Delhi bans fuel for old vehicles, Karnataka sees surge in heart attack deaths in Hassan
And in Karnataka, Hassan district has reported 23 cardiovascular-related deaths in 40 days, prompting the Chief Minister to form an expert committee to investigate the cause within 10 days. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suggested a potential link to COVID-19 vaccines, a claim that contradicts Indian Council of Medical Research studies. The committee, led by Dr. Ravindranath from Jayadeva Institute, will examine various factors including lifestyle, stress, and undiagnosed conditions, with victims ranging from 19 years old. The government has launched health schemes like Hriday Jyoti and Gruha Arogya to monitor public health.
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Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Your brain might have aged faster during the pandemic, even without Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated the ageing of the human brain, even in people who were never infected, according to a new study. Mounting stress, prolonged isolation, and widespread disruption during the pandemic appear to have left lasting biological effects on brain structure. Researchers have now found measurable signs of this accelerated ageing across the general population, with older adults, men, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds being most affected. The study, led by researchers at the University of Nottingham and published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, titled Accelerated brain ageing during the Covid-19 pandemic, analysed brain scans of 996 healthy adults sourced from UK Biobank, which holds the de-identified biological and health data of over half a million people. The scans taken before and after the pandemic showed that brains aged an average of 5.5 months faster during lockdown. The findings showed that while men aged about six months faster, women aged by around 4.5 months. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds experienced up to seven months of additional brain ageing. According to the researchers, this is the first major study to isolate pandemic stress from actual Covid infection and still find evidence of measurable brain ageing. How did researchers measure brain ageing? Using AI models trained on more than 15,000 brain scans, scientists calculated each participant's 'brain age gap'—the difference between how old their brain appeared versus their actual age. A larger gap indicated faster ageing. They compared people scanned twice before the pandemic with those scanned once before and once after. The latter group, who lived through lockdowns, social isolation, and economic stress, showed significantly faster brain ageing. Can stress actually age your brain? Emerging research suggests it can. Chronic stress, lack of social stimulation, disrupted routines, and reduced cognitive engagement can all affect brain regions responsible for memory and executive function. The researchers emphasised that brain health is shaped not only by disease but also by environmental factors and everyday experiences. Who was most affected by accelerated brain ageing? According to the study, the most affected groups were: Men (33 per cent more acceleration than women) Older adults Individuals from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds The findings suggest that socioeconomic vulnerability, limited healthcare access, and lower social support systems heightened the impact of pandemic-related stress. How did Covid infection affect the brain differently? While brain ageing was seen across the general population, cognitive decline was reported only in those who had been infected with Covid-19. Infected individuals performed worse on mental flexibility and processing speed tests, especially the Trail Making Test (TMT), which is often used to assess early dementia symptoms. Thus, while pandemic stress altered brain structure, infection was linked to functional cognitive decline. Are these brain changes permanent? It is unclear. Since the study only measured two time points per person, researchers cannot yet confirm whether brain ageing will stabilise or reverse over time. However, they remain cautiously optimistic. 'Our study highlights the pandemic's significant impact on brain health, beyond direct infection effects, and underscores the need to address broader social and health inequalities,' the authors noted. How can you protect your brain now? Even if the pandemic aged your brain slightly, there are proven ways to support brain health: Maintain regular social connections Engage in physical activity Follow a brain-healthy diet Prioritise mental well-being and sleep Keep your mind active with learning and problem-solving While ageing is inevitable, experts say the rate of cognitive decline can still be influenced. According to experts, by avoiding certain everyday habits, like prolonged sitting, skipping meals, excessive screen time, chronic stress, and social isolation, we may be able to slow down cognitive ageing and protect our mental well-being.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Diagnostic labs will soon have to follow standards for sample collection, transport: Here's why the Govt move is important
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is in the process of notifying the minimum clinical standards for handling and transport of diagnostic samples, with the policy currently undergoing legal vetting by the legislative department of the Ministry of Law & Justice. It gave this assurance at the Delhi High Court last week. That's because existing guidelines by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on processes for collection, packaging and transport of clinical specimens to maximum containment (Biosafety Level 4) laboratories are rudimentary. The broad framework concerns sample collection such as wearing of PPEs, triple packaging and its supervision, discarding used consumables among others. The norms are no different for Covid-19 sample collection and transport, touching only upon its collection and labelling. In 2018, the government had notified that collection centres should be part of the main laboratories and that the parent laboratories should be held accountable for their compliance of norms. The notification had clarified that collection centres would not be registered separately but as a component of the main laboratory. However, in the absence of clear-cut standards, even adherence to this provision remains scarce, with registration of standalone collection centres in various states. In November 2020, amid Covid-19, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, a board under Quality Control of India (QCI), had flagged that 'there are mismatches in the declaration (of samples) made by (accredited) lab to NABL and the actual collection centres/facilities/sources of collection which are available on their websites or other documents.' At the time, it had advised labs to declare all sample collection centres/facilities/sources in 30 days. It had further cautioned that 'any sample collection not under the responsibility of the lab and not covered under its (quality) management system is non-compliant with the accreditation norms and liable to action by NABL.' It had further advised all labs to review such arrangements to ensure these are in line with norms for accreditation. In 2019, pathologist Dr Rohit Jain moved the Delhi High Court, challenged the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2018, especially on the aspect of minimum standards for signatory authority in diagnostic laboratories. He sought implementation of a 2017 order of the Supreme Court, which said that a lab report should be counter-signed only by a registered medical practitioner with a post graduate qualification in pathology. At the time, he also sought guidelines on minimum standards for medical diagnostic labs with regard to sample collection centres, sample transport, electronic signatures on pathological reports by authorised signatories, number of pathology labs a pathologist can visit in a day and on daily internal quality control. In February 2020, the Centre notified the Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2020, under which, according to Dr Jain, 'unqualified and unregistered non-medical persons viz MSc/PhD were authorised to issue pathology reports without the signature/counter signature of a pathologist.' Apart from challenging these amended rules, Dr Jain also moved court in August 2021, highlighting an RT-PCR testing scam in Kumbh Mela where reportedly about one lakh fake tests were conducted on devotees after intermediaries were given contracts. 'The accused diagnostic labs in Delhi and Haryana were able to collect samples and conduct a huge number of tests where they have no sample collection centres at Uttarakhand. It is clear that a scam of such enormity has only been possible because of the lack of essential minimum standards on the issue of sample collection/sample collection centres and sample transport policy,' Dr Jain had argued in his submission. He had also highlighted that the accused labs were not registered under the Act either. In 2023, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to consider Dr Jain's plea as a representation and decide within three months. In May 2023, the government held a meeting under the chairmanship of the Additional Director-General of Health Services, New Delhi, where Dr Jain too was invited to make his representation. They decided to constitute four sub-committees of experts — pathology, biochemistry, hematology and microbiology – to define standards of procedure (SOPs) for sample collection, collection centres and sample transport policy. However, these guidelines weren't notified. So a year later, in May 2024, Dr Jain moved the Delhi High Court again, accusing the government of wilful disobedience of the court's order. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has now told the Delhi High Court that it is in the process of notifying the minimum clinical standards for handling and transport of diagnostic samples, with the policy currently undergoing legal vetting by the Legislative Department of Ministry of Law and Justice. It also told the court that currently the guidelines of ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) are in place, which include rules for collection, packaging and transport of specimens for testing for high-risk viral pathogens, as well as guidelines for collection, packaging and transport for the COVID-19 virus. According to MOHFW, the subject experts held 'detailed internal deliberations for formulating minimum standards for sample collection and sample transport policy,' following which the draft minimum standards were technically finalized and were also technically approved by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS). 'The minimum standards for sample collection centres, as approved by the NCCE, are in the advanced stages of being notified in the Gazette of India. The draft minimum standards for sample collection centres are currently under legal vetting by the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice,' the MOHFW said in its submission. The National Council for Clinical Establishments (NNCE), a statutory body under the Clinical Establishments Act, is working with the aim of developing minimum standards and their periodic review. Taking the ministry's submission on record, the court instructed that the standards be notified expeditiously, with a direction that the process 'may be accomplished within the next three months.'
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Centre to soon notify minimum clinical standards for handling, transporting diagnostic samples, Delhi HC told
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) last week informed the Delhi High Court that it is in the process of notifying the minimum clinical standards for handling and transporting diagnostic samples, with the policy currently undergoing legal vetting by the legislative department of the Ministry of Law and Justice. The submission came before Justice Anish Dayal in a contempt petition by pathologist, Dr Rohit Jain, where he had highlighted the MoHFW's 'wilful disobedience' in complying with a January 2023 order by the Delhi High Court where it had directed the authorities to decide his application seeking notifying minimum standards when it comes to sample collection, transport, and sample collection centres. Dr Jain, represented by advocate Mrinmoi Chatterjee, had stated that 'no reasoned order or decision to implement minimum standards' regarding the same has been taken till May 2024. The MOHFW told the court on July 18 that currently the guidelines of ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) are in place, which include norms for collection, packaging and transport of specimens for testing for high-risk viral pathogens, as well as guidelines for collection, packaging and transport for COVID-19 samples. In an affidavit filed on July 17 by MoHFW through its deputy secretary Rajesh Verma, the court was told that it had formed four sub-committees comprising specialists from pathology, biochemistry, haematology, and microbiology to formulate the minimum standards for sample collection and sample transport policy. According to MOHFW, the subject experts held 'detailed internal deliberations for formulating minimum standards for sample collection and sample transport policy,' following which the draft minimum standards were technically finalised and were also technically approved by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS). 'The minimum standards for sample collection centres, as approved by the NCCE [National Council for Clinical Establishments], are in the advanced stages of being notified in the Gazette of India. The draft minimum standards for sample collection centres are currently under legal vetting by the legislative department of the Ministry of Law and Justice,' MOHFW submitted. Taking the ministry's submission on record, the court instructed that the standards be notified expeditiously, with a direction that the process 'may be accomplished within the next three months.' In 2021, Dr Jain had sought the Delhi High Court's directions to notify minimum standards regarding sample collection and transport, and sample collection centres, for all clinical establishments, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
