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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved TNKase or Tenecteplase, which is a thrombolytic or clot-dissolving agent, for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in adults.
Ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your brain. It can cause permanent brain damage and death. If enough brain cells die, you can also lose the abilities or body functions those cells control. They are also the most common types of stroke, with 80% of all strokes being ischemic strokes.
It is delivered as a single five-second intravenous bolus, which is faster than the standard of care Activase or alteplase, which is administered as an intravenous bolus followed by a 60-minute infusion. The manufacturer of TNKase, Genetech said a new 25-mg vial configuration will also be available in the coming months.
The approval came at the backdrop of a study that compared TNKase to Activase in patients with acute ischemic stroke. These patients also presented with a disabling neurological deficit. Results show that TNKase was comparable to Activase in terms of efficacy and safety.
In the United States it self, it affects more than 795,000 people each year and is the leading cause of long-term disability. It is also the fifth leading cause of death. Since brain damage can happen if this progresses rapidly, one needs an immediate, fast-acting medical care.
TNKase thus provide a faster and simpler administration which can be critical for anyone. The chief medical officer and head of global product development at Genetech, Levi Garraway, MD., PhD., said, "Today's approval is a significant step forward and underscores our commitment to advancing stroke treatment options for patients."
Some of the most common symptoms include weakness or paralysis on one side of your face and body. You may also feel trouble speaking or have loss of speech, also known as aphasia. You may faced slurred or garbled speaking, also known as dysarthria. Other symptoms include loss of muscle control on one side of your face, or sudden worsening or loss of your senses, including vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
While these are symptoms one has who is prone to this condition. However, often, many may confuse it with other illnesses. It is best to keep an eye out for warning signs. These could be looking out for yourself or your loved one. Note if there is a sudden loss of balance. Look out for sudden vision loss or changes in one or both eyes. Look for a droop on one or both sides of your face, especially when you smile. Raise both arms and see if one arm sags or drops in a way it usually does not. Note for your speech. Are you as fluent? Are you have trouble speaking? If you see any of such signs, start tracking it and talk to your healthcare provider.
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India has successfully linked the health records of more than 100 crore people with Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.
Implemented by the National Health Authority, the milestone marks a major step towards building an integrated, citizen-centric, and interoperable digital healthcare ecosystem in the country.
“The linking of over 100 crore health records with ABHA is an important milestone in the journey of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. ABHA-linked health records empower citizens with secure and consent-based access to their health information and support continuity of care across the healthcare ecosystem,” said Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO, NHA.
According to the Ministry, more than 450 public and private health technology solutions have integrated with the ABDM ecosystem, enabling digitisation and seamless exchange of health records across healthcare facilities.
The ministry said ABDM doubled the number of linked health records from 50 crore in February 2025 to over 100 crore in just 15 months.
Nearly 10 crore health records are now being linked every two to three months. From fewer than 1,000 linked records during its initial phase to over 100 crore today, ABDM has evolved into one of the world’s largest digital health ecosystems.
Uttar Pradesh emerged as the leading contributor with over 15.03 crore ABHA-linked health records, followed by Andhra Pradesh with over 11.95 crore linked records.
Bihar, Rajasthan, and Gujarat also recorded major progress by linking over 7.37 crore, 6.32 crore, and 4.77 crore health records, respectively.
Among the major government programs and digital platforms contributing to the milestone are:
Private health technology partners and ABDM-enabled digital solutions have also contributed significantly towards the creation and linkage of ABHA-linked health records.
ABHA is a unique digital health identity that allows citizens to securely link and access their health records across hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and healthcare providers.
Through ABDM’s consent-based health information exchange mechanism, citizens can digitally share their medical records with registered healthcare providers while maintaining the privacy and security of personal health information.
“ABDM is designed to place citizens at the center of the digital health ecosystem. With consent-based sharing of health records, individuals can access their medical information whenever required and share relevant records with healthcare providers digitally. This will help make healthcare delivery more accessible, efficient, and patient-centric,” Barnwal said.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is creating the digital public infrastructure required for an interoperable healthcare ecosystem through key digital building blocks such as:
With over 100 crore health records now linked with ABHA, ABDM has marked another milestone towards creating longitudinal digital health records for citizens and enabling a more connected, paperless, efficient, and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem in the country.
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Amid the rising cases of Ebola virus infection in nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, the whole world has gone to an alert mode. The state government of Kerala has declared that it will keep the visitors from the countries flagged by the World Health Organization (WHO) under mandatory health surveillance for up to 21 days after arrival.
The government of India has already issued an advisory on this important issue. In accordance with the direction, the state government of Kerala has also taken some strict steps to protect the general public from this infectious virus. On Thursday, at the meeting of the State Rapid Response Team, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said the measure was being adopted as an additional precaution.
The Union Health Ministry has also propagated a stricter stance on preventing the virus outbreak in the country. The ministry emphasizes its stance by issuing orders to strictly follow the special health guidelines.
As per the new norms, the travelers from Ebola-affected nations are asked to report to the health authorities at the airport if they feel symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, like fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain, sore throat, or bleeding. Those who had any contact with confirmed or suspected Ebola patients have also been informed by the health authorities.
The state government has made screening of passengers stricter in the international airports and seaports.
In addition to that, the authorities have also searched isolation wards and intensive care facilities throughout the state to find those who require treatment or observation.
The health minister of the state ordered ample training of healthcare personnel in infection prevention and control. There is also emphasis on the use of PPE kits, proper treatment protocols, and critical care management.
What is Ebola?
Ebola is a severe and, in most cases, deadly disease caused by viruses predominantly found in Africa. The spread of the disease happens through contact with infected body fluids.
Some symptoms can indicate a possible infection. This includes fever, weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, and unexplained bleeding. This eventually leads to severe complications like bleeding, organ failure, and death. The hosts of the virus are animals like bats, primates, and antelopes.
Meanwhile, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Chief said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”. He noted that the numbers are expected to rise given the time taken to detect the virus.
The WHO says it could take up to nine months before a vaccine against this particular species of Ebola is ready.
Two possible "candidate vaccines" against the Bundibugyo species are being developed, but neither has gone through clinical trials yet, WHO advisor Dr. Vasee Moorthy said, according to the BBC.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Tedros said 51 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo — where the first case was reported — and two in neighboring Uganda.
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Mental disorders are on the rise worldwide, and nearly 1.2 billion lives are now affected by them. A recent study published in The Lancet has revealed this very crucial trend. The study was conducted by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in collaboration with the University of Queensland.
This study shows that the number of people affected by the mental disorder has almost doubled since 1990. It also emphasizes the role of mental disorder in the case of disability, as the research suggests that it has crossed cardiovascular disease, cancer, and musculoskeletal conditions, leading to disability. Notably, the study has revealed that mental disorders affect people of different sexes and ages disproportionately.
The research was done on a massive scale from 1990 to 2023. The researchers studied the impact of mental disorder on both sexes, in 25 age groups, 21 regions, and 204 countries and territories.
Over the years, mental disorders have caused more and more mayhem in people's lives. Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) show the very impact of mental disorders on life. DALYs measure the health loss. It calculates the years lived with disability and years of life lost due to premature death.
According to this very measuring system, we can see that the mental disorder and its impact on overall life reached another zenith in 2023. That year, mental disorders alone caused 171 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs). This made mental disorder the fifth biggest contributor to total disease burden. Notably, in 2023, mental disorders had a 17 percent share of total life lost due to disability throughout the world.
The mental disorder affects people of both sexes at all stages of life, but the impact can differ massively with age.
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