Identifying preschoolers with ADHD symptoms may help them in elementary school

Preschoolers with symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are much less likely than other children their age to be ready for school, says a new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine published online July 21 in the journal Pediatrics. Children with ADHD were73 times more likely than children without ADHD to be impaired in approaches to learning; they were more than seven times as likely to have impaired social and emotional development; six times as likely to have impaired language development and three times as likely to have impaired physical well-being and motor development.

The study is the first to comprehensively examine school readiness in young children with ADHD.

“The main symptoms of ADHD -- inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity -- can be normal in toddlers, and these behaviors sometimes persist into the preschool years even in children who will not ultimately meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. This makes the disorder difficult to diagnose in preschoolers,” says Irene Loe, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics and senior author of the study.

Grape juice and modern drugs

Concomitant ingestion of grapefruit juice and certain dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers may elevate the plasma concentration of the latter, possibly leading to low blood pressure.

Grapefruit juice increases the bio-availability of certain calcium channel blockers and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors by inhibiting the CYP3A4 isoenzyme found in the liver and gut wall.

Healthcare News Monitor

Doctors at Delhi hospital arrange around Rs 11 lakh for minors liver transplant

ET Healthworld-ANI

New Delhi, July 21 (ANI): Doctors at Max Hospital, Saket arranged around Rs 11 lakh for a seven-year-old boys pediatric liver transplantation surgery when his parents expressed their inability to pay the entire amount for the treatment. A team of doctors led by Dr Sharat Verma, Senior Consultant - Paediatric Hepatology and Gastroenterology, successfully transplanted Ali Hamzas liver in Delhis Max Hospital. “When he came here for the treatment, his liver had completely failed. He had jaundice and kept slipping into a coma. We suggested them transplant, they said they dont have enough money. Pediatric liver transplantation is done at a cost of Rs 15 lakh, we arranged around Rs 11 lakh for them. Alis father became the match for his sons liver transplant," Dr Sharat told ANI. Alis disease was diagnosed in the early stage of his illness. His father, Mohammad Rehan tried his best to provide his son with immediate treatment as soon as his disease was detected. While speaking to ANI, Alis father Mohammad Rehan said: "I am so thankful to the team of doctors who have helped us in our hardship. We were able to collect only Rs 3 lakh for Alis treatment, doctors at Delhis Max Hospital arranged the rest of the amount."

India to launch its 1st human genome cataloguing project

ET Bureau-Divya Rajagopal

Mumbai: India will launch its first human genome mapping project by October, a move that will help researchers get closer to developing effective therapies for treating diseases such as cancer. In the first phase of the initiative called the Genome India project, the genomic data of 10,000 Indians will be catalogued. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has initiated the project. “This is going to be transformational for our healthcare because these days disease management is all about data,” DBT secretary Renu Swarup said in an exclusive interview to ET. “For new advancements in medical science like predictive diagnosis and precision medicine, genomic information is key and the backbone. “The DBT said it will build on its own experience of genomic cataloguing and rope in 22 partner organisations including public health institutions that have obtained regulatory ethical clearances. Investigators in hospitals will lead the data collection through a simple blood test from participants and the information will be added to bio banks. Swarup expects the DBT will capture data from more than 10,000 people over the next three years and link them to its bio banks and bio repository.

Registration of healthcare facilities mandatory

Daily News & Analysis

The Union Ministry of public health and family welfare on July 17 has issued the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Third Amendment Rules 2019 and the Classification and Categorisation of Clinical Establishments Rules. These rules aim to make available a database of clinical establishments which are authorised to function and thereby improve public health quality by eliminating quacks. As per these rules, clinics should be spread over 70 sq ft with a waiting area of another 35 sq ft. It will have separate storage and pharmacy and they need to store and maintain oxygen cylinder and drugs. Further, clinical establishments have to display the information on the rates charged for each type of service provided and facilities available at a conspicuous place in the local as well as in English language. A suitably qualified individual should head the organisation and manage ethically. Several medical practitioners, who did not want to be identified, said that the provisions in the draft notifications will certainly help to curb quackery especially due to the registration of all clinics, hospitals and health care facilities including diagnostic centres and day care facilities. But they cited that it will result in increased cost which will be passed on to the patients.

Regulating medical devices sector a ‘priority’ in Health Ministry’s five-year plan

The Indian Express- Prabha Raghavan

While the Health Ministry charts out its five-year vision for the Narendra Modi-led government’s second term, finally bringing a vast majority of the medical devices sector under regulation is expected to be a “priority”, The Indian Express has learnt. The Ministry is now planning stakeholder consultations to understand how to implement an expert advisory body’s recommendations to make sure medical device companies are accountable for the safety and quality of their products here. At the same time, some industry bodies feel the plan would be ineffective in the long run in the absence of a separate medical device law, which has been in the works for over a decade. In May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tasked all ministers with drawing up five-year vision plans for their ministries after taking office for a second term. “Smoothing (issues with) medical devices is high on our agenda,” said a senior Health Ministry official close to the development on condition of anonymity. The official told The Indian Express there is a sense of “urgency” to address concerns related to this industry, under scrutiny over the last year after major health concerns and adverse reactions were highlighted with some high-risk devices. “Because medical devices are largely unregulated today, we believe we need to set something like a goal for ourselves early on,” the official said.

Pharmacy council bans new colleges for five years

The Tribune

Putting a break on mushrooming of pharmacy colleges in the country and taking into consideration the availability of sufficient qualified pharmacist workforce, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), New Delhi, has unanimously decided to put a ban of five years for opening a new pharmacy college. Dr Anshu Kataria of the Aryans College of Pharmacy said the PCI through its notification has said there are 1,985 D Pharm and 1,439 B Pharm institutes in the country. The annual intake of students in these institutes is 2,19,279 and this available workforce is enough to meet the current pharmacist to population needs of the country.

Health Ministry proposes minimum standards for clinical establishments

The Indian Express- PTI

In order to standardise healthcare services, the Health Ministry has proposed a set of “minimum standards of facilities and services” that have to be adhered to by clinical establishments offering allopathy and AYUSH mode of treatments for obtaining registration. According to the “minimum standards” proposed in the amendments for the Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Rules, 2019, health facilities not complying with prescribed norms in terms of infrastructure, manpower, equipment, drugs, support service and record registration will not be granted registration. Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, makes registration a must for running a clinical establishment. “At present, minimum standards are available only for medical diagnostic labs which were notified on May 21, 2018. The proposed amendments are aimed at bringing uniformity in the standard of healthcare services provided by several establishments,” an official source said. The draft notification on Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Third Amendment Rules, 2019, has been put up on the website of the Health Ministry and comments have been sought from stakeholders within 43 days.