Partcipants at the launching ceremony (Source: organisation board) HCM City (VNA) – A campaign to tackle HIV was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on May 24. A person living with HIV taking antiretroviral (ARV) therapy daily as instructed by doctors and maintaining the condition of undetectable viral load will have no risk to transfer HIV virus to his/her partners, read a message released at a ceremony to launch the K=K campaign. The K=K (undetectable=incommunicable) campaign was launched by the Ho Chi Minh City Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Vietnam and the Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (VNP+). The message released at the ceremony explained how a person living with HIV taking antiretroviral (ARV) therapy daily and maintaining an undetectable viral load has no risk of transferring the HIV virus to sexual partners. Dr. John Blandford, Principal Director of the CDC Division of Global … [Read more...] about Early, strict ARV treatment prevents HIV transmission
Health
What’s in your genome? Parents-to-be want to know
Every parent-to-be wants a healthy baby. And, when offered an opportunity, most couples want to know which disease-causing genes, or risk factors, they carry and could unwittingly pass to their children. I’m a clinical molecular geneticist and wanted to understand exactly how much do people want to know about their genetic baggage. To address this question, I and a team of clinical geneticists, genetic counselors, laboratory geneticists and researchers screened approximately 200 healthy adults. We looked at 728 genes for disease-causing mutations and variants known to increase the risk of particular conditions.RELATED: Why medicine leads the professions in suicide, and what we can do about itWhat makes our tests different is that we are screening for a much larger number of genes and for all types of genetic defects not currently included in most of the clinically available carrier tests you would get from your OB-GYN. This information is critical for couples planning a … [Read more...] about What’s in your genome? Parents-to-be want to know
Vietnam active on sidelines of World Health Assembly in Geneva
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Geneva (VNA) – Deputy Health Minister Le Quang Cuong and a Vietnamese Health Ministry delegation had working sessions with foreign partners on the sidelines of the 71st World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland from May 21-26. During a working session with the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea, both sides agreed to complete bilateral health care cooperation documents scheduled for signing during the upcoming visit by the RoK Minister of Health and Welfare. The RoK side also pledged to share experience in granting vocational licenses to Vietnamese medical officials. In another working session, Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Global Tuberculosis Programme Tereza Kasaeva lauded Vietnam’s achievements in tuberculosis prevention. She wished Vietnam would share its experience with countries hit by the disease and attend the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending … [Read more...] about Vietnam active on sidelines of World Health Assembly in Geneva
A Drug Researcher Talks Michael Pollan’s Book, PTSD Treatment And Trump On LSD
HEALTH 05/24/2018 07:17 pm ET The endgame for psychedelic drugs isn't “microdosing Fridays.” It's treating major mental illness. By Erin Schumaker The idea of using psychedelic drugs to expand consciousness or disrupt negative patterns of thinking had a well-documented moment in the 1950s and 1960s. Now it’s having a cultural revival. Podcast host PJ Vogt talked about secretly taking tiny doses of LSD to see if it would improve his work and life. Novelist Ayelet Waldman wrote about using microdoses of LSD to treat her volatile moods. New York Magazine ran a guide on the microdosing movement. In Silicon Valley, tech companies are holding “microdosing Fridays.” That last tidbit comes from a new book by journalist Michael Pollan, How to Change Your Mind, in which he offers a winding tour through the history of psychedelics. He also tells the story of a middle-aged man who wanted to find out if it was too late to rewire his … [Read more...] about A Drug Researcher Talks Michael Pollan’s Book, PTSD Treatment And Trump On LSD
Johnson & Johnson hit with $25.75 million verdict in talc-asbestos case
Story highlights A woman said she developed pleural mesothelioma after using Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder There are similar asbestos-related cases making their way through courts (CNN)A California jury hit Johnson & Johnson and other companies with a $25.75 million verdict, saying the company was negligent and did not warn consumers about possible health risks from its Baby Powder. The couple who brought the suit, Joanne and Gary Anderson, claim that she developed a kind of cancer after using the company's Baby Powder. The jury returned a $21.75 million compensatory damage amount on Tuesday and, after deliberating on punitive damages, came back with an additional $4 million. Does talcum powder cause cancer? A legal and scientific battle rages In Los Angeles Superior Court, the Oregon woman said she was an avid bowler and used the powder in her shoes and on her hands for years. She also used it when her children were younger to help with diaper rash. Experts in … [Read more...] about Johnson & Johnson hit with $25.75 million verdict in talc-asbestos case