Accept it or not, most of us have a habit of scrolling through our phones or binge-watching serials right before we go to sleep. While we are aware that the blue light from gadgets can disrupt our sleep. A new study has made some shocking revelations.
The study

According to a recent study shared at the Virtual SLEEP 2020 meeting, it was found that there is a significant association between evening and late-night exposure to light from the gadgets and poor sperm quality. For the study, the effect of phone radiation on healthy male sperm and fertility was studied.

As per the World Health Organisation, the prevalence of infertility in the general population is 15 to 20 per cent, where male fertility contributes 20 to 40 per cent of this rate. In India, 23 per cent males suffer from infertility.
The data makes it the need of the hour to understand the causes behind infertility and treating them. And as per the study, the use of electronic and digital media devices can have a huge impact.

The use of smartphones, tablets after evening reduced sperm motility, sperm progressive motility and sperm concentration. It was found that the greater the exposure to the short-wavelength light (SWL) emitted from these devices, the higher was the percentage of the immotile sperm. Further, the study found that longer sleep duration is correlated with total sperm count and overall progressive motility.

In simple words, the light emitted from these gadgets can disrupt sleep and prevent sperms from reaching their destinations, thereby causing a surge in male infertility rates.

The excessive use of smartphones has made us dependent sick. The radiation can cause harm to the DNA of the person, due to which cells start losing their ability to recover on their own. These radiations when reaching to the sperm or egg cell can become a reason for abortions too.

It’s not that one should completely stop using gadgets, but they should not use it before bedtime.

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Source – https://theconversation.com/

Women make up more than half of the people living with HIV around the world. Young women between the ages of 10 and 24 are twice as likely to get HIV as young men in the same age group. In East and Southern Africa young women will acquire HIV on average five to seven years earlier than their male peers.

Researchers have been working hard to find effective HIV prevention measures.

Most notable is the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pill known as Truvada. This is a combination of two antiretroviral drugs – tenofovir and emtricitabine. This can be effective in preventing HIV acquisition. But taking a pill every day is not practical for many people.

Scientists from the HIV Prevention Trials Network recently found that a PrEP regimen of long-acting cabotegravir (CAB LA) injections once every eight weeks was better than the daily tablet used for HIV prevention. Ina Skosana spoke to Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, a research professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and director of research at the Wits Reproductive Health & HIV Institute to find out more.

Can you tell us about the study?

This study, known as HPTN 084 is the first one to compare the efficacy of two HIV prevention or pre-exposure prophylaxis regimens.

The first regimen consisted of an injection of the long-acting antiretroviral drug, cabotegravir given every eight weeks. The second regimen was the daily oral dose of Truvada. Truvada has been shown to be highly effective for HIV prevention when taken as prescribed in a variety of populations and contexts.

We enrolled over 3,200 sexually active, HIV-uninfected cisgender women at 20 sites in seven countries. Research took place in Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe between November 2017 and November 2020.

Our study randomised participants to one of two arms. One arm received active cabotegravir and a Truvada placebo. The other arm received active Truvada and placebos for cabotegravir. Cabotegravir was administered daily by mouth for 5 weeks and via intramuscular injection at 8-weekly intervals after an initial 4-week interval load.

What did you find?

Preliminary findings show that overall 1% of participants were infected with HIV during the study period. This suggests that both cabotegravir and Truvada are highly effective for HIV prevention in this population.

The 34 incident infections detected in participants assigned to Truvada is equivalent to an incident of 1.79%. And the four infections detected in the participants assigned to cabotegravir is equivalent to an incidence of 0.21%. This confirms a new prevention option for women that offers a significant advantage over existing oral PrEP which requires consistent daily use and is associated with significant adherence challenges.

We observed roughly 9 times the number of incident HIV infections in the Truvada arm compared to the cabotegravir arm. This finding suggests that cabotegravir is much more effective than Truvada in preventing HIV infection in women. And the threshold for early stopping of the trial was met. Based on these findings the independent data and safety monitoring board recommended that the blinded portion of the study be stopped early and the results released to the scientific and broader community.

An earlier sibling study in cisgender men and transgender women called HPTN 083  showed similar results. A prep regimen containing long-acting cabotegravir injectable once every 8 weeks was superior to the daily oral Truvada in that population.

What are the next steps?

The study results are important and timely as more methods to prevent HIV among women at higher risk of HIV are urgently needed. These include methods that do not depend on daily or near-daily pill-taking, condom use or abstention from sex. The development of alternative methods to prevent HIV, and more adherence-friendly schedules than are currently available, will increase the HIV prevention choices and acceptability for women and reduce new HIV infections.

We have communicated with the research ethics committees and national drug regulators overseeing this study, and site investigators and study participants are being notified about the results as soon as possible. Participants will be able to learn about the medication that they were receiving. A protocol amendment will be submitted for regulatory review to allow participants to continue taking their assigned medication or to switch to cabotegravir if they choose.

Participants on Truvada will be offered cabotegravir as soon as the medication can be made available. All participants will be asked to continue on the study. And if they chose not to remain on the study, they will be referred for the best locally available HIV prevention services. We look forward to presenting these results in a peer-review setting at upcoming conferences as we finalise the primary analysis.

The post Large Africa study makes important breakthrough in HIV prevention appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Source – https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

Researchers have uncovered new clues to the mystery of how the gut’s nervous system affects glucose metabolism in the rest of the body. Their findings could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes.

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According to new research from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, first nations children are experiencing a double burden of physical and mental illness.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

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Whitman-Walker is excited to announce our participation in MOSAICO, a new HIV vaccine research study. This international study is an effort to develop a safe and effective global HIV vaccine for people at risk of getting HIV. We already have important HIV prevention tools, like PrEP – the daily pill that prevents HIV, and PEP – a 28-day course of medication that prevents HIV after an exposure to the virus. If shown to be effective and safe, an HIV vaccine could provide another tool for individuals to choose from when deciding on the best HIV prevention option for their sexual health needs.

What to know about the study?

MOSAICO is sponsored by a public-private partnership between Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

The study is open to those who are interested in HIV prevention and who do not have HIV.

Approximately 55 sites in the U.S., South America, and Europe will participate in the study.

The study will be conducted at Whitman-Walker’s 1525 14th Street, NW location.

Study participants will be reimbursed for expenses related to attending research visits.

This HIV vaccine is not made from live or killed HIV and cannot cause HIV infection. If you are interested in learning more about the MOSAICO study

Why is a vaccine for HIV needed?

Despite important advances in treating and preventing HIV, we continue to need new methods of preventing HIV. More than 36 million people globally are living with HIV. According to UNAIDS and the CDC, even with effective medications that are helping to slow the epidemic, there are 5,000 new HIV infections around the world each day.

At the end of 2018, there were 12,322 DC residents living with HIV—1.8% of the District’s population. Of those 12,322 DC residents, more than 3,400 of received their HIV care and treatment at Whitman- Walker. That same year, there were 360 DC residents newly diagnosed with HIV. Of those 360 DC residents, more than 100 of them learned they were living with HIV at Whitman-Walker.

Whitman-Walker has cared for people impacted by HIV for more than 30 years. Before researchers discovered treatments for HIV, Whitman-Walker helped people die with dignity. When the first HIV treatments for HIV started saving lives in 1996, Whitman-Walker began helping people to live healthy lives and manage their HIV.

Help Whitman-Walker keep your community healthy and thriving with the MOSAICO study. Text or call 202-670-1480 or email research@whitman-walker.org to learn how you can help develop another tool for HIV prevention.

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According to this year’s findings from the ”Feel4Diabetes” study, funded by the European Union and conducted in six of its member states, Greek children are the most over-weight among them, it was announced recently.

More specifically, a surprising 36.5 percent of Greek minors were found to be either overweight or obese, putting Greece at the very top of the six nations which participated in this study.

Just over one-quarter, or 25.2 percent, of the children in Greece were found to be overweight and 11.3 percent were obese.

The lowest percentage of overweight and obese children was recorded in Belgium, with only 14.2 percent of the total population of minor children fitting into that category.

However, one in five children with both their parents having normal weight were found to be overweight in Greece as well. This highlights the attitude many Greek families continue to have, believing that the more a child eats, the better for him or her.

This is also known as ”Occupation Syndrome” in Greece, since the generation who lived through the hardships of World War II tended to overfeed their offspring in the post-war era.

This is a practice which has unfortunately been passed on for generations in Greece.

Another impressive finding was that one in two families in Greece with overweight parents  had overweight children as well, showing how important the family factors are when it comes to alimentary habits.

The ”Feel4Diabetes” study, which began in 2015 and is conducted every year, aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity and obesity-related metabolic risk factors.

The study is conducted in two ”High-income” member states (Belgium and Finland); two ”High-income” member states which have gone through tough austerity measures (in this case, Greece and Spain); and two ”Low/middle-income” member states (Hungary and Bulgaria).

A total of 2,286 children from 56 different schools in Greece participated in the study, mainly in deprived areas which were selected by the organizers of the study.

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NEW YORK, Sept 11 ― A preliminary new study has found that having high blood pressure later in life may speed up cognitive decline, but treating the condition may also help slow it down.

Carried out by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, USA, the new study looked at data gathered from nearly 11,000 adults in China to assess how high blood pressure and its treatment may be linked with cognitive decline.

The researchers interviewed each of the study participants about their high blood pressure treatment and asked them to perform cognitive tests, such as recalling words as part of a memory quiz.

High blood pressure was defined as having a systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or higher and a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or higher, and/or taking antihypertensive treatment. The American Heart Association defines high blood pressure as starting with slightly lower measurements, and having a systolic blood pressure of 130 mmHg or higher or a diastolic reading of 80 mmHg or higher.

The findings, presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension 2019 Scientific Sessions, showed that overall, cognition scores declined over the four-year study. However, participants who were age 55 and older and who had high blood pressure showed a quicker rate of cognitive decline compared with those who did not have high blood pressure or who were being treated for high blood pressure.

In fact, the rate of cognitive decline was similar between those without high blood pressure and those taking treatment for the condition.

As an observational study, the researchers cannot establish cause and effect. The team also did not investigate why or how high blood pressure treatments may have slowed down cognitive decline, or which treatments were the most effective.

Nevertheless, senior author L.H. Lumey commented that, “The findings are important because high blood pressure and cognitive decline are two of the most common conditions associated with ageing, and more people are living longer, worldwide.”

Study author Shumin Rui also added, “We think efforts should be made to expand high blood pressure screenings, especially for at-risk populations, because so many people are not aware that they have high blood pressure that should be treated.”

“This study focused on middle-aged and older adults in China, but we believe our results could apply to populations elsewhere as well. We need to better understand how high blood pressure treatments may protect against cognitive decline and look at how high blood pressure and cognitive decline are occurring together.”

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Scientists claim to have discovered the “cause” of endometriosis – raising hopes for a cure for the agonising condition.

Researchers found a type of white blood cell, called macrophages, which has undergone changes could be the prime cause. The team, from Warwick and Edinburgh universities, ran various tests on mice and say that targeting the altered cells could be a novel treatment.

Currently, there is no cure for endometriosis – a lifelong condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women in the UK, can occur at any age, but it’s most common in women in their 30s and 40s.

It can cause persistent inflammation, pain and infertility as well as agonising periods and ovulation.

Surgery can remove some of the scar tissue and lesions, while hormonal treatments can offer relief from symptoms – but can carry the risk of side effects after prolonged use.

Without a cure for a condition that affects 176 million worldwide, an alternative treatment is much needed.

Previous studies had already shown that macrophages have a central role in the development of endometriosis. The immune cells help the lesions grow and also drive the development of their blood supply.

More recent research has also revealed that macrophages help nerves grow in the lesions.

The aim of the new study, published in a recent Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal paper, “was to determine the mechanistic role of macrophages in producing pain associated with endometriosis.”

Senior study author Dr Erin Greaves, who holds positions at both universities, explained that conventional treatments that use hormones are “not ideal” because they target ovarian function and can trigger side effects, such as suppressing fertility.

She added: “We are trying to find non-hormonal solutions.”

The team found that “disease-modified” macrophages stimulate nerve cell growth and activity by releasing the growth hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).They also found that levels of IGF-1 in pelvic cavity tissue from women with endometriosis were higher than in women without the condition and were in line with their pain scores.

Further tests revealed that preventing the hormone’s activity by blocking the cell receptor for IGF-1, “reverses the pain behaviour observed in mice with endometriosis.”

Dr Greaves added: “If we can learn about the role of macrophages in endometriosis then we can distinguish them from healthy macrophages and target treatment to them.”

Symptoms of endometriosis

Endometriosis is where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body.

Each month, these cells react in the same way to those in the womb – building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape.

That can lead to infertility, fatigue, bowel and bladder problems, as well as really heavy, painful periods.

It affects one in 10 women in the UK.

Symptoms include;

• Painful, heavy, or irregular periods
• Pain during or after sex
• Chronic pain
• Infertility
• Painful bowel movements
• Fatigue

The cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no definite cure.According to Endometriosis UK, it takes over seven years on average for women to finally receive a diagnosis.It’s estimated that up to 50 per cent of infertile women have the condition.

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High levels of iron in the liver are linked to a number of serious health conditions including cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular as well as liver disease. But measuring liver iron is difficult and until recently could only be done through an invasive biopsy.

Now researchers from University of Exeter, UK, together with colleagues from the University of Westminster,London, UK, Lund University, Sweden and Perspectum Diagnostics, Owford, UK, have shown that genes regulating iron metabolism in the body are responsible for excess liver iron. These genes are the driving cause of high levels of iron in the liver in populations of European, especially Celtic, ancestry, and suggest that this is most likely a systemic and not organ-related problem. This finding can point the way to simple strategies for reducing the excess. The research is presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday).

Dr Hanieh Yaghootkar and colleagues carried out genome-wide association studies on liver iron content, measured via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in 8200 volunteers who had provided biological samples to the UK Biobank. Genome-wide association studies work by scanning markers across the complete sets of DNA of large numbers of people in order to find genetic variants associated with a particular condition.

They found three independent genetic variants associated with higher liver iron and involved in the production of hepcidin, a protein that regulates the entry of iron into the blood. The results were validated in 1500 individuals whose data had been collected in the pan-European Diabetes Research on Patient Stratification (DIRECT) Consortium. «This is the first time such a study has been carried out in an unselected, large population,» says Dr Yaghootkar.

The investigators used a genetic approach to explore the causal link between higher waist-to-hip ratio and elevated liver iron content. This provided genetic evidence that higher central (abdominal) obesity was associated with increased liver iron levels. « There are animal studies that indicate that fat cells trigger macrophages, a type of white blood cell, to cause inflammation, and that this in turn leads to defective iron handling in the liver. We need to research this association further, but it is a plausible explanation of the phenomenon, » says Dr Yaghootkar.

The fact that the mechanisms causing elevated liver iron were generalised and not organ-specific means that high iron levels probably occur in other organs too, including the brain. The researchers found an association between excess iron and many other disorders, including neuropsychiatric conditions. Because the clinical manifestations of elevated iron levels are so diverse, a multi-specialty approach will be needed to assess and evaluate new therapies, including treating patients with hepcidin to reduce iron accumulation.

MRI is continuing for 100,000 individuals in the Biobank study. « This will allow us to find many more genetic factors associated with this trait. We are also interested in performing such studies in other ethnicities, since our current results are only valid for people of European ancestry, » Dr Yaghootar will conclude.

Chair of the ESHG conference, Professor Joris Veltman, Director of the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, said: “Iron overload is bad for the body and needs to be tightly regulated. The genetic study presented at the ESHG today reveals a key role for genes regulating iron metabolism, and also revealed a link between certain types of obesity and iron overload.”

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