Mitochondria, responsible for producing energy in a cell, may have an increased respiratory capacity in adults who experienced adversities in early childhood but the ‘hypermetabolism’ can be harmful in the long term, according to a study. Findings published in the journal Biological Psychiatry suggest that while mitochondria might be better able to respond to cellular...
Tag: Health
Many roads to reading: what vision can reveal about dyslexia
Every classroom has children who look ready to read, yet when print appears on the page, something slows down. To parents or teachers this struggle can look puzzling: at times it can present as poor intelligence or motivation, and oftentimes, the first guess is that the child has a problem in seeing the text. That...
Drug-resistant malaria poses growing challenge to treatment and elimination efforts
Although the incidence of malaria fell by nearly a quarter between 2000 and 2015, the trend has reversed over the past decade, with global incidence rising by 8.5% since 2015. Experts say the growing threat of resistance to anti-malarial medicines could complicate efforts to eliminate the disease and reverse gains. India currently holds about 1.4%...
The case for banning paraquat in India
When 36-year-old Meenamma swallowed a small amount of herbicide after a fight with her husband, she did not expect it to kill her. “She just wanted me to realise how deeply she had been hurt,” recalled her husband, Venu. “She thought we would take her to a hospital and treat it.” What neither Meenamma nor...
Why lullabies work: the science behind music for sleep
Sleep, especially of good quality, is essential to maintain a healthy brain and body. However, millions worldwide suffer from sleep disorders that can impair concentration, memory, and mood and increase health risks, including of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurological issues. Sleep disorders stem from medical conditions, mental health issues, genetic predispositions, and lifestyle and...
Can lung cancer be prevented using a drug?
On June 4 2026, a paper was published in the journal Cell, in which researchers from The Francis Crick Institute, University College London and elsewhere, identified a set of blood proteins that appeared to predict lung cancer five years before it became clinically apparent. In addition, the researchers proposed that a human monoclonal antibody called...
Advances in cardiac care and the challenge of accessibility in India
Heart failure is one of the fastest-growing cardiovascular challenges worldwide and a major cause of hospital admissions in India. Unlike a heart attack, which is a sudden event, heart failure is a chronic condition that requires lifelong management. Patients often experience repeated episodes of worsening symptoms, leading to hospitalisation. A recent U.K. clinical trial found...
AIIMS Delhi researchers show exactly how particulate matter affects foetuses
That environmental pollutants can breach the placental barrier and affect foetuses is now well established in research. But how exactly does this happen? Finally, there is clarity on this question. Researchers at AIIMS Delhi have mapped the step-by-step biological pathway through which urban air pollution silences a key foetal growth protein, causing lasting harm to babies. The ICMR-funded study, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, has...
WhatsApp, training and tenecteplase injection bring heart attack care to rural Punjab
At 4:40 a.m. on May 4, 2026, a 40-year-old man came to Khanna Sub-divisional Hospital’s emergency department with sweating and chest pain. Within minutes, the staff nurse and Emergency Medical Officer (EMO) had checked his heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and more importantly, conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG). The ECG result was sent on WhatsApp...
New Ebola outbreak shows how market failure delays vaccine research
The World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to be a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. The outbreak exposes a critical gap in international vaccine preparedness. There is no licensed vaccine yet for the Bundibugyo species of the ebolavirus because...
