Chandigarh, September 28

Four years after undergoing a simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant at the PGI here, a 32-year-old recipient from Uttarakhand delivered a baby girl.

Prof Ashish Sharma, Head, Department of Renal Transplant Surgery, PGI, said, “Less than 150 pancreas transplants have been carried out in India so far. Out of these, 38 have been done at the PGI alone. This is the first childbirth happening after pancreas transplant at our institute and possibly the first in India.”

Expressing happiness at the successful delivery in this high-risk case, Prof Seema Chopra, obstetrics incharge at the institute, said, “There were different opinions as she was considered to be a high-risk patient given her history of diabetes, hypertension and kidney failure. Ultimately, after consultation with an obstetrics team, she decided to proceed ahead. Fortunately, her glucose, blood pressure and kidney function remained within normal limits throughout the pregnancy. However, in view of her high-risk status, it was decided to perform a Caesarean section at nine months and she delivered a baby girl weighing 2.5 kg with an uneventful recovery.”

The mother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 13 when she developed loss of consciousness, and had been under treatment at the Department of Endocrinology, PGI, since then.

एक स्वस्थ शरीर के लिए स्वस्थ भोजन की आवश्यकता होती है एक स्वास्थ्य जीवन जीने के लिए हर व्यक्ति को संतुलित आहार की आवश्यकता होती है संतुलित आहार का मतलब यह नहीं होता कि हम भोजन पेट भर कर खाएं संतुलित आहार का अर्थ होता है जिसमें उचित मात्रा में प्रोटीन, विटामिन और कार्बोहाइड्रेट ,वसा आदि उपस्थित हो आज के टाइम में बच्चों से लेकर बड़ों तक हर कोई जंक फूड खाने की आदत बना चुके हैं क्योंकि जंक फूड बहुत ही स्वादिष्ट होता है और आसानी से हर जगह उपलब्ध हो जाता है तथा या कम दाम में भी मिल जाता है दिखने में भी बहुत ही आकर्षक और सुंदर दिखाई देता है जिसके कारण लोग बहुत ही आसानी से जल्द इसकी ओर आकर्षित हो जाते है  यह जंक फूड हमारे स्वास्थ्य के लिए लाभदायक नहीं होता अपितु यह हानिकारक होता है।जी जो की कई सारे बीमारियों का कारण बनता हैं। एक स्वस्थ भोजन से हमारे शरीर की रोग प्रतिरोधकता क्षमता को बढ़ती है जो कि हमें कई प्रकार के बीमारियों से लड़ने की क्षमता प्रदान करती है भोजन को हमें स्वाद के अनुसार नहीं बल्कि शरीर को स्वस्थ और मजबूत बनाने के लिए खाना चाहिए। एक स्वास्थ्य भोजन हमारे अच्छे शरीर का निर्माण करता ही है साथ ही हमारा बौद्धिक विकास भी करता है शरीर को स्वस्थ होना सबसे बड़ी उपलब्धि है एक स्वस्थ शरीर के साथ स्वस्थ दिमाग हमें कामयाबी की ओर लेकर जाता है|

योग स्वस्थ जीवन व्यतीत करने की कला तथा विज्ञान है। योग से आत्मज्ञान की प्राप्ति तथा सभी प्रकार की शारीरिक परेशानियों को दूर करना है। योग मनुष्य के मन और आत्मा की अनंत क्षमता को बढ़ाकर आत्मज्ञान की प्राप्ति करवाता है। योग करने से हमें अच्छी नींद आती है तथा हमारा शरीर स्वस्थ और तंदुरुस्त रहता है। योग से हमें शांति तथा आनंद प्राप्त होता है। योग से हमारा मस्तिष्क एकाग्रचित होकर काम करता है तथा हमारे मन में अच्छे विचारों का निवास होता है। योग हमारे शरीर को स्वस्थ, लचीला तथा शक्तिशाली भी बनाए रखता है। 

New Delhi: Scientists have discovered a new virus similar to SARS-CoV-2 in a Russian bat that can infect humans and is resistant to currently available vaccines. 

In a research paper published Thursday in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers from Washington State University said the virus, known as ‘Khosta-2’, comes under a sub-category of coronaviruses called sarbecovirus — the same category to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs.

The discovery highlights the need to develop universal vaccines against sarbecoviruses to protect the human population against future Covid-like pandemics, the researchers point out. 

Sarbecoviruses are respiratory viruses that frequently undergo recombination — a process of viral strains mixing to make a new strain.

Researchers from the Washington State University in the US first discovered the virus in Russian bats in late 2020. 

The team had identified two new viruses and named them Khosta-1 and Khosta-2. They determined that while Khosta-1 didn’t pose much threat to humans, Khosta-2 demonstrated some troubling traits.

Although the virus initially appeared to pose no threat to humans, when they looked more closely, they were “really surprised to find they could infect human cells”, Michael Letko, WSU virologist and one of the authors of the study, said in a press statement. 

The team also found that Khosta-2 was resistant to both the monoclonal antibodies and serum from individuals vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. 

“Genetically, these weird Russian viruses looked like some of the others that had been discovered elsewhere around the world, but because they did not look like SARS-CoV-2, no one thought they were really anything to get too excited about,” Letko, a virologist at WSU, said in the statement. 

Although hundreds of sarbecoviruses have been discovered in recent years — predominantly in bats in Asia — the majority are incapable of infecting human cells, the team said. 

“That changes a little bit of our understanding of these viruses, where they come from, and what regions are concerning,” Letko said. 

“Our research further demonstrates that sarbecoviruses circulating in wildlife outside of Asia — even in places like western Russia where the Khosta-2 virus was found — also pose a threat to global health and ongoing vaccine campaigns against SARS-CoV-2,” Letko said. 

If you are addicted to binge-watching late at night, then know that it can be bad for your heart and push you towards diabetes because you are not able to burn enough fat for energy.

US researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey have found that “night owls” are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes or heart disease than people who get to bed and wake up early.

 

London, (PTI) Children with certain immunodeficiency diseases may have a higher mortality rate due to COVID-19, according to a study.

Researchers noted that most children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 develop a mild illness or show no symptoms at all, but for a small percentage, serious complications may develop.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that children with certain immunodeficiency diseases carry mutations in genes that regulate the body’s immune system against viral infections.

“Mortality is much higher among children with primary immunodeficiency diseases infected with SARS-CoV-2,” said Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom, a professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

“Our results indicate that basic immunological examination and genetic analysis should be conducted in children with severe COVID-19 or multi-inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). The clinicians will then be able to help these children with more precise therapies based on their genetic changes,” said Pan-Hammarstrom.

Researchers performed genetic and immunological analyses in young patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases — also called inborn errors of immunity — who developed severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection.

“Our results clarify the molecular mechanism of these immune diseases, which opens up the possibility of developing a more targeted therapy,” Pan-Hammarstrom said.

“The knowledge acquired from the study also allows us to develop better strategies for the treatment and prevention of severe COVID-19 disease in these patients,” the scientist said.

The study included 31 children aged five months to 19 years. All children had some type of primary immunodeficiency disease without a molecular diagnosis and suffered from severe COVID-19.

Participants were recruited from August to September 2020 in Iran. None of them were vaccinated against COVID-19.

Eleven of the children, more than one-third, died of complications from the infection, the researchers said.

Five children, 16 per cent, met the criteria for multi–inflammatory syndrome, MIS-C. Some of the children lacked antibodies to the coronavirus, they said.

“This suggests that many children with this type of immune disease cannot produce antiviral antibodies and therefore would not have the full benefit of vaccination,” said Hassan Abolhassani, assistant professor at Karolinska Institutet, and the study’s first author.

Genetic analyses showed that more than 90 per cent of the participants, 28 children, had mutations in genes that are important for our immune defense, and that could explain their immunodeficiency, the researchers said.

An important mechanism was mutations that affect proteins which regulate the immune system during virus infection, known as interferons, they said.

The study also included a literature review, where the researchers globally found reports of about 1,210 patients with primary immunodeficiency disease and COVID-19. About 30 per cent of them were children.

The mortality rate among children with primary immunodeficiency disease and COVID-19 was more than 8 per cent, compared with about 0.01 per cent among children in the general population, they added. PTI

 

A research team from the University of Cologne and the Universities of Mannheim and Heidelberg has found that even the single administration of alcohol permanently alters the morphology of neurons. In particular, the structure of the synapses as well as the dynamics of mitochondria – the powerhouses of the cell – are influenced by alcohol. Using the genetic model system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, Professor Dr Henrike Scholz and her team members Michèle Tegtmeier und Michael Berger showed that changes in the migration of mitochondria in the synapses reduce the rewarding effect of alcohol. These results suggest that even a single consumption event can lay the foundation for alcohol addiction. The study ‘Single-dose ethanol intoxication causes acute and lasting neuronal changes in the brain’ has appeared in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

 

 

 

 

Which changes in the brain accompany the transition from sporadic drinking to chronic alcohol abuse? That is the question a joint research project with working groups at the University of Mannheim-Heidelberg and the University of Cologne explored. Most scientific research has examined the effects of chronic alcohol consumption on the hippocampus – the control centre of our brain. Because of this, little is known about the acute neuronal interactions of critical risk factors, such as a first alcohol intoxication at an early age, explained Henrike Scholz: ‘We set out to discover ethanol-dependent molecular changes. These, in turn, provide the basis for permanent cellular changes following a single acute ethanol intoxication. The effects of a single alcohol administration were examined at the molecular, cellular and behavioural levels.’ The working hypothesis was that, similar to the formation of memory after a single lesson, a single administration of ethanol would form a positive association with alcohol.

 

 

 

 

The team tested its hypothesis using research in fruit flies and mouse models and found ethanol-induced changes in two areas: mitochondrial dynamics and the balance between synapses in neurons. Mitochondria supply cells and especially nerve cells with energy. In order to optimally deliver the energy to the cells, the mitochondria move. The movement of the mitochondria was disturbed in the cells treated with ethanol. The chemical balance between certain synapses was also disturbed. These changes remained permanent and were confirmed by behavioural changes in the animals: Mice and fruit flies showed increased alcohol consumption and alcohol relapse later in life.

 

 

 

 

The morphological remodelling of neurons is a well-known basis for learning and memory. These so-called cellular plasticity mechanisms, which are central to learning and memory, are also thought to be at the core of the formation of associative memories for drug-related rewards. Therefore, some of the observed morphological changes may influence ethanol-related memory formation. Together with the migration of mitochondria in neurons, which are also important for synaptic transmission and plasticity, the researchers speculate that these ethanol-dependent cellular changes are critical for the development of addictive behaviours.

 

 

 

 

‘It is remarkable that the cellular processes contributing to such complex reward behaviour are conserved across species, suggesting a similar role in humans,’ said Henrike Scholz. ‘It could be a possible general cellular process essential for learning and memory.’

Both of the observed mechanisms could explain observations made in mice that a single intoxication experience can increase alcohol consumption and alcohol relapse later in life. ‘These mechanisms may even be relevant to the observation in humans that the first alcohol intoxication at an early age is a critical risk factor for later alcohol intoxication and the development of alcohol addiction,’ explained Professor Scholz. ‘This means that identifying lasting ethanol-dependent changes is an important first step in understanding how acute drinking can turn into chronic alcohol abuse.’

I don't know about you but whenever I see TV commercials that show active men and women looking all smiling and happy because they take vitamins or supplements... well, I start to feel bad about the fact that I do not choke down such things on a regular basis.

I usually make a mental vow to start taking a daily vitamin. The new gummy ones for adults are especially attractive to a kid at heart like Mr. Bad Food.

But after watching a recent Good Morning America report that basically says most people can get the vitamins and minerals they need from a balanced diet, I am rethinking my beliefs.

After all, the Diet-to-Go low-fat meal plan that I have been enjoying for the past year meet the guidelines of major health organizations like the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.

These delicious meals are properly portioned and balanced to give me what I need to get healthy and maybe even lose a little weight while I do so.

So if the GMA report is true, why are so many people plunking down so much money -- about $20 billion a year -- for vitamins and dietary supplements?

According to industry data, about half of all adult Americans take a daily multivitamin. So are we frittering away our money by doing so?

Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News' senior health and medical editor, says that for most people, eating a well-balanced diet from all the food groups is the best way to ensure you get the vitamins you need.

Besser doesn't take vitamins and he doesn't recommend them for his patients who follow a well-balanced diet and aren't in any particular risk groups.

Mr. Bad Food doesn't want you to stop taking vitamins or supplements -- especially if you've been urged to do so by your doctor. But what

you can do is to make sure your daily diet is well-rounded so you are getting the nutrients you need to be healthy without supplements.

Two groups that should consider vitamins: pregnant women and the elderly. The best bets: Folic acid, vitamin D and calcium.

Folic acid is vital to a baby's early development.

"If you're in the child-bearing age, you need to take folic acid," Besser said. "It's really early in pregnancy that you need to have those high levels of folic acid.

"Start taking it now and take it through the period where you may have children."

Vitamin D is essential for bone health and we become deficient as we age. The good news: Many people get enough vitamin D through normal sun exposure.

"Vitamin D is extremely important," Besser said. "I am convinced about the importance of vitamin D in your bone health."

As we age, our skin loses its ability to make vitamin D. So if you're older or live in a northern climate where the sun isn't a daily visitor you may need more vitamin D.

Besser said it's not a bad idea to combine calcium with your vitamin D.

"When you mix calcium and vitamin D, that's when you get those strong bones," he said.

Sorry gummy vitamins... Mr. Bad Food will stick with his beloved Diet-to-Go meals to get his daily vitamins and minerals!

Author -John McGran

Powerhouse foods are foods that contain high concentrations of the crucial nutrients proven to play a major role in disease prevention.

Foods containing these nutrients have helped prevent afflictions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and even certain cancers.

If you were asked to add five foods to your diet on a regular basis – five foods considered  to be nutritional powerhouses – which five foods would you pick?

The following five foods are my choices – they're each loaded with nutrients crucial to a healthier, longer life. Include them into your daily diet and we promise they will change your life for the better!

The Fab Five

Tomatoes: The red or pink coloring you find in tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, pink guava and pink grapefruit comes chiefly from a carotenoid called lycopene.

This potent antioxidant – together with a group of related compounds collectively called "red family"-- has shown important anti-cancer potential.

Whole grains: When you see the term whole grain, it means that all three parts of the grain kernel – the germ, bran and endosperm – are included in the product. Good whole-grain foods include brown rice, quinoa, bulgur, kamut, whole grain oat cereal (oatmeal), popcorn, kashi (roasted buckwheat) and spelt. These grains have an amazing 96 percent more fiber, magnesium, zinc, chromium, vitamin E, and vitamin B6 than refined grains. Aim for at least 3 servings a day.

Dark green, leafy vegetables: These include spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collard greens, chicory and Swiss chard.

They are excellent sources of fiber, folate and a wide range of carotenoids which seem to help prevent cancer by acting as antioxidant. Try to eat at least 2 servings a day.

Flax: This grain is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. It is also a very rich source of alpha-linolenic acid. The nutrients in flax protect against cancer, reduce inflammation, help regulate blood pressure, and lower blood cholesterol levels. Flax can be purchased in several forms including flour, ground seeds or whole seeds. The whole seeds must be ground to release their important fatty acids. Use flax in your recipes, or toss it into salads, smoothies, cereal or yogurt on a daily basis.

Blueberries: Berries are packed full of phytonutrients which are non-vitamin, non-mineral components that have significant health benefits. Blueberries happen to be extra-rich with the good stuff! Research has shown that phytonutrients help the body cells communicate with each other more efficiently to prevent mutations at the cellular level and  prevent the proliferation of cancer cells. It seems like researchers are learning new things about the powers of phytonutrients every day. Blueberries are so rich in phytonutrients,  they provide as much antioxidant protection to the body as 1,733 IU (International Units) of vitamin E and more than 1200 milligrams of vitamin C.

Be creative when it comes to adding these foods to your diet on a regular basis. Variety is the spice of a healthy life, so enjoy the benefits these five powerhouse foods have to offer!

 

 

London, Sep 14 (PTI) Scientists in the UK have developed a plastic film that can kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which land on its surface with just room light.

The self-sterilising film developed by a team at Queen’s University Belfast, UK, is less costly to produce, can be readily scaled and used for disposable aprons, tablecloths, and curtains in hospitals.

The film is coated with a thin layer of particles that absorb ultraviolet (UV) light and produce reactive oxygen species — ROS.

These kill viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the researchers said. The technology used to create the film also ensures it is degradable — unlike the current disposable plastic films — making it environment-friendly, the researchers said.

The research, published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, could lead to a significant reduction in the transmission of viruses in healthcare environments but also in other settings that uses plastic films.

The researchers tested the film for anti-viral activity using four different viruses — two strains of influenza A virus, a highly-stable picornavirus called EMCV and SARS-CoV-2.

They exposed the film to either UVA radiation or with light from a cool white light fluorescent lamp. The researchers found that the film is effective at killing all of the viruses – even in a room lit with just white fluorescent tubes. SARS-CoV-2 was particularly prone to photocatalytic inactivation even under very low UV irradiation conditions, they said.

“This film could replace many of the disposable plastic films used in the healthcare industry as it has the added value of being self-sterilising at no real extra cost,” said Professor Andrew Mills from Queen’s University Belfast.

“Through rigorous testing we have found that it is effective at killing viruses with just room light – this is the first time that anything like this has been developed and we hope that it will be a huge benefit to society,” Mills said. The researchers noted that pathogenic viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza will continue to be global problem for years to come.

“In developing self-sterilising thin plastic films, we have created a low-cost technology that could have a significant impact on the transmission of such concerning viruses in a healthcare environment and other sectors where they are used,” Professor Andrew Mills added. PTI