Category: LIFESTYLE

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The wisdom provided by Ayurveda — the ancient system of medicine — can offer new dimensions to paediatric healthcare, said Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush on Monday.

The Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Ayush, organised the 30th national seminar under the theme “Management of Illness and Wellness in Paediatrics through Ayurveda”.

It aims to advance holistic paediatric healthcare by bringing together leading Ayurveda scholars, researchers, practitioners, and students.

“Ayurveda has always placed child health as the cornerstone of a flourishing society. This National Seminar is a timely initiative to highlight Ayurveda’s comprehensive approach to both illness management and wellness promotion in paediatric care. The deliberations here will enrich practitioners, researchers, and students, advancing paediatric healthcare through Ayurveda,” said Jadhav, in a written note.

Vaidya Devendra Triguna, President, Governing Body, RAV, lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for elevating yoga and ayurveda globally and commended RAV for its focus on paediatric wellness.

Prof. (Dr.) Manjusha Rajagopala, Director, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), highlighted that the Ministry of Ayush has seen tremendous growth in public trust since its inception.

She further expressed gratitude to robust government support and the dedication of Ayush professionals.

Dr. Vandana Siroha, Director, RAV, in her address, reiterated the seminar’s importance in realising the vision of “Swasth Balak, Swasth Bharat,” and underscored Ayurveda’s paediatric branch, Kaumarbhritya, for its comprehensive approach to child wellness.

The event also saw scientific presentations spotlighting evidence-based approaches in paediatric Ayurveda; interactive dialogues on preventive and promotive child healthcare.

The experts underlined that integrating time-tested practices with modern scientific validation will not only help in preventive child healthcare but also in holistically addressing emerging health challenges.

This convergence of knowledge will serve as a foundation for shaping resilient and healthier generations.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) US researchers are building a non-invasive system using ultrasound to deliver drugs anywhere in the body with precision, as well as with reduced side effects.

The new system, being developed by a team of Stanford University researchers, uses nanoparticles to encapsulate drugs along with ultrasound to unleash the drugs at their intended destinations.

In a study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the team showed in rats that their system can deliver ketamine to specific regions of the brain and painkillers to specific nerves in limbs. Using a new sucrose formulation, they found that nanoparticles are safer, more stable, and easier to produce.

“Turns out just a little bit of sugar is all you need to make this work,” said Raag Airan, Assistant Professor of radiology, Stanford Medicine.

The researchers found that a 5 per cent sucrose solution inside the nanoparticles made them relatively stable in the body, yet responsive to ultrasound stimulation.

That means that even when the nanoparticles are delivered into the bloodstream and travel throughout the body, most of the drug is released only where it’s needed. A narrow beam of ultrasound, externally applied, pinpoints the target, releasing the drug.

Such a system has the potential to make a wide range of drugs safer and more effective.

“We can maximise the therapeutic effect and minimise the off-target effects,” Airan said.

Initially, the nanoparticles consisted of a polymer shell filled with a liquid core of uncommon chemical compounds. But as it did not work, the team tried adding a variety of common substances to the liquid core, from polymers to salts, to modulate its response to ultrasound.

Finally, they tried sugar. After testing different types and concentrations of sugars, the researchers found that 5 per cent sucrose added to the liquid core achieved the best balance of ultrasound response and stability at body temperature.

The researchers then tested the drug delivery system in rats, comparing animals that were given an injection of free, unencapsulated ketamine with those given ketamine encapsulated in nanoparticles with 5 per cent sucrose.

When the researchers applied ultrasound to a particular brain region, the nanoparticles delivered about three times as much drug to that region as to other parts of their brain — demonstrating targeted drug release.

If the system works in humans, clinicians may be able to isolate the emotional effects of ketamine — to treat depression, for example — while blocking the dissociative effects of the drug, the researchers said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology, granted its support to an indigenously developed AI-powered blood testing device for primary healthcare, the Ministry of Science and Technology said on Monday.

The TDB signed an agreement with New Delhi-based Primary Healthtech for the project titled “IoT-enabled point-of-care blood testing device for affordable and accessible healthcare powered by AI/ML algorithms.”

“The project will focus on enhancing the current prototype (M1) to perform five tests simultaneously, reducing patient waiting time, and setting up commercial-scale manufacturing. This next-generation Mobilab will include tests such as haemoglobin, creatinine, bilirubin, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, glucose, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), among others,” the Ministry said.

Mobilab, developed previously by the company, is a portable, battery-operated clinical chemistry analyser device created by Primary Healthtech. It is IoT-enabled and powered by AI/ML algorithms, capable of testing over 25 parameters related to the kidney, liver, heart, vitamins, and cancer.

“Ensuring quality healthcare access in rural and remote regions is a national priority. This project not only addresses affordability and accessibility but also demonstrates India’s capability in developing indigenous, AI-powered diagnostic solutions for primary healthcare,” said Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB.

The collaboration also underscores TDB’s commitment to fostering indigenous healthcare innovations aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat and advancing India’s presence in affordable medical technologies globally.

Primary Healthtech, founded by alumni of IIT Guwahati, is working to develop affordable diagnostic technologies for underserved populations.

The company holds a patent for “a transmittance-based system/kit for point-of-care quantification” transferred from IIT Guwahati and has filed over six additional patent applications related to integrated mixers, assay development, centrifuges, and proprietary optical systems. The device has already undergone trials on 10,000 patients and recently received a CDSCO manufacturing license.

“With Mobilab, we envision bridging the healthcare gap for rural and underserved communities, ensuring that advanced diagnostics are available at the point of care, anywhere in India,” stated the promoters of Primary Healthtech.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) A team of scientists from Japan has identified hidden immune ‘hubs’ that drive joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects millions worldwide and can have a devastating impact on patients’ lives. Yet, about one in three patients responds poorly to existing treatments.

The team from Kyoto University discovered that peripheral helper T cells (Tph cells) — a key type of immune cell involved in RA — exist in two forms: stem-like Tph cells and effector Tph cells. The stem-like Tph cells reside in immune “hubs” called tertiary lymphoid structures within inflamed joints, where they multiply and activate B cells.

Some of these then become effector Tph cells that leave the hubs and cause inflammation. This continuous supply of effector Tph cells may explain why inflammation persists in some patients despite treatment.

Targeting the stem-like Tph cells at their source could offer a new therapeutic strategy, bringing hope for more effective symptom relief and improved quality of life for patients living with RA, the team explained in the paper, published online in the journal Science Immunology.

“Using cutting-edge analytical techniques that have only recently become available, we have uncovered a new aspect of the immune response at the sites of joint damage in RA,” said first author Yuki Masuo from Kyoto.

“Because stem-like Tph cells can both self-renew and differentiate, they may represent a root cause of the disease.”

Building on their earlier work, which showed that Tph cells build up in the joints of patients with RA and contribute to inflammation, the team analysed immune cells from inflamed joint tissue and blood of people with RA using a comprehensive approach called multi-omics. This combines different types of biological data to get a full picture of the dynamic behaviour of Tph cells in RA-affected joint tissue.

The results revealed that most stem-like Tph cells live inside these immune hubs, where they interact closely with B cells.

Further, by growing stem-like Tph cells and B cells together in the lab, the researchers found that this interaction not only helps stem-like Tph cells develop into effector Tph cells but also activates B cells.

On the other hand, effector Tph cells are found outside the hubs, where they interact with other immune cells, such as macrophages and cytotoxic (killer) T cells that promote inflammation.

Overall, the study reveals the presence of two types of Tph cells with different roles in inflamed joint tissue. Stem-like Tph cells live within immune hubs, where they self-renew and help activate B cells. Some of them mature into effector Tph cells, which then leave immune hubs and cause inflammation.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) A Covid-19 infection can accelerate ageing in blood vessels around five years, particularly in women, according to research.

As blood vessels ages, it can make arteries stiffer — raising the risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart attack, explained the researchers.

“We know that Covid can directly affect blood vessels. We believe that this may result in what we call early vascular ageing, meaning that your blood vessels are older than your chronological age and you are more susceptible to heart disease,” said Professor Rosa Maria Bruno from Université Paris Cité, France.

“If that is happening, we need to identify who is at risk at an early stage to prevent heart attacks and strokes,” Bruno said.

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, included 2,390 people from 16 different countries (Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Turkey, the UK, and the US) who were recruited between September 2020 and February 2022.

The results showed that all three groups of patients who had been infected with Covid, including those with mild Covid, had stiffer arteries compared to those who had not been infected.

The effect was greater in women than in men and in people who experienced the persistent symptoms of long Covid, such as shortness of breath and fatigue.

Notably, people who had been vaccinated against Covid generally had arteries that were less stiff than those of the unvaccinated. Over the longer term, the vascular ageing associated with Covid infection seemed to stabilise or improve slightly.

The Professor noted that one reason for the difference between women and men “could be differences in the function of the immune system”.

“Women mount a more rapid and robust immune response, which can protect them from infection. However, this same response can also increase damage to blood vessels after the initial infection,” Bruno said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Ayush, is set to organise its 30th National Seminar, that will serve as a dynamic platform for ayurveda experts to advance knowledge, innovation and collaborative paediatric healthcare research, an official statement said on Sunday.

Slated for August 18-19 here, the seminar on the theme “Management of Illness & Wellness in Paediatrics through Ayurveda will bring together renowned scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students to deliberate on traditional Ayurvedic approaches and contemporary evidence-based practices for promoting child health and wellness.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again underlined the importance of traditional medicine in building a healthier society.

He has said, “Ayush is not merely a system of medicine, it is a holistic approach to life. By integrating Ayurveda and other traditional practices with modern healthcare, we can ensure wellness for every section of society, especially our children who are the future of the nation.”

Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush, has always extended strong support for initiatives that promote holistic child healthcare through Ayurveda.

“Ayurveda has always emphasised nurturing the health of children as the foundation of a healthy society. The upcoming National Seminar of RAV on paediatric care is a timely initiative to highlight Ayurveda’s holistic approach towards both illness management and wellness promotion in children,” said Jadhav.

“I am confident that the deliberations tomorrow and the day after will enrich practitioners, researchers and students, and contribute to advancing paediatric healthcare through Ayurveda,” he added.

According to Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, the 30th National Seminar of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth is a valuable opportunity to bring together the Ayurveda fraternity on one platform.

“I am hopeful that the discussions will inspire new perspectives, strengthen evidence-based practices, and encourage greater collaboration in the field of paediatric Ayurveda. Such initiatives help bridge classical wisdom and modern healthcare needs,” he noted.

—IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) The novel live attenuated type 1 and 3 oral polio vaccines (nOPV1 and nOPV3) are safe and elicit good immune response, results of a phase 1 randomized controlled trial have shown.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, showed that nOPV1 and nOPV3 have a favourable safety profile. It also produced a comparable immune response and viral-shedding profile as the homotypic monovalent (single-strain) Sabin-strain oral vaccines (mOPVs).

“This first-in-human trial of nOPV1 and nOPV3 showed that both vaccine candidates are safe and well tolerated in healthy adults and can elicit neutralising antibody responses similar to those elicited by mOPV1 and mOPV3, respectively,” said researchers, including those from the University of North Carolina.

The findings are based on a randomised trial of 205 adults at four centres in the US. The participants were randomly assigned to receive at least one dose of nOPV or mOPV.

Inactivated poliovirus vaccine participants received one dose of nOPV1 or mOPV1 (cohort 1) or nOPV3 or mOPV3 (cohort 3), and OPV participants received two doses of nOPV1 or mOPV1 (cohort 2) or nOPV3 or mOPV3 (cohort 4) 28 days apart.

The magnitude and duration of nOPV shedding were not higher than with Sabin controls, revealed the researchers in the paper.

“We also observed a reduction of shedding following the second dose, which is consistent with enhancement of intestinal immunity,” they added.

The successful deployment of nOPV2 to combat type 2 circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) suggested that use of such novel vaccines could be effective in the control of circulating VDPV outbreaks after the cessation of vaccines containing Sabin-strain types 1 and 3 polioviruses.

nOPVs can support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Polio Endgame Strategy by providing vaccines less likely to be tied to vaccine-associated paralytic polio and seeding of new circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs), the researchers said.

“The safety and immunogenicity evidence generated for nOPV1 and nOPV3 in this phase 1 clinical study were sufficient to justify the now ongoing phase 2 studies in geographically relevant target populations of previously vaccinated children and infants, as well as vaccine-naive neonates,” the researchers said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Brain’s immune cells may explain why a fading sense of smell is an early signal for Alzheimer’s disease even before cognitive impairments manifest, according to a study.

Researchers at DZNE and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) in Germany revealed that the brain’s immune response seems to fatally attack neuronal fibres crucial for the perception of odours.

These olfactory dysfunctions arise because immune cells of the brain called “microglia” remove connections between two brain regions, namely the olfactory bulb and the locus coeruleus, they noted in the paper published in the journal Nature Communications.

These findings, based on observations in mice and humans, including analysis of brain tissue and so-called PET scanning, may help to devise ways for early diagnosis and, consequently, early treatment.

“The locus coeruleus regulates a variety of physiological mechanisms. These include, for example, cerebral blood flow, sleep-wake cycles, and sensory processing. The latter applies, in particular, also to the sense of smell,” said Dr. Lars Paeger, a scientist at DZNE and LMU.

“Our study suggests that in early Alzheimer’s disease, changes occur in the nerve fibres linking the locus coeruleus to the olfactory bulb. These alterations signal to the microglia that affected fibres are defective or superfluous. Consequently, the microglia break them down,” Paeger added.

Specifically, the team found evidence of changes in the composition of the membranes of the affected nerve fibres: Phosphatidylserine, a fatty acid that usually occurs inside a neuron’s membrane, had been moved to the outside.

“Presence of phosphatidylserine at the outer site of the cell membrane is known to be an ‘eat-me’ signal for microglia. In the olfactory bulb, this is usually associated with a process called synaptic pruning, which serves to remove unnecessary or dysfunctional neuronal connections,” explained Paeger.

The findings could pave the way for the early identification of patients at risk of developing Alzheimer’s, enabling them to undergo comprehensive testing to confirm the diagnosis before cognitive problems arise.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) People with sensitive personalities are more likely to experience mental health problems like depression and anxiety, according to a study on Saturday.

The study, led by Queen Mary University of London, defined sensitivity as a personality trait that reflects people’s capacity to perceive and process environmental stimuli such as bright lights, subtle changes in the environment, and other people’s moods.

The research, based on a meta-analysis of 33 studies, revealed there was a significant, positive relationship between sensitivity and depression and anxiety. The findings, published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, noted that highly sensitive people are more likely to experience depression and anxiety compared to those who are less sensitive.

“We found positive and moderate correlations between sensitivity and various mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, and avoidant personality disorder,” said Tom Falkenstein, a psychotherapist and a doctoral student at Queen Mary University of London.

“Our findings suggest that sensitivity should be considered more in clinical practice, which could be used to improve the diagnosis of conditions,” he added.

Falkenstein said that around 31 per cent of the general population are considered highly sensitive, and the findings show they are more likely to respond better to some psychological interventions than less sensitive individuals.

For example, people with more sensitive personality traits may be more likely to benefit from treatment plans that involve techniques such as applied relaxation and mindfulness, which can also prevent relapse.

“Therefore, sensitivity should be considered when thinking about treatment plans for mental health conditions. Our work shows it is crucial that the awareness of sensitivity is improved among mental health care professionals, so clinicians and practitioners can recognise the trait in their patients, and tailor treatment to their sensitivity,” the researcher said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) A poor lifestyle with lack of sleep, binge drinking, and high stress, coupled with genes, is playing a significant role in the rising heart-related deaths in India, said experts on Saturday.

Recently, an increasing number of heart-related deaths have been reported in the country. These have also been among people who are seemingly fit and are maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“Not all can be called heart attacks. About 20 per cent of the heart-related deaths in India are because of certain genes,” said Dr Rajiv Bhal, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

He also blamed “binge drinking (alcohol) among the younger generation, silent hypertension, increasing stress, and a lack of proper sleep, as well as childhood obesity” for the surge in heart-related deaths.

Further, he stressed that heavy exercise in gyms, especially by people with faulty genes, can contribute to heart-related deaths.

Bhal also suggested six things for good health: “healthy physical activity, no smoking, better sleep, proper diet, reducing stress, and doing some kind of meditation”.

Dr. J.P.S. Sawhney, Chairperson of Cardiology at a leading hospital in the national capital, stated the two genetic causes that are highly prevalent and linked to cardiovascular disease in India — familial hypercholesterolemia and elevated lipoprotein(a).

The global prevalence of familial hypercholesterolemia is approximately 1 in 250. In India, it is responsible for heart attacks below the age of 40 in 15 per cent of cases.

On the other hand, elevated lipoprotein(a) is present in 25 per cent of the general population in India.

“We have observed that elevated lipoprotein(a) levels — above 50 mg/dL — are common in young heart attack patients and are directly linked to the severity of coronary artery disease,” the noted cardiologist told IANS.

Sawhney explained that the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia is ideally done by genetic testing.

“However, since this is not easily available in most parts of the country, we use the Dutch Lipid Clinical Network (DLCN) Criteria for diagnosis. The importance of diagnosing familial hypercholesterolemia lies in not only identifying the index patient but also performing cascade screening of siblings and their children by checking fasting lipid profiles,” he said.

If the cholesterol level is high, we consider them carriers and start treatment early in life — as early as two years of age — to lower cholesterol levels. Otherwise, these patients are at high risk of developing premature heart attacks. By performing cascade screening, we can prevent premature heart attacks in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia, the cardiologist told IANS.

In the case of elevated lipoprotein(a), there is currently no specific treatment for it.

“We are awaiting the results of ongoing trials on a special group of drugs, expected in 2026, which may provide targeted therapy. At present, for those with high lipoprotein(a) — more than 50 mg/dL — we recommend aggressive control of other risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol,” the expert said.

–IANS

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