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New York, Feb 26 (IANS) Antidepressant use rose sharply in adolescents and young adults, particularly among girls, after the Covid-19 pandemic began, according to a new study.

The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, showed the rate of antidepressant use rose nearly 64 per cent faster after March 2020 in young people aged 12 to 25.

“Antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults was already high and rising before March 2020. Our findings suggest these trends accelerated during the pandemic,” said lead author Kao Ping Chua, a paediatrician and researcher at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in the US.

Importantly, the increase in the antidepressant dispensing rate during the pandemic was driven by females: 130 per cent faster among girls aged 12-17 years and 60 per cent faster among females aged 18-25 years.

“Multiple studies suggest that rates of anxiety and depression among female adolescents increased during the pandemic,” Chua said. “These studies, coupled with our findings, suggest the pandemic exacerbated a pre-existing mental health crisis in this group.”

In contrast to females, the antidepressant dispensing rate changed little among male young adults after March 2020 and declined among male adolescents, which Chua found surprising.

“It’s hard to believe this decline reflects improved mental health,” he said.

This could be because male adolescents may have skipped physicals and other health care visits during the pandemic, decreasing opportunities to diagnose and treat anxiety and depression, the researchers said.

Chua said the overall rise in antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults may not only be related to worsened mental health. Long waitlists for psychotherapy, for example, may have also played a role.

“In my primary care clinic, I often heard from patients and families that they were facing 6-9 month wait lists for therapy during the pandemic. In those situations, it didn’t make sense to withhold antidepressants and recommend a therapy-only approach,” he said.

--IANS

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New York, Feb 26 (IANS) US researchers have found a drug that is commonly used to treat asthma patients and can also help children with food allergies.

According to a new study led by scientists at the Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University, regular use of omalizumab can protect people from severe allergic responses, such as difficulty breathing, if they accidentally eat a small amount of a food they are allergic to.

Omalizumab, which the US Food and Drug Administration originally approved to treat diseases such as allergic asthma and chronic hives, is an injected antibody that binds and deactivates all types of immunoglobulin E, or IgE, the allergy-causing molecule in the blood and on the body’s immune cells.

Based on the new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the FDA, last week, approved omalizumab for reducing risk of allergic reactions to foods.

“Patients impacted by food allergies face a daily threat of life-threatening reactions due to accidental exposures. The study showed that omalizumab can be a layer of protection against small, accidental exposures,” said lead author Robert Wood, Professor of paediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

For the study, the team included 177 children with at least three food allergies each, of whom 38 per cent were 1 to 5 years old, 37 per cent were 6 to 11 years old, and 24 per cent were 12 or older.

Two-thirds of the children were randomly assigned to receive omalizumab injections, and one-third received an injected placebo; the injections took place over 16 weeks.

Re-test between weeks 16 and 20 showed that 79 patients (66.9 per cent) who had taken omalizumab could tolerate at least 600 mg of peanut protein, the amount in two or three peanuts, compared with only four patients (6.8 per cent) who had the placebo.

Similar proportions of patients showed improvement in their reactions to the other foods in the study.

About 80 per cent of patients taking omalizumab were able to consume small amounts of at least one allergy-triggering food without inducing an allergenic reaction, 69 per cent of patients could consume small amounts of two allergenic foods and 47 per cent could eat small amounts of all three allergenic foods.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANSlife) Nestled in the Indonesian archipelago, Bali has truly earned its nickname "Island of the Gods." This captivating destination offers something for everyone - from serene beaches kissed by turquoise waters to majestic temples steeped in history. No wonder for years, travellers have sought its shores to restore and revitalise their spirits.

So what sets Bali apart from the other sought-after spots in the world? CRED Escapes invites guests to take a trip down these bustling, narrow streets to find out.

Tracing the history

The history of the Balinese people reflects a series of migrations. Thousands of years ago, people from nearby islands like Java and Kalimantan sailed over to Bali and made it their home. In the 15th and 16th centuries, as Islam gained prominence in Java, many Hindus, including both nobles and commoners, sought refuge in Bali. This mix of people and beliefs over time shaped Bali's unique culture, visibly evident in Bali's architecture, traditions, and even daily life.

The Present Landscape

Bali's rich history shapes its vibrant cultural scene today, with numerous temples dotting the island's landscape. From grand landmarks to intimate household shrines, these temples symbolize resilience and community spirit. Balinese culture is renowned for its warm hospitality, providing a refreshing contrast to the hustle and bustle of contemporary living.

Before ending a trip to Bali, don’t miss out the chance to witness the centuries-old traditions at Tirta Empul's water cleansing ritual, join a family-hosted cooking class and learn the art of creating authentic Balinese dishes. Savour the flavours of these vibrant markets and check out the ancient art of Batik, a renowned dyeing technique. Participate in a hands-on workshop, learn from local artisans, and you can even create your personalised souvenir.

IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in

--IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is likely to miss the remaining three Test matches against England due to an injury, says report.

Iyer has complained of stiffness in the back and pain in the groin area and he Iyer will be sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for further tests, an Indian Express report said.

While the entire squad's playing kits for the second Test were flown directly from Vizag to Rajkot, the venue of the third Test which starts on February 15, Iyer's equipment was specifically sent to his home in Mumbai.

"Iyer has informed the Indian team management and the medical staff that his back gets stiff after playing more than 30 balls and he feels pain in his groin while playing forward defence. Post surgery, he is facing this issue for the first time so he has been advised to rest for a few weeks. He will head to NCA later," a source told The Indian Express.

Iyer has recorded the scores of 35, 13, 27, 29 across the first two Tests played in Hyderabad and Vizag.

The selection committee is expected to announce the India squad for the remaining matches of the five-match series on Friday. If Iyer is indeed excluded, the selectors will need to decide on his replacement.

Team India, which is on a short break, has been expected to assemble in Rajkot on February 11 with training likely to resume the following day.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has heaped praise on 'Uri' helmer Aditya Dhar's upcoming film 'Article 370' starring Yami Gautam Dhar. After watching the film's trailer, he commented that it "looks full of passion."

Kumar, who played a patriot and hero in several films, including 'Holiday' and 'Baby', also reiterated that Kashmir is an integral part of the country.

"Kashmir was, is, and will always be a part of India #Article370Trailer looks full of passion!," the 'Special 26' star wrote in Hindi on X. The original in Hindi read: "Kashmir Bharat ka hissa tha, hai aur hamesha rahega."

The actor also extended his best wishes to Yami. "All the best, Jai Hind! @yamigautam @jiostudios," he wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Notably, in December last year, the Supreme Court had upheld the abrogation of Article 370 by Parliament on August 5, 2019. The film's trailer, which also has as Priyamani of 'Family Man 2' fame, offers glimpses of how Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated in response to the dire situation of Kashmir.

The trailer showcases Yami's character reflecting on the state of Kashmir, pained by the events in the region. The viewers are soon thrown into the action set-piece consisting of blasts and violence and separatists making inflammatory speeches.

Priyamani essays the role of an officer with the PMO; the trailer shows Yami's character being appointed by the NIA to round up potential threats in the Valley in order to ensure there's no trouble after the Act of Parliament.

Produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar, the film is slated to release on February 23.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) 'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya' marks a refreshing departure from conventional cinema, delving into the complexities of human emotions and the evolving relationship between man and machine.

Directed by the dynamic duo of debutante filmmakers Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah, this film presents a thought-provoking narrative that challenges societal norms and explores the blurred lines between humanity and artificial intelligence (AI).

At its core, 'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya' revolves around the unlikely romance between Aryan (played with charm and depth by Shahid Kapoor), a talented robotic engineer, and SIFRA (portrayed with grace and nuance by the radiant Kriti Sanon), a humanoid android created by Aryan's aunt (superbly portrayed by the veteran actress Dimple Kapadia).

As their relationship blossoms, the film navigates the intricacies of love, acceptance, and the consequences of crossing boundaries in the pursuit of happiness.

Shahid Kapoor delivers a captivating performance as Aryan, effortlessly transitioning from moments of humour to moments of vulnerability as he grapples with his feelings for SIFRA.

Kriti Sanon shines as SIFRA, infusing the character with a perfect blend of innocence and curiosity, captivating audiences with her portrayal of an AI discovering the complexities of human emotions.

Beyond their individual performances, Kapoor and Sanon share a natural rapport that translates seamlessly onto the screen. Their chemistry feels organic and unforced, allowing viewers to immerse themselves fully in the story and root for their characters' relationship to blossom.

Whether they're sharing a heartfelt conversation or stealing glances across a crowded room, every interaction between Kapoor and Sanon feels genuine and heartfelt, adding depth and dimension to their characters' journey.

They are supported by a stellar ensemble cast, including the legendary Dharmendra as Aryan's wise and supportive grandfather, and the charismatic Dimple Kapadia as his aunt, and Rakesh Bedi, Anubha Fatehpuria, Rajesh Kumar, Grusha Kapoor, Brijesh Shukla and Raashul Tandon adding layers of depth to the narrative with their memorable performances.

'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya' is a testament to the power of storytelling and the ability to challenge preconceived notions. The film's pace is breezy and it has fun-filled moments throughout, making it a laughter riot, with an unpredictable, supremely entertaining, cinematically beautiful, hair-raising climax.

The film's novel concept and engaging screenplay is refreshing. Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah should be commended for their bold vision and willingness to explore themes rarely seen in mainstream cinema with a potent and well-intended climax.

The music of the film is already a fan favourite with hits such as 'Laal Peeli Akhiyaan', 'Akhiyaan Gulaab', 'Tum Se' and the evergreen title song 'Teri Baaton Mein'.

'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya' is a delightful blend of romance, comedy and social commentary, offering audiences a unique cinematic experience that lingers long after the final credits roll.

With its stellar performances, compelling storyline, and timely exploration of the ethics of AI, this film is a must-watch for anyone seeking something fresh and thought-provoking at the movies.

A Maddock Film's production, the film has been produced by Dinesh Vijan, Jyoti Deshpande and Laxman Utekar.

Movie Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (Playing in theatres)

Duration 143 minutes

Directors Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah

Cast Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Dharmendra, Dimple Kapadia, Rakesh Bedi, Anubha Fatehpuria, Rajesh Kumar and Raashul Tandon

IANS Rating ****

--IANS

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London, Feb 9 (IANS) The European Union has asked digital platforms like Facebook, Google, TikTok and X (Twitter) to give feedback on first-ever draft guidelines to maintain integrity of elections.

The draft guidelines include recommendations to avoid “democratic risks from generative AI and deepfakes”, along with content moderation and political ads transparency.

Online platforms are invited to give feedback to draft election guidelines under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) on the integrity of elections, said the European Commission.

The public consultation is open for feedback until March 7.

“With the Digital Services Act, Europe is the first continent with a law to address systemic risks on online platforms that can have real-world negative effects on our democratic societies,” said Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissioner for internal market.

“2024 is a significant year for elections. That is why we are making full use of all the tools offered by the DSA to ensure platforms comply with their obligations and are not misused to manipulate our elections, while safeguarding freedom of expression,” Breton added.

According to Euro News, these are the first guidelines to mitigate systemic risks on their platforms ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.

"With the Digital Services Act, we have concrete tools to work together with online platforms. We can address the emerging online risks to electoral processes, like deep fakes,” said Margrethe Vestager, the Commission's Vice President.

“We can enable people, in a safe way, to engage, discuss and make up their minds without illegal interference," Vestager added.

“Generative AI can notably be used to mislead voters or to manipulate electoral processes by creating and disseminating inauthentic, misleading synthetic content regarding political actors, false depiction of events, election polls, contexts or narratives,” according to draft guidelines.

Generative AI systems can also produce incorrect, incoherent, or fabricated information, so called ‘hallucinations,’ that misrepresent the reality, and which can potentially mislead voters.

The draft election security guidelines include the recommendation that tech giants put in place “reasonable, proportionate, and effective” mitigation measures tailored to risks related to the creation and “potential large-scale dissemination” of AI-generated fakes.

--IANS

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Kolkata, Jan 14 (IANS) Education, rights of women and queer groups have been among the worst affected due to the ethnic clashes in Manipur which have claimed many lives and left thousands of people displaced, according to Manipuri writers and activists associated with the Matai Society there.

Speaking at an interactive session in Kolkata organised by Varta Trust, a pan-India support service provider to the people from the queer community, on Sunday evening, Saki, who is associated with the Matai Society, said that the events of school and college dropouts have drastically increased in Manipur since the clashes broke out there.

"As per our calculation, if around 2 persons in Manipur are displaced from their roots or residence is somewhere close to 1,50,000, the number of dropouts from schools and colleges will be nothing less than 30,000. Several schools have been burnt down in the ethnic clashes. Of course, some of these students have been accommodated in some other schools, but the number is not adequate," Saki said.

He also said that the sphere of women rights and queer rights are the two other sectors which are badly affected because of the ethnic clashes.

He also said that trading has been affected in Manipur, mainly the supply of ginger and fermented fish from the state.

"This is precisely the reason why the price of ginger has shot up so much the retail markets nationally," Saki said.

According to him, the Moirang constituency in particular and Bishnupur district in general have received many displaced people right from May 3, and "the numbers are very high".

"Matai Society has started a trauma care centre for conflict affected children and youth since May last year. The centre also provided nutritional support, teachers for syllabus study, recycles books and toys and stationary items, among others," Saki added

--IANS

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Amaravati, Jan 14 (IANS) Lakhs of rupees changed hands as despite ban, cockfights were organised on a large scale in parts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, the first day of three-day Sankranti festival.

Organisers backed by politicians conducted cockfights on a large scale in East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur and Krishna districts.

Lakhs of rupees changed hands as revellers bet big on the cockfight, which was banned in 2018 on the orders of the Supreme Court.

Prominent people from various parts of the state and other states were among hundreds of spectators and punters.

They included politicians of all hues, businessmen and celebrities. Cockfights were held in Gudivada, Penamaluru, Kaikalur, Gannavarm, Nandigama, Jaggayyapet, and Mylavaram constituencies under the alleged patronage of the leaders of political parties.

Wads of currency notes could be seen among the hands of organisers as well-trained cocks with small knives attached to their legs fought amid cheers by the spectators.

The fight often ends with the death of one of the two birds. Hundreds of people participated in the betting at the competitions, which are likely to continue for three days.

The organisers arranged generators and flood lights to organise the cockfights throughout the night.

Special galleries were arranged for women and VVIPs.

People from far-off places and even from neighbouring states of Telangana, Odisha and Tamil Nadu were participating in the betting.

Like in the past, the organisers built sprawling arenas in towns and villages.

Some even installed digital screens to beam the fight between roosters live.

They also deployed bouncers and installed CCTV cameras to deal with anyone creating problems.

The arenas built for cockfights and other games as part of Sankranti festivities resembled huge cinema settings or cricket fields.

Elaborate arrangements were made for parking of cars and other vehicles of the participants.

The organisers also provided passes to the spectators, tokens to those betting on cockfights and also wristbands for the participants.

The appeals by groups working for animal rights to the authorities to implement the court orders had no impact.

The organisers argue that cockfights are a part of culture and tradition.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India had stated on Saturday that on its complaint, the Animal Welfare Board has issued emergency advisory to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to stop cockfights during Makar Sankranti.

The NGO claimed that despite a ban on cockfighting in the country, arenas were set up and steroids and alcohol administered to roosters.

According to PETA, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) swiftly issued a letter to the Andhra Pradesh Animal Welfare Board and the Telangana State Animal Welfare Board to direct authorities to take appropriate actions under the law and furnish an action taken report.

Cockfighting is prohibited under Sections 11(1) (m) (ii) and (n) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

PETA India also sent letters to state police in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana urging action and offering to take in seized birds.

The Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police has issued instructions to unit officers to be vigilant against cockfighting during Makar Sankranti.

According to PETA, roosters raised for fighting are often kept in cramped cages and tormented in practice fights.

Their eyes may be gouged out, their wings and legs broken, their lungs punctured, or their spinal cord severed.

In fights, one or both birds may die and both are often critically injured.

At these events, roosters who are fitted with blades for cockfighting have accidentally killed humans and gambling is common, PETA said.

--IANS

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London, Jan 14 (IANS) The annual total of deaths from fungal disease worldwide has risen to 3.75 million, double the previous estimate, according to a global study.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, also calculates an annual total at about 6.55 million acute cases using data from over 80 countries.

Though fungal disease has multiple causes, the updated mortality figures nevertheless dwarf deaths from other single pathogens, killing six times more people than malaria, and almost three times as many than tuberculosis.

Previous estimates were imprecise, as many fungal diseases exacerbate an existing disorder, itself often severe, such as leukaemia or AIDS, argued Professor David Denning, a professor of infectious disease at The University of Manchester.

However, according to the study, of the deaths linked to fungal disease, around 68 per cent -- or 2.55 million were likely to have been directly caused by it.

Around 1.2 million deaths (32 per cent) had other underlying disease, with fungal disease contributing. About a third of 3.23 million chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths worldwide are linked to infection with the fungus Aspergillus, finds Professor Denning.

Though pulmonary tuberculosis was classified as the cause of death in 1.2 million people in 2019, as many as 340,000 (28 per cent) of these could actually be fungal disease deaths. Of the estimated 311,594 leukaemia deaths globally in 2020, 14,000 (4.5 per cent) could be attributable to aspergillosis, and some to other fungal infections.

Lung and bronchus cancer annual deaths stand at 1.8 million, with the new estimate indicating that aspergillosis is implicated in 49,000 deaths (2.7 per cent) of them.

Candida -- another type of fungal infection -- is a serious problem in intensive care, complex surgical patients, diabetes, cancer and renal failure, as well as premature babies. The researchers estimate that about 1.57 million people suffer from Candida bloodstream infection or invasive candidiasis with 995,000 deaths (63.6 per cent), each year.

"This work is the first global comprehensive annual incidence estimate of fungal disease, yet many gaps and uncertainties remain,” Professor Denning said.

"Our prior estimates of annual mortality were 1.5 to 2 million, yet we now find the probable number dying with or of a fungal infection is double this at about 3.75 million,” he said.

--IANS

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