AYUSH Ministry, Ministry of WCD join hands for integration of Ayush systems with ongoing nutrition interventions

New Delhi: A national event on collaboration between Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Ayush for nutritional improvement in adolescent girls took place at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. 

Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister for Women & Child Development and Minority Affairs and Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Shipping & Waterways & Ayush graced the event.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the occasion for implementation of a project to control anemia among adolescent girls through Ayurvedic interventions in the five districts under ‘Mission Utkarsh’ between the Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Also Read:Smriti Irani launches protocol for identification, management of malnourished children at anganwadi level

The Union Minister for Women and Child Development announced that the Ministry will also take up a joint venture with Ministry of Ayush and ICMR for effective interventions like Yoga in Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) among adolescent girls. The Union Minister hoped that India could lead in the prevention of anemia through providing cost effective and palatable Ayush medicines for better compliance with minimum adverse effects. She highlighted the coming together of 18 Ministries to address the issue of nutrition (Poshan Abhiyan).

The Minister also mentioned that, for the first time an Ayush intervention is being evaluated by ICMR. A positive outcome would allow the intervention to be rolled out all across the country and also outside. This evaluation is being done by topmost medical institutions of the country like AIIMS which provides excellent credibility to the study.

Union Minister for Ayush emphasized the need for a “Anemia Mukt Bharat”. We need to adopt healthy lifestyle and inculcate practice of Yoga for holistic health care, he added. Dr Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush stressed for strategic partnership and innovative intervention for better health outcomes. Mr Indevar Pandey, Secretary, Ministry of WCD emphasized and appreciated traditional healing through Ayush.

Under this Mission Utkarsh program, over 94,000 adolescent girls between the age group of 14-18 years registered under Poshan Tracker at approximately 10,000 Anganwadi Centres will be benefitted in 12 months period of program. The coordinating agency for the project will be Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS).

Classical Ayurveda medicines (Drakshavaleha and Punarnavadi mandoor) for better nutrition to improve the health of the anemic adolescent girls will be provided for a period of 3 months. The districts to be covered include; Dhubri, Bastar, Paschimi Singhbhum, Gadchiroli and Dhoulpur from the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Rajasthan respectively.

This project is being jointly funded by both the Union Ministries and will be executed in the five districts through Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Guwahati; All India Institute for Ayurveda, New Delhi; CARI, Bhubaneshwar; Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Nagpur and National Institute Ayurveda, Jaipur. Public Health Foundation of India’s IIPH, Delhi will also play an important role by assessing the outcomes of this project.

Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS delivered his speech on the topic “Role of Ayush Systems for overall holistic health and Perspective on Ayush Intervention in Utkarsh Districts”. The WHO representative, Dr Pushpa Chaudhari also delivered her talk on “Importance of Diet Diversity and Local Dietary Practices for promoting Wellness”. The DG, ICMR Dr Rajiv Bahl, spoke on “Collaboration with Ayush for empirical evidence and clinical trials on traditional interventions.”

He briefed the already ongoing research project on the Ayurveda interventions in Anemia being conducted at 9 prime institutes like AIIMS Jodhpur, AIIMS Bhopal, AIIMS New Delhi, AIIMS Bibi Nagar, ICMR-NITM, Belgavi; RIMS, Ranchi; MGIMS, Wardha and KEM Hospital, Pune. He also mentioned the encouraging outcomes of research on Yoga in PCOD.

Also Read:AYUSH bringing health and wellness to the world: Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

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P9 Biomarker Panel to Predict Hepatocellular Cancer Risk in Cirrhosis Patients

A recent study published in the BMJ Gut unveiled a novel biomarker panel that could revolutionize the prediction of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) risk in patients with cirrhosis. This research was conducted as a part of a longitudinal phase III study explores the intricate relationship between inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers and the onset of HCC.

This study led by a team of Hashem El-Serag utilized data from a prospective cohort of 2266 adult patients with cirrhosis, who were meticulously monitored until the emergence of HCC. Through a meticulous process, the study custom-designed a FirePlex immunoassay to gauge baseline serum levels of 39 biomarkers by ultimately identifying a set of nine biomarkers with the highest discriminatory ability for HCC.

These nine biomarkers was collectively termed as P9 included insulin growth factor-1, interleukin-10, transforming growth factor β1, adipsin, fetuin-A, interleukin-1 β, macrophage stimulating protein α chain, serum amyloid A, and TNF-α. When integrated into existing clinical models, P9 expressed a promising predictive performance.

The addition of P9 to established clinical models, like the AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) model and aMAP score resulted in substantial improvements in the prediction of HCC risk. When combined with the AFP model, the incorporation of P9 boosted the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) by 4.8% and 2.7% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Also, when added to the aMAP score, P9 enhanced AUROC by 14.2% and 7.6% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. The potential to refine risk stratification models for HCC offers clinicians a more precise tool to identify patients who are at heightened risk.

Reference:

El-Serag, H., Kanwal, F., Ning, J., Powell, H., Khaderi, S., Singal, A. G., Asrani, S., Marrero, J. A., Amos, C. I., Thrift, A. P., Luster, M., Alsarraj, A., Olivares, L., Skapura, D., Deng, J., Salem, E., Najjar, O., Yu, X., Duong, H., … Kaochar, S. (2024). Serum biomarker signature is predictive of the risk of hepatocellular cancer in patients with cirrhosis. In Gut (p. gutjnl-2024-332034). BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2024-332034

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Learning and memory problems in Down syndrome linked to alterations in genome’s ‘dark matter’

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) have found that the Snhg11 gene is critical for the function and formation of neurons in the hippocampus. Experiments with mice and human tissues revealed that the gene is less active in brains with Down syndrome, potentially contributing to the memory deficits observed in people living with the condition. The findings are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

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Researchers uncover new clues about links between parent age and congenital disorders

A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution finds that the link between paternal age and rare congenital disorders is more complex than scientists had previously thought.

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UK cancer treatment falls behind other countries, research finds

People in the UK have been treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy less often than patients in comparable countries, and faced long waits for treatments, according to two new studies published in The Lancet Oncology.

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Race, racism, and COVID-19 in the US: Lessons to be learned

In a publication in The BMJ, Keisha Bentley-Edwards at Duke University, North Carolina, and colleagues argue that systemic racism and economic inequality are at the root of disparity in COVID-19 outcomes and suggest ways to distribute resources more equitably.

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Risk profile tool provides clearer insight on hospitalized COVID-19 patients who benefit most from baricitinib treatment

A post-hoc analysis of ACTT-2 (Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial-2) found that the use of a risk profile may more precisely characterize high-risk patients who may benefit from the use of baricitinib. The analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Retired CMC professor Dr Debashish Danda passes away in car accident

In an unfortunate incident, Dr Debashish Danda, a 60-year-old renowned rheumatologist and retired professor in the Rheumatology Department of Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore died in a tragic car accident on Saturday.

Dr Debashish, a distinguished figure in the medical community succumbed to his injuries sustained in the accident after his car collided with a container lorry near Vellore. He was recognised worldwide due to his passionate contribution to the field.

For more details check out the link below:

Unfortunate: Prominent Rheumatologist Dr Debashish Danda Dies In Car Accident



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Health bulletin 26/ February/ 2024

Here are the top health stories for the day:

Renowned rheumatologist Dr Debashish Danda dies in a car accident

In an unfortunate incident, Dr Debashish Danda, a 60-year-old renowned rheumatologist and retired professor in the Rheumatology Department of Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore died in a tragic car accident on Saturday.

Dr Debashish, a distinguished figure in the medical community succumbed to his injuries sustained in the accident after his car collided with a container lorry near Vellore. He was recognised worldwide due to his passionate contribution to the field.

For more details check out the link below:

Unfortunate: Prominent Rheumatologist Dr Debashish Danda Dies In Car Accident


Gynecologist in Assam arrested after nurse reports sexual harassment disguised as job offers

A gynaecologist has been arrested in Assam’s Lakhimpur
district for allegedly attempting to rape a woman, who sought the job of a
nurse at his hospital, a police officer said. The accused was taken into
custody late on Friday.

The doctor has been identified as a gynaecologist and the
proprietor of the Avaneesh Hospital & Research Center, located in North
Lakhimpur town.

The arrest was made on the basis of the woman’s police
complaint about molestation and attempted rape, the officer said.

New surrogacy rules allow couples with medical conditions to use donor gametes

In a significant modification to the Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules, 2022, the Central government has notified that couples suffering from a medical condition need not source both gametes from an intending couple.

The Union Health Ministry has revised the previous rules, which mandated that both gametes should be from the intending couple undergoing surrogacy. This amendment follows a directive from the Supreme Court questioning the delay in the government’s decision.

For more details check out the link below:

Donor Gametes Allowed For Couples With Medical Conditions: New Rule On Surrogacy


PM Modi inaugurates 300-bed PGI satellite
center in Sangrur, boosting healthcare infrastructure

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday virtually inaugurated a 300-bed satellite centre of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Punjab’s Sangrur and laid the foundation stone of a 100-bed facility in Ferozepur.

According to a statement issued by the PGIMER (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) here, the move marks a significant milestone and fruition of the continued endeavour of the Union Health Ministry to provide top-notch, affordable and accessible healthcare services to people in Punjab.

For more details check out the link below:

PM Modi Dedicates 300-Bed PGI Satellite Centre In Sangrur


Pulmonologist Dr Kailash Rathi critically injured, attacked
18 times with sickle, in ICU

In a gruesome incident, a Nashik-based Pulmonologist Dr Kailash Rathi, is fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after being brutally attacked inside a hospital in Maharashtra over a monetary dispute.

The horror was captured on a CCTV camera and the viral video shows that the attacker striked the 49-year-old doctor around 18 times with a sickle on Friday night. Thereafter, the doctor, a chest physician and critical care specialist, was admitted in a local hospital in a critical condition.

For more details check out the link below:

Nashik Shocker: Pulmonologist Dr Kailash Rathi Brutally Attacked 18 Times With Sickle, Critical In ICU

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Fire breaks out at LNJP Hospital, no casualties reported

New Delhi: A fire broke out in the emergency block of Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP) late Monday night. The fire tenders reached the spot and the fire was doused off.

Medical Director Suresh Kumar said that the reason for the blaze was a short circuit.

Speaking to ANI, Medical Director, LNJP Hospital, Suresh Kumar said, “There was an electric short circuit in the emergency block. All the patients are safe. There was no need to shift any of the patients from their wards.”

Also Read:Fire breaks out at teaching block of Delhi AIIMS, Office records gutted

Kumar further said, “Fire tenders reached the spot on time and the fire was doused off. All services had been restarted after the fire clearance.”

Further details into the matter are awaited.

Also Read:Fire at SGPGI operation theatre claims life of two patient, one woman, one child

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