Azad wants
South Asian countries to tackle TB, HIV/AIDS together
There is a need for inter-regional action between various
South Asian countries to tackle cross-border issues on HIV/AIDS and
tuberculosis, Indian Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on
Friday. Meeting Runa Laila, the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) goodwill ambassador for HIV/AIDS, Azad also stressed on the
need for enhanced scale of care, support and treatment services for
eligible-HIV infected people, an official release said.
Azad briefed her about the internationally acclaimed success
of India’s HIV programme, especially the commendable scale up in testing and
treatment services, the prevention of parent to child programme and the migrant
strategy. Runa Laila told reporters prevention and treatment strategies
have yielded a good impact as reflected in the reduction in new HIV infections
as well as AIDS related deaths in the country.
She emphasized that all pregnant women should get themselves
tested for HIV, and if found positive, should start anti-retroviral therapy to
prevent transmission to the newborn. Runa Laila, who is on a three-day
visit to India, has been conferred the honorary title of SAARC goodwill
ambassador by for the next two years along with actor Ajay Devgn from India and
film-maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy from Pakistan. During her visit, besides
Azad, she also called on External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
03.08.2013
Anaemia
boosts the risk of dementia in the elderly
Anaemia, or low levels of red blood cells, may
increase the risk of dementia in elderly people, a US study has said. ‘Anaemia
is common in the elderly and occurs in up to 23 per cent of adults aged 65 and
older,’ Xinhua quoted study author Kristine Yaffe of the University of
California San Francisco as saying.
‘The condition has also been linked in studies
to an increased risk of early death.’
In the study, researchers examined 2,552 older
adults between the ages of 70 and 79 for over 11 years.
Of those, 393 had anaemia at the start of the
study. At the end of the study, 445, or about 18 per cent of participants,
developed dementia. The study found that people who had anaemia at the start of
the study had a nearly 41 per cent higher risk of developing dementia than
those who were not anaemic.
The link remained after considering other
factors, such as age, race, sex and education, according to the study published
in the US journal Neurology. Of the 393 people with anaemia, 89
people (or 23 per cent) developed dementia, compared to 366 of the 2,159 people
(or 17 per cent) who did not have anaemia, the study said.
‘There are several explanations for why
anaemia may be linked to dementia,’ Yaffe said. ‘For example, anaemia may be a
marker for poor health in general, or low oxygen levels resulting from anaemia
may play a role in the connection. Reductions in oxygen to the brain have been
shown to reduce memory and thinking abilities and may contribute to damage to
neurons.’
The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the
intangible, and achieves the impossible
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