New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) India has backed global standards for spices and vegetable oils at the 86th session of the Executive Committee (CCEXEC) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said on Wednesday.

The CCEXEC, ongoing at Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome from July 1-5, plays a critical role in reviewing proposals for new work and monitoring the progress of standards development.

The CAC, an international body established by the FAO and the World Health Organisation (WHO), aims to protect consumer health and promote fair practices in food trade.

During the session, India, represented by G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), strongly supported the advancement of standards development for various spices, including small cardamom, turmeric, and vanilla, the ministry said.

“This initiative is particularly significant for India, being a major producer and exporter of these spices, as it would facilitate smoother international trade,” it added.

India also “backed the progression of standards for named vegetable oils, guidelines for the control of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli”.

It also called for the safe use and reuse of water in food production and processing and championed the proposal for developing Codex guidance on food safety considerations related to the use of recycled materials in food packaging.

It is “crucial in addressing global challenges such as climate change, environmental protection, and sustainability,” the ministry said.

Further, at the session, India shared its experience with the FSSAI guidelines on recycling post-consumer PET for food contact applications. “India’s participation, as a member, in the High-level Executive Committee (CCEXEC) underscores its dedication to establishing robust food safety standards and promoting fair practices in the global food trade, reflecting its pivotal role in the international food industry,” the ministry noted.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Australian researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can help to select the most suitable treatment for cancer patients.

The new tool DeepPT, developed by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU), predicts a patient’s messenger RNA (mRNA) profile.

This mRNA — essential for protein production — is also the key molecular information for personalised cancer medicine.

When combined with another tool called ENLIGHT, DeepPT was found to successfully predict a patient’s response to cancer therapies across multiple types of cancer, said lead author Dr Danh-Tai Hoang from ANU.

Dr Hoang said, “DeepPT was trained on over 5,500 patients across 16 prevalent cancer types, including breast, lung, head and neck, cervical and pancreatic cancers”.

The tool, detailed in the journal Nature Cancer, showed an improvement in patient response rate. The AI tool draws on microscopic pictures of patient tissue called histopathology images, also providing another key benefit for patients.

“This cuts down on delays in processing complex molecular data, which can take weeks,” Dr Hoang said, as any delay can affect patients with high-grade tumours who might require immediate treatment.

“In contrast, histopathology images are routinely available, cost-effective, and timely,” Hoang added.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) As fatty liver disease is increasing in India, a noted hepatologist on Wednesday advised limiting consumption of saturated fats like ghee and coconut oil.

Fatty liver disease is related to obesity and diabetes. Consuming excessive carbohydrates can raise insulin levels, and chronic high insulin levels lead to insulin resistance. This disrupts metabolism and converts excess glucose into fatty acids, which are stored in the liver.

It can be classified into two main types: alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MASLD) — linked to liver inflammation and damage, eventually leading to fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer.

“In the Indian context, if you have metabolic-disorder-associated fatty liver disease (previously NAFLD), remember to limit saturated fat sources in your diet,” said Dr Abby Phillips, popularly known as LiverDoc, on the social media platform X.com.

“This means limiting foods containing Ghee, clarified butter (north India), Coconut oil (south India), and Palm oil (processed/ ultra-processed foods),” he explained, adding that “saturated fats increase liver triglycerides and hence liver fat and inflammation.”

While ghee is traditionally considered healthy, the doctor noted that it “is not a superfood. It is a super danger. It is almost all fat, and more than 60 per cent is saturated (unhealthy) fat.”

He stressed the need to replace it with “healthier (vegetable) seed oils that have low saturated fat and trans-fat content.”

Dr Abby also recommended using a diverse range of seed oils in daily cooking. Instead of frying food items, he suggested “bake, boil, broil, grill, or steaming foods.”

He also called out to “increase portions of plant-based protein in daily meals and to add daily fresh cut fruit portions (instead of fruit juicing).”

“This is far more important than limiting meat (including lean meat more than red meat), fish, and eggs — all of which can be consumed in their recommended daily/weekly intake,” the doctor said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Taking low-dose aspirin may treat flu-induced blood vessel inflammation, creating better blood flow to the placenta during pregnancy, according to the world-first study conducted in mice.

Low-dose aspirin is commonly taken to prevent preeclampsia — high blood pressure condition in pregnancy — as it stops the body from creating chemicals that cause inflammation.

The study, led by an international team from RMIT University in Australia in collaboration with a team from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, examined whether the treatment for preeclampsia could be applied to flu infections.

They found very promising results in animal studies — mice treated daily with low-dose aspirin had less inflammation and improved foetal development and offspring survival.

On the contrary, foetuses and placenta from mice with influenza A were smaller than those from uninfected mice. They also found the foetuses with low blood oxygen and poor blood vessel development.

Flu infections during pregnancy can resemble preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication that causes inflammation to the aorta and blood vessels, said lead researcher Dr Stella Liong, a post-doctoral research student at RMIT University in Melbourne.

She explained: “When the vascular system gets inflamed, it leads to poor blood flow and affects the aorta’s function.”

“This is especially a problem during pregnancy where good blood flow to the placenta is crucial to the development of the foetus.”

While the research still awaits human clinical trials, Liong said low-dose aspirin is already recognised as safe to take during pregnancy.

However, pregnant people must seek medical advice before taking new medications, the research team said.

–IANS

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Bhopal, July 2 (IANS) At least four children have died while several others have been hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning at a shelter home in Indore on Tuesday.

The first case was reported on Tuesday morning when a child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died during treatment. Following this, some more children fell ill who had to be rushed to the Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitshalaya in Indore.

By the time the police and the district administration swung into action, three more children lost their lives, all orphans aged between 5 and 15 years.

The children were all inmates of the Bal Ashram of Shri Yugpurush Dham in the Malharganj police station area.

Taking serious note of the matter, District Collector Ashish Singh has transferred three officials, including a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).

A committee has been formed to probe the matter under the supervision of a senior IAS officer, which will submit its report soon.

“The exact reason behind the deaths is not known yet. Things will be clear once the post-mortem reports are received,” a senior official told IANS.

–IANS

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