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Ayurveda News

UP Plans to Have The All India Institute of Ayurveda

Uttar Pradesh will soon set up an All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) that would be a center of excellence for Ayurveda tertiary health care and promote education, research, and patient care. Dr. PC Saxena, director, of Ayurveda, said, "A proposal for AIIA has been sent to the state government. Once approved, the process will start with the identification of land to establish the AIIA. This will be the first AIIA in Uttar Pradesh." AIIA is similar to AIIMS or the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. An AIIA provides postgraduate/doctoral and post-doctoral teaching, research facilities, and quality patient care under the Ayurveda system of medicine. Intramural and extramural research is also a significant area in an AIIA, apart from medicinal knowledge and linkages to the current healthcare system. "We need around 15 acres of land to establish the AIIA. Once the state government approves the project and land is identified, the process of planning the infrastructure and facilities will begin," said Dr. Saxena. The project is likely to come up in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Varanasi is a probable district. A final decision will be taken by the state government. Dr. Abhishek Shukla, secretary general, of the Association of International Doctors, said, "One crucial area in AIIA is a national and international collaboration. As AIIA is an apex institute in Ayurveda and it can collaborate with other branches of medicine for research and patient care." Uttar Pradesh presently has over 100 Ayurveda colleges, including 65 in the private sector and an AYUSH University in Gorakhpur. (IANS) Read More►Integrative Medicine Center of All India Institute of Ayurveda Inaugurated at Safdarjung Hospital
Research

Livers Have Potential to Function for More Than 100 Years: Study

There is a small, but growing, subset of livers that have been transplanted and have a cumulative age of more than 100 years, researchers said. The researchers said they studied these livers to identify characteristics to determine why these organs are so resilient, paving the way for considering the potential expanded use of older liver donors. "Livers are incredibly resilient organs," said lead study author Yash Kadakia from the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. "We are using older donors, we have better surgical techniques, we have advances in immunosuppression, and we have better matching of donor and recipient factors. All these things allow us to have better outcomes," Kadakia added. For the study, presented their findings at the Scientific Forum of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2022, the team used the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) STARfile to identify livers that had a cumulative age (total initial age at transplant plus post-transplant survival) of at least 100 years. Of 253,406 livers transplanted between 1990-2022, 25 livers met the criteria of being centurion livers those with a cumulative age over 100 years. "We looked at pre-transplant survival essentially, the donor's age as well as how long the liver went on to survive in the recipient," said Kadakia. "We stratified out these remarkable livers with over 100-year survival and identified donor factors, recipient factors, and transplant factors involved in creating this unique combination where the liver was able to live to 100 years," Kadakia added. For these centurion livers, the average donor age was significantly higher, 84.7 years, compared with 38.5 years for non-centurion liver transplants. The researchers noted that for a liver to make it to 100, they expected to find an older average donor age and healthier donors. Notably, the donors from the centurion group had a lower incidence of diabetes and fewer donor infections. Read More► Ultrasound Can Move, Break Up Kidney Stones in Awake Patients: Study
Health News

At Least One in Four

It is estimated that at least one in four Indian adults have hypertension in India, but only about 10 per cent of them have their blood pressure under control, according to a report released on Monday. The India Hypertension Control Initiative report, released by Indian Council of Medical Research Director General, Dr Balram Bhargava, emphasised at making hypertension a national priority. The IHCI is a multi-partner initiative with the Union Health Ministry, the ICMR, and WHO Country Office for India, which was launched to achieve the government's goal of 25 per cent relative reduction in raised blood pressure in 2017. In the first year, IHCI covered 26 districts across the states of Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. By October 2021, it was expanded to 100 plus districts across 19 states. "We compared the key indicators in 2020 and 2021 for the initial 26 Phase I districts. The quarterly cohort blood pressure control rates declined in the second and third quarters of 2020 due to Covid-19-related disruptions; control rates started improving in the first quarter of 2021," the report underlines. The community-level hypertension control improved in 21 project districts in 2021 compared to 2020. Among the estimated 46 lakh hypertensives across initial Phase I 26 districts, BP control increased more than four fold, although from a very low baseline - 6.1 per cent achieved BP control in first quarter of 2021 compared to 4.9 per cent in Q1 of 2020 and 1.4 per cent in Q1-2019. Overall, the number of patients with controlled BP continued to increase over three years (2,83,457 in Q1-2021; 2,18,340 in Q1-2020 and 64,704 in Q1-2019). The numbers declined in Kerala due to poor documentation during the pandemic and inability to provide medication refills at the subcentre level, the report said, adding that six districts achieved more than 10 per cent community level BP control. The report also highlights scalable key strategies, which include patient centred care, standard treatment protocols, access to drugs, simple information system to ensure treatment and control of high BP. Read More► Professional Tips for The Perfect Summer Body
Research

Women More Likely to Have Asthma Attacks, Deaths Than Men: Report

London: Women with asthma who are going through puberty, pregnancy or are menstruating, are at higher risk of severe asthma attacks and deaths due to the lung disease, according to a report. The study conducted by a non-profit Asthma and Lung UK highlights that female hormones can trigger asthma flare-ups, BBC reported. The findings calls for more research to examine the sex-related differences in the common lung condition. Asthma is a condition in which the airways narrow, swell and may produce extra mucus, making breathing difficult. It is characterised by wheezing, breathlessness, tightness in chest, and coughing. There are about 136 million women worldwide who suffer from asthma. The report showed that more than 5,100 women have died from an asthma attack, compared with under 2,300 men over the past five years in the UK. It noted that many people were unaware that fluctuations in female sex hormones can cause asthma symptoms to flare up or even trigger life-threatening attacks. "Asthma tends to be overlooked or dismissed," Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, was quoted as saying. In childhood, asthma is more prevalent and severe in boys. However, after puberty, the situation reverses, and asthma becomes more prevalent and severe among women, the report said. The charity said the current "one size fits all" approach to asthma treatment is "not working" because it does not take into account the impact that female sex hormones during puberty, periods, pregnancy and menopause can have on asthma symptoms and attacks. More must be done to tackle the "stark health inequality", it added. "Gaps in our knowledge are failing women, leaving them struggling with debilitating asthma symptoms, stuck in a cycle of being in and out of hospital and in some cases, losing their lives," Sara Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK, was quoted as saying. "There is not enough research into why women are more likely to be hospitalised and die from asthma and what treatments, new and existing, could help women," added Mome Mukherjee, researcher at the University of Edinburgh. (Agency) Read More► Vitamin-D, Omega-3, Exercise Can Reduce Cancer Risk by 61%: Study
Research

Genes May Be Responsible for Couples Not Wanting to Have Kids: Study

London: Genetic variants that damage the genome are associated with reduced reproductive success and an increased likelihood of not having children, suggests research. According to researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK, one mechanism of natural selection that is removing damaging genetic variation from the population is increased childlessness. It is likely linked to genetic influences on cognitive and behavioural traits, which may mean that men and women with these genetic variants are less likely to form reproductive partnerships. However, the study, published in the journal Nature, also showed that this genetic link may play a very minor role in the overall likelihood of being childless. It accounts for less than one per cent when compared to more influential factors such as sociodemographic factors and choice. In the study, the team included more than 340,000 participants, and investigated whether damaging genetic variants were associated with lower reproductive success by calculating for each person, how much damaging genetic variation they carry across their entire genome, known as their 'genetic burden'. They tested whether genetic burden was associated with the number of children that the participants had, and found it was associated with men with the highest genetic burden having an average 0.26 fewer children - but this was not seen in women. The team also found that increasing genetic burden was associated with a higher chance of being childless in both men and women, but much more so in men. "It's important to emphasise that we have not found a 'gene for childlessness', as that implies a strong, causal effect of genetic variation on whether or not someone will have children. Instead we have shown that people with damaged genomes, particularly men, are slightly more likely to be childless," said Eugene Gardner at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. "This is probably due to the effect of damaging genetic variants on cognitive and behavioural traits, which make these men less likely to find a partner to have children with," said Gardner, who was at the Wellcome Sanger Institute while doing the research. While the genetic burden is not associated with infertility, both men and women with a higher genetic burden were more likely to have mental health disorders. (agency) Read More► Antibiotics After Birth Affects Gut Microbes of Babies
Health News

Greater Risks of Kidney Disease

Under its Illness to Wellness Campaign, ASSOCHAM, an apex body, organized 'Kidney Care: Preventive and Curative Actions' on the eve of World Kidney Day with the objective of spreading awareness about kidney diseases. Kidney diseases are silent killers, which can largely affect your quality of life. There are several ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease. "Kidney disease is mostly silent and thus neglected and not handled properly", said Dr Manju Aggarwal, Director and Head, Department of Nephrology and Kidney Transplantation, Artemis Health Institute. She went on to say that kidney disease is avoidable and that high-risk populations, such as those with diabetes and hypertension, should be educated and screened. Early detection and medical treatment can help postpone the onset of severe renal failure. She addressed the audience by saying "Diagnosing renal illness can be a difficult experience for both the sufferer and those around them. It limits their capacity to engage in daily activities such as employment, travel, and socialising. Patients with kidney disease, including those who require dialysis or transplantation, require additional assistance from society, patient groups, networks, government agencies and health insurance providers in the long run", she added. Kidneys are very important organs that remove waste, control blood pressure, make haemoglobin, and maintain bone health, according to Dr Rishit K. Harbada, Consultant Nephrologist, BSES MG Hospital, Andheri, S.R.V Hospital, Goregaon, Associate Consultant, Sir H.N Reliance, Foundation Hospital, Mumbai. He said, "Symptoms or indicators of renal disease may not appear until 80 per cent of your kidneys have been damaged". As a result, early detection is critical. Controlling blood pressure, diabetes, eating properly, limiting alcohol intake, being active, avoiding over-the-counter drugs, painkillers, and regular follow-up are all critical for kidney health sharing precautionary measures in the session. Dr Siddharth Vinod Lakhani, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, Lakhani Kidney Clinic, Fortis Raheja Hospital, Global Hospital, Somaiya Hospital, Kohinoor Hospital, SRV Hospital, Zynova or Shalby Group of Hospitals, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to ASSOCHAM for organising this enlightening and interactive session. "Prevention is better than cure." Dr Lakhani stated emphatically. "Let us work together to avoid and battle chronic renal disease", he said. Dr Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director, Total Care Control, Delhi–NCR, outlined his concern of the rising cases of kidney diseases in the nation and said, "Kidney disease has long been regarded as the most neglected chronic disorder." A variety of communicable and noncommunicable diseases can cause kidney problems, and many patients with kidney disease do not have access to treatment. Renal disorders' causes, consequences, and costs have implications for public health policy in all countries, as well as the problems that lie ahead. Read More► Kidney Disease May Be A Silent Killer: Experts