New HIV infections down, but AIDS deaths rise 35% in 3 yrs

Deaths due to full blown AIDSin the city have jumped by nearly 35% over the last three years though the number of fresh HIV infections has shown a decline, shows figures collated by the Mumbai District Aids Control Society. They suggest that a majority of the HIV cases are detected in the 35-49 age group, indicating that awareness campaigns are probably not making early inroads. AIDS deaths rose from 945 in 2013-14 to 1,270 in 2015-16 (see box). Activists are alarmed that the year-on-year increase in fatalities has ranged from…

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Cranberries Squashed as Folk Remedy for Urinary Infections

Another folk remedy bites the dust. Cranberry capsules didn’t prevent or cure urinary infections in nursing home residents in a study challenging persistent unproven claims to the contrary. The research adds to decades of conflicting evidence on whether cranberries in any form can prevent extremely common bacterial infections, especially in women. Many studies suggesting a benefit were based on weak science, but that hasn’t stopped marketers and even some health care providers from recommending cranberry juice or capsules as an inexpensive way to avoid these uncomfortable and potentially risky infections.…

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Antibiotic-resistance making kidney infections more deadly

Medication-resistant bacteria are making it more difficult to treat a common but severe kidney infection, says a study. Pyelonephritis — infection of the kidney usually caused by E. coli bacteria and which can start as a urinary tract infection — causes fever, back pain and vomiting. About half of people infected require hospitalisation. If not treated with effective antibiotics, it can cause sepsis and death. “This is a very real example of the threat posed by the emergence of new antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, which greatly complicates treatment of infection,”…

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Polluted Ganga river can treat infections: Scientists

Polluted Ganga river can treat infections: Scientists The waters of the Ganga do have unusual healing properties despite all its muck and pollution. Until now, these properties were believed to be in the realm of belief and myth. Scientists from the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh, have for the first time validated that the water of Ganga does not putrefy easily and there is scientific evidence for it. They have identified new viruses, or bacteriophages, which mimic bacteria in the sediment of the river and eat them up. Scientists…

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Viral Infections More Dangerous During Morning: Study

Our body clock accelerates the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells ten times faster during the morning than by the end of the day, placing people at a higher risk of catching infection, a study involving an Indian-origin scientist has revealed. Disruptions in body clock lead to increased virus replication and dissemination, indicating that severity of acute infections is influenced by circadian time-keeping. “The time of day of infection can have a major influence on how susceptible we are to the disease, or at least on the…

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Viral infections more dangerous during morning: Study

Viral infections more dangerous during morning: Study (Getty Images) Our body clock accelerates the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells ten times faster during the morning than by the end of the day, placing people at a higher risk of catching infection, a study involving an Indian-origin scientist has revealed. Disruptions in body clock lead to increased virus replication and dissemination, indicating that severity of acute infections is influenced by circadian time-keeping. “The time of day of infection can have a major influence on how susceptible we…

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