It’s not in your mind; food craving during loneliness is real

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It’s not in your mind; food craving during loneliness is real

The study that looked at 93 premenopausal women said deregulation of brain controls may cause overeating when one is feeling lonely

Your post breakup weekend cravings for ice cream and pizza are real, not imaginary and they originate in the brain, shows new research.

US researchers have found that neural messaging in certain areas of the brain may during phases when a person is feeling lonely, can trigger overeating. “These findings suggest that social isolation is associated with altered neural reactivity to food cues within specific brain regions responsible for processing internal appetite-related states and compromised executive control and attentional bias and motivation toward external food cues. These neural responses toward specific foods were associated with an increased risk for higher body fat composition, worsened maladaptive eating behaviors, and compromised mental health. These findings underscore the need for holistic mind-body–directed interventions that may mitigate the adverse health consequences of social isolation,” they reported in JAMA Network Open.

The study looked at 93 premenopausal women. It elucidates the neural mechanisms linking perceived social isolation and loneliness to obesity, eating behaviors, and mental health symptoms. Individuals who were lonely exhibited increased body fat composition and more maladaptive eating behaviors, alongside heightened susceptibility to psychological symptoms, the researchers said.

They recommended interventions to control this deregulation of brain controls during periods when one is feeling lonely. “To nourish or feed the lonely brain, holistic interventions that target both body and mind for overall lifestyle improvement may offer the most effective means of mitigating the complex adverse effects of social isolation. For example, normalizing altered brain networks through mobile interventions, such as journaling and meditation, have shown improvements in self-compassion, stress reduction, and lower BMI. Similarly, exercise and diet interventions that target the brain and gut may correlate with fat loss, reduced hunger, increased psychological resilience, and improved mood,” they wrote.

Healthcare under Narendra Modi has fared poorly, says The Lancet

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Healthcare under Narendra Modi has fared poorly, says The Lancet

The editorial says that India cannot afford to neglect human development if it is to realise the Viksit Bharat vision

New Delhi: In a scathing indictment of the policies pursued by the government of India on healthcare and data availability and the delayed census, The Lancet has written in an editorial that given the primacy of people and not services or manufacturing in the government’s Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, India cannot afford to neglect healthcare and human development.

“Health care under Modi has fared poorly, as described in this week’s World Report. Overall, government spending on health has fallen and now hovers around an abysmal 1·2% of gross domestic product, out-of-pocket expenditure on health care remains extremely high, and flagship initiatives on primary health care and universal health coverage have so far failed to deliver services to people most in need. Persistent inequity in both access to and quality of health care are well recognised. But a major obstacle that India also faces, which many Indians might be unaware of, relates to health data and a lack of data transparency,” the editorial says.

The World Report referred to is critical of the NDA government’s flagship health programme – Ayushman Bharat – whose tertiary care arm the Pradhan Mantei Jan Arogya Yojana has been touted as a panacea for reducing out of pocket expenditure. It also flags concerns about the generic medicine programme of the government – the Pradhan Mantri Jan Ausadhi Yojana – and multiple issues in the health sector such as vacancies in medical colleges and the long road still to universal health coverage.

On the PMJAY the report was critical on several counts including eligibility criteria and implementation flaws. “Accurate and up-to-date data are essential for health policy, planning, and management, but the collection and publication of such data in India have undergone serious setbacks and impediments. The 2021 census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the first time in 150 years, a whole decade has gone by with no official comprehensive data on India or its people. A promise that the next census will be an electronic survey carried out in 2024 is yet to be fulfilled. The census is also the basis for all national and state-level health surveys. For example, the periodic measurement of morbidity and out-of-pocket expenditure by the National Sample Survey Organization is overdue, and there are no plans to conduct it. No reasons have been given for why the Sample Registration System survey report for 2021, which is India’s most reliable source of data on births and deaths, is delayed, or for why completed poverty surveys are not in the public domain,” the editorial says.

Diagnosing child birth related PTSD: artificial intelligence to the rescue

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Diagnosing child birth related PTSD: artificial intelligence to the rescue

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Research, Israeli and US scientists have developed a model that can use AI to predict PTSD in new mothers based on some statements

New Delhi: An artificial intelligence (AI) programme helped researchers identify potential patients of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in new mothers. They analysed short statements by these women using AI to predict who was the most likely to develop PTSD.

Worldwide, child birth related PTSD (CB-PTSD) affects about 8 million people who give birth each year, and current practice for diagnosing CB-PTSD requires a physician evaluation, which is time-consuming and costly. An effective screening method has the potential to rapidly and inexpensively identify large numbers of postpartum patients who could benefit from diagnosis and treatment. Untreated CB-PTSD may interfere with breastfeeding, bonding with the infant and the desire for a future pregnancy. It also may worsen maternal depression, which can lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Investigators administered the CB-PTSD Checklist, which is a questionnaire designed to screen for the disorder, to 1,295 postpartum people. Participants also provided short narratives of approximately 30 words about their childbirth experience. Researchers then trained an AI model to analyze a subset of narratives from patients who also tested high for CB-PTSD symptoms on the questionnaire. Next, the model was used to analyze a different subset of narratives for evidence of CB-PTSD. Overall, the model correctly identified the narratives of participants who were likely to have CB-PTSD because they scored high on the questionnaire. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The authors believe their work could eventually make the diagnosis of childbirth post-traumatic stress disorder more accessible, providing a means to compensate for past socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic disparities.

World Parkinson’s Day: new theory blames pesticides, dry cleaning chemicals for disease

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World Parkinson’s Day: new theory blames pesticides, dry cleaning chemicals for disease

Timing dose and duration of exposure along with other genetic and environmental factors is crucial in determining who develops the disease and who doesn’t

New Delhi: Inhalation of certain pesticides, common dry cleaning chemicals, and air pollution predispose a person to brain changes that can trigger Parkinson’s Disease, a new theory about the disease claims. 

 

The theory from Danish researchers who hypothesized that it is either the smell centre of the brain or the intestine that is the first point of contact for the body to these substances, has been published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. 

 

“In both the brain-first and body-first scenarios the pathology arises in structures in the body closely connected to the outside world,” said Ray Dorsey, MD, a professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and co-author of the piece. “Here we propose that Parkinson’s is a systemic disease and that its initial roots likely begin in the nose and in the gut and are tied to environmental factors increasingly recognized as major contributors, if not causes, of the disease. This further reinforces the idea that Parkinson’s, the world’s fastest growing brain disease, may be fueled by toxicants and is therefore largely preventable.”

 

In addition to Parkinson’s, these models of environmental exposure may advance understanding of how toxicants contribute to other brain disorders, including autism in children, ALS in adults, and Alzheimer’s in seniors. Dorsey and his colleagues at the University of Rochester have organized a symposium on the Brain and the Environment in Washington, DC, on May 20 that will examine the role toxicants in our food, water, and air are playing in all these brain diseases.

“These environmental toxicants are widespread and not everyone has Parkinson’s disease,” said Dorsey. “The timing, dose, and duration of exposure and interactions with genetic and other environmental factors are probably key to determining who ultimately develops Parkinson’s. In most instances, these exposures likely occurred years or decades before symptoms develop.”

As heart heals, it can encourage cancer cell growth in other parts of the body

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As heart heals, it can encourage cancer cell growth in other parts of the body

Israeli Researchers have reported that small vesicles released by the heart during its healing process have the property to encourage tumour growth

New Delhi: A physiological mechanism that helps the heart heal from damage, may promote the growth of cancer cells in other parts of the body. In a study published in the journal Circulation, researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the Leviev Cardiothoracic and Vascular Center at the Sheba Medical Center have reported this phenomenon.

 

They reported that small extracellular bubbles, or vesicles (sEVs) that are released during the process of healing of the heart after it has suffered an episode of myocardial infarction or heart failure contain some factors that promote the growth of tumours. The study was funded by the Israel Cancer Association and the Israel Science Foundation.

 

Tal Caller, a medical and research student at Tel Aviv University’s School of Medicine and one of the authors of the study explains: “ “In 2013, the Israeli cardiologist Tal Hasin showed for the first time that there is a connection between heart failure and cancer. Patients with heart disease are at a higher risk of developing cancer, and since heart disease is already a leading cause of death–first place in the US and second place in Israel – that means that many people are at risk. Our research revealed that the diseased heart secrete a cancer-promoting factors, which we identified as small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). These are tiny particles wrapped in a simple membrane, which all cells secrete, but because of heart damage, these vesicles are released in greater quantities and contain factors related to inflammation, healing, growth, creation of new blood vessels, and changes in the immune system. These vesicles move through the circulatory system and eventually reach the tumor or the pre-cancerous tissue.”

 

To test their hypothesis, the researchers at TAU inhibited the formation of sEVs in animal models with heart disease and found that the risk of cancer decreases along with the inhibition of vesicle production. However, this is not a viable therapeutic option since inhibiting the production of the vesicles causes severe undesired side effects.

 

Lead author Prof. Jonathan Leor said: “Many theories have been proposed to explain the increased risk of cancer in heart patients. They started with shared risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity and ended with a single protein or molecule. We showed for the first time that the diseased heart secretes sEVs that contain thousands of different growth factors. These bubbles directly promote the growth of certain tumors and also modulate the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to tumor growth.”

Command Hospital, Pune is first government hospital to use piezoelectric bone conduction hearing implants

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Command Hospital, Pune is first government hospital to use piezoelectric bone conduction hearing implants

New Delhi: The department of Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) at Command Hospital (Southern Command) in Pune has achieved a unique distinction. The department conducted two piezoelectric Bone Conduction Hearing Implants (BCI) in a 7-year old boy and one adult. The boy was suffering from congenital external and middle ear anomalies with severe degree of hearing. The adult patient had Single Sided Deafness (SSD). The surgeries made the hospital the first government hospital across the country to procure and conduct the successful piezoelectric bone conduction hearing implants.

The ENT department of Command Hospital (Southern Command) is a designated Neurotology centre of the Armed Forces Medical Services. The department has been providing Implantable hearing solutions to dependent clientele for a number of years. Active piezoelectric bone conduction hearing implant system is an implantable medical electronic device for hearing impaired patients [conductive loss (including aural atresia), mixed hearing loss and single sided deafness]. The cost of the equipment has always been a concern, making its outreach limited.

There are certain group of patients with conductive/ mixed hearing loss or patients with single sided deafness, who are not candidates for cochlear implantation and do not benefit with hearing aids or middle ear surgery. To reduce the associated disability, it is imperative to provide hearing augmentation for better academic outcome in children and social life in adults. Bone conduction implantation is the definitive hearing solutions in such groups of patients to rehabilitate them, and the Armed Forces Medical Services were quick to realise this.

DG Armed Forces Medical Services Lt Gen Daljit Singh and DGMS (Army) Lt Gen Arindam Chatterjee have congratulated the Command Hospital (SC) and wished many more laurels to the institute.

These patients were implanted successfully at Command Hospital (SC), Pune by Lt Col (Dr) Rahul Kurkure, Neurotologist and Implant Surgeon under the guidance of Col (Dr) Nitu Singh, Senior Advisor & HoD (ENT). The Command Hospital (SC), Pune is one of the premier institute of AFMS, presently commanded by Maj Gen B Nambiar. The hospital was recently awarded with the most prestigious “Raksha Mantri” trophy as the best hospital in the entire AFMS.

Many examples of people benefitting from the miracle of homeopathy: Prez Murmu

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Many examples of people benefitting from the miracle of homeopathy: Prez Murmu

Homeopathy has been adopted in many countries as a simple and accessible treatment method, President Droupadi Murmu said while inaugurating a homeopathic symposium

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated a two-day Homeopathic Symposium, organized by Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, today on the occasion of the World Homoeopathy Day.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Homeopathy has been adopted in many countries as a simple and accessible treatment method. All over the world, many institutions at international, national and local levels have been promoting Homeopathy. She appreciated the Ministry of AYUSH, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, National Commission for Homeopathy, National Institute of Homeopathy and all such institutions of the Central Government for their contribution in the promotion of Homeopathy in India.

 The President said that the importance of research is continuously increasing in the 21st century. Therefore, the theme of this Symposium ‘Empowering Research, Enhancing Proficiency’ is very relevant. She emphasized that research and proficiency will play an important role in further increasing the acceptance and popularity of Homeopathy.

The President said that many people share such experiences of a person who was disappointed after being treated with various methods and benefited from the miracle of Homeopathy. But, such experiences can be recognized in the scientific community only when presented with facts and analysis. Such factual analysis done on a large scale is called Authentic Medical Research. Encouraging scientific rigor will further increase people’s confidence in this medical system.

 The President said that only healthy people create a healthy society. A healthy nation is built on the foundation of a healthy society.  She expressed that all healthcare professionals will make invaluable contribution in building a healthy, prosperous and developed India.

 

 

World falls short in end hepatitis goal, India among top 10 countries with high burden

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World falls short in end hepatitis goal, India among top 10 countries with high burden

Data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022

 

New Delhi: India is among a group of ten countries that collectively shoulder two-thirds of the global burden of hepatitis B and C, the World Health Organisation has warned in a new report. To eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 is one of the sustainable development goals and the world is currently not on track to achieve that unless swift actions are immediately taken.

Apart from India, the nine countries are Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation and Viet Nam. The 2024 Global Hepatitis Report was released at the  World Hepatitis Summit. It estimates that hepatitis is the second leading infectious cause of death globally — with 1.3 million deaths per year, the same as tuberculosis, a top infectious killer. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Among the causes that can trigger it are infections, alcohol, medicines that are harmful for the liver and genetic disorders. 

Data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83% were caused by hepatitis B, and 17% by hepatitis C. Every day, there are 3500 people dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections.

“This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and turn this trend around.”

Updated WHO estimates indicate that 254 million people live with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022. Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30–54 years old, with 12% among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58% of all cases.

Across all regions, only 13% of people living with chronic hepatitis B infection had been diagnosed and approximately 3% (7 million) had received antiviral therapy at the end of 2022. Regarding hepatitis C, 36% had been diagnosed and 20% (12.5 million) had received curative treatment.

These results fall well below the global targets to treat 80% of people living with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030. However, they do indicate slight but consistent improvement in diagnosis and treatment coverage since the last reported estimates in 2019. Specifically, hepatitis B diagnosis increased from 10% to 13% and treatment from 2% to 3%, and hepatitis C diagnosis from 21% to 36% and treatment from 13% to 20%.

 

Prez Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate symposium on World Homoeopathy Day 2024

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Prez Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate symposium on World Homoeopathy Day 2024

Empowering Research, Enhancing Proficiency is the theme of this year’s Homoeopathic Symposium

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate a two-day Scientific Convention on homeopathy in Delhi on Wednesday. 

Organized by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), an autonomous apex research organization under Ministry of Ayush on the occasion of the World Homoeopathy Day, the theme of the convention is “Empowering Research, Enhancing Proficiency: A Homoeopathic Symposium”. 

It aims to promote evidence-based scientific treatment in clinical practice and health programs, to capacitate homoeopathic community in research-based therapeutics, to become a healthcare powerhouse meeting the population’s needs for personalized, safe, and credible healthcare, and to enrich homoeopathic medicine with quality diagnostics, therapeutics, and scientific tools for better patient outcomes.

The inaugural ceremony will be followed by a session on ‘Words of Wisdom’, which will see felicitations of 8 Padma Awardees. During the event, 17 CCRH publications will be released. Homoeopathic Drug Proving, Volume 7, Drug Monograph – Rauwolfia, A Glimpse of History, Struggle and Progress of Homoeopathy in North East India, Keynotes of Homoeopathic MateriaMedica, Volume III, Homoeopathic MateriaMedica by Dr. NeelmaniGhatak, Volume I (English edition), STGH app – mobile application on Standard Treatment Guidelines in Homoeopathy and a brochure there of, Pocket Manual of Activities and Achievements: CCRH, CCRH Brochure, Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy, Vol 18, Issue 1 (Jan- March 2024), Drugs of Animal Sources used in Homoeopathy Vol-II, Standardisation of Homoeopathic Drugs Vol-I (Second Revised Edition), One small documentary on Drug Proving – a Research Program in Homoeopathy, HIDOC: An Online Union Catalogue (Revamped Version), COVID-19 Pandemic: Researches by CCRH, Brochures each on Council’s activities, Antimicrobial Resistance and Homoeopathic Clinical Case Repository (HCCR) workflow and Souvenir for the WHD 2024 event.

Subsequent sessions will include talks and panel discussion on topics like Empowering Homoeopathy and the Modern Perspectives, Clinicians Perspectives and Advancing practice. These sessions would witness inputs from Dr. V.K. Gupta, Chairman, SAB, CCRH, Sh. B.K Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Dr. Sangeeta A. Duggal, Advisor (Homoeopathy), Ministry of Ayush, Dr. Raj K. Manchanda, Chairperson, Homoeopathic Sectional Committee, Ayush Department, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) & Former DG, CCRH, Dr.ChintanVaishnav, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Ayog, Dr. LK Nanda, Chairperson, SCCR, CCRH and other renowned clinicians.

The Scientific Convention over the 2 days will also include sessions on Translational Research, Evidence Base: Research & Practice Experience, Epidemic and Public health, Homoeopathic Drug Standardisation and Basic Research, Interdisciplinary Research, Reforms and Research in Education, Global Perspectives., Challenges in Homoeopathy – Role of Homoeopathic Professional Associations, Veterinary Homoeopathy, Quality Assurance in Homoeopathic Medicinal Products and Services, etc. which will have participation of leading scientists from various streams of biomedicine and allied sciences as resource persons.

Baby’s first words taking too long to come? Blame it on your mobile phone

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Baby’s first words taking too long to come? Blame it on your mobile phone

Australian researchers reported in JAMA Pediatrics that even one hour screen time can affect how much a baby listens to conversations at home

If your baby is taking too long to start speaking then it is possible that your go-to baby sitter – your mobile phone is to blame. Along with your tablet, television and sundry other screens scattered within the house.

Researchers from Australia and the United Kingdom have found associations between screen time, how much babies actually pay attention to the conversation in the home and consequently when they utter their first words. They concluded that what they call technoference – interference by technology is the reason why many Australian children are articulating vocally at a later stage.  In a study published in JAMA Pediatrics they wrote: “…young children’s exposure to screen time is interfering with opportunities to talk and interact in their home environment. This finding has implications for interventions and supports aimed at promoting a language-rich home environment, with families needing support in understanding the potential association of screen time with opportunities for children and adults to talk and interact in their home environment.”

It is widely accepted and established with evidence that babies who grow up in a household where there are lot of conversations, tend to speak earlier. This also has an effect on their vocabulary, IQ and brain function with parent-child talk holding the key to all of these developments.

The study included 220 Australian families (120 girls [54.6%]; mean gestational age of children was 39.3 weeks; mean age of mother at childbirth, 31.3 years). Models demonstrated that increases in screen time were associated with decreases in measures of parent-child talk. The largest decreases were seen at 36 months, when an additional minute of screen time was associated with a reduction of 6.6 adult words, 4.9 child vocalizations, and 1.1 conversational turns. Even the current World Health Organisation guidelines of one hour screen time per day for babies aged 2-4 years can cause a loss of vocalisation in children.

The researchers wrote: “Having a language-rich home environment is critical to children’s language development, which promotes school readiness and success throughout the educational system. This study found a negative association between screen time and parent-child talk, which suggests that screen time is a potential mechanism that could be the basis for an intervention to promote a home environment with more parent-child talk. Implications need to be considered, however, within the reality of current family life. It is unrealistic to assume that all families will simply stop using screens with their young children. Instead, programs and policies could focus on ways to encourage families to use screen time as an opportunity for interaction with their child.”

 

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