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South Wales Argus
19 hours ago
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Sally Gunnell relishing taking part in latest Tackle HIV challenge
Gunnell has been a long-standing supporter of the organisation, taking on several endurance events alongside the campaign's figurehead, former Wales rugby international Gareth Thomas, and wants to keep playing her part in spreading the word. 'These challenges are hard, they are not for the feint-hearted, by any means,' she said. 'You have to physically be able to walk for that amount of time up those hills. That is the thing that has really astounded me, that you can live with HIV and just carry on living a normal life, being able to do such challenges. 'Gareth has done triathlons, marathons, you name it, he has physically been able to do it. What he can do with it physically is just incredible 'We have heard so many bad stories in the past around AIDS and HIV, so events like this are really about changing that story.' The Snowdonia 10 Peak Challenge crosses the most remote mountain range in Wales and England - the Carneddau - a route 25 km in length which has 1200m of ascent and descent. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tackle HIV (@tacklehiv) Gunnell has been warming up for her latest hike by lacing up her walking boots on the South Downs, near her home in Sussex, while temperatures of zero degrees are expected at the summits. But with Thomas at the helm and some invaluable local knowledge, Gunnell knows she is in safe hands. 'There's about 12 of us, including people guiding us up who we will be relying on,' she said. 'They are all different backgrounds and ages, we will be out there for a good 10-12 hours, we will need each other to get ourselves through. 'Gareth is incredible. He has so much stamina and I have experienced watching him at various events relentlessly spreading the word. 'He is always bubbly, he will keep us going and he will be the leader out there. He always has a good story to tell and that's what we will need to hear.' The Snowdonia mission will build on the initiative's recent appearance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Tackle HIV Challenging Stigma Garden was designed by award-winning designer Manoj Malde and marked a celebration of how far science and medicine have come in the treatment of HIV since it was discovered over 40 years ago. And the ability to spread the campaign's messages on such a stage proved invaluable, according to Viiv Healthcare's Helen McDowell. 'We have been super happy with the impact the Flower Show has had on the campaign,' said McDowell, Head of Government affairs & Global Public Health at the organisation. 'We had people coming to the garden saying they had marked it down as they had read about it or seen it on TV in the preview shows. 'We got lots of interest, lots of people wanted to learn about the message of the garden. Elements like the U=U bench, in particular, were a real draw for people to understand more about HIV. 'It has been really well received and gained a huge international following, which is also important. HIV is not something that respects borders, it is a truly global challenge, so it was really good to do something that is so local and British that can also reach so far.
North Wales Live
21 hours ago
- Sport
- North Wales Live
Olympic champion Sally Gunnell takes on latest challenge to banish stigma around HIV
Sally Gunnell is relishing her latest challenge aimed at banishing the stigma around HIV, admitting she continues to feel 'astounded' by the feats of those living with it. The 1992 Olympic champion is part of a team taking on the Snowdonia Ten Peak Challenge as part of the Tackle HIV campaign, joining other well-known celebrity supporters as well as the initiative's advocates, some of whom are living with HIV. Gunnell has been a long-standing supporter of the organisation, taking on several endurance events alongside the campaign's figurehead, former Wales rugby international Gareth Thomas, and wants to keep playing her part in spreading the word. 'These challenges are hard, they are not for the feint-hearted, by any means,' she said. 'You have to physically be able to walk for that amount of time up those hills. That is the thing that has really astounded me, that you can live with HIV and just carry on living a normal life, being able to do such challenges. 'Gareth has done triathlons, marathons, you name it, he has physically been able to do it. What he can do with it physically is just incredible 'We have heard so many bad stories in the past around AIDS and HIV, so events like this are really about changing that story.' The Snowdonia 10 Peak Challenge crosses the most remote mountain range in Wales and England - the Carneddau - a route 25 km in length which has 1200m of ascent and descent. Gunnell has been warming up for her latest hike by lacing up her walking boots on the South Downs, near her home in Sussex, while temperatures of zero degrees are expected at the summits. But with Thomas at the helm and some invaluable local knowledge, Gunnell knows she is in safe hands. 'There's about 12 of us, including people guiding us up who we will be relying on,' she said. 'They are all different backgrounds and ages, we will be out there for a good 10-12 hours, we will need each other to get ourselves through. 'Gareth is incredible. He has so much stamina and I have experienced watching him at various events relentlessly spreading the word. 'He is always bubbly, he will keep us going and he will be the leader out there. He always has a good story to tell and that's what we will need to hear.' The Snowdonia mission will build on the initiative's recent appearance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. The Tackle HIV Challenging Stigma Garden was designed by award-winning designer Manoj Malde and marked a celebration of how far science and medicine have come in the treatment of HIV since it was discovered over 40 years ago. And the ability to spread the campaign's messages on such a stage proved invaluable, according to Viiv Healthcare's Helen McDowell. 'We have been super happy with the impact the Flower Show has had on the campaign,' said McDowell, Head of Government affairs & Global Public Health at the organisation. 'We had people coming to the garden saying they had marked it down as they had read about it or seen it on TV in the preview shows. 'We got lots of interest, lots of people wanted to learn about the message of the garden. Elements like the U=U bench, in particular, were a real draw for people to understand more about HIV. 'It has been really well received and gained a huge international following, which is also important. HIV is not something that respects borders, it is a truly global challenge, so it was really good to do something that is so local and British that can also reach so far. 'Events like this (Snowdonia) challenge also demonstrate the ability to really thrive with HIV, and through these different ways we reach more people and educate more people about the realities of living with HIV in 2025.'
South Wales Guardian
21 hours ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Sally Gunnell relishing taking part in latest Tackle HIV challenge
Gunnell has been a long-standing supporter of the organisation, taking on several endurance events alongside the campaign's figurehead, former Wales rugby international Gareth Thomas, and wants to keep playing her part in spreading the word. 'These challenges are hard, they are not for the feint-hearted, by any means,' she said. 'You have to physically be able to walk for that amount of time up those hills. That is the thing that has really astounded me, that you can live with HIV and just carry on living a normal life, being able to do such challenges. 'Gareth has done triathlons, marathons, you name it, he has physically been able to do it. What he can do with it physically is just incredible 'We have heard so many bad stories in the past around AIDS and HIV, so events like this are really about changing that story.' The Snowdonia 10 Peak Challenge crosses the most remote mountain range in Wales and England - the Carneddau - a route 25 km in length which has 1200m of ascent and descent. A post shared by Tackle HIV (@tacklehiv) Gunnell has been warming up for her latest hike by lacing up her walking boots on the South Downs, near her home in Sussex, while temperatures of zero degrees are expected at the summits. But with Thomas at the helm and some invaluable local knowledge, Gunnell knows she is in safe hands. 'There's about 12 of us, including people guiding us up who we will be relying on,' she said. 'They are all different backgrounds and ages, we will be out there for a good 10-12 hours, we will need each other to get ourselves through. 'Gareth is incredible. He has so much stamina and I have experienced watching him at various events relentlessly spreading the word. 'He is always bubbly, he will keep us going and he will be the leader out there. He always has a good story to tell and that's what we will need to hear.' The Snowdonia mission will build on the initiative's recent appearance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Tackle HIV Challenging Stigma Garden was designed by award-winning designer Manoj Malde and marked a celebration of how far science and medicine have come in the treatment of HIV since it was discovered over 40 years ago. And the ability to spread the campaign's messages on such a stage proved invaluable, according to Viiv Healthcare's Helen McDowell. 'We have been super happy with the impact the Flower Show has had on the campaign,' said McDowell, Head of Government affairs & Global Public Health at the organisation. 'We had people coming to the garden saying they had marked it down as they had read about it or seen it on TV in the preview shows. 'We got lots of interest, lots of people wanted to learn about the message of the garden. Elements like the U=U bench, in particular, were a real draw for people to understand more about HIV. 'It has been really well received and gained a huge international following, which is also important. HIV is not something that respects borders, it is a truly global challenge, so it was really good to do something that is so local and British that can also reach so far. 'Events like this (Snowdonia) challenge also demonstrate the ability to really thrive with HIV, and through these different ways we reach more people and educate more people about the realities of living with HIV in 2025.'
Reuters
28-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Health Rounds: HIV pill improves diabetic eye disease without injections
May 28 (Reuters) - (This is an excerpt of the Health Rounds newsletter, where we present latest medical studies on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here.) An inexpensive pill for treating HIV could become an alternative to injections for diabetic eye disease, a small study suggests. 'An oral drug that improves vision in diabetic macular edema (DME) would be a game changer because it would be more convenient for patients than frequent, often monthly, injections into the eye,' study leader Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati of the University of Virginia said in a statement. At the start of the study, 24 patients in Brazil with DME were randomly assigned to receive Viiv Healthcare's oral antiviral drug Epivir (lamivudine) or a placebo for four weeks, to be followed by a standard injection of Roche's (ROG.S), opens new tab Avastin (bevacizumab) into the clear gel-like area that fills the eye between the lens and retina. After that initial four weeks, the ability to read letters on an eye chart had improved by 9.8 letters, or about 2 lines on the eye chart, in the lamivudine group, while it had decreased by 1.8 letters in the placebo group. Four weeks after the Avastin injection, the lamivudine recipients had improved by 16.9 letters, more than 3 lines on the chart, while the group that got just Avastin improved by only 5.3 letters. The HIV drug inhibits an early step in the inflammatory process that leads to DME, the researchers explained in a report published on Tuesday in the Cell Press journal Med, opens new tab. That mechanism of action is different from existing treatments, 'so we could also develop combination therapies,' Ambati said. While the results suggest that lamivudine may work both with and without Avastin injections, the Viiv drug alone could be life changing for patients in regions with limited access to specialty doctors or who are unable to afford or travel to monthly eye appointments, Ambati said. 'A $20-a-month or even cheaper oral pill that improves vision as much as or more than therapy with injections into the eye that cost up to $2,000 per month could be transformative both for patients and the healthcare system,' Ambati said. Researchers have come a step closer to designing GLP-1 drugs for weight loss that don't cause nausea, according to a report in Cell Metabolism, opens new tab. In experiments in mice with the GLP-1 drug semaglutide – the main ingredient in Novo Nordisk's ( opens new tab weight-loss drug Wegovy – the researchers identified the nerve cells in the brain stem that control the medicine's effects on appetite and weight and distinguished those from brain cells that contribute to the nausea. After determining which nerve cells were activated by the drug, they next found a way to stimulate these cells without administering the drug itself. The result was that the mice ate less and lost weight, just as they did when treated with semaglutide, but without nausea-related behavior. 'This suggests that these nerve cells control the beneficial effects of semaglutide,' study leader Júlia Teixidor-Deulofeu, a PhD student at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, said in a statement. 'If we can target the treatment there, we may be able to maintain the positive effects while reducing side effects.' When mammography is negative in women with dense breasts, MRI is superior to ultrasound for double-checking that no early-stage cancers have been missed, researchers reported in The Lancet, opens new tab. Women with dense breasts face increased risks of breast cancer, but mammograms are less effective for detecting early-stage cancer in these individuals because the dense tissue can hide tumors, the researchers explain. Doctors often advise them to follow a negative mammogram with an MRI or ultrasound exam, but it has not been clear whether one is better than the other for this purpose. More than 9,000 UK women with dense breasts and a negative mammogram, ages 50 to 70, were randomly assigned to undergo various supplemental screening techniques. The cancer detection rate was 0.4% with ultrasound, 1.7% with MRI, and 1.9% with mammography using an intravenous dye. The authors acknowledge that while the scans can detect additional small cancers, it's not clear whether finding those early tumors will reduce the number of deaths due to breast cancer. Further study is needed to establish the risk of over-diagnosis and to estimate the cost-benefit ratio of implementing a supplemental imaging strategy for breast cancer screening, they said. (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here)
