Category Archives: Health

TILT Biotherapeutics Presents Encouraging Phase 1b Results in Ovarian Cancer at ESMO 2026

Four of nine evaluable patients responded to TILT-123 combined with pembrolizumab and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, including two complete responses

Helsinki, Finland – Oct 26: TILT Biotherapeutics (TILT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing intravenously delivered cancer immunotherapies, today announces preliminary safety and efficacy results from the Phase 1b portion of its PROTA study (NCT05271318) presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026.

The trial evaluated TILT-123 (igrelimogene litadenorepvec) in combination with MSD’s (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA) anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Out of fourteen patients treated, nine were evaluable by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) version 1.1 at the time of data cut-off, four achieved confirmed partial responses, corresponding to an overall response rate (ORR) of 44%. Notably, two of these patients subsequently converted to complete responses, while a third continued to demonstrate an ongoing response that had been maintained for 12 months at the time of analysis. The fourth responder experienced disease progression 21 months after initiating treatment. Of the remaining five evaluable patients, three achieved stable disease and two had progressive disease, resulting in a disease control rate (DCR) of 78%. Preliminary findings indicate that the triplet combination was well tolerated, with no dose-limiting toxicities identified and no unexpected safety signals observed.

Dr Matthew S. Block, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic and lead investigator of the PROTA trial, commented on the data: “We have been struck by both the high frequency of responses to the regimen used in this clinical trial and the durable nature of those responses.  Multiple patients have reported good tolerability of this approach.”

Patient enrolment into the Phase 1b study was completed in January 2026. Several patients continued into an extended treatment period following the initial treatment phase, with some still receiving therapy because of ongoing clinical benefit. The study builds on results from the Phase 1a portion of PROTA, which reported encouraging safety findings and preliminary evidence of anti-tumour activity with TILT-123 in combination with pembrolizumab.

Akseli Hemminki, Founder and CEO of TILT Biotherapeutics, said: “We are encouraged by these results from the Phase 1b portion of the PROTA study. The combination of TILT-123, pembrolizumab and chemotherapy has demonstrated durable responses, along with a favourable safety profile, in a patient population facing limited treatment options. The durability of the responses observed, together with the high disease control rate, further supports our strategy of combining TILT-123 with established immunotherapies and standard-of-care agents to improve outcomes for patients with difficult-to-treat solid tumours.”

Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer remains a significant unmet medical need, with limited treatment options available once resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy develops. TILT’s approach aims to enhance anti-tumour immune responses through the use of oncolytic immunotherapy in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition and standard therapies. The Company believes these encouraging findings continue to support the development of TILT-123 in solid tumours.

Odisha Becomes First State to Introduce Dedicated Sickle Cell Pregnancy Protocol

Bhubaneswar, Oct 23: Odisha has become the first state in India to introduce a dedicated protocol for managing pregnancies in women with sickle cell disease (SCD), marking a significant step towards improving maternal healthcare and reducing complications associated with the condition.

The protocol was unveiled on Thursday at a state-level workshop on “Sickle Cell Disease during Pregnancy” in Bhubaneswar. The event was jointly organised by the National Health Mission (NHM), the Directorate of Blood Safety and UNICEF Odisha.

The initiative aims to establish standardised clinical practices and clearly define the responsibilities of healthcare providers involved in caring for pregnant women affected by the disease.

New Guidelines to Strengthen Maternal Care

Titled Protocol for Management of Pregnancy with Sickle Cell Disease, the document outlines clinical procedures for managing pregnancies complicated by SCD and provides guidance for healthcare professionals at different levels of the health system.

The guidelines were developed with contributions from experts representing state medical colleges, NHM programme divisions, the health directorate and UNICEF.

The introduction of a dedicated protocol is intended to support more consistent clinical management, strengthen coordination among healthcare providers and improve care for expectant mothers living with sickle cell disease.

Workshop Reviews Sickle Cell Elimination Programme

The one-day workshop also reviewed the implementation of the Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Programme in Odisha.

Senior health officials from 21 districts with a high burden of the disease participated in the meeting, where discussions focused on improving screening, treatment and follow-up services.

Officials also reviewed transportation support and other initiatives planned for the current year to strengthen access to healthcare for people affected by sickle cell disease.

Focus on Better Screening and Follow-Up

The discussions highlighted the importance of strengthening healthcare services and ensuring that patients receive appropriate support throughout their treatment.

With the new pregnancy management protocol, Odisha aims to provide a more structured approach to caring for pregnant women with sickle cell disease, while ongoing programme reviews are expected to help identify gaps in screening, treatment and follow-up.

The initiative places greater emphasis on coordinated care and improved clinical management, with the broader objective of reducing health risks for mothers and supporting better pregnancy outcomes.

Brainomix Multicenter Study Demonstrates Potential of Quantitative CT for Earlier Detection of Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis (PPF)

OXFORD, UK and CHICAGO, Oct 21, 2026 – Brainomix, a leading medtech company specializing in AI-powered imaging tools for lung disease and stroke, today announced the publication of new data from the REVISE PPF multicenter observational study demonstrating the potential of quantitative CT to help clinicians identify radiological evidence of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) significantly earlier than was possible using standard-of-care approaches.  With additional insights supporting their assessment of disease progression and patient risk, clinicians could use quantitative CT data to complement their diagnostic and risk stratification assessments, support more informed and timely treatment decisions, and potentially improve patient outcomes.

Published in The Annals of the American Thoracic Society, the retrospective study  evaluated 509 patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD) across three specialist US centres: the University of Chicago, Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Researchers used Brainomix e-Lung, an FDA-cleared and CE marked AI-powered quantitative CT tool, to assess objective imaging outputs. The authors were able to relate their findings to ILD disease burden and pulmonary fibrosis progression.

Using Brainomix e-Lung quantitative CT measures, the researchers identified radiological progression an average of 16 months before the clinical PPF diagnosis, and up to 28 months earlier at one centre.  The analysis also identified radiological progression in a substantial proportion of patients who had been categorized as clinically stable, highlighting the potential for clinicians to use quantitative CT insights to identify previously unrecognized progression of pulmonary fibrosis in patients who may benefit from earlier treatment.

The study demonstrated how clinicians could derive valuable prognostic insights through their use of quantitative CT outputs. Specifically, a high baseline weighted reticulovascular score (WRVS) was associated with an increased risk of future PPF, while a 1.5% change in total disease extent on serial CT scans was associated with increased mortality. As current treatments can slow but not reverse lung function decline, these additional quantitative CT insights could enable clinicians to identify patients at greatest risk earlier, supporting more timely treatment decisions at a stage when more lung function may still be preserved.

Professor Ayodeji Adegunsoye, Pulmonologist at the University of Chicago Medicine and lead author of the study, said:

“This study provides important real-world evidence that quantitative CT can help clinicians uncover disease progression that may otherwise go unrecognized, including in patients who were considered clinically stable. Tools such as e-Lung have the potential to complement the information we gain from symptoms, lung function and conventional radiological assessment. This could help clinicians identify patients experiencing progressive pulmonary fibrosis earlier and make more informed decisions about monitoring and treatment.”

The study’s principal investigator, Professor Peter George, Consultant Pulmonologist at Royal Brompton Hospital and Senior Medical Director at Brainomix, said:

“The challenge with progressive pulmonary fibrosis is that by the time progression becomes clinically apparent, patients may already have experienced significant and potentially irreversible loss of lung function. These findings show that quantitative CT can reveal subtle changes in radiological features which can be challenging to detect through conventional assessment. The potential for clinicians to identify progression up to 28 months earlier is particularly striking and highlights the potential of integrating objective imaging measures into routine ILD care to support earlier diagnosis and treatment, with the aim of preserving lung function and improving outcomes for patients.”

The research was supported by funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, the leading biopharmaceutical company providing therapeutic options for interstitial lung disease (ILD). Martin Beck, Senior Vice President and Head of Therapeutic Area Inflammation, Boehringer Ingelheim, said:

“Lungs can’t wait, especially when a disease is progressive and the loss of lung function is irreversible. Recognizing progression as early as possible is therefore critical for people living with progressive pulmonary fibrosis. These findings provide valuable insights into how quantitative CT could complement existing clinical assessments and help identify signs of progression earlier. By supporting research such as this, we aim to deepen understanding of PPF and help advance more informed and timely care decisions for patients.”

Building on the findings from REVISE-PPF, Brainomix and Boehringer Ingelheim are continuing their collaboration through PROGRESS-PPF, a prospective, multicenter US study that will explore how AI-powered quantitative outputs could help clinicians enhance their understanding of PPF. Using e-Lung, the study will assess how quantitative CT could complement clinical assessments. Clinicians could use this data to gain new insights into disease progression and potentially support more informed treatment decisions.

This study has not been evaluated by FDA.

Better U and Evernow Partner to Transform Women’s Hormonal and Mental Health Care Through Menopause

New telehealth partnership pairs menopause specialists with integrative psychiatry to treat perimenopause and menopause symptoms, mind and body together

Holistic mental wellness provider Better U and menopause care company Evernow, available to women in all 50 states, have announced a strategic partnership to bring hormonal health and mental health care together for women across the United States.

The partnership combines Evernow’s specialized expertise in menopause and hormone therapy with Better U’sb integrative psychiatry, therapy and whole-body wellness services. Together, the two companies aim to close one of the biggest gaps in women’s healthcare by treating the physical and emotional sides of perimenopause and menopause as one connected experience.

The collaboration brings together Dr. Ellamarie Russo-DeMara, DO, MSCP, Medical Director at Evernow, and Dr. Janette Leal, MD, Executive Physician and Medical Director at Better U Clinical. Dr. Russo-DeMara is a board-certified OB/GYN with more than 30 years of clinical experience and has been a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner since 2009. Dr. Leal is a board-certified psychiatrist trained in internal medicine and psychiatry, with a geriatric psychiatry fellowship at Mayo Clinic.

Since its inception, Better U has focused on redefining mental healthcare across the United States through integrative and preventative telehealth care models. Both companies recognize that millions of women experience menopause symptoms for years with limited guidance, support, or access to specialized care, and share a goal of bringing modern, accessible women’s healthcare to a generation who’ve historically been overlooked.

Dr. Russo-DeMara’s approach centers on comprehensive, patient-focused treatment that combines evidence-based medicine with education, empathy, and holistic support. Her commitment is also deeply personal, having experienced early menopause following chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

Dr. Russo-DeMara, Medical Director at Evernow, said: “Going through menopause after chemotherapy showed me how disorienting these changes can be, even for someone who treats them for a living. I kept thinking about the women who don’t have that knowledge and are trying to make sense of it alone. That thought has shaped my work ever since.

“We’ve always believed menopause care should reach beyond hormones. Women in perimenopause and menopause are one of the most underserved populations in medicine, and too many are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or sent home with a prescription and no one ever looking at their hormones. Partnering with Better U lets us care for the whole woman, her hormones, her mood, her sleep and her sense of self, with a team that works together.”

Hormonal health is increasingly recognized as a major yet often overlooked factor in women’s mental health, contributing to perimenopause and menopause symptoms such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, irritability, and brain fog.

Dr. Leal, Executive Physician and Medical Director at Better U Clinical, added: “As a psychiatrist, I see this every week. A woman in her forties comes in with new anxiety, broken sleep and brain fog, convinced she’s losing herself. Very often the biology tells a different story. Estrogen helps regulate serotonin and dopamine, and a progesterone byproduct called allopregnanolone acts on the same calming GABA receptors that help us sleep. When those hormones start to swing in perimenopause, the brain feels it.

“Too many of these women were told it was stress or just getting older. Giving them the real explanation changes everything. Once a woman understands what’s happening in her body, the shame lifts and she can start working with her body instead of against it.

“This partnership pairs psychiatry with deep menopause expertise, so we can finally treat mind and body as the connected system they’ve always been.”

Founder of Better U, Derek Du Chesne, said: “Every woman deserves to be heard the first time she asks for help. I’m deeply grateful to partner with Evernow, Dr. Leal and Dr. Russo-DeMara to raise the standard of care by supporting mental and physical health together, and to bring that care to women wherever they live.”

Better U aims to redefine preventative women’s healthcare through innovations including advanced hormone monitoring, helping shift care from reactive treatment to proactive monitoring and prevention.

Through the partnership, women in perimenopause and menopause who are living with depression or anxiety that hasn’t improved with other treatments can also be evaluated for Better U’sat-home ketamine therapy. Each patient is screened by a licensed psychiatric clinician, and when clinically appropriate, ketamine is prescribed off-label and paired with integration coaching and ongoing support. Ketamine therapy does not treat menopause itself and is not right for everyone.

World Food Day: Rising Food Adulteration Concerns Put Odisha’s Safety Checks Under Scrutiny

Bhubaneswar, Oct 16: As the world observes World Food Day, concerns over food adulteration in Odisha are once again drawing attention to the safety of everyday food products, from milk, chhena and paneer to fruits, vegetables and popular street foods.

 Representational Image

Repeated raids by food safety officials in Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state have resulted in the seizure of suspected adulterated products. However, questions remain over how effectively enforcement measures are tackling the problem at its source and whether inspections are sufficiently regular across the food supply chain.

The issue has assumed particular significance following several operations targeting suspected fake dairy products and the use of chemicals for fruit ripening.

6,238 Food Samples Collected in Five Years

According to data cited by the Food Safety Department, officials collected 6,238 food samples during inspections at hotels, sweet shops, restaurants and other establishments in Bhubaneswar over the past five years.

Cases were reportedly registered against 460 people in connection with alleged food adulteration, while fines totalling Rs 5.40 lakh were collected.

Although these figures indicate enforcement action, concerns persist over whether the existing measures are sufficient to deter violations and prevent unsafe products from reaching consumers.

The challenge, observers say, extends beyond conducting raids and imposing penalties to identifying the sources of adulteration and ensuring compliance at every stage, from production and transportation to retail sale.

Suspected Adulteration of Chhena and Paneer Raises Concerns

The repeated seizure of suspected adulterated chhena and paneer has put dairy products under particular scrutiny in the state capital.

Milk is sold through tankers at several locations in Bhubaneswar, with vendors claiming that their supplies come from dairy farms and nearby villages. The milk is subsequently used to prepare products such as chhena and paneer for sale.

However, questions have been raised about the regular testing of milk supplied through these channels and the quality of the dairy products made from it.

The recent enforcement drives have renewed calls for closer monitoring of dairy supply chains, including checks on the origins of raw materials and the conditions under which products are manufactured and stored.

Chemical Fruit Ripening Comes Under Scanner

Food safety concerns are not confined to dairy products. The use of chemicals and artificial colours to improve the appearance or preserve the freshness of fruits, vegetables, fish and dried fish has also attracted attention.

Last month, food safety officials raided more than 30 banana warehouses in Bhubaneswar’s Bapuji Nagar, Ashok Nagar and Budha Nagar areas. During the operation, officials seized ethephon used for fruit ripening and destroyed more than one quintal of bananas.

The operation highlighted the need for continued monitoring of fruit storage facilities and markets to prevent the improper use of ripening agents.

Regular inspections are also considered important at roadside food stalls and other eateries, particularly during the festive season, when demand for prepared foods and fresh produce tends to rise.

Street Food Hygiene Also a Concern

Popular street foods such as gupchup, momos, chaat and chowmein are widely consumed across Bhubaneswar. Their popularity has also brought attention to questions surrounding hygiene, food handling and the quality of ingredients used by vendors.

Consumers’ safety depends not only on the quality of raw materials but also on proper storage, clean preparation areas and hygienic handling practices.

Regular checks at markets, restaurants and roadside stalls are therefore important to identify potential violations before they pose risks to the public.

Doctor Calls for Greater Food Safety Awareness

Dr Sudam Sarangi, an oncologist at SUM Hospital, stressed the importance of public awareness about food safety. He cautioned against consuming food containing harmful chemicals and artificial colours and advised people to pay attention to the quality of products they purchase.

He also recommended eating fresh fruits and undergoing regular health check-ups.

Health experts generally emphasise that consumers should buy food from reliable sources, wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly and avoid products that appear suspicious. However, identifying adulteration is not always possible through appearance alone, making effective testing and enforcement essential.

Officials Continue Raids Against Adulteration

Food Safety Officer Satyajit Patel said officials were regularly conducting raids at shops selling chhena and paneer. He added that fines were being imposed and traders were being warned against violations.

According to the report, 18 special drives have been conducted across Odisha to curb adulteration in chhena and paneer.

While the department has continued its enforcement efforts, a major challenge remains ensuring that inspections are sustained and that action extends beyond retail outlets to the manufacturing and distribution networks supplying the products.

Stronger Monitoring Needed to Protect Consumers

The concerns emerging on World Food Day underline the importance of a comprehensive approach to food safety in Odisha. Regular inspections, laboratory testing, effective penalties and closer monitoring of production and distribution channels are crucial to preventing adulterated food from entering the market.

For consumers, the issue is immediate and personal: whether the food purchased from shops, markets and roadside stalls is safe to eat.

As enforcement agencies continue their drives, sustained monitoring and greater transparency will be essential to strengthen public confidence and ensure that food safety standards are upheld across the state.

BioLab Holdings Launches EmeraNova™ to Advance the Future of Tissue Restoration

In Karntaka – Stress Builds Through Every Decade, And The Hair Pays The Price

Traya Health’s Study of Karnataka Men Finds the State Above the National Average on Every Internal Health Marker Linked to Hair Loss, i.e., Stress, Sleep, and Metabolism.

Bangalore, Oct 15 – Traya Health today released state-level findings from India’s male hair health study covering more than 5 lakh men across the country. Karnataka men were assessed as part of the national study.
In Karnataka, stress, sleep and metabolism are all above the national average. This is not a story about one alarming number. It is a story about three internal health conditions running above the national baseline at the same time, building quietly through a man’s twenties and thirties, and showing up in the hair before most men know to look for a cause.

The Findings:

The median age of people with hair loss in this study is 29.

Stress, sleep, and metabolism are not separate lifestyle concerns sitting alongside hair loss. They are the internal conditions that drive it. Sustained stress disrupts the hormonal signals that keep hair follicles in their growth phase. Poor sleep cuts short the cellular repair that follicles depend on. Metabolic pressure means the body deprioritises hair redirecting nutrients to more critical functions first.
In Karnataka, all three are running above the national average. Together, they create a compounding internal environment where hair loss is not just likely; it is almost inevitable. 

More than 3 in 5 Karnataka men are under moderate to high stress. It’s significant how at 18-20 it’s 49.5% and at 36-40 it’s 65.7%. They become progressively more stressed through every decade of adult life. Sustained stress elevates cortisol, disrupts hormone balance and pushes hair follicles out of their growth phase. And because the process is gradual, most men never connect the stress they have been carrying for years to the hair loss they are now experiencing.

Nearly 1 in 3 Karnataka men are not sleeping well. It leads by 3.9 percentage points above the national average. Worsens steadily with age from 30.3% at 18–20 to 38.1% at 41–50. Sleep is when the body repairs. When it is consistently disrupted year after year, the deficit compounds. The hair loss that follows is slow, diffuse, and almost impossible to trace back to its source.

Metabolism issues are highest in the youngest Karnataka men: 61.2% at 18–20. For metabolism. The metabolic and nutritional pressure starts before a Karnataka man has turned 21 and stays elevated through every age group. When the body is running low, hair is the first thing it cuts.

HOW FAR IT HAS GONE

Hair loss in Karnataka is not being caught early. By the time most men seek help, the condition has already progressed significantly.

Only 16.8% come in at Stage 1 – the earliest and most addressable point. More than half, 53.5%, are already at Stage 3 or beyond.
At 18–20, 12.9% of Karnataka men are already experiencing heavy hair fall – sudden, widespread shedding in men who are barely adults.
By 26–30, only 15.7% remain at Stage 1. By 41–50, that drops to 5.1%, while 55.9% are at Stage 4 or beyond. The window to act is open longest in a man’s early twenties.

TRAYA’S READ

Hair loss is not driven by a single cause that can be identified and fixed. It is driven by sustained, compounding stress, sleep, and metabolism. In Karnataka – all running above the national baseline, building quietly through a man’s twenties and thirties, showing up in your hair.

In Traya’s POV, most men experiencing hair loss have been addressing it with oil and shampoos. The real problem is internal and needs a holistic solution addressing the root cause.   

Brainomix and Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Partner to Bring Patient Perspectives to AI-Powered Pulmonary Fibrosis Care

OXFORD, UK and CHICAGO, October 14^th, 2026 – Brainomix, a leading medtech company specializing in AI-powered imaging tools for lung disease and stroke, today announced a new partnership with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) to bring the voices of patients and caregivers into exploring how AI-powered imaging could support the care of people living with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and other fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD).

The partnership will focus on understanding patients’ perspectives when e-Lung quantitative CT analysis is incorporated into clinicians’ assessment workflow. The research will explore how access to objective quantitative CT metrics could enhance clinicians’ understanding of changes in disease over time, while examining how these insights are experienced and understood by patients. The initiative will also explore how these imaging insights could support more informed conversations between patients and their healthcare teams, including discussions around treatment decisions.

Brainomix 360 e-Lung is an FDA-cleared, CE-marked AI-powered image analysis tool that provides automatic quantifications and visualizations of radiographic features in lung CT scans. Clinicians can use these outputs to aid in their diagnostic assessment of lung diseases.

With its deep connection to the PF and ILD community and extensive expertise in patient education, research and care, the PFF is uniquely positioned to help guide this initiative. The Foundation will draw on its patient and caregiver community and its understanding of both the clinical and lived experience of pulmonary fibrosis, helping ensure patient perspectives remain central to the programme. Through its Care Center Network, the PFF also connects medical centers with expertise in diagnosing and treating fibrotic lung diseases and in patient-oriented research.

The programme is part of PROGRESS-PPF, a broader research initiative between Brainomix and Boehringer Ingelheim, exploring the potential of quantitative CT imaging tools to provide objective metrics that support clinicians in their assessment of disease progression in patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis. The new collaboration with the PFF builds on that work by bringing the patient perspectives to the forefront, exploring how these imaging insights can support meaningful conversations between patients and clinicians.

“Patients are at the heart of everything we are trying to achieve with e-Lung,” said Dr. Michalis Papadakis, CEO and Co-Founder of Brainomix. “While our technology can provide new imaging tools for lung disease, we need to understand how those tools inform clinical understanding and how that information is communicated to and understood by the people living with the disease. Our partnership with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation will help us listen directly to patients and caregivers and explore how AI-powered imaging tools can support greater understanding, communication and shared decision-making.”

The partnership will explore what patients want to know about their disease, how they respond to visual and quantitative outputs, and where e-Lung may provide the greatest value across their care. It will also explore how clinician imaging-derived insights could support conversations with patients about whether to start, continue or change treatment, particularly when changes in disease may not be evident from symptoms alone.

“People living with pulmonary fibrosis and their caregivers bring an essential perspective to the development of new approaches to understanding and managing this disease,” said Scott Staszak, President and CEO of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. “The PFF is deeply connected to the PF and ILD community and has a long-standing commitment to advancing research, education and care. We are pleased to partner with Brainomix to bring that patient voice and expertise into exploring how AI-powered quantitative imaging tools can be used in care. By listening directly to the community, we can better understand what information patients find valuable and how it can support conversations with their healthcare teams.”

The partnership reflects Brainomix and PFF’s shared commitment to further advancing a patient-centred approach to pulmonary fibrosis care, where new technologies are developed and evaluated with a clear understanding of the needs, experiences and priorities of the people they are intended to serve.

42-Year-Old Man with Severe Heart and Leg Artery Blockages Undergoes Complex Angioplasty at Manipal Hospital, Salt Lake

Mumbai/Kolkata, 13th October 2026: A 42-year-old man, Gaurav Mehta, from Kolkata presented with shortness of breath on exertion and severe calf muscles pain while walking, was found to have significant blockages not only in the arteries of his heart but also in both lower limbs. Dr Prof. Partha Sarathi Banerjee, Senior Interventional Consultant Cardiology, Manipal Hospital, Salt Lake, successfully performed complex angioplasty using a stent and drug-eluting balloon, restoring normal blood flow within the arteries. The operation lasted for more than 3 hours.

Mr Mehta had multiple cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, smoking and excess weight. His hearts pumping function was around 40%, while his ECG did not show any critical changes. However, clinical examination revealed very weak pulses in both lower limbs, raising suspicion of serious peripheral arterial disease. Considering his symptoms and examination findings, it was decided to perform angiography to evaluate both the coronary arteries supplying the heart and the arteries supplying the legs.

His angiography revealed extensive vascular disease. The left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery had a long-segment blockage of approximately 90%, while the right coronary artery was completely blocked. Further evaluation showed that the renal arteries were normal. However, the right superficial femoral artery was completely blocked, while the corresponding artery in the left leg was also critically narrowed.

Dr Prof. Partha Sarathi Banerjee said, The patient came with Leg muscles pain on walking & chest discomfort with history smoking & Hypertension. His angiography revealed one major coronary artery (LAD) 90 % Block & Right coronary artery 100% block (CTO), LOWER LIMB arteries (SFA)on both sides were total & 95% blocked on right & left sides respectively. We successfully performed Balloon dilatation & stent deployment and DEB dilatation in LAD artery & Right SFA in same sitting. He is doing well and is recovering steadily. The patient with severe coronary artery disease and bilateral peripheral arterial disease was managed through a carefully same sitting interventional procedures, particularly because raised serum creatinine required doctors to balance vascular treatment with protection of kidney function, added Dr Prof Banerjee.

Since the patient had elevated creatinine, the medical team decided against treating both legs during the same sitting to minimise the amount of contrast dye used and reduce the potential risk to kidney function. Following the coronary intervention, doctors treated the completely blocked artery in the right leg. A guidewire was carefully passed across the blockage, followed by balloon dilatation. A drug-coated, self-expanding stent (ELUVIA) was then deployed across the long blocked segment, successfully restoring blood flow to the right lower limb.

The patient remained stable and comfortable following the procedure.

Rare Two-Headed Baby Born at Berhampur’s MKCG Medical College, Newborn Under Close Observation

A woman from Kandhamal district has delivered a baby with two heads and one body at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. The newborn has been admitted to the Special Newborn Care Unit, where doctors are closely monitoring the baby’s condition.

 Representational Image 

Berhampur, Oct 13 (UDN): A rare birth has been reported at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, Odisha, where a woman from Kandhamal district gave birth to a baby with two heads and one body.

According to reports, the newborn has one body and one heart, with two heads. The baby is currently receiving medical care at the hospital’s Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), where a medical team is keeping the condition under close observation.

The unusual case has drawn attention because of the rarity and medical complexity associated with congenital conditions involving the development of two heads.

Newborn Under Close Medical Observation

Following the birth, the baby was admitted to the advanced newborn care facility at MKCG Medical College and Hospital.

Doctors are reportedly monitoring vital health parameters, including breathing, heart rate and other essential indicators, to assess the newborn’s condition and provide appropriate care.

The medical team is continuing to observe the baby closely. Further details about the newborn’s condition and prognosis have not been provided in the available report.

What Is Craniopagus Parasiticus?

The condition has been identified in reports as craniopagus parasiticus, an extremely rare congenital abnormality associated with an additional head attached to another individual’s skull.

However, the precise classification of a two-headed birth depends on the baby’s anatomy, including how the skulls, brains, blood vessels and other structures are connected. A definitive diagnosis would require detailed medical evaluation.

Such cases are medically complex and require specialised assessment to understand the anatomy involved and determine the appropriate course of treatment.

Doctors Monitoring the Baby’s Condition

The newborn remains under medical supervision at MKCG Medical College and Hospital, with doctors monitoring vital signs and providing the necessary care.

The baby’s current clinical status, the detailed findings of medical examinations and the long-term prognosis remain unclear based on the information available so far.

Further updates from the hospital authorities may provide greater clarity on the newborn’s condition and the treatment being considered.