDDS) here, he stated that organ donation can benefit the recipient largely by improving health, quality and span of his life and even save him from death or other critical conditions.

The Samiti organised a dialogue on framing of the protocol to develop respect for donated cadavers and the families of cadaver donors amongst the medical teaching community.

New neuroendovascular technique offers hope for stroke patients

A new neuroendovascular technique has shown promise in stroke patients with large-vessel clots.

The Medical University of South Carolina researchers reported impressive 90-day outcomes in patients with large-vessel ischemic stroke who underwent thrombectomy using a direct-aspiration, first pass technique (ADAPT).

Approximately 58 percent of stroke patients with a large-vessel clot removed using the technique achieved a good outcome at 90 days, defined as a Modified Rankin Score (mRS) of 0 to 2.

ADAPT aims to remove the clot in its entirety with a large-diameter aspiration catheter in a single pass. In contrast, stent retrievers, currently considered standard of care, frequently fragment the clot for removal and can require several passes.

Are Ayurvedic remedies really safe?

While many believe that "herbal" is synonymous with "safe," it turns out Ayurvedic medicines can in fact be deadly.

A 26-year-old student developed lead poisoning from taking Indian Ayurvedic herbal medicine, write doctors in the online journal BMJ Case Reports.

During a trip to India, he took the herbal medications to treat his low back pain. On returning to the USA, he began to use them regularly, but developed pain in the upper central region of his abdomen, weight loss, dark stools, nausea and vomiting.

Overuse of electronic gadgets triggers early ageing: Doctors

Excessive use of electronic gadgets, including mobile phones and tablets, can cause "tech neck" that leads to early signs of ageing, health experts have warned.
According to experts, "tech neck", which leads to sagging skin, dropping jowls, and creases above the clavicle, seriously affects facial looks of the person by causing frown lines, undereye bags, and horizontal lines on the neck along with fat prominences.

"People who bend down constantly for long hours while using any handheld electronic device, like smartphones, tablet or computers, are more likely to get wrinkles. The bending position while texting on mobile phones can cause neck, back and shoulder pain, apart from headache, numbness, tingling in the upper limb and pain in hands, arm, elbows and wrists," said Vinod Vij, Cosmetic Surgeon, at Mumbai-based Fortis Hospital.

Video Games: What goes on outside the screen?

Video games play an integral part in the lives of many, but this popular entertainment medium has sparked cries of outrage on just how "They're melting your brain, ruining your eyes and you into a violent person." But are these worries justified?

Dr Mark Appelbaum of the American Psychological Association thinks so. Data collected from his 300 video game studies in the last eight years show a trend of higher aggression and animosity from players favoring violent 'shoot-em-up' games.

Do you know what you're smoking?

 Do you know what's in your cigarette? A recent study suggests that most of you don't!

The research found that there is little awareness of the chemical components of cigarette smoke amongst the US adults, even though many of them report having looked for relevant information.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggest that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expand its messaging activities so that information about these constituents reaches all segments of the US population, especially those most vulnerable to tobacco product use and its associated health risks.

Wearable device that counts your bites can help lose weight

Wearable devices that allow users to keep track of the number of bites during a meal can help them eat less and reduce body weight, says a study.
People who received bite count feedback ate less and reduced their overall intake during a meal, the findings showed.

"It was found that the presence of bite count feedback led to a reduction in overall consumption. This finding is consistent with current literature that shows feedback on consumption leads people to consume less," explained Phillip Jasper from Clemson University in South Carolina, US.

Memory-boosting trick: Exercise 4 hours after learning

Turns out, going to the gym not only makes you stronger, but also smarter.

A new study has suggested an intriguing strategy to increase your chances of remembering new information: Just hit the gym four hours later. The findings show that physical exercise after learning improves memory and memory traces, but only if the exercise is done in a specific time window and not immediately after learning.

"It shows that we can improve memory consolidation by doing sports after learning," says Guillen Fernandez of the Donders Institute at the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.