Visakhapatnam, May 18 (IANS) In a heart-wrenching tragedy, four children suffocated to death inside a locked car in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayanagaram district on Sunday.The tragedy struck Dwarapudi village under Vijayanagaram Cantonment.According to police, four children, all aged below 10 years, entered a parked car while playing. The car doors were locked, trapping them inside.The incident came to light after the parents of the children launched a frantic search for them after they were not seen since morning. Eventually, their bodies were found in a car parked near the local Mahila Mandali office.Uday, 8, Charumati, 8, Charishma, 6, and Manasvi, 6, had gone out to play on Sunday morning. Charumati and Charishma were sisters, while the two others were their friends. When they did not return home for a long time, their parents began searching for them.As the doors of the car parked in the area were not locked, the children opened them and sat in the vehicle. The doors then got accidentally locked, trapping them inside. All four died of suffocation.The death of four children plunged the village into a gloom.This is the second such incident in Telugu states in the last month. In April, two girls died of suffocation after getting trapped in a locked car in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district.The incident had occurred in Damaragidda village in Chevella mandal. Two cousins, aged four and five, who had come to attend a relative’s wedding, entered a parked car while playing outside the house. The car doors accidentally locked, trapping the children inside for a prolonged period in the rising heat.Family members began searching for the girls after they had been missing for a long time. They were eventually found unconscious in the vehicle and rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared them dead.Meanwhile, in another tragedy in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, three children drowned in a pit filled with rainwater on Sunday.The incident occurred in Devarajapuram of Kuppam mandal. The deceased were identified as Shalini, 5, Ashwin, 6, and Gautami, 8.–IANSms/vd

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) India’s pharmaceutical industry, which has emerged as the largest supplier…

New York, May 18 (IANS) A team of US surgeons has performed the world’s first in-human bladder transplant, it was announced on Sunday.Surgeons from Keck Medicine of University of Southern California and University of California Los Angeles Health completed the surgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, in a joint effort by Inderbir Gill, founding executive director of USC Urology, and Nima Nassiri, MD, urologic transplant surgeon and director of the UCLA Vascularized Composite Bladder Allograft Transplant Program.“This surgery is a historic moment in medicine and stands to impact how we manage carefully selected patients with highly symptomatic ‘terminal’ bladders that are no longer functioning,” said Gill.“Transplantation is a lifesaving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list,” he added.The patient had been dialysis-dependent for seven years. He lost the majority of his bladder during surgery to resect cancer over five years ago, leaving the remainder of his bladder too small and compromised to function appropriately. Both of his kidneys were subsequently removed due to renal cancer.“This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,” Nassiri said. “For the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer a new potential option.”Nassiri and Gill worked together for several years at the Keck School to develop the new surgical technique, design a clinical trial and secure the necessary regulatory approvals.To address these deficits, Gill and Nassiri performed a combined kidney and bladder transplant, allowing the patient to immediately stop dialysis and produce urine for the first time in seven years. First the kidney, then the bladder, were transplanted. The new kidney was then connected to the new bladder. The entire procedure took approximately eight hours.“The kidney immediately made a large volume of urine, and the patient’s kidney function improved immediately,” Nassiri added. “There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder.”“Despite the complexity of the case, everything went according to plan and the surgery was successful,” said Gill. “The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date.”—IANSna/

Jamui, May 18 (IANS) Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PM-BJP) is bringing transformational change…

Mehsana, May 18 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated the newly constructed building of K.K. Patel and Madhuben Patel Nursing College at Gozaria, Mehsana district of Gujarat.

The institute is run by the Shrimati Samarth Chunilal and Sheth Dosabhai Madhavji Public Hospital, a long-standing community institution in the region.Addressing the large gathering at the inaugural ceremony, Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted the revolutionary changes brought about in India’s healthcare landscape under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014. “Today, 600 million citizens are receiving quality healthcare through the Ayushman Bharat scheme, with each Ayushman card providing up to Rs 5 lakh in medical coverage,” he said.The Home Minister added that the transformation in public healthcare access is one of the Modi government’s most impactful achievements.Shah elaborated on the array of welfare schemes that have contributed to improved health and hygiene among the population, including Poshan Abhiyaan, Swachh Bharat Mission, Fit India Movement, Har Ghar Jal, Mission Indradhanush, and Ayushman Bharat. “Earlier, India had a healthcare budget of Rs 37,000 crore. Today, under PM Modi’s leadership, that figure has been increased to Rs 1.37 lakh crore, solely for public health,” he said.He also emphasised the expanding infrastructure under the National Digital Health Ecosystem, which includes telemedicine services, Ayushman Mandirs (health and wellness centres), and more. Shah also highlighted the growth in medical institutions, citing the increase in AIIMS from 7 to 23 and in medical colleges from 387 to 780. “Earlier, India used to produce 51,000 medical graduates annually. Today, the number has surged to 1,18,000 doctors serving across the nation,” he noted. The Home Minister further stated that in the last decade alone, Jan Aushadhi Kendras have distributed affordable medicines worth Rs 25,000 crore to the public. These initiatives, he said, have brought modern healthcare within reach of rural and underserved communities. In his speech, the Home Minister made a passionate appeal to the community: “It is the responsibility of society to modernise our legacy hospitals and transform them into centres of advanced medical care. With support from schemes like Ayushman Bharat, even charity-run hospitals are now functioning with renewed energy and impact.”The newly built nursing college and the hospital campus are equipped with a wide range of modern departments, including surgery, gynaecology, internal medicine, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, paediatrics, dentistry, physiotherapy, and a kidney dialysis centre. Visiting specialist services include ENT, dermatology, psychiatry, sonography, gastroenterology, echocardiography, nephrology, neurology, and pulmonology. This comprehensive facility is expected to serve more than 50 nearby villages, becoming a hub for both education and treatment in the region. The institution aims to provide high-quality medical services backed by advanced technology and a human-centred approach.Member of Parliament Hari Patel called it a proud moment for Gozaria and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their commitment to healthcare and rural development. The event was also blessed by Param Pujya Vagishkumar of Kankroli, who offered prayers and acknowledged the contributions of donors and trustees.–IANSjanvi/dan

San Francisco, May 18 (IANS) A new large study on Sunday claimed that rising temperatures increase the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Published at the ‘ATS 2025 International Conference,’ the study also found that, under the most likely climate change scenarios, the societal burden of OSA is expected to double in most countries over the next 75 years.In addition to highlighting the critical importance of limiting global warming, the findings also emphasise the immediate need for strategies to alleviate the health and economic impacts of OSA as it becomes more common and severe, researchers said.“This study really highlights the societal burden associated with the increase in OSA prevalence due to rising temperatures,” said Bastien Lechat, a senior research fellow at FHMRI: Sleep Health at Flinders University.Previous cross-sectional studies identified a link between ambient temperature and OSA severity. However, this is the first to explain and describe that connection in detail.For the study, researchers analysed a consumer database of more than 116,000 worldwide users of an under-mattress sensor validated to estimate OSA severity.The dataset included around 500 repeat measurements per user. Researchers then analysed this data against 24-hour ambient temperatures extracted from climate models.Overall, higher temperatures were associated with a 45 per cent increased likelihood of a sleeper experiencing OSA on a given night.However, these findings varied by region, with people in European countries seeing higher rates of OSA when temperatures rise than those in Australia and the United States.“We were surprised by the magnitude of the association between ambient temperature and OSA severity,” Dr Lechat noted.Researchers then sought to estimate how burdensome the increase in OSA prevalence due to rising temperature is to society in terms of wellbeing and economic loss.They conducted modelling including disability-adjusted-life-years, productivity losses, and health economics to estimate the OSA burden under several climate scenarios.They found that any scenario that involved temperatures rising 2 degrees Celsius or higher would result in a 1.5-fold to 3-fold increase to the OSA burden by the year 2100. They estimated that climate change has already increased the OSA burden by 50 percent to 100 percent since the year 2000.In addition to providing further evidence of the major threat of climate change to human health and wellbeing, Dr. Lechat said the study highlighted the importance of developing effective interventions to diagnose and manage OSA.“The high prevalence undiagnosed and untreated OSA amplifies the effect of global warming on the societal burden associated with OSA,” he said. “Higher rates of diagnosis and treatment is likely to reduce the health and productivity burden due to rising temperature and increased OSA prevalence.”–IANSna/

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) In the run-up to the completion of eight years of GST, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), in coordination with the ‘Fit India Movement’, on Sunday organised a nationwide cyclothon titled “Sundays on Cycle”.Shashank Priya, Member (GST), CBIC, highlighted the transformational impact of GST on the Indian taxation system and emphasised how GST has unified around 30 different indirect taxes into a single, transparent tax structure, thereby simplifying tax administration and compliance for both businesses and citizens.Priya also apprised participants of the significant benefits extended to small taxpayers through initiatives such as the GST Composition Scheme and the Quarterly Return Monthly Payment (QRMP) Scheme, which reduce compliance burden and foster ease of doing business.The flagship event was organised at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi, with more than 100 CGST commissionerates also participating across the country, according to the Ministry of Finance.The Mumbai and Pune Zone of CGST also roped in Bollywood celebrities like Sunil Shetty, Milind Sonam and John Abraham.At the venue in New Delhi, a dedicated GST help desk “Know About GST” was set up to engage with participants and to answer queries about GST.To enhance accessibility and outreach, a wide array of informational brochures on key GST topics were distributed, and digital kiosks equipped with QR codes were strategically placed across the venue allowing participants to scan and download GST resource materials directly to their mobile devices.Additionally, vibrant hoardings and banners highlighting key GST reforms and taxpayer-centric initiatives — especially for support for MSMEs, GST registration process, etc. — were prominently displayed.Together, these efforts created a comprehensive and engaging environment, aligning with CBIC’s vision of brining GST closer to people through public engagement and education.This initiative is yet another example of CBIC’s commitment to engaging with taxpayers and the general public through innovative and inclusive outreach programmes, celebrating both national health goals and the ongoing journey of GST reform, as India marks eight successful years under this landmark tax regime.–IANSna/

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Only around three out of five heart failure patients see a cardiologist at least once a year, according to new research released on Sunday.The study, published in the European Heart Journal, shows that patients who do see a cardiologist once a year are around 24 per cent less likely to die in the following year.It also shows which patients could benefit from seeing a cardiologist once a year and which patients should be seen more often. The research suggests that if cardiologists did see heart failure patients at least once a year, one life could be saved for every 11–16 patients seen.“In patients with heart failure, the heart is unable to normalise blood flow and pressure. Heart failure can’t usually be cured, but with the right treatment, symptoms can often be controlled for many years. At the moment, depending on the patient and their condition, for example whether they have chronic or acute heart failure, they may or may not be seen by a cardiologist,” said Dr Guillaume Baudry from the Clinical Investigation Centre of Nancy University Hospital in France.The study included all French patients living with heart failure in January 2020 who had been diagnosed in the previous five years — 655,919 people in total.These patients were found using French national medical administrative data. Researchers broke the group down according to whether they had been hospitalised with heart failure in the last year or the last five years, and whether or not they were taking diuretics as a treatment.Diuretics help the body eliminate excess sodium through urine, which reduces the build-up of fluid in the body.Among all groups of patients, researchers found that around two out of every five patients did not see a cardiologist over the course of a year.Those who did see a cardiologist were less likely to die of any cause and less likely to be hospitalised with heart failure in the following year.For patients who had been hospitalised in the last year, four appointments with a cardiologist were optimal. This reduced the risk from 34.3 per cent to 18.2 per cent, according to the study.Dr Baudry said: “Although there are inherent limitations in observational research, our findings highlight the potential value of specialist follow-up, even in patients who appear clinically stable. Patients should feel encouraged to ask for a cardiology review, particularly if they have recently been in hospital or they are taking diuretics.”—IANSna/

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Mindfulness can combat anxiety by improving a mental process called cognitive control, according to a new research.Paying close attention to the present moment without judgment — the basic idea behind all mindfulness techniques — can help calm anxiety and improve focus, said Resh Gupta, a postdoctoral research associate with the Mindfulness Science and Practice research cluster at Washington University in St. Louis in the US.“A lot of research has shown that mindfulness can reduce anxiety symptoms,” she added.“We all experience anxiety, but it can manifest in many different ways. It’s a tough problem to pin down,” she added in a paper published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.Gupta and co-authors laid out a new approach to understanding the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety. Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, they propose that different kinds of mindfulness practices might be helpful for different varieties of anxiety. The proposed framework should ultimately help us understand how to match anxiety sufferers with more precise treatments.Todd Braver, a professor of psychological and brain sciences and a co-author of the paper said there is a growing recognition that these practices can be incredibly useful in enhancing psychological well-being.“But we still do not fully understand the mechanisms of action by which mindfulness can produce beneficial effects. That’s where the scientific research can be so valuable, by helping us more precisely identify why and how certain practices are effective,” Braver noted.People who are hyper-vigilant and experiencing a lot of physical symptoms of anxiety — rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, tightness in the chest — may do better with a different approach.“For this type of anxiety, a form of mindfulness meditation called open monitoring may be beneficial,” Gupta said. “Instead of focusing on one thing, such as the breath, you can observe all internal and external experiences from moment to moment in a non-reactive, non-judgmental way.”Braver is enthusiastic that recent research from the cluster and other institutions will help people gain a greater appreciation of the wide variety of practices that fall under the mindfulness umbrella.—IANSna/

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) As medical expenses continue to climb in the US, a growing number of patients are looking overseas for more cost-effective treatment options and suggested tariffs may impact the medical tourism industry, according to a new report.US trade policy has seen notable changes recently, particularly with regard to import tariffs on countries such as China.Though these policies are usually justified by economic and geopolitical considerations, they also impact other areas, including the medical device industry and, more specifically, medical tourism.One growing outcome is how these tariffs are affecting medical tourism — the practice of traveling to another country to receive healthcare services, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.The US has imposed steep tariffs on a range of medical products imported from China, including syringes and needles, rubber medical and surgical gloves, and facemasks.“These items are integral to a wide variety of medical procedures and daily healthcare operations. The imposition of tariffs on such goods has disrupted supply chains, constrained hospital procurement strategies, and driven up the cost of healthcare delivery across the US,” said the report.In response to these rising costs, a growing number of Americans are turning to medical tourism. Popular destinations include Mexico, India, Thailand, and Costa Rica, which offer competitive pricing and internationally accredited healthcare facilities.For example, the average cost of a knee replacement surgery in the US can exceed $50,000, but the same procedure in India or Mexico can be performed for $8000-$12,000.As US healthcare providers face increased operational costs due to tariffs – especially on imported surgical instruments, diagnostic equipment, and protective gear – the price gap between domestic and international care continues to widen, creating a financial incentive for patients to consider treatment overseas.“While the intended impact of tariffs may not have been to effect healthcare, they do shape patient behaviour. The rise in the cost of medical devices ultimately leads to more out-of-pocket expenses for patients,” said Alexandra Murdoch, Senior Medical Analyst at GlobalData.US tariffs on medical imports are reshaping not only international trade relationships but also domestic healthcare economics. The direct result is an increase in the cost of medical care, which disproportionately affects uninsured and underinsured populations.One of the most notable responses to these price pressures has been a rise in outbound medical tourism. Patients are seeking high-quality, affordable care in countries that are not impacted by these tariffs — a trend that is likely to continue if current trade and healthcare cost trajectories remain unchanged.—IANSna/