An Indian-origin scientist has found that reducing the risk of dementia in Alzheimer’s is possible by keeping diabetes under control.
Narendra Kumar, an associate professor at Texas A&M University in the US, spearheaded a study featured in the ‘American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’ journal, uncovering a robust connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
“Implementing preventative or mitigative measures for diabetes could potentially stall or mitigate the advancement of dementia symptoms in Alzheimer’s,” he emphasized.
Diabetes and Alzheimer’s represent two burgeoning health challenges worldwide. Diabetes disrupts the body’s energy conversion from food and affects approximately one in ten US adults. Meanwhile, Alzheimer’s ranks among the top ten leading causes of death in the US, as highlighted in the research.
The team delved into how dietary patterns might influence Alzheimer’s progression in individuals with diabetes.
Their investigation unveiled that a high-fat diet diminishes the expression of Jak3, a specific protein in the gut. Mice lacking this protein showcased a cascade of inflammation from the intestines to the liver and brain. Consequently, these mice exhibited Alzheimer’s-like manifestations in the brain alongside cognitive decline.
The researchers propose that the route from the gut to the brain involves the liver. “As the primary metabolizer of our dietary intake, we hypothesize that the pathway from gut to brain involves the liver,” explained Kumar.
Their long-standing exploration of Jak3’s functions revealed that alterations in its expression due to dietary factors can lead to intestinal permeability, resulting in chronic inflammation, diabetes, diminished brain capacity to eliminate toxins, and dementia-like symptoms akin to Alzheimer’s disease.
A mother’s consumption of ultra-processed foods appears to be linked to an increased risk of overweight or obesity in her offspring, irrespective of other lifestyle risk factors, suggests a US study.
Researchers suggest that mothers might benefit from limiting their intake of ultra-processed foods, and that dietary guidelines should be refined and financial and social barriers removed to improve nutrition for women of child bearing age and reduce childhood obesity.
According to the World Health Organization, 39 million children were overweight or obese in 2020, leading to increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancers, and early death.
Ultra-processed foods, such as packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks and sugary cereals, are commonly found in modern Western style diets and are associated with weight gain in adults. But it’s unclear whether there’s a link between a mother’s consumption of ultra-processed foods and her offspring’s body weight.
To explore this further, the researchers drew on data for 19,958 children born to 14,553 mothers (45% boys, aged 7-17 years at study enrollment) from the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II) and the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS I and II) in the United States.
pregnant lady/Commons.wikimedia.org
The NHS II is an ongoing study tracking the health and lifestyles of 116,429 US female registered nurses aged 25-42 in 1989. From 1991, participants reported what they ate and drank, using validated food frequency questionnaires every four years.
The GUTS I study began in 1996 when 16,882 children (aged 8-15 years) of NHS II participants completed an initial health and lifestyle questionnaire and were monitored every year between 1997 and 2001, and every two years thereafter.
In 2004, 10,918 children (aged 7-17 years) of NHS II participants joined the extended GUTS II study and were followed up in 2006, 2008, and 2011, and every two years thereafter.
A range of other potentially influential factors, known to be strongly correlated with childhood obesity, were also taken into account. These included mother’s weight (BMI), physical activity, smoking, living status (with partner or not), and partner’s education, as well as children’s ultra-processed food consumption, physical activity, and sedentary time.
Overall, 2471 (12%) children developed overweight or obesity during an average follow-up period of 4 years.
The results show that a mother’s ultra-processed food consumption was associated with an increased risk of overweight or obesity in her offspring. For example, a 26% higher risk was seen in the group with the highest maternal ultra-processed food consumption (12.1 servings/day) versus the lowest consumption group (3.4 servings/day).
In a separate analysis of 2790 mothers and 2925 children with information on diet from 3 months pre-conception to delivery (peripregnancy), the researchers found that peripregnancy ultra-processed food intake was not significantly associated with an increased risk of offspring overweight or obesity.
This is an observational study, so can’t establish cause and the researchers acknowledge that some of the observed risk may be due to other unmeasured factors, and that self-reported diet and weight measures might be subject to misreporting.
Other important limitations include the fact that some offspring participants were lost to follow-up, which resulted in a few of the analyses being underpowered, particularly those related to peripregnancy intake, and that mothers were predominantly white and from similar social and economic backgrounds, so the results may not apply to other groups.
Nevertheless, the study used data from several large ongoing studies with detailed dietary assessments over a relatively long period, and further analysis produced consistent associations, suggesting that the results are robust.
The researchers suggest no clear mechanism underlying these associations and say the area warrants further investigation.
Nevertheless, these data “support the importance of refining dietary recommendations and the development of programs to improve nutrition for women of reproductive age to promote offspring health,” they conclude.
Are you an early bird or a night owl? Our sleep cycles could influence our risk of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, said a new study published in Experimental Physiology.
As sleep cycles cause metabolic differences and alter our body’s preference for energy sources, those who stay up later have a reduced ability to use fat for energy, meaning fats may build-up in the body and increase risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, said the study
The metabolic differences relate to how well each group can use insulin to promote glucose uptake by the cells for storage and energy use. People who are ‘early birds’ or individuals who prefer to be active in the morning rely more on fat as an energy source and are more active during the day with higher levels of aerobic fitness than ‘night owls’.
On the other hand, ‘night owls’ who prefer to be active later in the day and night use less fat for energy at rest and during exercise, found the study
Researchers from Rutgers University, New Jersey classified participants (n=51) into two groups (early and late) based on their ‘chronotype’ – our natural propensity to seek activity and sleep at different times. They used advanced imaging to monitor body vitals as well as insulin sensitivity and breath samples to measure fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
After monitoring them for a week, they were tested while at rest before completing two 15-minute bouts of exercise: one moderate and one high intensity session on a treadmill. Aerobic fitness levels were tested through an incline challenge where the incline was raised 2.5% every two minutes until the participant reached a point of exhaustion.
Researchers found that early birds use more fat for energy at both rest and during exercise than night owls. Early birds were also more insulin sensitive. Night owls, on the other hand, are insulin resistant, meaning their bodies require more insulin to lower blood glucose levels, and their bodies favoured carbohydrates as an energy source over fats.
This group’s impaired ability to respond to insulin to promote fuel use can be harmful as it indicates a greater risk of type 2 diabetes and/or heart disease. The cause for this shift in metabolic preference between early birds and night owls is yet unknown and needs further investigation.
Senior author Professor Steven Malin of Rutgers University said: “A sensitive or impaired ability to respond to the insulin hormone has major implications for our health. This observation advances our understanding of how our body’s circadian rhythms impact our health. ”
The study also found that early birds are more physically active and have higher fitness levels than night owls.
Instead of sitting in a tattoo chair for hours enduring painful punctures, imagine getting tattooed by a skin patch containing microscopic needles. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed low-cost, painless, and bloodless tattoos that can be self-administered and have many applications, from medical alerts to tracking neutered animals to cosmetics.
“We’ve miniaturized the needle so that it’s painless, but still effectively deposits tattoo ink in the skin,” said Mark Prausnitz, principal investigator on the paper. “This could be a way not only to make medical tattoos more accessible, but also to create new opportunities for cosmetic tattoos because of the ease of administration.”
Tattoos are used in medicine to cover up scars, guide repeated cancer radiation treatments, or restore nipples after breast surgery. Tattoos also can be used instead of bracelets as medical alerts to communicate serious medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, or allergies.
Various cosmetic products using microneedles are already on the market — mostly for anti-aging — but developing microneedle technology for tattoos is new. Prausnitz, a veteran in this area, has studied microneedle patches for years to painlessly administer drugs and vaccines to the skin without the need for hypodermic needles.
tattoo/en.wikipedia.org
“We saw this as an opportunity to leverage our work on microneedle technology to make tattoos more accessible,” Prausnitz said. “While some people are willing to accept the pain and time required for a tattoo, we thought others might prefer a tattoo that is simply pressed onto the skin and does not hurt.”
Transforming Tattooing
Tattoos typically use large needles to puncture repeatedly into the skin to get a good image, a time-consuming and painful process. The Georgia Tech team has developed microneedles that are smaller than a grain of sand and are made of tattoo ink encased in a dissolvable matrix.
“Because the microneedles are made of tattoo ink, they deposit the ink in the skin very efficiently,” said Li, the lead author of the study.
In this way, the microneedles can be pressed into the skin just once and then dissolve, leaving the ink in the skin after a few minutes without bleeding.
Tattooing Technique
Although most microneedle patches for pharmaceuticals or cosmetics have dozens or hundreds of microneedles arranged in a square or circle, microneedle patch tattoos imprint a design that can include letters, numbers, symbols, and images. By arranging the microneedles in a specific pattern, each microneedle acts like a pixel to create a tattoo image in any shape or pattern.
The researchers start with a mold containing microneedles in a pattern that forms an image. They fill the microneedles in the mold with tattoo ink and add a patch backing for convenient handling. The resulting patch is then applied to the skin for a few minutes, during which time the microneedles dissolve and release the tattoo ink. Tattoo inks of various colors can be incorporated into the microneedles, including black-light ink that can only be seen when illuminated with ultraviolet light.
Prausnitz’s lab has been researching microneedles for vaccine delivery for years and realized they could be equally applicable to tattoos. With support from the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs, Prausnitz’s team started working on tattoos to identify spayed and neutered pets, but then realized the technology could be effective for people, too.
The tattoos were also designed with privacy in mind. The researchers even created patches sensitive to environmental factors such as light or temperature changes, where the tattoo will only appear with ultraviolet light or higher temperatures. This provides patients with privacy, revealing the tattoo only when desired.
A magnified view of a microneedle patch with green tattoo ink/photo:Georgia Tech
The study showed that the tattoos could last for at least a year and are likely to be permanent, which also makes them viable cosmetic options for people who want an aesthetic tattoo without risk of infection or the pain associated with traditional tattoos. Microneedle tattoos could alternatively be loaded with temporary tattoo ink to address short-term needs in medicine and cosmetics.
Microneedle patch tattoos can also be used to encode information in the skin of animals. Rather than clipping the ear or applying an ear tag to animals to indicate sterilization status, a painless and discreet tattoo can be applied instead.
“The goal isn’t to replace all tattoos, which are often works of beauty created by tattoo artists,” Prausnitz said. “Our goal is to create new opportunities for patients, pets, and people who want a painless tattoo that can be easily administered.”
Diabetes is an ailment that cannot curbed entirely but controlled. The patients of diabetes often experience spiking blood sugar levels due to insufficient insulin generated in the body.
While type-1 diabetes is visible since childhood, diabetes type-2 affects the middle aged people and mostly those in their 50s or 60s. In India too, it’s the most common disease affecting millions of people.
While doctors recommend a low-carbohydrate diet besides regular exercise and weight management to improve insulin sensitivity, some experiments have proved that onions can help reduce the diabetes.
The findings presented at the 97th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in 2015 show that the extract of an onion can lower blood sugar levels. It was found more effective when given with the common diabetes drug metformin.
“Onion is cheap and available and has been used as a nutritional supplement,” said lead investigator Anthony Ojieh of Delta State University in Nigeria. “It has the potential for use in treating patients with diabetes.”
Ojieh and his colleagues gave metformin and varying doses of onion extract—200, 400 and 600 milligrams per kilograms of body weight daily to see if it would enhance the drug’s effect. Onion extract reportedly lowered the total cholesterol level in diabetic rats, with the two larger doses again having the greatest effects.
Also they found that the onion extract led to an increase in average weight among nondiabetic rats but not diabetic rats. Further, onion extract lowered cholesterol levels.
“Onion is not high in calories. However, it seems to increase the metabolic rate and, with that, to increase the appetite, leading to an increase in feeding,” Ojieh said.
However, for diabetes management, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Diet is a key and doctors suggest:
Consume daily lots of fruits and vegetables
Avoid carbs and sugar
Eat lean proteins such as chicken and fish
Take nuts and cereals frequently
Legumes and whole grains should be part of your daily diet.
[Disclaimer: Suggestions are for general information and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet.]
Telugu actor Jaya Prakash Reddy, best-known for his comic and villainous roles, died on Tuesday, aged 74. The actor suffered a cardiac arrest at his residence in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The actor was last seen in Mahesh Babu starrer Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020).
Jaya Prakash Reddy’s death has left the Telugu film industry in a shock and several condolence messages started pouring in on Twitter from all actors who worked with him in several films. Known for friends and film industry as JP, he acted as the villain in more than a hundred films and also played the comic roles in some films.
Born on Oct. 10, 1946 in Sirivella, Kurnool district, he came to limelight with his role in ‘Samarasimha Reddy’ as Veera Raghava Reddy.
Here’s a list of his filmography:
Year
Title
Language
Role
1988
Brahma Puthrudu
Telugu
1990
Shatruvu
Telugu
Mayor
1990
Lorry Driver
Telugu
Bank manager
1990
Bobbili Raja
Telugu
Tribal
1991
Chitram Bhalare Vichitram
Telugu
Phani
1993
Jamba Lakidi Pamba
Telugu
Hijra
1997
Preminchukundam Raa
Telugu
Veerabadrayya
1999
Samarasimha Reddy
Telugu
Veeraraghava Reddy
2000
Jayam Manade Raa
Telugu
Narasimha Naidu
2000
Vijayaramaraju
Telugu
2001
Narasimha Naidu
Telugu
2001
Anandam
Telugu
Sub-Inspector of Police
Cameo appearance
2002
Seema Simham
Telugu
Kulashekar Rao
2002
Avunu Valliddaru Ista Paddaru
Telugu
Constable
2002
Sontham
Telugu
Gulabi Thief
2002
Chennakeshava Reddy
Telugu
Venkat Reddy
2003
Palnati Brahmanayudu
Telugu
Narsinga Naidu
2003
Swetha Naagara
Kannada
Sarpa Kaadu Dhorey
simultaneously shot in Kannada and Telugu languages
2003
Swetha Naagu
Telugu
Sarpararanya Dhora
simultaneously shot in Kannada and Telugu languages
2003
Nijam
Telugu
Sidda Reddy
2003
Seetayya
Telugu
Rama Naidu
2003
Anjaneya
Tamil
Jaya Prakash
2003
Kabaddi Kabaddi
Telugu
Head Constable
2004
Shiva Shankar
Telugu
2005
Evadi Gola Vaadidi
Telugu
Banda Reddy
2005
Chatrapati
Telugu
Municipal Commissioner
2005
Aaru
Tamil
Reddy (Nathan’s enemy)
2005
Chinna
Tamil
china’s ex boss
2005
Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana
Telugu
JP
2005
Narasimhudu
Telugu
Local MLA
2006
Kithakithalu
Telugu
Soundarya’s father
2006
Dharmapuri
Tamil
MLA Konda Mookan
2006
Vikramarkudu
Telugu
Home Minister
2007
Julayi
Telugu
Reddy
2007
Thiru Ranga
Tamil
Reddy
2007
Dhee
Telugu
Pedhananayana
2007
Godava
Telugu
2008
Ready
Telugu
Chitti Naidu
2008
Siddu From Sikakulam
Telugu
Obul Reddy
2008
King
Telugu
Appaji
2008
Satya in Love
Kannada
Veda’s Father (Telugu Factionist)
2008
Krishna
Telugu
Jakka’s uncle
2008
Parugu
Telugu
Sub-Inspector
2008
Citizen
Kannada
Home minister of Karnataka
2009
Raju Maharaju
Telugu
2009
Maa Nanna Chiranjeevi
Telugu
2009
Anjaneyulu
Telugu
Babulal
2009
Bangaru Babu
Telugu
2009
Kick
Telugu
Police Officer
2009
Kasko
Telugu
JP
2010
Seeta Ramula Kalyanam Lankalo
Telugu
Veera Pratap’s father
2010
Prasthanam
Telugu
Bangaru Raju
2010
Uthama Puthiran
Tamil
Chinnamuthu Goundar,
Also dubbed his own voice for his character in Tamil
2010
Namo Venkatesa
Telugu
Bhadrappa’s grandfather
2010
Bindaas
Telugu
Seshadri Naidu
2011
Madatha Kaja
Telugu
JP
2011
Oosaravelli
Telugu
Sarkar
2011
Seema Tapakai
Telugu
Venkatappa
2011
Kandireega
Telugu
Rajanna
2012
Betting Bangaraju
Telugu
Police Officer
2012
Gabbar Singh
Telugu
Police Commissioner
2013
Naayak
Telugu
Babji’s Paternal Uncle
2013
Baadshah
Telugu
Aadhi’s father
2013
Shadow
Telugu
Home Minister Naidu
2013
Adda
Telugu
Cameo appearance
2013
Masala
Telugu
Eddulodu
2014
Legend
Telugu
MP
2014
Race Gurram
Telugu
IG J.P.
2014
Manam
Telugu
Home Minister J.P.
2014
Jump Jilani
Telugu
Veera Puli Reddy
2014
Rabhasa
Telugu
Peddi Reddy alias Pedayya
2014
Autonagar Surya
Telugu
Corporater Indra
2015
Pataas
Telugu
Central Minister JP
2015
Akhil
Telugu
Kishore’s father
2015
Temper
Telugu
Home Minister of A.P.
2015
LOL
Telugu
Somyayajulu
2015
Mosagallaku Mosagadu
Telugu
Kaushik
2015
Shivam
Telugu
Bhoji Reddy’s brother-in-law
2015
Bruce Lee – The Fighter
Telugu
Fight Master Dangerous David & Police Inspector G. Ramji
Fish oil supplements do not prevent heart attacks or strokes in patients with diabetes, according to late breaking results from the ASCEND trial presented on Friday in a Hot Line Session at ESC Congress 2018.
In observational studies, higher consumption of fish is associated with lower risks of coronary artery disease and stroke. However, previous randomised trials have not been able to show that taking fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of having cardiovascular events.
The ASCEND trial (A Study of Cardiovascular Events iN Diabetes)2 examined whether fish oil supplements reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event in patients with diabetes. Between 2005 and 2011, 15,480 patients with diabetes but no history of cardiovascular disease were randomly assigned to fish oil supplementation (1 g daily) or matching placebo.
The primary efficacy outcome was first serious vascular event, which included non-fatal heart attacks, non-fatal strokes or transient ischaemic attacks (sometimes called “mini-strokes”), or deaths from a cardiovascular cause (but excluding any intracranial haemorrhage; i.e. bleeding in the head or brain3).
During an average of 7.4 years of follow-up, a first serious vascular event occurred in 689 (8.9%) participants allocated fish oil supplements and 712 (9.2%) participants allocated placebo. There was no significant difference between the two groups: rate ratio of 0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.87-1.08, p=0.55).
Dr Louise Bowman, principal investigator, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, UK, said: “Our large, long-term randomised trial shows that fish oil supplements do not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes. This is a disappointing finding, but it is in line with previous randomised trials in other types of patient at increased risk of cardiovascular events which also showed no benefit of fish oil supplements. There is no justification for recommending fish oil supplements to protect against cardiovascular events.”
The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Self-monitoring of type 2 diabetes used in combination with an electronic feedback system results in considerable savings on health care costs especially in sparsely populated areas, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows.
Self-monitoring delivers considerable savings on the overall costs of type 2 diabetes care, as well as on patients’ travel costs. Glycated hemoglobin testing is an important part of managing diabetes, and also a considerable cost item.
By replacing half of the required follow-up visits with self-measurements and electronic feedback, the annual total costs of glycated hemoglobin monitoring were reduced by nearly 60 per cent, bringing the per-patient cost down from 280 EUR (300 USD) to 120 EUR (130 USD). With fewer follow-up visits required, the average annual travel costs of patients were reduced over 60 per cent, from 45 EUR (48 USD) to 17 EUR (18 USD) per patient. The study was published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics.
Carried out in the region of North Karelia in Finland, the study applies geographic information systems (GIS) -based geospatial analysis combined with patient registers. This was the first time the costs of type 2 diabetes follow-up were systematically calculated over a health care district in Finland. The study analysed 9,070 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Combined travel and time costs amount to 21 per cent of the total costs of glycated hemoglobin monitoring for patients with type 2 diabetes.
“The societal cost-efficiency of type 2 diabetes care could be improved in by taking into consideration not only the direct costs of glycated hemoglobin monitoring, but also the indirect costs, such as patients’ travel costs,” Researcher Aapeli Leminen from the University of Eastern Finland says.
The study used a georeferenced cost model to analyse health care accessibility and different costs associated with the follow-up of type 2 diabetes. Patients’ travel and time costs were analysed by looking at how well health care services could be reached on foot or by bike, or by using a private car, a bus, or a taxi. According to Leminen, the combination of patient registers and GIS opens up new opportunities for research within the health care sector.
“This cost model we’ve now tested in the eastern part of Finland can easily be used in other places as well to calculate the costs of different diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.”
Junk Food is a term used for food containing high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little fiber, protein, vitamins or minerals. These foods lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels (high glycemic index) which forces the body to produce high levels of insulin to counter the rising blood sugar.
As reported by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), development of obesity is multi-factorial and eating of junk and processed food is one of them. Childhood obesity is a risk factor of developing heart diseases and diabetes in later life.
The results available from 15 States/UTs of an ongoing ICMR India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) Study on the prevalence of diabetes indicate overall prevalence of Diabetes varying from 4% to 13%. According to the Report of National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, there were 641 lakh cases of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) in India in the year 2015.
Ministry of Women and Child Development had constituted a Working Group on addressing consumption of foods High in Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) and promotion of healthy snacks in schools of India, which has given its report.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) constituted an Expert Group on Salt, Sugar and Fat. The Expert Group prepared a draft report on consumption of these items and its health impacts among Indian population and recommendations on healthy dietary intake of these items. While preparing the above report, Expert Group has considered WHO guidelines on ‘Sugar Intake for Adults and Children regarding the adverse impact of high sugar in foods.
ICMR, National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and other institutions carry out research and studies related to food and healthy diet. Apart from this, the consumers are made aware of food safety through consumer awareness programmes launched jointly by the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which also includes advertisements in different media, campaigns, educational booklets, information on FSSAI website and Mass awareness campaigns.
The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.
Increased consumption of soft drinks, colas and other canned foods, contribute to obesity which is risk factor of Hypertension, Cardio-vascular problems, Diabetes, Stoke, etc. Further, as per sub-regulation 2.2.2.3(ii) of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, quantity of sugar per 100g or 100 ml or per serving of the products, is required to be specified on the label. However, there is no proposal to fix quantity of sugar in aerated drinks and energy tonics, under consideration in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Strengthening of Food and Drugs Administration at Central and State levels is a continuous process. FSSAI has rolled out a scheme for strengthening of food testing system in the Country with an outlay of Rs. 481.95 Crore. Further, the Government has also approved a proposal for strengthening of drug regulatory system in the country, both at the Central and State levels at a cost of Rs.1750 cr. Out of this, Rs.900 cr. are for strengthening of Central regulatory structure, while Rs.850 cr. have been approved as the Central Government’s contribution for upgrading and strengthening the States’ Drug Regulatory System.
The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.
Early term deliveries impact babies’ long-term health with increased risk of diabetes and obesity-related illnesses as well as a shortened life span, according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers.
“Early term” is defined as delivery between 37 and 39 weeks. Pregnancy is considered at full term when gestation has lasted between 37 and 42 weeks. Babies born between 39 and 41 weeks of gestation have better outcomes than those born either before or afterward.
In the study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the researchers investigated hospitalizations of children up to age 18 to determine the impact that early-term versus full-term gestation had on pediatric health and hospitalizations. A population-based cohort analysis was conducted of 54,073 early-term deliveries and 171,000 full-term deliveries.
“We found that hospitalizations up to the age of 18 involving endocrine and metabolic morbidity were found to be more common in the early-term group as compared with the full-term group, especially at ages five and older,” says Prof. Eyal Sheiner, M.D., Ph.D., a vice dean of the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences (FOHS) and head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Soroka University Medical Center. What’s more, “Obesity was significantly more frequent among the early term.”
The researchers also discovered that children older than five exhibited significantly higher rates of type I diabetes mellitus when born early term.
“Pregnancies ending at early term were more likely to be complicated by hypertensive disorders and maternal diabetes (both gestational and pre-gestational). Deliveries were more often cesarean, and mean birthweight was significantly smaller,” Dr. Sheiner says. “Babies delivered at early term were also more likely to be low birthweight — less than 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms).”
These diseases may increase the likelihood of other associated maladies with a detrimental long-term impact on one’s health and well-being, increased lifetime healthcare expenditures and a shorter life span, the researchers conclude.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting a study namely ICMR-INDIAB involving all States and Union Territories – both urban and rural population for ascertaining the exact number of Diabetic patients. 15 States have been covered so far and the prevalence of diabetes varies from 4.3% in Bihar to 13.6% in Chandigarh.
According to report published by International Diabetes Federation (IDF; 6th Edition, 2013), number of people with diabetes (20-79 years) in Urban setting of India were about 30.5 millions in 2013.
As informed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), current estimates from one-time cross sectional studies conducted in different regions of country indicate that the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) is between 8-10 percent in urbanand 3 to 4 percent in rural India.
As informed by ICMR the estimated prevalence of cancer cases in India during 2013, 2014 and 2015 are 2934314, 3016628 and 3101467 respectively.
Nationwide scientific estimation of number of patients of Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) has not been carried out. However, in some of the small population based studies, it was found to be in 0.79 % in North India and 0.16% in South India.
National Center for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru is running Hospital and Population based Cancer Registries. As informed by ICMR some studies have been conducted on NCDs. A study is commissioned to ICMR on Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases and Associated Risk Factors for India (BOD-NCD).
The factors responsible for increase in Lifestyle Diseases (NCDs) are unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, harmful use of alcohol, overweight, obesity, tobacco use, etc.
Public health is a State subject, however, under National Health Mission(NHM), financial and technical support is provided to States/UTs to strengthen their healthcare systems including setting up of / upgradation of public health facilities, based on the requirements posed by the States/UTs in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs).
Government of India is implementing National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) for interventions up to District level under the National Health Mission. Under NPCDCS, diagnosis and treatment facilities are provided through different levels of healthcare by setting up NCD Clinics in District Hospitals and Community Health Centres (CHCs). Intervention of Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) has also been included in NPCDCS for proper management.
For early diagnosis, Population-based Screening of common NCDs viz. Diabetes, Hypertension and Common cancers (Oral, Breast, Cervical) is initiated under NHM utilizing the services of the Frontline- workers and Health-workers under existing Primary Healthcare System. This process will also generate awareness on risk factors of common NCDs.
Under strengthening of Tertiary Care for Cancer Centre (TCCC) Scheme, Government of India is assisting States to set up / establish State Cancer Institute (SCI) and Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCCs) in different parts of the country. Support under the National Health Mission (NHM) is also being provided to States for provision of dialysis services free of cost to the poor under Pradhanmantri National Dialysis Programme (PNDP).
The Central Government, through its hospitals augments the efforts of the State Governments for providing health services in the country. Under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), 6 new AIIMS have been set up and upgradation of identified medical colleges has been undertaken which will also improve health care facilities.
The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health has announced that vaccination against meningitis is mandatory for all Haj pilgrims in 2017 and it said a flu shot was also recommended, besides the usual quarantine requirements based on the country of origin.
“Meningitis vaccination should be taken at least 10 days before pilgrims arrive into the holy cities,” Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Mirghalani told Arab News and added that it is valid for a period of three years.
Meningitis, a serious condition affecting the neck may spread during Haj because of pilgrims coming from endemic countries and the vaccination is fiven to adults and children aged two and above but not pregnant women.
The ministry’s national scientific committee will act as the command center for the pilgrims to monitor their vaccinations and health condition during the pilgrimage. Apart from meningitis, other diseases, such as Ebola, coronavirus, yellow fever, polio and vaccination against seasonal influenza virus would be implemented strictly this year, he said.
Yellow fever-endemic countries are identified as Angola, Benin, Sudan, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, Burundi, Chad, Uganda, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Kenya, Liberia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mali, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Suriname, Peru, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay. Visa application for Haj will have to be accompanied by a vaccination form against fever in these countries.
An oral dose of polio is also compulsory for pilgrims coming from Uganda, Kenya, Benin, Angola, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, CAR, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia for all ages.
In addition, the flu vaccine is strongly advised though it is not made mandatory. Those with chronic ailments, such as diabetes, hypertension and renal diseases, have been advised to take the flu vaccine, which will help them to perform Haj and Umrah rituals more efficiently. The minister also advised pilgrims to pack food items in tightly sealed containers.
