Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS, a common endocrine disorder in women, can affect attention and other cognitive abilities, according to a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Monday.

Women with PCOS often suffer from irregular or absent periods, polycystic ovaries, and increased levels of male hormone (androgen).

While previous research showed an increased level of anxiety and depression among women with PCOS, the new study focussed on attention -- the precursor for all vital cognitive processing such as receiving, understanding, and making sense of the information.

Maitreyi Redkar and Prof Azizuddin Khan from the Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the IIT Bombay assessed two groups of participants -- 101 women with PCOS and 72 healthy women.

Australian researchers have developed a new, rapid testing method to help diagnose rare diseases in babies and children.

There are more than 7,000 types of disease caused by mutations in more than 5,000 known genes, affecting approximately 300 million individuals worldwide.

Currently, about half of all patients with a suspected rare disease remain undiagnosed, and existing testing methods for undiagnosed conditions are typically slow.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne developed a new blood-based method of analysing thousands of proteins in a single, untargeted test.

The DNA sequence of most genes is the code to produce proteins, the molecular machines of our cells and tissues, said Dr. Daniella Hock, a Senior Postdoctoral student at the varsity, while presenting the research at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Germany.

With mounting cases of Covid-19 bringing fresh fears of the pandemic, which claimed millions of lives globally, experts at the Indian Medical Association and Delhi Medical Association on Saturday said that the cases are being constantly monitored and that there is no need to panic.

According to the data from the Ministry of Health, India has reported 257 active Covid-19 cases as of May 19.

Kerala (69), Maharashtra (44), and Tamil Nadu (34) are recording the highest daily case counts.

Delhi recorded 23 new cases. As per the latest reports, two have tested positive for Covid in Gurugram, one each in Faridabad and Noida.

Amid reports of increasing cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus in India, data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, showed the presence of NB.1.8.1, LF.7 -- descendants of JN.1 Covid variant in the country.

Data from the INSACOG, a consortium of 64 laboratories to monitor genomic variations of Covid virus, showed one case of NB.1.8.1 and four instances of the LF.7 type.

While NB.1.8.1 was identified in April in Tamil Nadu, four cases of LF.7 were detected in Gujarat in May.

Currently, both LF.7 and NB.1.8 have been classified as Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) by the World Health Organization (WHO). A VUM is a term used to signal to public health authorities that a SARS-CoV-2 variant may require prioritised attention and monitoring.

Mongolia has registered 114 new cases of measles infection over the past 24 hours, bringing the national caseload to 3,042, according to the country's National Centre for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 95 more measles patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,904, the NCCD said in a statement.

According to Mongolian doctors, more than half of the latest confirmed cases were among school-age children who had received only one measles vaccine shot.

In view of this, the NCCD advised parents to protect their children from a potentially severe disease by getting them two doses of the measles vaccine.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact, news agency reported.

There has been a sharp uptick in the burden of skin cancer, especially in older adults, in the last three decades, according to a study.

Besides ageing, researchers at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in China attributed the surge to the increase in population growth.

The study also cited a disproportionately higher burden of skin cancers in countries with higher sociodemographic index (SDI) levels.

“The older population (particularly male individuals and those living in high-SDI countries) is facing a substantial growing burden of skin cancer,” said the team in the paper published in JAMA Dermatology.

“The results highlight the urgency for more effective prevention and management strategies targeting high-risk groups,” they added.

Swedish researchers have tracked how nerve cells get activated by weight loss drugs such as semaglutide and how it affects the brain.

Semaglutide belongs to a group of drugs called GLP-1R agonists and has been shown to effectively reduce food intake and body weight. The drug is already well established as part of the treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes but can cause side effects such as nausea and muscle loss.

In the study, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg showed that it is possible to distinguish the nerve cells in the brain that control the beneficial effects --such as reduced food intake and fat loss -- from those that contribute to side effects.

To investigate how semaglutide affects the brain, the researchers worked with mice. They tracked which nerve cells were activated by the drug and were then able to stimulate these cells—without administering the drug itself.

Two women, including a doctor from AIIMS Rishikesh, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Uttarakhand, prompting the state health department to issue a high alert.

According to officials, both individuals recently travelled to Uttarakhand from other states.

Dr Sunita Tamta, Director General of Health, Uttarakhand, confirmed that a 57-year-old woman from Gujarat who had come to Rishikesh for religious purposes exhibited symptoms of coronavirus.

After testing, she was confirmed positive and is currently under treatment. The second patient is a doctor from Bengaluru who has also tested positive and is receiving treatment at home, said Tamta.

Australian researchers have developed a new blood test that can rapidly diagnose rare genetic diseases in babies and children.

The simple blood test, developed by researchers from the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), eliminates the need for costly and invasive procedures.

It can rapidly detect abnormalities in up to 50 per cent of all known rare genetic diseases in a matter of days. The test works by analysing the pathogenicity of thousands of gene mutations at once, potentially replacing thousands of other functional tests, said the team in the research, published in the journal Genome Medicine.

"A disease is rare if it affects fewer than one in 2,000 people and there are more than 7,000 different rare diseases, most of which have a genetic origin and many of these diseases are serious and progressive," said David Stroud, Associate Professor at University of Melbourne.

An international team led by Chinese scientists has developed revolutionary contact lenses that allow humans to see near-infrared light, a breakthrough that could transform medical imaging and visual assistance technologies.

The study, published in the journal Cell on Thursday, combines visual neuroscience with rare earth elements to create transparent, wearable lenses that convert invisible infrared light into visible images, news agency reported.

The human eye only detects light with wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometres, thus missing much of nature's information.

Near-infrared light, with wavelengths between 700 and 2,500 nanometres, excels at penetrating biological tissue with minimal radiation damage.