WHO long-term health risks of female genital mutilation

• Pain. Due to tissue damage and scarring that may result in trapped or unprotected nerve endings.
• Infections: Chronic genital infections, chronic reproductive tract infections, urinary tract infections, including recurrent UTIs.
• Painful urination.
• Vaginal problems. Discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections.
• Menstrual problems. Obstruction of the vaginal opening may lead to painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea), irregular menses and difficulty in passing menstrual blood, particularly among women with Type III FGM.
• Excessive scar tissue (keloids) at the site of the cutting.
• HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus).
• Sexual health problems
• Obstetric complications: Increased risk of Caesarean section, post-partum haemorrhage, recourse to episiotomy, difficult labour, obstetric tears/lacerations, instrumental delivery, prolonged labour, and extended maternal hospital stay.
• Obstetric fistula
• Perinatal risks. Obstetric complications can result in a higher incidence of infant resuscitation at delivery and intrapartum stillbirth and neonatal death.
• Mental health problems: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression and somatic (physical) complaints (e.g. aches and pains) with no organic cause.

(Source: WHO)

Marijuana is legal as an Ayurvedic drug in India

Taking both marijuana and alcohol during early pregnancy may disrupt fetal development

New preclinical research has shown in animal models that exposure to cannabinoids (CBs), which includes cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), during early pregnancy can cause malformations in the developing embryo. The research also demonstrated that co-exposure to CBs and alcohol increased the likelihood of birth defects involving the face and brain. The study, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published in Scientific Reports. The compounds are present in Marijuana and in India the Ayurvedic formulations containing marijuana are Jatiphaladi Churna and Madanananda Modaka. ....read more

Men with BRCA2 mutations should be screened for prostate cancer

Results from the IMPACT study show that men with BRCA2 mutation had a higher incidence of prostate cancer, were diagnosed at a younger age and presented with more clinically significant tumours compared to those without these mutations.

The IMPACT study (Identification of Men with a genetic predisposition to ProstAte Cancer: Targeted screening in men at higher genetic risk and controls) is an international, multicentre study evaluating targeted PrCa screening in men with BRCA1/2 mutations.

More than 3000 patients who were BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers were included in the study group, while the control group included those who tested negative for a pathogenic BRCA1/2 mutation known to be present in their family. They underwent annual PSA testing and biopsy. ....read more

Never hurt the ego of a person

It is a well-known Vedic fact that if you hurt the ego of a person, he will never forgive you, especially, if you have insulted or implicated him in character assassination, or have cast implications about financial embezzlement or you call a woman as old or a man as impotent in public. For example, if I hurt the ego of a chowkidaar, next time if a patient comes to the hospital gate and asks where Dr. KK Aggarwal is, he only has to whisper, “Which Aggarwal? The one whose cases never survive?” ....read more

Healthcare News Monitor

Now, a ‘pill’ from polluted Hyderabad water

ET Healthworld – Syed Akbar

HYDERABAD: In a major cause for concern, researchers from Sweden have found a myriad of pharmaceutical residues in water bodies in Hyderabad and to prove their point they have actually extracted the pharma traces to manufacture a novel ‘medicine’, which they named ‘Sordidum Pharmacum’. Though there have been several research studies on high levels of pharma pollution in Hussainsagar, other lakes and Musi river in Hyderabad, it is for the first time that scientists have extracted pharma traces to make a mock pill and label it. The bitter pill was formally released on Thursday. It is ‘onepill-for-all-ailments’ obtained from city lakes and highlights the bad shape of environment in Hyderabad. The mock pill, made from polluted waters of Hyderabad, is a chemical hotchpotch not for consumption but to highlight the extent of pollution in the city. It is a concoction of at least six highly powerful drugs that are sold only on prescription by super-specialist doctors. The work was carried by teams from Apotek Hjartat, Sweden’s largest pharmacy, and The Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) for about six months.

ADCs to inspect trade premises in Maharashtra for issuance of new drug retail & wholesale licenses

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has directed Assistant Drug Commissioners (ADCs) in the state to conduct inspections of trade premises for issuance of new drug retail and wholesale licenses. These inspections were earlier carried out by the drug inspectors wherein new applicants are supposed to fill Form 20 and 21, Form 20 B and 21 B for retail and wholesale license respectively. This according to a senior FDA official is done to utilise the manpower of drug inspectors for inspecting premises of existing retail and wholesale licensees for better compliance. D&C Rules stipulates provisions to sell, stock or exhibitor offer for sale, or distribute drugs by retail other than those specified in Schedules C, C(1) and X as per provisions of the D&C Act,1940 and the Rules there under. As per section 51 of D&C Rules 1945, it shall be duty of the inspector authorized to inspect premises licensed for the sale of drugs, to inspect not less than once a year all establishments licensed for the sale of drugs within the area assigned to him, to satisfy himself that the conditions of the licenses are being observed, to procure and send for test or analysis, if necessary, imported packages which he has reason to suspect contain drugs being sold or stocked or exhibited for sale in contravention of the provisions of the Act or Rules there under.

Iraqi woman undergoes surgery for removal of 53 stones from salivary duct, gland

ET Healthworld – PTI

New Delhi: A 66-year-old Iraqi woman got a new lease of life after undergoing an operation at a hospital here for removal of 53 stones from her salivary duct and gland, doctors said on Thursday. The recent surgery performed by doctors at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital took two hours, they said. The woman patient, hailing from Baghdad, was suffering from recurrent attacks of pain and swelling of the right-sided parotid gland after having food or drink. This wreaked havoc on her life with her having to place severe restrictions on what she could eat, the hospital said in a statement. "After consultation, she was diagnosed to have multiple stones in her right-sided parotid duct with the largest stone being about 8 mm in size stuck midway between origin and end of the duct. Doctors operated on her and removed 53 stones from salivary duct and gland," it said. According to Dr Varun Rai, ENT Consultant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the biggest challenge was to remove all the stones without causing any injury to the gland or the thin (3 mm wide) duct.

Crowdfunding raises over Rs 26 lakh for youths treatment

ET Healthworld- IANS

New Delhi: Over Rs 26.31 lakh raised through crowdfunding for New Delhi-based 26-year-old Nikita Sachdeva, who is suffering from Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Nikitas mother, a single parent, works as a teacher and is the only earning member of the family. Aware of the hospital expenses, Nikitas sister Ishita Sachdeva took ImpactGuru.com -- a crowdfunding company -- to raise funds for her sisters treatment. Nikita requires a higher dose of chemotherapy (Line 2), a stem cell transplant and a probable radiation therapy, which costs around Rs 75 lakh. "Healthcare crowdfunding is an alternative method of raising funds online for medical expenses, with the patient primarily relying on social media networks to mobilise donors to finance the relevant medical bills," said Piyush Jain, Co-Founder and CEO, ImpactGuru.com. The additional advantage of crowdfunding is that patients do not have to repay that money back to the funders as the money provided online is a donation and not a loan. As in the case of Nikita, ImpactGuru is pleased to serve as a financing solution in her time of medical need," Jain added. In a span of two weeks, 448 donors have cumulatively contributed over Rs 26.31 lakh through crowdfunding for Nikitas treatment.