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14 December 2018 HEALTH www.theasianindependent.co.uk Pneumonia may kill over 1.7 mn children in India by 2030 London : More than 1.7 million children in India are likely to die of pneumonia by 2030, despite the infection being easily treatable, a global study released on Monday has warned. The study, released on the occasion of the World Pneumonia Day, found that the infectious disease is likely to kill nearly 11 million children under five by 2030. Nigeria, India, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are likely to bear the highest burden of deaths, according to the report by UKbased non-profit Save the Children. The report also shows that more than four million of these deaths -- over a third -- could be easily averted with concerted action to improve rates of vaccination, treatment and nutrition. The disease is the biggest infectious killer for children globally, killing more than malaria, diarrhoea and measles combined. As many 880,000 children, mostly under the age of two, died from the disease in 2016, the most recent year for which full data is available. "It beggars belief that close to a million children are dying every year from a disease that we have the knowledge and resources to defeat," said Paul Ronalds, CEO of Save the Children. "There is a vaccine available, and a New shoe insole could treat diabetic foot ulcers NEW YORK : Researchers have developed a shoe insole that could help make the healing process more portable for people who develop ulcers as a result of diabetes. Diabetic ulcers commonly result from high blood sugar damaging nerves, which takes away feeling from the toes or feet. "One of the ways to heal these wounds is by giving them oxygen," said Babak Ziaie, Professor at the Purdue University in the US. "We've created a system that gradually releases oxygen throughout the day so that a patient can have more mobility." Without the ability to feel pain, hits and bumps tend to go unnoticed and skin tissue breaks down, forming ulcers. A lot of sugar in the bloodstream, along with dried skin as a result of diabetes, further slow the ulcer healing process. The researchers used lasers to shape silicone-based rubber into insoles, and then create reservoirs that release oxygen only at the part of the foot where the ulcer is located. "Silicone is flexible and has good oxygen permeability," said Hongjie Jiang, a post-doctoral researcher at the varsity. "Laser machining helps us to tune that permeability and target just the wound site, which is hypoxic, rather than poison the rest of the foot with too much oxygen," Jiang added. In a paper published in the journal Materials Research Society Communications, the team said the insole can deliver oxygen at least eight hours a day under the pressure of someone weighing about 53-81 kg. It can also be customised to take on any weight, the study said.The team envisions a manufacturer sending a patient a pack of pre-filled insoles customised to his or her wound site, based on a "wound profile" obtained from a doctor's prescription and a picture of the foot. "This is mass-customisation at low cost," said Vaibhav Jain, research associate at Purdue. A patent is pending on the insole technology. The team is currently seeking corporate partners. Chicago : Just days after the US city of Chicago took eight online retailers to court for illegally selling e-cigarettes to underage residents, federal agencies confirmed astonishing increases in nationwide youth use of e-cigarettes. According to the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, released on Thursday by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 3.6 million of US middle and high school students are currently using e-cigarettes, about 1.5 million more than a year before. From 2017 to 2018, there was a 78 per cent increase in current e-cigarette use among high school students and a 48 percent increase among middle school students. In an open letter issued by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, he described youth use of e-cigarettes as an "epidemic." "These increases must stop. And the bottom line is this: I will not allow a generation of children to become addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes," he wrote. The FDA chief vowed to take all necessary actions to stop these trends from continuing. course of antibiotics costs just 54 cents AUD," Ronalds said. "There are no pink ribbons, global summits or marches for pneumonia. But for anyone who cares about justice for children and their access to essential healthcare, this forgotten killer should be the defining cause of our age," he said. The agency's forecasts are based on a model developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the US called the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). They show nearly 10,865,728 children will die by 2030 on current trends, with the highest burden of deaths in Nigeria (1,730,000), India (1,710,000), Pakistan (706,000), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (635,000). However, scaling up vaccination coverage to 90 per cent of children under the age of five could save 610,000 lives; providing cheap antibiotics could save 1.9 million; and ensuring children have good nutrition could save 2.5 million. If all three overlapping interventions were carried out by 2030, the model suggests a total of 4.1 million deaths could be averted. The year 2030 is the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include an ambitious global pledge to 'end preventable child deaths' and achieve Universal Health Coverage. E-cigarette use among US youth becomes an 'epidemic' New York, Regular consumption of alcohol may lead to long-term weight loss in people with diabetes, say researchers. The study, led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, showed that losing weight can help prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. Obesity is known as one of the leading risk factors for developing diabetes. “Patients with Type 2 diabetes who are trying to lose weight should be encouraged to limit alcohol consumption,” said lead investigator Ariana M. Chao, Assistant Professor from the Univeristy’s Department of Biobehavioural Health Sciences. While best practice for weight loss often includes decreasing or eliminating calories from alcohol, few studies examine whether people who undergo weight loss treatment report changes in alcohol intake and whether alcohol influences their weight loss. The study suggests that alcohol consumption may attenuate long-term weight loss in adults with Type 2 diabetes. In the study, published in the journal Obesity, the team followed nearly 5,000 people who were overweight and had diabetes US federal agencies now plan to prohibit the sale of sweetflavoured electronic cigarette liquid at convenience stores and gas stations. Vaping products, including e-liquids, may now be sold only in stores that can verify the age of customers. They may be sold online only when there is more stringent age verification. E-cigarettes are devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol the user inhales. The liquid usually has nicotine and flavouring in it, and other additives. Earlier this week, Chicago filed lawsuits against eight online retailers, mostly based in Florida and California, for selling e-cigarette products directly to Chicago residents under the age of 21. Alcohol intake may cause weight loss in diabetics for four years. One group participated in Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) and the other in a control group consisting of diabetes support and education. Data showed that participants in the ILI group who abstained from alcohol consumption over the four-year period lost more weight than those who drank any amount during the intervention. Results also showed that heavy drinkers in the ILI group were less likely to have clinically significant weight loss over the four years. “This study indicates that while alcohol consumption is not associated with short-term weight loss during a lifestyle intervention, it is associated with worse long-term weight loss in participants with overweight or obesity and Type 2 diabetes,” Chao explained.
www.theasianindependent.co.uk HEALTH December 2018 15 6 ways to manage dry and itchy skin in babies New Delhi, Babies have delicate skin, which is sensitive to humidity and changes in the weather. Cold weather affects the skin even further by causing rashes, redness and itching. Most rashes are harmless and go away on their own. However, in some situations, the skin condition can become chronic and difficult to manage. Atopic dermatitis, also called atopic eczema, is one such skin condition that affects one in five children globally. Atopic dermatitis is long-lasting (chronic) and tends to flare periodically. Often, it appears in infants in the first year of birth and progresses till five years of age and, at times, even beyond. It leads to inflamed and itchy skin, resulting in patches of red and dry skin. The condition may worsen during colder months. Often, as the child enters teenage, the skin condition persists, affecting daily activities. This leads to a lack of self-confidence, thus impacting the child’s overall personality development. Atopic dermatitis can lead to skin infections, as the dry, inflamed skin results in cracks, causing microbes and irritants to enter the skin. Dryness, itching, cracks, and redness are the common symptoms of atopic dermatitis, which can occur anywhere on the body. A child whose family member has a history of asthma or allergies is more likely to develop atopic dermatitis. There is a 40-50 per cent probability of a child developing atopic dermatitis if one of her parents also suffered from the condition. This figure rises to 50-80 per cent when both the parents suffered from the skin condition. Dr. Rajesh Kumawat, Head-Medical Services & Clinical Development, The Himalaya Drug Company, shares a few tips to combat atopic dermatitis in babies: Avoid harsh soaps: Use baby washes containing herbal actives, specially formulated for baby’s delicate skin. Natural ingredients like Indian aloe (aloe vera), almond oil, milk, and olive oil work together to nourish and maintain the moisture balance of baby’s skin. Avoid hot baths, long showers: Maintain the right water temperature New treatment shows promise against peanut allergy New York : In a first, an oral immunotherapy drug derived from peanut protein could help build tolerance and eliminate potentially deadly reactions in children and adolescents with severe peanut allergies. The study showed that controlled ingestion of the medication, called AR101, derived from peanut protein, could build tolerance as well as reduce severe allergy symptoms. "Almost 6 million American children are currently living with a lifethreatening food allergy," said Christina Ciaccio, Associate Professor from the University of Chicago in the US. "Every three minutes a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room, contributing to the total annual cost of caring for children with food allergy to nearly $25 billion. Despite this, not a single treatment for food allergy has been approved by the FDA," she said. However, the drug "is not a quick fix, and it doesn't mean people with peanut allergy will be able to eat peanuts whenever they want", the researchers stressed, in the paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine. But it is definitely a breakthrough and "results of this landmark trial are likely to lead to the first FDAapproved treatment for food allergy in 2019", Ciaccio said. As a result, people who receive and are able to tolerate this treatment should be protected from accidental exposures, the researchers noted, adding that once someone stops the treatment, there is no longer a protective effect. For the study, the researchers at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in the US included 496 participants aged from four to 55 years, most were four to 17 year olds, and all had peanut allergy. One third of the participants were given a placebo, while the remaining two-thirds were given peanut protein powder as part of an oral food challenge (OFC) in increasing amounts until reaching the "maintenance dose" - equivalent of one peanut daily. Compared to the placebo group, participants who took AR101 had less severe allergy symptoms. Furthermore, two-thirds of the people were able to tolerate the equivalent of two peanuts per day after nine to 12 months of treatment, and half the patients tolerated the equivalent of four peanuts. for the baby’s bath. Water should be lukewarm, as hot water can make the skin dry. Baby should be bathed for not more than 10 to 15 minutes. Lightly pat the skin with a towel to remove excess water, and avoid drying the skin completely. Keep fingernails short: Keep your child’s fingernails short and cover itchy areas with a cloth or dressing to prevent scratching that can cause skin irritation and infection. Moisturise the New York, Fish oil, containing the omega-3s, lowers the risk of bleeding during surgery, say researchers, challenging current recommendations to stop fish oil. Fish oil is among the most common natural supplement for treatment of hypertriglyceridemia or prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, concerns about theoretical bleeding risk have led to recommendations that patients should stop taking fish oil before surgery or delay in elective procedures for patients taking fish oil by some healthcare professionals. The study, published in the journal Circulation, found that higher blood omega-3 levels — eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — were associated with lower risk of bleeding. For the study, 1,516 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were randomised to omega-3s or placebo. The dose was 6.5-8 grams of EPA+DHA over two-five days skin: Immediately apply a gentle and hydrating lotion or cream to moisturise baby’s skin immediately after a bath. A good moisturising agent usually consists of natural ingredients such as coconut, kokum, rice, and aloe vera, among others. Moisturising helps hydrate the skin and relieve skin irritation. Put comfortable dresses: Loose cotton clothing helps keep the baby comfortable, whereas woollen and synthetic fibres may keep baby too warm and worsen the skin condition. Avoid covering the baby in thick blankets/clothes that can cause irritation to sensitive skin. Avoid harsh chemical products: Choose products that are free from mineral oils, parabens, fragrances and artificial colours. Natural ingredients like kokum and aloe vera are known for their hydrating and moisturising properties. Rice bran extract provides necessary skin components called ceramides, which are essential for maintaining skin barrier function and retaining skin moisture. Coconut has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness and soothe the skin. Understanding the needs of baby’s skin is essential for healthy development, both physical and mental. Any ailment of the skin can affect baby’s overall well-being. Fish oil reduces bleeding risk in surgery patients : Study before surgery, and then 1.7 grams per day beginning the morning of surgery and continuing until discharge. The findings showed that there was a significant reduction in the number of units of blood needed for transfusions. In another analysis, the higher the blood EPA+DHA level on the morning of surgery, the lower the risk for bleeding, according to the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria. “The researchers in this study concluded that these findings support the need to reconsider current recommendations to stop fish oil or delay procedures for people on fish oil before cardiac surgery,” said Bill Harris, Founder of OmegaQuant. While Omega-3s, specifically EPA and DHA, are important for heart, brain, eye and joint health, most people do not get enough of these valuable fatty acids, which can increase their risk of the most serious health issues.
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December 2018

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