Lithium may decrease risk of developing dementia: Study

LONDON, March 19: A new research led by the University of Cambridge, have identified a link suggesting that lithium could decrease the risk of developing dementia.

The research was published in the journal, ' PLoS Medicine.'

The research conducted a retrospective analysis of the health records of nearly 30,000 patients from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. The patients were all over the age of 50 and accessed NHS mental health services between 2005 and 2019.

The analysis suggested that patients who received lithium were less likely to develop dementia than those who did not, although the overall number of patients who received lithium was small. It also suggested that lithium could be a preventative treatment for dementia and could be progressed to large randomised controlled trials.

Dementia is the leading cause of death in elderly Western populations, but no preventative treatments are currently available. More than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, with Alzheimer's disease the most common form.

"The number of people with dementia continues to grow, which puts huge pressure on healthcare systems," said Dr Shanquan Chen from Cambridge's Department of Psychiatry, the paper's first author.

"It's been estimated that delaying the onset of dementia by just five years could reduce its prevalence and economic impact by as much as 40 per cent," he added.

Previous studies have proposed lithium as a potential treatment for those who have already been diagnosed with dementia or early cognitive impairment, but it is unclear whether it can delay or even prevent the development of dementia altogether, as these studies have been limited in size.

Lithium is a mood stabiliser usually prescribed for conditions such as bipolar affective disorder and depression. "Bipolar disorder and depression are considered to put people at increased risk of dementia, so we had to make sure to account for this in our analysis," said Chen.

Chen and his colleagues analysed data from patients who accessed mental health services from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2019. Patients were all over 50 years of age, received at least a one-year follow-up appointment, and had not been previously diagnosed with either mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Of the 29,618 patients in the study cohort, 548 patients had been treated with lithium and 29,070 had not. Their mean age was just under 74 years, and approximately 40 per cent of patients were male.

For the group that had received lithium, 53, or 9.7 per cent were diagnosed with dementia. For the group that had not received lithium, 3,244, or 11.2 per cent, were diagnosed with dementia.

After controlling for factors such as smoking, other medications, and other physical and mental illnesses, lithium use was associated with a lower risk of dementia, both for short and long-term users. However, since the overall number of patients receiving lithium was small and this was an observational study, larger clinical trials would be needed to establish lithium as a potential treatment for dementia.

Another limitation of the study was the number of patients who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which is normally associated with an increased risk of dementia.

"We expected to find that patients with bipolar disorder were more likely to develop dementia since that is the most common reason to be prescribed lithium, but our analysis suggested the opposite," said Chen.

"It's far too early to say for sure, but it's possible that lithium might reduce the risk of dementia in people with bipolar disorder," he concluded.

Omicron Cases Declining, But WHO Warns Against Sub-Variant BA.2

GENEVA, Feb 18: The Omicron variant, which led the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, is slowing down across the world. Many countries are removing the strict restrictions put in place to check the spread of the infection. But, a World health Organization (WHO) official has raised a fresh concern related to an Omicron sub-strain.

“The virus is evolving and Omicron has several sub-lineages that we are tracking. We have BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. It's really quite incredible how Omicron, the latest variant of concern has overtaken Delta around the world,” Maria Van Kerkhove, Covid-19 technical lead at the WHO, said at a briefing on Thursday. The video was posted on Twitter by the WHO.

“Most of the sequences are this sub-lineage BA.1. We are also seeing an increasing in proportion of sequences of BA.2,” she added. In the tweet accompanying the video, the WHO said that almost 75,000 deaths from Covid-19 were reported last week.

Expressing concern about one sub-lineage, the WHO official said that “BA.2 is more transmissible” than the others.

Kerkhove said there is no evidence that BA.2 is more lethal than BA.1 "but we are monitoring".

Finally, the WHO official said that Omicron is not mild but less severe than Delta. “We are still seeing significant numbers of hospitaliations of Omicron. We are seeing significant numbers of deaths. It is not the common cold, it is not influenza. We just have to be really careful right now,” said Kerkhove.

In an accompanying tweet, the WHO said that almost 75,000 deaths from Covid-19 were reported to it last week.

BA.2 now accounts for roughly one in five new Omicron cases recorded across the world, according to the WHO.

In a briefing on Tuesday, the WHO said that a new wave of infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is moving towards the east of Europe, urging authorities to improve vaccination and other measures.

Over the past two weeks, cases of Covid-19 have more than doubled in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, WHO's Europe regional director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

These Countries Have Zero Covid Cases, Says WHO

GENEVA, Feb 18: The world has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic for more than two years. During this time, many countries saw daily tally breaking new records and thousands succumbing to the infection. The situation was particularly bad in the United States and Europe, as identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

But there are still some countries which have remained untouched by the pandemic. The WHO has a list, which shows the spread of the infection in various countries. Scrolling down, the list shows at least 10 countries which have reported zero Covid-19 cases.

Most of these countries and territories are islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and are likely to be experiencing the benefit of bordering only the sea.

The list used to be longer a few months ago, but the situation has now changed. In Tonga, where a volcano erupted recently, Covid-19 outbreak began after ships brought aid to the island nation. Similarly, Cook Islands also reported its first case last week.

Here is the list of countries with zero Covid-19 cases, as listed by WHO:

Tuvalu: It is a group of three reef islands and six atolls. Though a member of the Commonwealth, Tuvalu kept Covid-19 at bay by closing its borders and mandatory quarantine. According to WHO, nearly 50 people are fully vaccinated per 100 population.

Tokelau: The tiny group of atolls in the South Pacific has been listed as Covid-19 free by the WHO. The island is located near New Zealand and has a single airport, with a population of 1,500.

Saint Helena: Situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, it is a British Overseas Territory. According to WHO, 58.16 persons per 100 are fully vaccinated in Saint Helena.

Pitcairn Islands: These are located in the Pacific Ocean. The central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States has a detailed profile of the remote group of islands. It says that Polynesians were the first inhabitants of the Pitcairn Islands, but the islands were uninhabited by the time they were discovered by Europeans in 1606. According to WHO, 74 people per 100 are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 here.

Niue: This is yet another island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. It is known for its coal-reef dive sites. According to WHO list, more than 79 people per 100 are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 here.

Nauru: The tiny country is situated northeast of Australia. It was also a Japanese outpost during the Second World War. According to WHO list, nearly 68 people per 100 are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 here.

Micronesia: It is comprised of four states - Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap - that together compose the Federated States of Micronesia, according to the CIA website. According to WHO, per 100 vaccination coverage in Micronesia is 38.37.

Apart from these tiny island nations, the WHO has also listed Turkmenistan and North Korea has two other countries - Turkmenistan and North Korea - as free of Covid-19. But bother these countries have not officially acknowledged any case of the infection.

4th Booster Shot? White House Medical Adviser Dr Fauci Says May Be Needed

WASHINGTON, Feb 10: White House Chief Medical advisor Antony Fauci hinted that there may be the need for the fourth-dose boost in the United States to battle with COVID-19 variant Omicron, adding that the booster could be based on age, as well as underlying conditions of the individual.

"There may be the need for yet again another boost -- in this case, a fourth-dose boost for an individual receiving the mRNA -- that could be based on age, as well as underlying conditions," Dr Fauci said that the White House briefing on Wednesday (local time).

Responding to reporters over the data showing the need for a shot beyond the third dose, Dr Anthony Fauci said that that's obviously an issue that has been followed very closely.

Earlier, President Biden's top medical adviser said that half a million people around the world have died of COVID-19 since the omicron variant of the coronavirus was first detected in November, terming it "the full-blown pandemic phase" of the coronavirus crisis.

On Tuesday World Health Organization said that about 1,00,000 of the deaths since omicron was declared a "variant of concern" occurred in the United States.

Speaking further, Dr Fauci said: "The data from the trials on children from six months to 24 months, as well as those from 21 months to -- up to the end of four years have been conducted by the pharmaceutical company, in this case, Pfizer."

Meanwhile, some statewide COVID-19 mask mandates in the US are coming to an end.

Previously, the White House maintained its adherence to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance encouraging mask usage in schools Monday (local time) as some states take steps toward lifting mask mandates in the classroom, CNN reported.

The CDC recommends that those who are vaccinated should "wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission."

According to The Washington Post, coronavirus deaths rose for the fifth consecutive week worldwide, with the 68,000 fatalities reported last week representing a 7 per cent jump from the previous week.

Last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing that COVID deaths are increasing in many parts of the world. He warned it would be "premature for any country either to surrender or to declare victory" against the coronavirus.

"We're concerned that a narrative has taken hold in some countries that because of vaccines, and because of omicron's high transmissibility and lower severity, preventing transmission is no longer possible, and no longer necessary," he said. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

Global coronavirus cases tally crosses 400 million

WASHINGTON, Feb 9: The global coronavirus cases tally crossed 400 million on Wednesday, thanks to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The variant has been pushing health care systems in several countries to the brink.

Almost all new cases reported daily are of the Omicron form, which is dominating the surge over the world. According to a report, even though infections have begun to level off in many countries, more than 2 million cases are still recorded on average every day. According to the seven-day average, deaths, which tend to follow cases, have surged by 70 per cent in the last five weeks.

According to a report, cases and hospitalizations are dropping down from their peak in January of this year. COVID-related deaths in the country topped 900,000 on Friday.

Last Friday, India's COVID-19 death toll surpassed 500,000, a figure that many health experts believe was attained last year but was obscured by incorrect surveys and unreported deaths. In France, the total confirmed COVID cases since the start of the pandemic passed 20 million on February 4.

The UK, in the meantime, looks to looks to scrapping the isolation on testing positive protocol, gearing up to live with the virus. New York, in the meantime, has scrapped the indoor mask mandate. About 50 per cent of the new infections being reported globally have been reported from European nations. Since the pandemic began the region has reported over 131 million cases. Around 62 per cent of the world's population has received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.

Even in isolation you can infect others at home

NEW JERSEY, Feb 1: A new study has detected tiny airborne particles containing RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 that causes Covid-19, both inside and outside of the rooms in which infected people were self-isolating at home.

The research has been published in the 'Annals of the American Thoracic Society Journal'.

The study is the first report of household air contamination with SARS-CoV-2 RNA under typical daily living conditions when a household member is infected. Airborne transmission in crowded living conditions may be one reason for higher rates of Covid-19 infection among people with lower incomes.

"Risk of infection from larger respiratory droplets that rapidly settle onto surfaces, typically within two meters of the source, can be reduced by hand-washing, social distancing, and face masks, but the tiny respiratory particles that stay suspended in the air for hours, require air filtration, ventilation or better masks for prevention," said lead author Howard Kipen, a professor at Rutgers School of Public Health and Director of Clinical Research and Occupational Medicine at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.

The researchers collected air samples from 11 homes in rooms where a newly infected person was isolated, as well as in an adjacent common room to test for the presence of three SARS-CoV-2-specific genes in airborne particles.

The researchers found positive air samples for at least one of three virus genes in six of the 11 isolation rooms and in six of the nine common rooms. Seven of these nine homes reported no other cases in the home.

To better understand how the virus spreads in the home, participants were asked to record their time in the isolation room and the common room.

"We discovered that many did not strictly adhere to self-isolation, with eight of the 11 infected study participants reporting spending from a few hours to 14 hours in the common room and five of 11 participants reporting spending time in other areas of the home," Kipen said.

Additionally, in four of the homes, other residents were also positive or had symptoms.

"Our indoor air sampling data clearly demonstrated that measurable airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA was present in the air in the homes of most infected people, not only in the isolation room but, importantly, elsewhere in the home," Kipen said.

"The findings show that tiny airborne particles containing SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be found in homes of infected individuals beyond the room where they are supposedly self-isolating," Kipen added.

Other Rutgers authors include Robert J Laumbach, Gediminas Mainelis, Kathleen G Black, Nirmala T Myers, Pamela Ohman-Strickland, Shahnaz Alimokhtari, Shirin Hastings, Alicia Legard, Adriana de Resende, Leonardo Calderon and Frederic T Lu.

New Omicron Variant Spreading Even Faster Than Original: Reports

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1: New studies are emerging that suggest the latest version of the highly-infectious omicron variant is transmitting even faster than the original, and mild cases of the first may not offer much protection against future infections.

The findings cast doubt on hopes that the wave of omicron that's sweeping the world may help hasten the end of the pandemic. Calls for governments to treat Covid-19 as endemic like influenza are rising globally as people grow tired of pandemic restrictions, vaccines become more accessible and deaths remain relatively low.

The production of neutralizing antibodies during an omicron infection appears related to the severity of the illness, according to one report from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, that was published online before being peer-reviewed. The milder form of most omicron cases in vaccinated people may leave those who recover from them still vulnerable to existing virus and future variants that emerge, the researchers said.

The protection from a natural infection was about one-third that obtained through a booster shot, the study found.

"Our results suggest that omicron-induced immunity may not be sufficient to prevent infection from another, more pathogenic variant, should it emerge in the future," the researchers said. "They also highlight the continued importance of vaccine boosters in enhancing immunity, as breakthrough infection alone may not be reliable" in protecting against repeat infections or future illness from new strains, they said.

The second study found a second-generation form of omicron appears even more transmissible than the original.

It showed 39% of people infected with a the BA.2 subvariant were likely to infect others in their households, compared with 29% of those who were carrying the original version. Thestudy analyzed data gathered from 8,541 households in December and January in Denmark, where the new subvariant has become the dominant strain.

The risk of infection with either type was higher in those who were unvaccinated, underlining a positive effect of vaccination, the investigators said.

The findings bolster work from UK health authorities released last week that found the omicron subvariant appears even more contagious than the original fast-spreading strain. That analysis also showed booster shots remain an effective shield, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday.

While BA.1 is still the most dominant type worldwide, recent trends suggest BA.2 is increasing in some countries including India, South Africa, the UK and Denmark, the World Health Organization said last month.

Neither study has undergone a thorough review by outside experts that is common before new findings are formally published. The Danish was conducted by scientists at University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark, Technical University of Denmark and Statens Serum Institut. The other was led by Charles Chiu at University of California, San Francisco.

The omicron subvariant appears to be more contagious but data so far doesn't show it's more dangerous or that it evades protection from vaccines, said Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration. At worst, the strain could slow down the decline in omicron infections in the US, he said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

How many times can I reuse my N95 mask?

WASHINGTON, Feb 1: It depends, but you should be able to use N95s and KN95s a few times.

The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention says health care workers can wear an N95 mask up to five times. But experts say how often the average person can safely wear one will vary depending on how it’s used.

Using the same mask to run to the grocery store, for example, is very different than wearing it all day at work.

The amount of time a mask is worn is more important than how frequently it’s worn, says Richard Flagan, who studies masks and aerosols at the California Institute of Technology.

In general, he recommends limiting the use of an N95 mask to about two or three days.

With every breath you take in an N95, particles accumulate on the mask, Flagan says. That could make it more difficult to breathe if the mask has trapped a lot of particles.

“They are degrading the performance of the mask,” Flagan says.

The elastic band on the mask could also get worn out and not fit around your face as snugly. It might also get dirty or wet, especially if you’re using it while exercising.

If you notice any of these changes to your mask, it’s time to stop using it — even if you’ve only used it a few hours. And since N95 masks can’t be washed, they should be thrown away once you can no longer use them.