One of the first impressions we make is from a person’s oral hygiene. How clean their teeth look, if they have any mouth odor, how they eat etc. However, did you know, that your mouth health could also make your heart diseases worse? Could they be the actual reason behind what triggered your heart disease?

New research suggests that the health of your mouth might be connected to the health of your heart. A study found that the fatty clogs in our arteries, known as plaques, often contain bacteria. This hints that a slow, ongoing inflammation caused by these bacteria and our body's reaction to them could be a major factor in heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association, the germs from your mouth can affect your heart? The same bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease can travel to other parts of your body, including your heart, potentially leading to serious health problems.

What Is The Connection Between Bacteria and Clogged Arteries?

Plaques are a buildup of fatty stuff inside your arteries, and this is a long-term problem caused by inflammation. For a long time, doctors have wondered if infections play a role in this process. While early studies were promising, giving antibiotics to people with heart disease didn't seem to help much.

This new study proposes a different idea: maybe certain bacteria form a protective "biofilm" inside the plaques, where they sit quietly and cause a low-level inflammation. This biofilm might hide the bacteria from our immune system and make them resistant to antibiotics. Over time, this quiet infection could turn a stable plaque into a dangerous one that could rupture and cause a heart attack.

How Does Oral Bacteria Affect Heart Health?

A type of bacteria called viridans streptococci has been found in these plaques. These bacteria normally live in our mouths and are involved in forming dental plaque. They often get into the bloodstream during dental procedures. The study found that:

• Over half of the plaques from the people studied contained bacteria.
• The most common type of bacteria was the one from the mouth, found in about 42% of the samples.
• The presence of these mouth bacteria was directly linked to severe artery problems and death from heart disease.

The research showed that these bacteria weren't just passing through the arteries; they were setting up a little community—a biofilm—inside the plaques. This biofilm acted like a shield, protecting the bacteria from our immune system.

But when a plaque breaks open, which is what causes a heart attack, the bacteria inside the biofilm get out. This triggers a huge immune response that can weaken the plaque's outer layer, leading to a blood clot that blocks blood flow to the heart.

Is This a New Way To Fight Heart Diseases?

The study concludes that these mouth bacteria are not harmless. Instead, a hidden, long-term bacterial infection in the form of a dormant biofilm may be what turns a stable plaque into a dangerous one. This finding highlights how important inflammation is in heart disease and could lead to new ways to diagnose and prevent it in the future.

Contributed by Prabhdeep Singh, Co-Founder & CEO, RED Health

During a medical emergency, the initial minutes tend to determine the patient's outcome in the long run. The "10-minute response" target is aimed at providing assured access to trained care to an individual in that timeframe. It can make a serious difference in survival rates and recovery. India currently stands at 49th position out of 89 nations in the 2025 Health Index, a reminder of the distance left to achieve in establishing responsive healthcare structures.

India has now surpassed China as the most populous country with over 1.44 billion people in our own country and this comes with pride and responsibility both. This milestone raises a pressing question. Do we have the medical infrastructure and response capability to match our demographic scale? The availability of only 15,283 BLS (Basic Life Support) ambulances, 3,918 Patient Transport Vehicles (PTVs) and 3,044 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances should be a national concern. For a country of over 1.4 billion, this is a call to action.

Our country's vast geography as well as diverse terrains and gaps in infrastructure are also adding on to the challenges, especially in rural and hilly regions where road connectivity is constrained. Ambulances cannot consistently reach these areas, making deployment patchy and, at times, unreliable. In a nation as diverse as ours, it takes a lot including discipline, strategic foresight, planning and dedication to provide equal and widespread access to healthcare services.

Creating a Unified Emergency Response Framework

Fragmented services cause delays in the most critical moments. A connected framework can bring public and private emergency providers onto a single network that operates with clarity and speed. This further means linking regional control rooms, ensuring GPS navigation in every ambulance, and creating standard communication protocols between field teams and hospitals. The result is a smooth line from the first call to hospital admission. With advanced dispatch and location tracking, the closest ambulance can be sent immediately, saving precious minutes. Our long-term vision must be to establish a nationwide command grid where no emergency call goes unanswered and every location is within a 10-minute reach, regardless of geography. However, achieving this in India will require connectivity backed by a strategic placement of vehicles in high-priority zones identified through rigorous data analysis.

Strategic Deployment of Advanced Life Support Units

Ambulances with essential life-saving equipment can make the difference between life and loss. Advanced Life Support (ALS) units equipped with ventilators, defibrillators, and monitoring devices enable paramedics to stabilize patients on the way to the hospital. Placing these units in high-demand areas such as accident-prone roads, crowded markets, and industrial clusters ensures they are close to likely emergencies.

In a nation with heavy traffic, narrow roads, and rough terrain, response speeds are inevitably challenged. That is why identifying and continuously updating operational “hotspots” for ALS deployment must be a national priority. This involves mapping zones by emergency call density, accident history, and population concentration and in the future, moving towards predictive deployment based on live traffic, weather, and large public gatherings.

Data-Driven Planning & Bolstering Human Response Layer

Data, apart from being a record of past incidents, is a tool to direct the future of emergency care. By examining trends in past incidents, it is easier to know where emergencies happen most often. This can inform the placement of ambulances, training for local responders, and supplies that need to be stocked. It can also identify the time of day or season when a particular emergency happens most often so that staffing schedules can be planned accordingly. By monitoring performance metrics like average response time, patient outcomes, and equipment availability, adjustments can be made in real time. For India, data-led decision-making is essential to overcome geographical and infrastructural constraints, and every minute saved translates directly into lives saved.

Equipment delivers its value only when handled by trained professionals. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics are the first medical contact for many patients, making their expertise essential. Their training should follow global standards such as those set by the American Heart Association (AHA) for life support and resuscitation. Regular updates, certification renewals, simulation drills and scenario-based learning can ensure readiness all times. Clear career pathways and recognition programs can also help retain experienced personnel. The ultimate goal must be for every paramedic in India to match the skill and confidence of the best emergency networks globally so that care quality is never dictated by geography.

Building Digital Readiness & Taking Early Action

Speed in emergencies is also about information flow. Digital tools can connect ambulances to hospitals in real time, so doctors are ready before the patient arrives. With 5G-enabled communication, vital signs can be shared instantly. This ensures hospitals prepare equipment, specialist teams, and treatment plans without delay. When combined with hotspot-based deployment, digital tracking can ensure ambulances are positioned to respond within the 10-minute target, even in high-traffic cities or remote rural belts.

Preparedness starts prior to ambulance response. If the public is aware of the warning signs of a heart attack, stroke, or serious injury, they can call for assistance earlier. Training citizens not only in CPR but also in the correct use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and bleeding control enables them to act within the first few minutes. AEDs are appearing in more public spaces, but without citizen training, their potential remains untapped. Public medical kits located in transportation centres, stadiums, and shopping malls can have life-saving equipment available until professional rescue arrives.

Takeaway

The 10-minute response is not an aspiration, it must be our standard. India’s unique operational challenges demand a layered approach, strategic vehicle placement in mapped hotspots, data-led decision-making, global-standard training, and active citizen participation. As a nation, we must treat the 10-minute target as a non-negotiable benchmark for readiness. Policymakers, healthcare leaders and citizens must unite to create a system where every emergency receives a rapid, capable, and coordinated response. Every life saved in those first 10 minutes is proof that preparedness is the best investment we can make.

Hair is one of the key aspects of a person’s look. A simple haircut can completely change the way you look. So, you can imagine how losing one’s hair can affect them. While it happens to many people, it can completely change the way they view themselves. Although it is a normal part of aging, many men face this challenge from a young age due to many reasons like genetics, male-patterned baldness etc.

While there are ways you can tackle major hair loss like hair transplant, not everyone can afford it. However, a new drug called PP405 might be a game-changer for baldness. Instead of just slowing down hair loss, this new topical drug actually helps "wake up" your hair follicles that have gone to sleep. In early tests, it showed promising results, making hair thicker for some people who used it. If this treatment works in bigger trials, it could be a whole new way to fight baldness.

How the New Hair Growth Drug Works?

The new drug, PP405, is a topical cream that you apply to the scalp. It's different from older treatments because it doesn't just try to slow down hair loss. Instead, it works by waking up the hair follicles that have become dormant, or "asleep." Scientists found that in many people with hair loss, the stem cells in their hair follicles aren't dead—they've just stopped working. This new drug specifically targets these dormant cells to get them growing hair again.

In an early study, led by dermatologist Qing Yu Christina Weng, MD, chief medical officer of Pelage Pharmaceuticals, the results were very promising: some patients saw their hair become more than 20% thicker. The new hair wasn't just thin, "baby hair"; it was thick, mature hair. A key safety feature is that the drug is designed to get into the skin where it's needed without being absorbed into the rest of the body.

Can You Regrow Hair With Medicine?

Dermatologists are excited about the new drug's potential because it offers a completely new way to treat hair loss. However, they are also being cautious. The study so far was small and short, and the results haven't been fully checked by other scientists yet. The drug still needs to go through much larger studies, which could take a few years.

Right now, the only FDA-approved treatments for hair loss are finasteride and a topical solution called minoxidil. While doctors sometimes use an oral version of minoxidil, these treatments don't work for everyone, especially for those with severe hair loss. This leaves many people with limited options, often turning to expensive and unproven treatments like special injections or lasers.

Does The New Hair Growth Drug Work?

If PP405 passes its larger trials, it could be a huge breakthrough. It would be the first new FDA-approved hair loss treatment in over 25 years. This could be especially helpful for people who have more severe hair loss and haven't had success with other medications.

The researchers also believe this drug might one day be used to treat other types of hair loss, such as hair thinning caused by certain medications or hormonal changes. However, experts say that before the drug is used for other conditions, it must be thoroughly tested in larger groups of people to prove it is safe and effective.

Your skincare shelf might be quietly sabotaging your glow—and you don’t even know it. Think about it: the same cream you swipe on at 7 a.m. is also applied at 11 p.m. But your skin isn’t static; it’s a living, breathing organ with different priorities depending on the time of day. Morning skin is on defense, battling sunlight, pollution, and blue light, while nighttime skin is in repair mode, regenerating and replenishing. Using the same products both times may be convenient, but convenience could come at the cost of healthier, radiant skin.

Skincare seems simple on the surface—wash, moisturize, repeat. Many of us follow the same routine morning and night, believing that if a product works once, it works all day. But according to dermatologist Dr. Vikram Lahoria, this approach may be doing more harm than good. Your skin operates on a circadian rhythm, and the way it behaves during the day differs significantly from its nighttime activities. Understanding these differences—and adjusting your routine accordingly can be the difference between healthy, glowing skin and clogged pores, premature aging, or irritation.

How Your Morning Skincare Is A Shield?

Dr. Lahoria explains, “During the day, your skin is exposed to sunlight, pollution, dust, and even the blue light from screens. Its main role is protection. That’s why your morning routine should focus on creating a barrier against these environmental stressors.”

A typical morning routine starts with a gentle cleanser to remove oils and sweat accumulated overnight. This is followed by a light, hydrating moisturizer that won’t feel greasy or clog pores. The most crucial step in your AM routine is sunscreen. No matter the weather, SPF shields your skin from UV rays, reducing the risk of premature aging, pigmentation, and even skin cancer.

Adding an antioxidant serum, particularly one with vitamin C, can further protect against free radicals generated by pollution and UV exposure. “Think of it as giving your skin armor before stepping into the world,” says Dr. Lahoria.

How Your Night Skincare Is To Heal and Recharge?

Once the sun sets and the day winds down, your skin switches gears. “Nighttime is when your skin works hardest to repair itself,” Dr. Lahoria notes. Without sunlight and environmental stressors, skin cells can focus on regeneration and replenishment.

Night creams and serums are designed to support this process. Ingredients like retinol, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and glycolic acid target fine lines, improve texture, and lock in moisture. A thorough cleanse is essential before applying these products to remove makeup, sweat, and dirt that could block pores overnight.

“Nighttime is when your skin absorbs products most efficiently. The lack of UV exposure means potent actives like retinol can work without the risk of sun-induced irritation,” explains Dr. Lahoria.

Why Using the Same Products All Day Can Backfire?

Using identical products morning and night ignores the skin’s shifting priorities. “It’s like feeding your body the same meal for breakfast and dinner,” says Dr. Lahoria. “In the morning, your skin needs protection. At night, it needs repair. One product cannot optimally serve both functions.”

Daytime exposure to retinoids or AHAs, for instance, can increase sensitivity to sunlight, potentially causing irritation, pigmentation, or damage. Conversely, using sunscreen at night is unnecessary, and while it won’t harm your skin, it doesn’t contribute to repair either. Tailoring your routine ensures that ingredients work when they are most effective, rather than canceling each other out or creating unintended side effects.

Why The Order of Products Is Important?

Timing is not the only consideration—the order in which you apply your skincare products matters too. Dr. Lahoria advises layering from thinnest to thickest. This ensures lightweight serums penetrate deeply before being sealed in by heavier creams or oils. Incorrect layering can hinder absorption or even reduce the efficacy of active ingredients.

For example, a vitamin C serum should be applied before moisturizer, while a heavier night cream should go last. By following this approach, each product can work as intended, maximizing benefits without waste or interference.

Personalising Your Routine to Your Skin’s Clock

Your skin, like your body, has a circadian rhythm. During the day, its priority is defense; at night, it focuses on repair. “Ever wonder why your skin behaves differently in the morning than it does at night? That’s your internal clock at work,” Dr. Lahoria points out.

Adjusting your routine according to this natural rhythm ensures your skin gets the right nutrients at the right time. In the morning, protect; at night, repair. Over time, this approach improves skin health, prevents premature aging, and enhances the results from the products you invest in.

Morning and Night Routine Tips

Dr. Lahoria summarizes an effective framework:

Morning:

• Gentle cleanser to remove overnight oils
• Light moisturizer for hydration
• SPF to protect against UV damage
• Optional antioxidant serum for pollution defense

Night:

• Thorough cleanse to remove dirt, makeup, and pollutants
• Serums or creams containing retinol, peptides, hyaluronic acid, or glycolic acid
• Night cream to lock in moisture and support cell repair

Following these guidelines ensures that your skin is supported according to its natural needs, rather than treated with a one-size-fits-all approach.

Skincare is not just about selecting the “right” products—it’s also about using them at the right time. Dr. Lahoria concludes, “Your morning and evening routines should act like a tag team. Each plays its role in protecting, repairing, and energizing your skin. Your clock isn’t just ticking, it’s guiding your glow.”

By understanding your skin’s natural cycles, choosing the right ingredients for day and night, and applying them in the correct order, you ensure your skin remains healthy, radiant, and resilient—without unnecessary irritation or damage.

Dr. Vikram Lahoria is a consultant dermatologist and medical advisor at Ceuticoz in India