Category: 8. Health

AKIPRESS.COM – A recent study published in the journal “Healthcare of Kyrgyzstan” has shed light on the level of awareness regarding HIV infection and mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) prevention among pregnant women, young families, and their relatives.

The authors highlight that while most registered HIV cases in the country are among men, women face particular vulnerabilities. These include limited decision-making power, economic dependence, domestic violence, and difficulties discussing safe sexual practices with partners. In many instances, HIV in women is only detected during pregnancy registration, underscoring the need to strengthen prevention efforts during family planning and prenatal care.

Additional barriers remain due to stigma and discrimination. These factors heighten the fear of societal and familial judgment, potentially preventing women from seeking timely help and starting treatment. The authors note that in such cases, the risk of sexual transmission increases, and the likelihood of preventing vertical transmission of the virus to the child decreases. Furthermore, many women are insufficiently informed about measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT).

Researchers emphasize that modern HIV therapy allows individuals to lead full lives, including studying, working, having families, and giving birth to healthy children. However, informing the population, especially expectant parents, remains critically important.

Research Methodology and Key Findings

The two-stage study involved surveying pregnant women, their spouses, and relatives (including mothers-in-law). The majority of respondents (70%) were women. The survey included questions on HIV transmission routes, prevention methods, the importance of early testing, and treatment options.

The study found that respondents, particularly women in rural areas, often have limited access to education and income-earning opportunities, which can affect their access to information and medical services. It was also noted that about 42% of participants were unemployed, primarily women on maternity leave or recently married. Women from rural areas more frequently face employment challenges.

The research results indicate an improved level of knowledge about HIV infection following an information campaign. The authors conclude that to enhance the effectiveness of PMTCT prevention, it is essential to further develop educational modules and focus specifically on working with young families.

“We recently conducted a study that explored the effects of increasing fermented food intake in more than 6,000 people,” she tells me. “We found that 42% reported less bloating and 52% reported feeling less hungry.”

4. Beans and legumes

Described as “full of fibre” and a “longevity food” by Nasser, beans and legumes can help with feeding the good bacteria in the gut, as they tend to contain both soluble and insoluble fibre. Pick from kidney beans, butter beans, edamame beans, black beans, borlotti beans, pinto beans, chickpeas and myriad others for maximum variety.

5. Kefir

“A fermented dairy drink that’s rich in live cultures (or probiotics), kefir is a staple in my home because of the way it supports the balance of good bacteria in the gut,” nutritionist and author of The Unprocessed Plate, Rhiannon Lambert explains. “There’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that regularly consuming probiotic foods like kefir can help improve gut microbial diversity, potentially supporting digestion, immune function and even mood.”

6. Cooked leafy greens

“Rainbow chard, kale, spinach, spring greens and cavolo nero are all rich in magnesium and fibre, which feed beneficial gut bacteria and support regular bowel movement,” says BANT registered nutritionist, hormone specialist and author of Everything I Know About Hormones, Hannah Alderson. She emphasises how important regular bowel movements are for detoxifying excess oestrogen from the body.

7. Shiitake mushrooms

“Shiitake mushrooms contain a special type of fibre known as ‘beta-glucan’,” Nasser explains. “It helps to strengthen the gut lining, increase SCFA production and plays a role in immune-modulation.” In layman’s terms, this means it can positively affect how the immune system functions.

Nasser says she likes to buy dried shiitake mushrooms, blitz them in a blender or food processor and then add them to the base of whatever she’s cooking. So, for good gut health, think onions, garlic and shiitake.

8. Pumpkin seeds

A handful of pumpkin seeds contains around 5g of fibre and 150mg of magnesium, which can help with gut motility and regular bowel movements, says English. “A lot of people who experience bloating or constipation are low in magnesium, especially if they’re stressed or not sleeping well,” she says. Sprinkle on salads, porridge or yoghurt, or simply enjoy a handful as a mid-morning snack.

9. Herbs and spices

According to Dr Murthy, carminative (anti-bloating) herbs and spices are a happy gut’s best friends. “Ginger, fennel, ajawain (carom) cumin, coriander, cinnamon and mint all support digestion, reduce bloating and regulate gut motility (the way in which the digestive tract moves food and waste through),” he explains. His best tip is to sip a warm ginger and mint tea in the morning to “wake up” the gut.

10. Stewed fruit

Ideal for when you fancy a warming sweet treat, cooked fruits are high on Alderson’s list of the best foods for gut health. “Cooked apples and stewed berries are high in pectin, a soluble fibre that feeds your gut bacteria, especially those linked to inflammation reduction and gut lining health.”

11. Healthy fats

“Extra virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts and omega-3 rich fish can help calm inflammation and support the gut lining,” nutritionist, naturopath and founder of Artah, Rhian Stephenson tells me. Consider swapping low-quality, heavily processed cooking oils like corn and some sunflower varieties for healthier alternatives, such as ghee, coconut, extra virgin olive or avocado.

12. Dark chocolate

In addition to offering a range of health benefits (better mood being just one of them), dark chocolate contains a notable amount of fibre, says Nasser. “One study found that a serving size of 85% dark chocolate helped to improve gut health,” she says. “The darker the chocolate, the more fibre and polyphenols it’ll contain.”

13. Bone broth

An often overlooked part of good gut health is the gut lining. The innermost layer of the digestive tract, the gut lining can control how well food is able to pass through the colon without pesky particles “leaking” back into the bloodstream. “Bone broth is rich in collagen, glycine and glutamine,” English explains, noting that each of these nutrients plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the gut lining.

Cutter Creatives

Cutter Creatives

Intermittent fasting has emerged as a popular weight-loss strategy in recent years, and new research suggests it may be just as effective as traditional calorie restriction diets – with one method standing out as particularly beneficial.

Intermittent fasting involves limiting the hours in which food is eaten each day, prompting the body to use stored fat for energy after exhausting its glucose reserves. Numerous health experts, including those at Johns Hopkins Medicine, have previously highlighted the health benefits of this dietary approach.

Obesity remains a major public health concern, affecting two in five adults in the United States and costing the American healthcare system around $173 billion annually. Excess body weight significantly raises the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

In a recent study, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and several international institutions conducted an analysis comparing various intermittent fasting methods. Published in The BMJ, the study included data from over 6,500 adults across 99 clinical trials, most of whom were obese and had pre-existing health conditions.

The study found that alternate-day fasting, where individuals fast every other day, provided superior health benefits compared to standard calorie restriction and other intermittent fasting techniques.

Harvard researchers highlighted, “Among all intermittent fasting methods studied, alternate-day fasting – where a person eats normally one day and completely abstains from food the next – was shown to be the most effective.”

Participants practising alternate-day fasting achieved greater weight loss, averaging 2.8 pounds (around 1.3 kg) more than those on traditional calorie-restricted diets. This fasting approach also led to significant improvements in key health markers linked to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk, including reductions in waist circumference, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and inflammation measured by C-reactive protein.

Additionally, alternate-day fasting was associated with lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, reducing risks linked to heart attacks and strokes.

However, researchers noted the observed differences in weight loss were still below the clinically significant threshold – defined as at least 4.4 pounds (2 kg) – for individuals with obesity. Longer trials are therefore required to better understand the long-term effectiveness of intermittent fasting and its clinical implications.

Zhila Semnani-Azad, the study’s lead researcher, emphasised caution, stating, “Intermittent fasting, despite its promising results, may not be suitable for everyone. Before making significant dietary changes, it is essential to consult healthcare professionals and consider personal medical history, lifestyle, social circumstances, and potential for sustained adherence.”

This research contributes valuable insights into how intermittent fasting could help address obesity and associated health risks, though further studies are needed to fully confirm and understand its long-term benefits.

Flea infestation prevalence and patterns

A total of 1052 dogs and 1039 cats from 94 counties (64 rural and 43 non-rural) were examined, with an overall flea infestation prevalence of 33.6% (353/1052) in dogs and 36.5% (379/1039) in cats (Tables 1, 2). No statistically significant difference was observed between dogs and cats in terms of infestation prevalence (χ² = 2.05, df = 1, P = 0.153).

The prevalence of flea infestation did not differ significantly between sexes in either species (dogs: χ² = 0.36, df = 1, P = 0.550; cats: χ² = 0.16, df = 1, P = 0.691). In dogs, 32.2% of females (151/469) and 34.0% of males (166/488) were infested. In cats, infestation was recorded in 36.4% of females (177/486) and 35.2% of males (170/483).

A significant association was observed between flea infestation and age group in both dogs (P = 0.015) and cats (χ² = 21.46, df = 5, P = 0.001). Puppies (age < 6 months; 45.8%, 44/96, ASR = 2.8) and kittens (age ≤ 6 months; 50.0%, 67/134, ASR = 3.6) exhibited the highest prevalence of infestation.

In dogs, fur length was significantly associated with infestation (χ² = 14.95, df = 2, P = 0.001), with short-haired individuals presenting the lowest prevalence of infestation (28.0%, 151/540, ASR = − 3.8).

Lower body condition scores were significantly associated with higher flea infestation prevalence in both dogs (42.0%, 66/157, χ² = 7.98, df = 2, P = 0.019, ASR = 2.5) and cats (44.2%, 88/199, χ² = 11.41, df = 2, P = 0.003, ASR = 2.6).

Geographical origin also influenced flea infestation prevalence, with the highest values recorded in the North (dogs: 45.1%, 143/317, χ² = 69.74, df = 4, P < 0.0001, ASR = 5.3; cats: 45.0%, 139/309, χ² = 31.67, df = 4, P < 0.0001, ASR = 3.6) and the lowest recorded in the LMA (dogs: 9.9%, 19/192, ASR = − 7.6; cats: 20.0%, 37/185, ASR = − 5.2). In contrast, no significant differences were found regarding parish type (dogs: χ² = 0.09, df = 1, P = 0.765; cats: χ² = 0.75, df = 1, P = 0.387).

Lifestyle was significantly associated with flea infestation (dogs: χ² = 36.78, df = 4, P < 0.0001; cats: χ² = 98.77, df = 4, P < 0.0001). Outdoor domestic dogs and cats exhibited the highest prevalence (cats: 78.5%, 51/65, ASR = 7.3; dogs: 50.0%, 42/84, ASR = 3.4), whereas sheltered individuals had the lowest (cats: 27.5%, 100/364, ASR = - 4.4; dogs: 24.5%, 116/473, ASR = - 5.4). Additionally, dogs in contact with outdoor animals had a significantly higher infestation prevalence compared to those without such contact (χ² = 7.86, df = 1, P = 0.005; 47.8%, 138/289, ASR = 2.8 vs. 30.6%, 26/85, ASR = − 2.8), and those in contact with cats were more frequently infested (χ² = 14.282, df = 1, P < 0.0001; 39.6%, 91/230, ASR = 3.8 vs. 24.1%, 70/290, ASR = - 3.8).

In contrast to cats, seasonality significantly influenced flea infestation in dogs (χ² = 16.49, df = 3, P = 0.001), with the highest prevalence observed in summer (39.1%, 106/271, ASR = 2.4) and autumn (39.5%, 90/228, ASR = 2.3), while the lowest infestation prevalence was in winter (25.1%, 44/175, ASR = − 2.5).

Flea species

A total of 1513 flea specimens were collected from dogs (51.8%, 784/1513) and cats (48.2%, 729/1513) (Fig. 1). Ctenocephalides felis was the most frequently identified flea species, accounting for 85.7% (672/784) of fleas in dogs and 98.8% (720/729) in cats (Table 3). Other species identified included C. canis (7.8%, 61/784 in dogs; 1.2%, 9/729 in cats), P. irritans (5.5%, 43/784, exclusively in dogs) and A. erinacei maura (1.0%, 8/784, exclusively in dogs).

Mono-infestations were predominant, with C. felis being the only flea species in 85.6% (302/353) of infested dogs and 98.2% (372/373) of infested cats. Co-infestations were observed only in dogs (3.4%, 12/353), most frequently involving C. felis and P. irritans (50.0%, 6/12), followed by C. canis and C. felis (33.3%, 4/12), A. erinacei maura and C. felis (8.3%, 1/12) and C. canis, C. felis and P. irritans (8.3%, 1/12).

Flea intensity ranged from 1 to 17 (mean 2.2) fleas per dog and from 1 to 33 (mean 1.9) fleas per cat.

Molecular characterisation and phylogenetics

A total of 75 cox2 sequences were obtained (100% amplification success) from flea specimens morphologically identified as C. felis (72.0%, 54/75), C. canis (13.3%, 10/75), P. irritans (13.3%, 10/75) and A. erinacei maura (1.3%, 1/75) (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5).

Phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. felis sequences shared a common ancestor. Nonetheless, C. felis felis showed a paraphyletic origin, with sequences obtained from morphologically identified C. felis specimens collected from dogs and cats segregating into a monophyletic cluster with low genetic divergence, composed exclusively of reference sequences of C. felis felis from dogs and cats in Australia, Hungary, Israel, Italy and Spain (Fig. 6).

Ctenocephalides canis showed a monophyletic origin, with the obtained sequences of C. canis from dogs and cats clustering together with reference sequences of C. canis collected from dogs and cats in China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran and Turkey.

The obtained sequences of P. irritans from dogs segregated into a monophyletic cluster composed exclusively of sequences of P. irritans collected from humans and animals, Argentina, China, Croatia, Madagascar and Spain.

Similarly, the obtained sequence of A. erinacei maura collected from a dog formed a robust monophyletic cluster with sequences of A. erinacei maura from hedgehogs in Spain and Portugal.

Flea allergy dermatitis in infested animals

Flea allergy dermatitis was significantly associated with flea infestation in both dogs and cats (dogs: χ² = 71.81, df = 1, P < 0.0001; cats: χ² = 16.02, df = 1, P < 0.0001. Infested animals had a higher prevalence of FAD compared to non-infested individuals (dogs: 16.1%, 53/330, ASR = 8.5 vs. 1.8%, 12/653, ASR = − 8.5); cats: 5.4%, 20/367, ASR = 4.0 vs. 1.1%, 7/616, ASR = - 4.0). Host species was also significantly associated with FAD occurrence (χ² = 16.47, df = 1, P < 0.0001), with dogs showing a higher prevalence of FAD (6.6%, 65/983, ASR = 4.1) compared to cats (2.7%, 27/983; ASR = − 4.1). In addition, flea burden was significantly higher in animals presenting clinical signs compatible with FAD (dogs: U = 15098.00, Z = − 7.95, P < 0.0001; cats: U = 8168.00, Z = − 3.79, P < 0.0001).

Effect of insecticide use

The use of insecticides was significantly associated with lower flea infestation in both dogs and cats (dogs: χ² = 23.69, df = 1, P =  < 0.001; cats: χ² = 21.78, df = 1, P =  < 0.001).

Infestation prevalence was lower in treated animals (dogs: 22.4%, 146/651, ASR = − 4.9; cats: 21.7%, 106/488, ASR = = − 4.7) compared to untreated individuals (dogs: 50.0%, 32/64, ASR = 4.9; cats: 45.8%, 38/83, ASR = = 4.7), indicating a protective effect of insecticide application. Additionally, a significant association was observed between insecticidal use and flea infestation in both species (P < 0.001). Animals treated with fipronil showed the highest ASR (dogs = 6.0; cats = 8.7), compared to all other treatment groups (Additional file 2: Table S1, Table S2).

Multivariable logistic regression analysis of risk factors for flea infestation

The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified NUTS II/seasonality/insecticide use and NUTS II/lifestyle/insecticide use as significant predictors of flea infestation in dogs (G² = 85.22, df = 8, P < 0.0001) and cats (G² = 136.12, df = 9, P < 0.0001), respectively (Additional file 2: Table S3, Table S4; Figs. 7, 8).

Regarding infestation according to NUTS II regions in mainland Portugal, compared to the North region, the odds of flea infestation were significantly lower in LMA (χ²_Wald = 31.85, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 0.14, 95% CI 0.21–0.69), Alentejo (χ²_Wald = 10.35, df = 1, P = 0.001, aOR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.21–0.69) and Algarve (χ²_Wald = 8.81, df = 1, P = 0.003, aOR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.27–0.76) for dogs, and in LMA (χ²_Wald = 24.73, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 0.10, 95% CI 0.41–0.25), Alentejo (χ²_Wald = 10.08, df = 1, P = 0.001, aOR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.13–0.62), and Centro (χ²_Wald = 7.08, df = 1, P = 0.008, aOR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.25–0.81) for cats.

The odds of flea infestation in dogs were significantly higher in spring (χ²_Wald = 4.60, df = 1, P = 0.032, aOR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.07–4.06), summer (χ²_Wald = 8.89, df = 1, P = 0.003, aOR = 2.83, 95% CI 1.43–5.61) and autumn (χ²_Wald = 13.85, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 3.72, 95% CI 1.86–7.43), compared to winter.

In cats, lifestyle was a significant predictor of flea infestation (χ²_Wald = 53.93, df = 4, P  < 0.0001), with domestic cats having outdoor access exhibiting the highest odds of infestation.

Flea infestation was associated with the absence of insecticide use in both dogs and cats. Compared to treated individuals, untreated dogs had nearly a fivefold higher odds of infestation (χ²_Wald = 27.57, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 4.87, 95% CI 2.70–8.79), while untreated cats had approximately a fourfold higher odds of infestation (χ²_Wald = 17.88, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 4.02, 95% CI 2.11–8.67).

The adjusted models demonstrated a good fit to the data (dogs: χ²_HL = 7.96, df = 8, P = 0.438; cats: χ²_HL = 9.72, df = 7, P = 0.205) and exhibited adequate discriminative performance (dogs: AUC = 0.71, P < 0.0001; cats: AUC = 0.77, P < 0.0001).

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Mornings set the tone for the rest of the day. For most of us, that means gulping down chai, skipping breakfast, or diving headfirst into stress before we’ve even made the bed. But what if these seemingly harmless habits were quietly taking a toll on one of the most important—and underappreciated—organs in your body: the liver?
Yes, your liver. That quiet, behind-the-scenes organ that filters out toxins, metabolizes fats and sugars, breaks down alcohol and medications, and basically keeps your body running like a well-oiled machine. Unlike your heart or brain, your liver rarely complains—until it’s already overworked, sluggish, or inflamed. And by then? The damage could already be underway.
Let’s break down how your a.m. routine might be sneakily sabotaging your liver—and what you can do about it, without overhauling your life or spending a fortune on detox teas.

The scanner works by using photos to measure fluid levels in the feet and ankles.

Jul 6, 2025