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Author: Srijita

World’s first Chikungunya vaccine developed

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US researchers have developed a vaccine for chikungunyafever made from an insect-specific virus that does not have any effect on people, making the vaccine safe and effective. The study indicated that the vaccine quickly produces a strong immune defense and completely protects mice and nonhuman primates from disease when exposed to the chikungunya virus. The findings were published in journal of Nature Medicine. “This vaccine offers efficient, safe and affordable protection against chikungunya and builds the foundation for using viruses that only infect insects to develop vaccines against other insect-borne…

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Low thyroid linked to negative reproductive health of women

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Low thyroid functioning may be directly linked to negative impact on women’s reproductive health, medical experts here said on Monday. According to them, Hypothyroidism — when the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone — is more common a cause for infertility and miscarriage in women than most of them realize. “Thyroid disorders are very common during pregnancy. Over 25 per cent women develop hypothyroidism during the 6th week. Secretion of thyroid hormone is important for both placental and foetal development and the level needs to increase by 50 per…

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What are states doing to fight bad air?

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Raising concern over the poor air quality in Delhi and its adjoining area, the NCR Planning Board on Tuesday asked its member states Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan -to submit their action plans. It also asked the state governments to increase forest cover to 20% from the present 3.3% and to start land acquisition for building seven new inter-state roads “immediately”. The board also noted that the forest cover in the NCR had reduced to 3.30% of the entire geographical area in 2012 from 4.30% in 1999. The states…

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Feeling down? Take a break from Facebook to lift your spirits

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If you are feeling blue and cannot figure out why, taking an occasional break from Facebook might do wonders, suggests a research. The study showed that regular use of social networking such as Facebook can negatively affect your emotional well-being and satisfaction with life, but you do not have to quit Facebook altogether. Simply changing your social networking behaviour and taking an occasional break from Facebook may lift your spirits, said the study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking. In the study, Morten Tromholt from the University…

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Bask in the sunlight to energise your immune cells

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Bask in the sunlight to energise your immune cells Apart from helping for a healthier living by producing vitamin D, getting some sunlight may also energise T cells — immune cells — that play a central role in fighting infections in the human body, a study has found. “We all know sunlight provides vitamin D, which is suggested to have an impact on immunity, among other things. But what we found is a completely separate role of sunlight on immunity,” said Gerard Ahern, Associate Professor at the Georgetown University in…

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Capsule sized pacemaker: A boon for patients

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It was the size of a capsule, but for Kumar*, it provided a new lease of life. The 87-year old, with a heart rate of less than 60 a minute, received a pacemaker, one-tenth the size of a traditional device, directly in the heart. After a 20-minute minimally invasive procedure at Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre’s cath lab, the device began sending electrical impulses to stabilise the heart rate and he was discharged in three days. Dr T R Muralidharan, cardiology department head, said the new generation pacemaker made of a…

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