Latest news with #HIV
Time of India
an hour ago
- Health
- Time of India
Gadkari inaugurates daycare facility for infectious diseases at city hospital
1 2 3 4 Nagpur: Ishra Health, formerly known as Tayade's Clinic, has introduced a daycare facility for infectious disease treatment at its newly upgraded facility in Nagpur. The facility was inaugurated by Union minister Nitin Gadkari recently. The centre is equipped with modern amenities, and well-trained staff. Dr Ashwini Tayade heads the department of infectious diseases. Tayade specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of complex infectious diseases including HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and infection-related cancers. Ishra Health also offers advanced cancer care services under the leadership of Dr Ramakant Tayade, onco-surgeon with a career spanning over two decades. Dr Ramakant Tayade specialises in the surgical treatment of breast cancer, oral, head and neck cancers, thyroid cancer, gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers, esophagus and pancreatico-biliary cancers, and gynaecological malignancies.
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Kelantan cops stand firm, gay gathering raid not linked to health programme
KOTA BARU: Kelantan police have stood by their earlier statement that the gathering in Kemumin here, which was raided last month, was not related to any health programme but was instead a social event involving members of the gay community. State police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said that, based on intelligence gathering and public interviews, the Kelantan Police Task Force found that invitations to the gathering had been sent through specific WhatsApp groups. "Investigations showed that the invitations to the programme did not mention any involvement or organisation by official bodies such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), health clinics, or the Health Ministry. "There was also no information indicating that the programme had received approval or was being monitored by any authorised party," Yusoff said in a statement late last night. On the day of the raid, Yusoff said the police Task Force had been monitoring the venue since 5pm, as the event was scheduled to take place between 8pm and 11pm, according to the invitation. He added that at around 8pm, the number of attendees had increased to about 100 people, who were observed dining and engaging in casual conversation. "By around 11pm, the majority of attendees had left the premises. The raiding team took precautionary measures and only conducted the operation at around 1am to ensure it proceeded smoothly without posing any risk to public safety. "During the raid, police found 20 men at the premises, and they admitted to being part of the gay community. "It was also established during the raid that no representatives from NGOs or any government health agencies, including the Health Ministry, were present." He added that documentation conducted on the 20 men revealed that 18 were from Kelantan, one from Perak, and one from Besut, Terengganu, who is a student at a higher learning institution in Kelantan. "Checks on their mobile phones revealed that three of them possessed pornographic videos involving same-sex activities. Some also admitted to having engaged in same-sex activities. "Police also found hundreds of condoms and several boxes of HIV medication in one of the rooms," he said. Yusoff stressed that police action was based solely on verified intelligence and lawful evidence, with no intent of discrimination. "Our responsibility is to maintain public order and safeguard the moral values of society. I hope this explanation will dispel confusion and speculation circulating online. "The public is urged not to spread unverified information and to continue cooperating with the authorities to preserve harmony in the state," he said. It was reported that three men, including two students from tertiary education institutions, were fined a total of RM11,000 by the magistrate's court on Sunday for possessing obscene images and videos. The trio was among those arrested by police during the raid at a house in Kemumin last month.
DW
4 hours ago
- Health
- DW
COVID-19 pandemic sped up brain aging, says study – DW – 07/22/2025
A British study has found the COVID-19 pandemic aged people's brains by almost six months, regardless of infection status. A new study has found that living through the COVID-19 pandemic aged people's brains, regardless of whether people were infected. The research adds to growing data about the pandemic's long-term impact on global health and brain development. The study showed that the pandemic accelerated brain aging by 5.5 months on average. Changes were most noticeable in older people, men, and in those from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Brain age relates to cognitive function and can differ from a person's actual age. Someone's brain age can be delayed or advanced by diseases like diabetes, HIV, and Alzheimer's disease. Premature brain aging can affect memory, sensory function, and emotional function. The authors say the brain aging they observed may be reversible. "The pandemic put a strain on people's lives, especially those already facing disadvantages. We can't yet test whether the changes we saw will reverse, but it's certainly possible, and that's an encouraging thought," said the study's senior author Dorothee Auer, a neuroscientist at University of Nottingham, UK. Frank Slack, Director of HMS Initiative for RNA Medicine and the Cancer Research Institute at Harvard Medical School, US, said the "work is a tour de force showing in a large population that COVID had severe effects on brain health, especially in males and the elderly." Slack was not involved in the study. The study was published today in The study aimed to investigate the adverse effects ofCOVID-19on physical and cognitive brain aging using brain imaging and cognitive testing. The researchers analyzed brain scans from healthy adults taken before and after the pandemic as part of the UK Biobank study. "[This] gave us a rare window to observe how major life events can affect the brain," said Stamatios Sotiropoulos, a neuroscientist at University of Nottingham and the study's co-lead author. First, the researchers used brain scan data from 15,334 healthy people to train a machine learning algorithm that could accurately estimate their brain age. They then used the model to predict the brain age of 996 healthy adults before and after the COVID pandemic. One group of participants had scans before and after the pandemic began, while a comparison group only had their scans taken before the outbreak. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The study revealed that the brains of participants from the pandemic group had aged an average 5.5 months faster than the control group, even when matched for a range of health markers. Jacobus Jansen, a neuroscientist at Maastricht UMC, Netherlands, said the surprising result was that "aging is independent of actual COVID-19 infection." However, only participants who were infected by COVID-19 showed a drop in cognitive abilities like mental flexibility and processing speed. This may suggest that the pandemic's brain aging effect without infection may not cause noticeable cognitive symptoms. The next question researchers are aiming to answer is how the pandemic had long-term effects on people's cognitive health. Other studies have suggested certain genetic factors could make some people more predisposed to COVID-related brain aging. "[In 2022], we described premature aging in the brains of severe COVID. Unfortunately, all of the patients we examined had passed away from COVID, precluding detailed follow-up and analysis of brain architecture over time," Slack said. "It will be interesting to start to ask whether the aging effects seen in this study are related to the gene expression changes we saw in our study," Slack said. Neuroscience studies suggest there are ways to slow down brain aging and reduce the risks of cognitive decline. Exercise, for example, is a known protective factor in brain aging, which is why "it would be valuable to assess the contribution of changes in exercise patterns during the pandemic, alongside psychological stress, within their model," said Maria Mavrikaki, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, US, who was not involved in the study. Other studies suggest that brain aging can be slowed down by lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet, staying physically and mentally active, managing stress, and getting adequate sleep promotes healthy brain aging. These small changes can add up, so making them part of your routine can support your brain function in the future. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Rakyat Post
5 hours ago
- Rakyat Post
University Students Fined For Pornography Possession After HIV Event Raid In Kelantan
Subscribe to our FREE Three individuals, including two university students, were fined for possessing pornographic material on their mobile phones following a police raid at a community health event in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The lawyer representing the case, Sam CH, clarified on social media that the charges were filed under Section 292 of the Penal Code for 'possessing obscene material' – not for any activities related to a 'gay party' as some media reports suggested. The incident occurred during what the lawyer described as a legitimate community health programme. A banner reading 'Program Mesra Kesihatan Komuniti' (Community Health Programme) was displayed at the venue. Doctors from government health clinics had been invited to speak about HIV prevention and awareness. Counselling sessions were also being conducted. 'No drug was found; no one was caught using drugs that night. No one was having sex at the event place,' Sam wrote in her Facebook post. Legal Consequences and Digital Privacy Warning According to the lawyer, when police found no evidence of illegal activities at the venue, they proceeded to search mobile phones of those present. The three individuals were detained for five days before being fined. The lawyer said her clients have since paid their fines and 'learned their lessons', though she noted they were 'traumatised' by the experience. Sam warned the public about digital privacy, explaining that police can retrieve deleted images and videos from phones. Ladies and gentlemen, never browse pornographic websites with your phone. Police will still be able to retrieve obscene images in your phone even if you had deleted the images and video. She also called for police to focus resources on more serious crimes, including drug trafficking, violent crimes, child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, corruption and fraud. The lawyer emphasised that her comments represented her personal views and not those of her clients or the Malaysian AIDS Council/Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAC/MAF). NGOs Dispute Police Claims Over Raid Previously, a coalition of 31 NGOs has rejected police claims about the raid, supposedly an LGBTQ+-linked programme. The event was a legitimate health initiative providing HIV testing and sexual health information, not a 'gay sex party' as authorities alleged. MAC confirmed the session was conducted under a Health Ministry-supported model targeting high-risk groups, involving over 70 clients and healthcare providers including doctors. NGOs expressed concern about the re-emergence of raids on health centres and events for minority groups, saying such actions undermine public courage to seek HIV treatment and prevention services. The coalition called on police to correct their 'inaccurate statements' and urged the Health Ministry to investigate the matter. READ MORE : Parts of this story have been sourced from Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
News@9: Today's top headlines - July 22, 2025 [WATCH]
Here are today's biggest stories. Not 'gay party' The Kelantan Health Department has confirmed that the so-called "gay party" raided by police last month was actually an HIV awareness programme. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has criticised those who comment on the judiciary without understanding the nation's political history. Apologise! Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming has demanded an apology from critics of the MyKiosk initiative after the MACC found no elements of corruption in the project. Coerced? The mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin claims she was forced to falsely confess to his murder during a 13-day police remand in June last year. That's it for News@9.
