A woman in Brazil who received a womb transplanted from a dead donor has given birth to a healthy baby girl in the first successful case of its kind, doctors reported.

The breakthrough operation, carried out in September 2016, shows that such transplants are feasible and could help thousands of women unable to have children due to uterine problems, according to a study published on Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal.

The case involved connecting veins from the donor uterus with the then-32-year-old’s recipient’s veins, as well as linking arteries, ligaments and vaginal canals.

It comes after 10 previously known cases of uterus transplants from deceased donors – in the United States, the Czech Republic and Turkey – failed to produce a live birth.

The girl born in the Brazilian case was delivered via caesarean section at 35 weeks and three days, and weighed 2,550 grams, the case study said.

Dani Ejzenberg, a doctor at Brazil’s Sao Paulo University hospital who led the research, said the transplant shows the technique is feasible and could offer women with uterine infertility access to a larger pool of potential donors.

The current norm for receiving a womb transplant is that the organ would come from a live family member willing to donate it.

“The numbers of people willing and committed to donate organs upon their own deaths are far larger than those of live donors, offering a much wider potential donor population,” Ejzenberg said in a statement about the results, describing the procedure as a “medical milestone”.

She added, however, that the outcomes and effects of womb donations from live and deceased donors have yet to be compared, and said the technique could still be refined and optimised.

‘Extremely exciting’

The first baby born after a live donor womb transplant was in Sweden in 2013. Scientists have so far reported a total of 39 procedures of this kind, resulting in 11 live births.

Experts estimate that infertility affects around 10 to 15 percent of couples of reproductive age worldwide. Of this group, around two in 1,000 women have uterine problems.

Before uterus transplants became possible, the only options to have a child were adoption or surrogacy.In the Brazilian case, the recipient had been born without a uterus due to a condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome. The donor was 45 and died of a stroke.

Five months after the transplant, Ejzenberg’s team wrote, the uterus showed no signs of rejection, ultrasound scans were normal, and the recipient was having regular menstruation. The woman’s previously fertilised and frozen eggs were implanted after seven months and 10 days later she was confirmed pregnant.

At seven months and 20 days – when the case study report was submitted to The Lancet – the baby girl was continuing to breastfeed and weighed 7.2kg.

“We must congratulate the authors,” commented Srdjan Saso, an honorary clinical lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology at Imperial College London, describing the findings as “extremely exciting”.

Richard Kennedy, president of the International Federation of Fertility Societies, also welcomed the announcement but sounded a note of caution.

“Uterine transplant is a novel technique and should be regarded as experimental,” he said.

Aljazeera

The Supreme Court on Tuesday imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh each on Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir for not furnishing details on the mid-day meal scheme in their states.

A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Hemant Gupta also imposed the cost of Rs 2 lakh on the Delhi government for not furnishing the information on mid-day meal scheme.

The court said the fines would be deposited with the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee within four weeks for juvenile justice issues.

The order followed a PIL by Antarrashtriya Manav Adhikaar Nirgraani Parishad drawing the court’s attention to malpractices in the implementation of the scheme.

Noting that the Mid Day Meal Scheme was of considerable benefit to the children, the court in its order said: “We have been trying to get the states to render assistance and to upload all the data so that necessary corrective steps can be taken from time to time. In spite of several of our orders, there has been little or no co-operation from some of the states.”

Saying that the scheme was not being taken “seriously by several States”, the court said: “Data has not been supplied and there are allegations made by the petitioner about foodgrains disappearing and not reaching the schools.”

Imposing the fine, the court said that Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Odisha had said that they will comply with the requirements of the Mid Day Meal Scheme and provide necessary links giving the details of the implementation of the scheme to the satisfaction of the petitioner.

However, the court said, “more than a month has gone by and there has been absolutely no progress made by these states”.

IANS

  For the first time, Bangalore will experience an exclusive Akshar Yoga Wheel launched today by Grand Master Akshar (Mahayogi Akshar Nath) at High, Rooftop of World Trade Centre, Malleshwaram, Bangalore. More than 150 plus yoga practitioners participated in the workshop.

Light, portable and easy-to-use, the Akshar Yoga Wheel readily joins you at home,work or even while travelling. The preliminary groundwork for the Wheel’s manufacturing involved rigorous research for over 2 years and consultation ofseveral experts from the field of medicine and physiotherapy. This along with a whole lot of love has been invested into the Akshar Yoga Wheel that proudly wears the ‘Made in India’ badge and is ISO certified.

Most importantly, the Akshar Yoga Wheel reverses the ill-effects of long hours of desk-work which causes the shoulders to hunch forward leading to bad posture. The Wheel is available in White, Black, Chrome, Silver and Gold. The Silver and Gold Wheel amplify the effects of the ongoing healing process.

Legendary cricketers Mathew Hayden and Sunil Gavaskar, India’s Dangal queen and champion wrestler Babita Phoga, Sandalwood Star Punith Rajkumar  are amongst those who have practised in Akshar yoga.  In this workshop Grand Master Akshar announced that coming 21st of June 2019 of International Yoga Day celebration will be held at Mount Everest base camp by Akshar Yoga along with 300 participants from all over the world.

About Grand Master Akshar (MahayogiAksharNath): Hailing from the original source and school of Yoga –The Himalayas, Grand Master Akshar is an internationally acclaimed yogic master and visionary. He is Founder, Chairman & Course Director of Akshar Yoga, a well-known brand and leading Yoga chain with 20 centres in the city. Over the last decade, 3000 yoga teachers and more than 500,000 practitioners from around the world have been trained by him.

3nd December, 2018: For the first time, Bangalore will experience an exclusive Akshar Yoga Wheel launched today by Grand Master Akshar (Mahayogi Akshar Nath) at High, Rooftop of World Trade Centre, Malleshwaram, Bangalore. More than 150 plus yoga practitioners participated in the workshop.

Light, portable and easy-to-use, the Akshar Yoga Wheel readily joins you at home,work or even while travelling. The preliminary groundwork for the Wheel’s manufacturing involved rigorous research for over 2 years and consultation ofseveral experts from the field of medicine and physiotherapy. This along with a whole lot of love has been invested into the Akshar Yoga Wheel that proudly wears the ‘Made in India’ badge and is ISO certified.

Most importantly, the Akshar Yoga Wheel reverses the ill-effects of long hours of desk-work which causes the shoulders to hunch forward leading to bad posture. The Wheel is available in White, Black, Chrome, Silver and Gold. The Silver and Gold Wheel amplify the effects of the ongoing healing process.

Legendary cricketers Mathew Hayden and Sunil Gavaskar, India’s Dangal queen and champion wrestler Babita Phoga, Sandalwood Star Punith Rajkumar  are amongst those who have practised in Akshar yoga.  In this workshop Grand Master Akshar announced that coming 21st of June 2019 of International Yoga Day celebration will be held at Mount Everest base camp by Akshar Yoga along with 300 participants from all over the world.

About Grand Master Akshar (MahayogiAksharNath): Hailing from the original source and school of Yoga –The Himalayas, Grand Master Akshar is an internationally acclaimed yogic master and visionary. He is Founder, Chairman & Course Director of Akshar Yoga, a well-known brand and leading Yoga chain with 20 centres in the city. Over the last decade, 3000 yoga teachers and more than 500,000 practitioners from around the world have been trained by him.

 Young men who are chain smokers or suffer from hypertension could be at an increased risk of heart attack recurrence, researchers have warned.

The study found that risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, family history of heart disease and chronic kidney disease were more prevalent among the patients who experienced a relapse.

“When treating younger patients with a history of heart attack, clinicians should emphasise better control of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes,” said Joanne Karen Recacho-Turingan, a cardiology student from The Medical City in Manila, Philippines.

“Other modifiable risk factors to highlight in patient history and address with these patients include smoking habits and obesity,” Recacho-Turingan added.

The findings were presented at the Asia Conference 2018 in Shanghai.

For the study, researchers analysed 133 young patients and found that males (90.1 per cent) with an average age of 40.9 years, experienced a second heart attack compared to females (9.9 per cent) with an average age of 39.6 years.

In addition, in these male patients, chest pain was the most common presenting symptom (81.8 per cent) while 90.9 per cent had unstable vital signs.

Heart attack in young patients can cause disability and even death at the prime of life. There are often serious consequences for these patients, their families and the health system, which can lead to an increased economic burden, according to the study.

“We must make sure to work with these patients on their modifiable risk factors to reduce their risk not just for a second heart attack, but hopefully, even preventing the first,” Recacho-Turingan noted.

Previous studies have defined young heart attack patients as less than 45-years-old while some used a less than 40-year-old cut-off.

Firecrackers left at least 50 people injured during Diwali celebrations in Hyderabad and outskirts, an official said on Thursday.

The injured were brought to government-run Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital late Wednesday night and in the early hours of Thursday.

According to doctors, at least eight of them sustained critical injuries in their eyes. The remaining had minor injuries and they were sent home after treatment.

The injured include people belonging to all age groups. A doctor said they included those bursting the crackers and the passersby. A 65-year-old woman travelling in an auto-rickshaw sustained critical injury when a ‘rocket’ hit her.

In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, a fire caused by firecrackers gutted four houses. The incident occurred in Vijayanagaram district. There was no loss of life.

Ians

Sangram Singh Launched His Fitness Motivational Series “Jeetunga Main”

A picture, it is said, can speak a 1000 words, but only a video can tell true stories of determination against all odds to achieve, inspire & motivate. Wellsash Seabuckthorn Juice Presents #JeetengeHum a Fitness Motivational Series by International Wrestling Champion Sangram Singh was launched at Gold Gym, Oshiwara.

Sangram Singh is brand ambassador of Wellsash Seabuckthorn Juice. The 1st ever video from the series of 11 was played at the event.

Sangram Singh spoke regarding how to lead a Healthy & Happy Life. Arjun Khanna,CMD-Biosash Business Pvt Ltd spoke regarding Wellsash Seabuckthorn Juice which is made from organic seabuckthorn berries from the Himalayas. Anupama Gulati spoke regarding Gold Gym who was fitness partner of this event. #JeetungaMain Yani Jeetenge Hum with Sangram Singh.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Thursday said the government is aiming to establish an electronic database system across all the districts in India.

“We are aiming at establishing an electronic database in all its districts by the year 2020, to reduce the burden of paper-based data collection, recording, and storage,” Nadda stated while speaking at ‘2nd International Conference on Primary Health Care (PHC) towards UHC (United Health Care) and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals),’ organised at Astana in Kazakhstan.

Currently, the Health Ministry have three common applications in use across the country at Health and Wellness Centers — for Reproductive Child Health (RCH), Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) and TB.

“Over time we will progress towards an interoperable Comprehensive Primary Health care application,” he mentioned.

The minister said that other digital Health IT initiatives include an Inter-operable Electronic Health Records (EHR) System, Patient Feedback System (MeraAspatal), Personal Health Record Management System (PHRMS), National Identification Number (NIN) for both public and private health facilities (it is an unique identification number for health facilities).

Hospital Information System (HIS) is also being implemented for computerized registration and capturing EHR (Electronic Health Record)/ EMR (Electronic Medical Record) of patients in public health facilities up to PHC level.

“Online Registration System (ORS) is a framework to link various hospitals for online registration and appointments, online diagnostic reports and enquiring availability of blood online,” he added.

The Health Minister also spoke on the theme ‘The Future of Primary Health Care’ further adding that the govt in making improvements in maternal, child health and communicable diseases.

“India has focused on improved and outreach and primary health care services and established referral linkages including transport and strengthened secondary care services, that has largely focused on maternal, new-born, nutrition, child health and communicable disease,” Nadda noted.

IANS

People more stressed out during middle-age are more likely to suffer memory loss and have a reduced brain size, say researchers, including one of an Indian-origin.

The study found that people with higher levels of cortisol — a hormone linked to stress — performed worse on memory and other cognitive tasks than peers of the same age with average cortisol levels.

The higher cortisol in the blood was also associated with smaller brain volumes.

“Cortisol affects many different functions, so it is important to fully investigate how high levels of the hormone may affect the brain,” said lead author Justin B. Echouffo-Tcheugui, from the Harvard University.

“Memory loss and brain shrinkage were found in the study’s middle-age participants before the onset of any symptoms,” Echouffo-Tcheugui added.

For the study, reported in the journal Neurology, the team included over 2,000 adults in their 40s and 50s, who were then examined for fasting blood cortisol levels and brain volume, as well as memory and thinking skills. They also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure brain volume.

“In our quest to understand cognitive ageing, one of the factors attracting significant interest and concern is the increasing stress of modern life,” said Sudha Seshadri, Professor at University of Texas.

“One of the things we know in animals is that stress can lead to cognitive decline.

“In this study, higher morning cortisol levels in a large sample of people were associated with worse brain structure and cognition,” Seshadri said.

The researchers suggested that it is important for physicians to counsel people with higher cortisol levels on ways to reduce stress, such as getting enough sleep and engaging in moderate exercise.

The team asked whether having APOE4, a genetic risk factor for cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease, might be associated with higher cortisol level.

This did not prove to be the case, the researchers said.

New Delhi Winter is here, which means your baby needs extra care and attention. Baby skin requires a lot more nourishment during winter, as the temperature drop tends to make the skin dry. Winter also brings with it various skin problems for babies, as their skin is more delicate when compared to adults.

Dr. Subhashini N.S., Ayurveda Expert, Discovery Sciences Group, The Himalaya Drug Company, shares a few tips to nourish your baby’s skin.

Oil massages: Nourishing the skin with regular oil massages before bath significantly reduces skin dryness and improve skin softness. Choose an oil infused with olive and winter cherry (Ashvagandha); this helps improve the skin tone and soothes the baby’s skin.

Baby bath: It is advisable to bathe the baby once in two days with lukewarm water. If the water is too hot, it can hurt the top, protective layer of the skin. Bathing a baby for long can also strip the moisture off the skin. Hence, reducing bath time during winters is recommended.

Using cleansers: Using a gentle cleanser infused with the goodness of aloe vera, almond oil and milk, can help prevent post-bath dryness in the baby’s skin and soothe excessively dry skin.

Moisturising: Using these post-bath enhances the skin’s wellness by locking in the moisture, which keeps the skin hydrated. Opt for a baby lotion enriched with natural oils and licorice (Yashtimadhu) to keep the skin supple and nourished.

Creams: Using a baby cream with the goodness of country mallow (Bala) and licorice (Yashtimadhu) will condition and protect your baby’s skin, especially chapped cheeks, “crawler’s knee”, tender nose, and rubbed elbows.

Wrapping the baby: Avoid wrapping your baby in a woollen sweater or blanket directly, as the rough fibre will scratch baby’s sensitive skin, leading to a rash. It’s best to use breathable winter clothing to keep the baby warm.

“Baby’s cheeks, knees, tender nose and elbows are most susceptible to dryness and chapping, which worsens during winters. The skin is naturally hydrated and moist, and using products with harsh chemicals worsens the skin condition. Ensure you use products infused with natural ingredients that provide gentle care,” says Dr. Subhashini.

Almond and olive oils, aloe vera, winter cherry, licorice, honey, and milk are a few handy herbs/ingredients which are known to lock in moisture and will help provide the best skin care for your baby during winters.

(IANS)

H1N1 death cases have rised in the state as the toll rises to eight in the recent report.

As per the latest reports, over 542 people reported positive for the flu of the 5,191 swab samples tested.

Bengaluru has around 86 cases identified, Shivamogga – 60, Bengaluru Urban – 54 cases and 35 cases in Chikkamagaluru.

Health department has planned for orientation programme including awareness drives will be conducted at gram panchayat level, taluk, district and in every city of the state.

Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare has written in a letter to the district health officers, : “It has been instructed that IEC should be taken up in a big way to educate public about the virus, the manner in which it spreads, and precautions to be observed to control the spread. Organise ward wise IEC meetings in urban areas and village level health and sanitation committee meetings in rural areas.”

PTI