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Owing to the multiphase transformations in economy, society, natural environment, lifestyles and healthcare system that China has been experiencing over the past three decades, coupled with the rapid population ageing, China’s burden of non-communicable disease, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, has been rising drastically.1 Both the incidence of and mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) have zithromax purchase been increasing dramatically since 1980s in China.1 In 2019, IHD was the second cause of deaths in the Chinese population, which counted for 17.6% of all deaths and 9.1% of disability-adjusted life years.2 Although there are ample evidence on the socioeconomic disparities in CVD in high-income countries, evidence is still limited in low- and middle-income countries such as China.3The paper by Chen et al is the first comprehensive report on the educational disparities in IHD incidence, case fatality and mortality in China, using data from the large prospective cohort study of China Kadoorie Biobank. The study supplements findings of a robust inverse educational gradient in IHD case fatality …The buy antibiotics zithromax has zithromax purchase provided limitless opportunities to compare zithromax policies across countries and over time. When the aim is to assess the comparative success of these policies, the comparison requires thinking counterfactually about ‘what would have been’ in some unrealised hypothetical (counterfactual) scenario. Whether generating zithromax purchase modelling projections,1 making data-driven comparisons across countries2 or attributing excess harms,3 causal inference often rests on counterfactual comparisons, even if those comparisons are only implicit. However, in the zithromax, counterfactual analyses that are overly simplistic, uninformative or outright flawed have been an epidemic in their own right.

The examples I explore here zithromax purchase are not the worst offenders and my aim is not to criticise them but to use them to illustrate cautionary lessons. By exploring the theory of counterfactuals and common problems with their use, we can learn to do better. Slow conceptual thinking is needed even in times of fast science.Counterfactuals have played a central role in discussions of causation zithromax purchase in philosophy4 and in the health sciences5 and social sciences6 over the past 50 years. According to a framework popular in these disciplines, an intervention causes some outcome if that outcome represents a difference between two hypothetical scenarios in which only the intervention differs. Because the scenarios are mutually incompatible, at least one of them is ‘counterfactual’—that is, contrary zithromax purchase to what actually occurs or ‘counter to fact’.

Philosophers sometimes think about a counterfactual scenario as an imaginary world that is perfectly identical to the actual world except that the intervention is miraculously altered or manipulated with surgical precision. For instance, if the number of buy antibiotics cases would be greater in a possible world that is identical to the real world but in which no zithromax policies were implemented, then we can conclude that those policies prevented buy antibiotics in the actual world.Scientists and policy-makers cannot make a counterfactual comparison directly because other zithromax purchase possible worlds are a fiction (or if they are real then they are inaccessible to us), although they can approximate such a comparison through modelling or using real-world data. A key to doing this well is to first explicitly consider what counterfactual comparison we wish to learn about and then ask what modelling or data would faithfully or usefully represent it. Unfortunately, it is easy to lose sight of the relevance of the available data for the intended counterfactual comparison and of zithromax purchase the relevance of the counterfactual comparison for decision-making.For instance, buy antibiotics model predictions have frequently been criticised as inaccurate7 and no doubt many of them are. However, it is important to distinguish ‘projections’ of what would occur under a hypothetical scenario (which may be counterfactual) from ‘forecasts’ of what will actually occur8—a distinction that has not always been marked.

Unlike forecasts zithromax purchase (such as weather predictions), the accuracy of a counterfactual projection cannot be accurately judged by comparing it to what actually occurred. Schroeder9 identifies ambiguities in the way that modellers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington presented predictions from their epidemic model early on, which sometimes appeared to be projections and sometimes appeared to be forecasts. This kind of ambiguity makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of a model and to zithromax purchase know what upshots to draw from its predictions. For instance, while forecasts can help planners anticipate healthcare resource usage, projections can help decision-makers choose from zithromax purchase among alternative public health policies.10Compartment models like one used by Imperial College London1 are more clearly ‘projection models’.8 However, the hypothetical nature of projections allows us to entertain scenarios that realistically would not occur, creating comparisons with questionable relevance for decision-making. In March 2020, Imperial College modellers claimed that ‘38.7 million lives could be saved’1 by an aggressive viral-suppression strategy after modelling that scenario (among others) and comparing it to an unmitigated zithromax scenario in which no new actions are taken to contain viral spread.

But for evaluating the aggressive suppression strategy, the unmitigated scenario is an unrealistic counterfactual because in that scenario everyone—including governments zithromax purchase and the people—behaves as if there were not a zithromax raging. More informative comparisons contrast alternate anticontagion policies or account for the likelihood of evolving anticontagion behaviour even in the absence of aggressive anticontagion policies.With country-level case data available at a click, many people have made policy comparisons across countries along with inferences regarding the effectiveness of those policies. But comparing one country to another to infer the comparative effectiveness of stricter and laxer (or simply different) anticontagion policies is fraught because it may not faithfully represent a relevant counterfactual comparison.For example, Bendavid et al2 compared eight countries, including the USA and England, that implemented mandatory stay-at-home orders and business closures with Sweden and South zithromax purchase Korea, which did not. To evaluate the effect of these policies on the growth of buy antibiotics cases, they subtracted case data in Sweden and South Korea from case data in the other eight countries. In this study, Sweden and South Korea are essentially being used to represent a counterfactual USA or England zithromax purchase that does not implement restrictive policies.

However, there are important differences between the USA/England and Sweden/South Korea, including social and geographic differences and differences in implementation of other zithromax interventions. Therefore, it seems highly plausible that a zithromax purchase cross-country comparison involving the USA or England on one side and Sweden or South Korea on the other fails to accurately represent the outcomes in a ‘USA versus counterfactual USA’ or ‘England versus counterfactual England’ comparison. Other studies (which are by no means infallible) seek to mitigate this problem by making before-and-after comparisons within a country, pooling data from many countries and attempting to adjust for their differences or running sensitivity analyses to test various assumptions.11 12Finally, many have calculated or estimated excess harms in 2020–2021 and beyond such as excess all-cause mortality13 or excess ‘deaths of despair’.14 Excess harms are typically estimated by measuring a stable baseline level of harm (or a stable trend) in recent years and comparing it to the amount of harm measured since the zithromax began or the amount of harm estimated to occur in future years. It is often reasonable to interpret excess harm figures as the zithromax purchase increase in harm compared with a counterfactual scenario in which the zithromax never happened. However, it is often more challenging to attribute this increase to a specific factor such as particular policies.

Such a zithromax purchase harm attribution relies on a different counterfactual comparison between two worlds in which the buy antibiotics zithromax is similarly occurring but in which different policies are undertaken. As when measuring beneficial effects, the relevant modelling or data might compare different countries that naturally implemented different polices in 2020–2021 or the same countries before and after the implementation of certain policies.To illustrate, Niedzwiedz et al3 sought to measure the impact of lockdowns in the UK during 2020 on mental health outcomes through survey results in a longitudinal cohort study. By comparing the prevalence of outcomes such zithromax purchase as psychological distress in April 2020 to its prevalence in 2017–2019, they calculated increases or decreases in these outcomes. However, one cannot attribute changes in these outcomes to particular policies from the time trend data alone because, again, in the relevant counterfactual comparison the presence of the zithromax is kept constant and only particular policies are allowed to vary.Faced with a devastating zithromax rife with examples of countries that followed different paths, regrets about past choices and new decisions to be made, scientists, policy-makers and the public entertain counterfactual comparisons, comparing what did occur to what would have occurred or what could occur in the future under different scenarios. The ubiquity of models and data available to us makes it possible to provide (more or less reliable) representations of our imagined counterfactual comparisons zithromax purchase.

But in thinking counterfactually, we must be wary of letting our imagination exceed our data.Ethics statementsPatient consent for publicationNot required.AcknowledgmentsThe author thanks Sander Greenland for extensive and thoughtful input on multiple drafts of this manuscript as well as anonymous reviewers..

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The Centers for Can you buy over the counter cipro Medicare fda warning about zithromax &. Medicaid Services (CMS) and Mathematica released a fifth and final toolkit and two case studies to highlight strategies that Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and End-Stage Renal Disease Seamless Care Organizations (ESCOs) use to improve quality of care, lower health care costs, and enhance beneficiaries’ experience. Mathematica completed this work as part of a contract fda warning about zithromax with CMS.CMS and Mathematica conducted focus groups with representatives from 13 ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Next Generation ACO Model to identify strategies for providing value-based care.

With insights gained through these focus groups and other CMS-sponsored events, CMS’s ACO Learning System team developed the Operational Elements Toolkit. The toolkit presents fundamental strategies that Medicare ACOs use to begin or refine operations and considers approaches to meet the following objectives. Establishing strategic partnerships to strengthen fda warning about zithromax or expand an organization Understanding beneficiaries’ care needs and preferences Harnessing data to improve performance and support quality reportingThe Operational Elements Toolkit is part of a broader series of resources that explores how ACOs and ESCOs provide value-based care.

CMS and Mathematica added to these resources with two new case studies that highlight the following strategies. Partnering with emergency departments to improve care coordination services (Reliance Healthcare) Creating an Innovation Fund that distributes grants to local organizations to improve quality, cost, and care experience (OneCare Vermont)For more information about this toolkit and other resources highlighting ACO and ESCO initiatives—including previous toolkits on care transformation, provider engagement, beneficiary engagement, and care coordination, and almost two dozen case studies—please visit CMS’s website.Parents with young children in early care and education programs like Early Head Start may also need other kinds of support. They may fda warning about zithromax need affordable higher education alternatives like community college, or job training and economic support from workforce development programs.

Helping clients navigate the complexities of different programs can be difficult for service providers, especially when it comes to ensuring the right coordination between services for parents and their children. Better program coordination may lead to greater benefits for families than individual service providers could achieve alone. Coordination requires systems change, however—change achieved through active partnerships, engaged fda warning about zithromax leadership, cooperative planning, data-informed decision making, strategic use of resources, and innovative problem solving.

Mathematica’s new digital resource on improving family outcomes through coordinated services speaks directly to this need. Our partnership framework, which shows how local partnerships tend to evolve through stages of cooperation, coordination, and collaboration, was developed to help staff document their specific approaches to coordinated services and assess the approaches’ quality and intensity necessary to have an impact on parent and child outcomes. Beyond sharing the tools and information available now, the digital resource describes upcoming initiatives that will help programs use rapid-cycle testing to fda warning about zithromax pilot their approach to coordinated services and give decision makers timely and actionable evidence on possible ways to improve program outcomes.

We also bring to light several culturally responsive best practices and innovative methods that multigenerational programs can use to overcome access disparities among communities of color and communities experiencing poverty. For more information about Mathematica’s coordinated services work, or to speak with one of our experts, email info@mathematica-mpr.com..

The Centers for Medicare zithromax purchase &. Medicaid Services (CMS) and Mathematica released a fifth and final toolkit and two case studies to highlight strategies that Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and End-Stage Renal Disease Seamless Care Organizations (ESCOs) use to improve quality of care, lower health care costs, and enhance beneficiaries’ experience. Mathematica completed this work as part of a contract with CMS.CMS and Mathematica zithromax purchase conducted focus groups with representatives from 13 ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Next Generation ACO Model to identify strategies for providing value-based care. With insights gained through these focus groups and other CMS-sponsored events, CMS’s ACO Learning System team developed the Operational Elements Toolkit.

The toolkit presents fundamental strategies that Medicare ACOs use to begin or refine operations and considers approaches to meet the following objectives. Establishing strategic partnerships to strengthen or expand an organization Understanding beneficiaries’ care needs and preferences Harnessing data to zithromax purchase improve performance and support quality reportingThe Operational Elements Toolkit is part of a broader series of resources that explores how ACOs and ESCOs provide value-based care. CMS and Mathematica added to these resources with two new case studies that highlight the following strategies. Partnering with emergency departments to improve care coordination services (Reliance Healthcare) Creating an Innovation Fund that distributes grants to local organizations to improve quality, cost, and care experience (OneCare Vermont)For more information about this toolkit and other resources highlighting ACO and ESCO initiatives—including previous toolkits on care transformation, provider engagement, beneficiary engagement, and care coordination, and almost two dozen case studies—please visit CMS’s website.Parents with young children in early care and education programs like Early Head Start may also need other kinds of support.

They may need affordable higher education alternatives like community zithromax purchase college, or job training and economic support from workforce development programs. Helping clients navigate the complexities of different programs can be difficult for service providers, especially when it comes to ensuring the right coordination between services for parents and their children. Better program coordination may lead to greater benefits for families than individual service providers could achieve alone. Coordination requires systems change, however—change achieved through active partnerships, engaged leadership, cooperative planning, data-informed decision making, strategic use of resources, and innovative zithromax purchase problem solving.

Mathematica’s new digital resource on improving family outcomes through coordinated services speaks directly to this need. Our partnership framework, which shows how local partnerships tend to evolve through stages of cooperation, coordination, and collaboration, was developed to help staff document their specific approaches to coordinated services and assess the approaches’ quality and intensity necessary to have an impact on parent and child outcomes. Beyond sharing the tools and information available now, the digital resource describes upcoming initiatives that will help programs use rapid-cycle testing to pilot their approach to coordinated services and give decision makers timely and actionable evidence on zithromax purchase possible ways to improve program outcomes. We also bring to light several culturally responsive best practices and innovative methods that multigenerational programs can use to overcome access disparities among communities of color and communities experiencing poverty.

For more information about Mathematica’s coordinated services work, or to speak with one of our experts, email info@mathematica-mpr.com..

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How to cite this will zithromax treat chlamydia article:Singh OP. Mental health in diverse India. Need for will zithromax treat chlamydia advocacy. Indian J Psychiatry 2021;63:315-6”Unity in diversity” - That is the theme of India which we are quite proud of. We have diversity in will zithromax treat chlamydia terms of geography – From the Himalayas to the deserts to the seas.

Every region has its own distinct culture and food. There are so many varieties of dress and language. There is huge difference between the states in terms of development, attitude toward women, health infrastructure, child mortality, and other sociodemographic development will zithromax treat chlamydia indexes. There is now ample evidence that sociocultural factors influence mental health. Compton and Shim[1] will zithromax treat chlamydia have described in their model of gene environment interaction how public policies and social norms act on the distribution of opportunity leading to social inequality, exclusion, poor environment, discrimination, and unemployment.

This in turn leads to reduced options, poor choices, and high-risk behavior. Combining genetic vulnerability and early brain insult with low access to health care leads to poor mental health, disease, and morbidity.When we come to the field of mental will zithromax treat chlamydia health, we find huge differences between different states of India. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was markedly different while it was 5.8 and 5.1 for Assam and Uttar Pradesh at the lower end of the spectrum, it was 13.9 and 14.1 for Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra at the higher end of the spectrum. There was also a huge difference between the rural areas and metros, particularly in terms of psychosis and bipolar disorders.[2] The difference was distinct not only in the prevalence but also in the type of psychiatric disorders. While the more developed southern states had higher prevalence of adult-onset disorders such as depression and anxiety, the less developed northern states had more of childhood will zithromax treat chlamydia onset disorders.

This may be due to lead toxicity, nutritional status, and perinatal issues. Higher rates of depression and anxiety were found will zithromax treat chlamydia in females. Apart from the genetic and hormonal factors, increase was attributed to gender discrimination, violence, sexual abuse, and adverse sociocultural norms. Marriage was found to be a negative prognostic indicator contrary to the western norms.[3]Cultural influences on the presentation will zithromax treat chlamydia of psychiatric disorders are apparent. Being in recessive position in the family is one of the strongest predictors of psychiatric illnesses and psychosomatic disorders.

The presentation of depressive and anxiety disorders with more somatic symptoms results from inability to express due to unequal power equation in the family rather than the lack of expressions. Apart from culture bound syndromes, the role of cultural idioms of distress in manifestations of psychiatric symptoms is well acknowledged.When we look into suicide data, suicide in lower socioeconomic strata (annual income <1 lakh) was 92,083, in annual income group of 1–5 lakhs, it was 41,197, and in higher will zithromax treat chlamydia income group, it was 4726. Among those who committed suicide, 67% were young adults, 34% had family problems, 23.4% of suicides occurred in daily laborers, 10.1% in unemployed persons, and 7.4% in farmers.[4]While there are huge regional differences in mental health issues, the challenges in mental health in India remain stigma reduction, conducting research on efficacy of early intervention, reaching the unreached, gender sensitive services, making quality mental healthcare accessible and available, suicide prevention, reduction of substance abuse, implementing insurance for mental health and reducing out-of-pocket expense, and finally, improving care for homeless mentally ill. All these require sustained advocacy aimed at promoting will zithromax treat chlamydia rights of mentally ill persons and reducing stigma and discriminations. It consists of various actions aimed at changing the attitudinal barriers in achieving positive mental health outcomes in the general population.

Psychiatrists as Mental Health Advocates There is a debate whether psychiatrists who are overburdened with clinical care could or should be involved in the advocacy activities which require skills in other areas, and sometimes, they find themselves at the receiving end of mental health advocates. We must be involved and pathways will zithromax treat chlamydia should be to build technical evidence for mapping out the problem, cost-effective interventions, and their efficacy.Advocacy can be done at institutional level, organizational level, and individual level. There has been huge work done in this regard at institution level. Important research work done in this regard includes the National Mental Health Survey, National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, Global Burden of Diseases in Indian States, and Trajectory of will zithromax treat chlamydia Brain Development. Other activities include improving the infrastructure of mental hospitals, telepsychiatry services, provision of free drugs, providing training to increase the number of service providers.

Similarly, at organizational level, the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) has will zithromax treat chlamydia filed a case for lacunae in Mental Health-care Act, 2017. Another case filed by the IPS lead to change of name of the film from “Mental Hai Kya” to “Judgemental Hai Kya.” In LGBT issue, the IPS statement was quoted in the final judgement on the decriminalization of homosexuality. The IPS has also started helplines at different levels and media interactions. The Indian will zithromax treat chlamydia Journal of Psychiatry has also come out with editorials highlighting the need of care of marginalized population such as migrant laborers and persons with dementia. At an individual level, we can be involved in ensuring quality treatment, respecting dignity and rights of the patient, sensitization of staff, working with patients and caregivers to plan services, and being involved locally in media and public awareness activities.The recent experience of Brazil is an eye opener where suicide reduction resulted from direct cash transfer pointing at the role of economic decision in suicide.[5] In India where economic inequality is increasing, male-to-female ratio is abysmal in some states (877 in Haryana to 1034 in Kerala), our actions should be sensitive to this regional variation.

When the enemy is economic will zithromax treat chlamydia inequality, our weapon is research highlighting the role of these factors on mental health. References 1.Compton MT, Shim RS. The social will zithromax treat chlamydia determinants of mental health. Focus 2015;13:419-25. 2.Gururaj G, Varghese M, Benegal V, Rao GN, Pathak K, Singh LK, et al.

National Mental will zithromax treat chlamydia Health Survey of India, 2015-16. Prevalence, Patterns and Outcomes. Bengaluru. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, NIMHANS Publication No. 129.

2016. 3.Sagar R, Dandona R, Gururaj G, Dhaliwal RS, Singh A, Ferrari A, et al. The burden of mental disorders across the states of India. The Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2017. Lancet Psychiatry 2020;7:148-61.

4.National Crime Records Bureau, 2019. Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India. 2019. Available from. Https://ncrb.gov.in.

[Last accessed on 2021 Jun 24]. 5.Machado DB, Rasella D, dos Santos DN. Impact of income inequality and other social determinants on suicide rate in Brazil. PLoS One 2015;10:e0124934. Correspondence Address:Om Prakash SinghDepartment of Psychiatry, WBMES, Kolkata, West Bengal.

AMRI Hospitals, Kolkata, West Bengal IndiaSource of Support. None, Conflict of Interest. NoneDOI. 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_635_21Abstract Sexual health, an essential component of individual's health, is influenced by many complex issues including sexual behavior, attitudes, societal, and cultural factors on the one hand and while on the other hand, biological aspects, genetic predisposition, and associated mental and physical illnesses. Sexual health is a neglected area, even though it influences mortality, morbidity, and disability.

Dhat syndrome (DS), the term coined by Dr. N. N. Wig, has been at the forefront of advancements in understanding and misunderstanding. The concept of DS is still evolving being treated as a culture-bound syndrome in the past to a syndrome of depression and treated as “a culturally determined idiom of distress.” It is bound with myths, fallacies, prejudices, secrecy, exaggeration, and value-laden judgments.

Although it has been reported from many countries, much of the literature has emanated from Asia, that too mainly from India. The research in India has ranged from the study of a few cases in the past to recent national multicentric studies concerning phenomenology and beliefs of patients. The epidemiological studies have ranged from being hospital-based to population-based studies in rural and urban settings. There are studies on the management of individual cases by resolving sexual myths, relaxation exercises, supportive psychotherapy, anxiolytics, and antidepressants to broader and deeper research concerning cognitive behavior therapy. The presentation looks into DS as a model case highlighting the importance of exploring sexual health concerns in the Indian population in general and in particular need to reconsider DS in the light of the newly available literature.

It makes a fervent appeal for the inclusion of DS in the mainstream diagnostic categories in the upcoming revisions of the diagnostic manuals which can pave the way for a better understanding and management of DS and sexual problems.Keywords. Culture-bound syndrome, Dhat syndrome, Dhat syndrome management, Dhat syndrome prevalence, psychiatric comorbidity, sexual disordersHow to cite this article:Sathyanarayana Rao T S. History and mystery of Dhat syndrome. A critical look at the current understanding and future directions. Indian J Psychiatry 2021;63:317-25 Introduction Mr.

President, Chairpersons, my respected teachers and seniors, my professional colleagues and friends, ladies and gentlemen:I deem it a proud privilege and pleasure to receive and to deliver DLN Murti Rao Oration Award for 2020. I am humbled at this great honor and remain grateful to the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) in general and the awards committee in particular. I would like to begin my presentation with my homage to Professor DLN Murti Rao, who was a Doyen of Psychiatry.[1] I have a special connection to the name as Dr. Doddaballapura Laxmi Narasimha Murti Rao, apart from a family name, obtained his medical degree from Mysore Medical College, Mysuru, India, the same city where I have served last 33 years in JSS Medical College and JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research. His name carries the reverence in the corridors of the current National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) at Bangalore which was All India Institute of Mental Health, when he served as Head and the Medical Superintendent.

Another coincidence was his untimely demise in 1962, the same year another Doyen Dr. Wig[2],[3] published the article on a common but peculiar syndrome in the Indian context and gave the name Dhat syndrome (DS). Even though Dr. Wig is no more, his legacy of profound contribution to psychiatry and psychiatric education in general and service to the society and Mental Health, in particular, is well documented. His keen observation and study culminated in synthesizing many aspects and developments in DS.I would also like to place on record my humble pranams to my teachers from Christian Medical College, Vellore – Dr.

Abraham Varghese, the first Editor of the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine and Dr. K. Kuruvilla, Past Editor of Indian Journal of Psychiatry whose legacies I carried forward for both the journals. I must place on record that my journey in the field of Sexual Medicine was sown by Dr. K.

Kuruvilla and subsequent influence of Dr. Ajit Avasthi from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research from Chandigarh as my role model in the field. There are many more who have shaped and nurtured my interest in the field of sex and sexuality.The term “Dhat” was taken from the Sanskrit language, which is an important word “Dhatu” and has known several meanings such as “metal,” a “medicinal constituent,” which can be considered as most powerful material within the human body.[4] The Dhat disorder is mainly known for “loss of semen”, and the DS is a well-known “culture-bound syndrome (CBS).”[4] The DS leads to several psychosexual disorders such as physical weakness, tiredness, anxiety, appetite loss, and guilt related to the loss of semen through nocturnal emission, in urine and by masturbation as mentioned in many studies.[4],[5],[6] Conventionally, Charaka Samhita mentions “waste of bodily humors” being linked to the “loss of Dhatus.”[5] Semen has even been mentioned by Aristotle as a “soul substance” and weakness associated with its loss.[6] This has led to a plethora of beliefs about “food-blood-semen” relationship where the loss of semen is considered to reduce vitality, potency, and psychophysiological strength. People have variously attributed DS to excessive masturbation, premarital sex, promiscuity, and nocturnal emissions. Several past studies have emphasized that CBS leads to “anxiety for loss of semen” is not only prevalent in the Indian subcontinent but also a global phenomenon.[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12],[13],[14],[15],[16],[17],[18],[19],[20]It is important to note that DS manifestation and the psychosexual features are based on the impact of culture, demographic profiles, and the socioeconomic status of the patients.[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12],[13],[14],[15],[16],[17],[18],[19],[20] According to Leff,[21] culture depends upon norms, values, and myths, based on a specific area, and is also shared by the indigenous individuals of that area.

Tiwari et al.[22] mentioned in their study that “culture is closely associated with mental disorders through social and psychological activities.” With this background, the paper attempts to highlight the multidimensional construct of DS for a better clinical understanding in routine practice. Dhat Syndrome. A Separate Entity or a “Cultural Variant” of Depression Even though DS has been studied for years now, a consensus on the definition is yet to be achieved. It has mostly been conceptualized as a multidimensional psychosomatic entity consisting of anxiety, depressive, somatic, and sexual phenomenology. Most importantly, abnormal and erroneous attributions are considered to be responsible for the genesis of DS.

The most important debate is, however, related to the nosological status of DS. Although considered to a CBS unique to India, it has also been increasingly reported in China, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and America.[11] The consistency and validity of its diagnosis have been consistently debated, and one of the most vital questions that emerged was. Can there be another way to conceptualize DS?. There is no single answer to that question. Apart from an independent entity, the diagnostic validity of which has been limited in longitudinal studies,[23] it has also been a cultural variant of depressive and somatization disorders.

Mumford[11] in his study of Asian patients with DS found a significant association with depressed mood, anxiety, and fatigue. Around the same time, another study by Chadha[24] reported comorbidities in DS at a rate of 50%, 32%, and 18% related to depression, somatoform disorders, and anxiety, respectively. Depression continued to be reported as the most common association of DS in many studies.[25],[26] This “cause-effect” dilemma can never be fully resolved. Whether “loss of semen” and the cultural attributions to it leads to the affective symptoms or whether low mood and neuroticism can lead to DS in appropriate cultural context are two sides of the argument. However, the cognitive biases resulting in the attributional errors of DS and the subsequently maintained attitudes with relation to sexuality can be explained by the depressive cognitions and concepts of learned helplessness.

Balhara[27] has argued that since DS is not really culture specific as thought of earlier, it should not be solely categorized as a functional somatic syndrome, as that can have detrimental effects on its understanding and management. He also mentions that the underlying “emotional distress and cultural contexts” are not unique to DS but can be related to any psychiatric syndrome for that matter. On the contrary, other researchers have warned that subsuming DS and other CBS under the broader rubric of “mood disorders” can lead to neglect and reductionism in disorder like DS that can have unique cultural connotations.[28] Over the years, there have been multiple propositions to relook and relabel CBS like DS. Considering it as a variant of depression or somatization can make it a “cultural phenotype” of these disorders in certain regions, thus making it easier for the classificatory systems. This dichotomous debate seems never-ending, but clinically, it is always better to err on over-diagnosing and over-treating depression and anxiety in DS, which can improve the well-being of the distressed patients.

Why Discuss Dhat Syndrome. Implications in Clinical Practice DS might occur independently or associated with multiple comorbidities. It has been a widely recognized clinical condition in various parts of the world, though considered specific to the Indian subcontinent. The presentation can often be polymorphic with symptom clusters of affective, somatic, behavioral, and cognitive manifestations.[29] Being common in rural areas, the first contacts of the patients are frequently traditional faith healers and less often, the general practitioners. A psychiatric referral occurs much later, if at all.

This leads to underdetection and faulty treatments, which can strengthen the already existing misattributions and misinformation responsible for maintaining the disorder. Furthermore, depression and sexual dysfunction can be the important comorbidities that if untreated, lead to significant psychosocial dysfunction and impaired quality of life.[30] Besides many patients of DS believe that their symptoms are due to failure of interpersonal relationships, s, and heredity, which might cause early death and infertility. This contributes to the vicious cycle of fear and panic.[31] Doctor shopping is another challenge and failure to detect and address the concern of DS might lead to dropping out from the care.[15] Rao[17] in their epidemiological study reported 12.5% prevalence in the general population, with 20.5% and 50% suffering from comorbid depression and sexual disorders. The authors stressed upon the importance of early detection of DS for the psychosexual and social well-being. Most importantly, the multidimensional presentation of DS can at certain times be a facade overshadowing underlying neurotic disorders (anxiety, depression, somatoform, hypochondriasis, and phobias), obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and body dysmorphic disorders, delusional disorders, sexual disorders (premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction) and infectious disorders (urinary tract s, sexually transmitted diseases), and even stress-related manifestations in otherwise healthy individuals.[4],[14],[15] This significant overlap of symptomatology, increased prevalence, and marked comorbidity make it all the more important for physicians to make sense out of the construct of DS.

That can facilitate prompt detection and management of DS in routine clinical practice.In an earlier review study, it was observed that few studies are undertaken to update the research works from published articles as an updated review, systemic review, world literature review, etc., on DS and its management approach.[29],[32],[33],[34],[35] The present paper attempts to compile the evidence till date on DS related to its nosology, critique, manifestations, and management plan. The various empirical studies on DS all over the world will be briefly discussed along with the implications and importance of the syndrome. The Construct of Dhat Syndrome. Summary of Current Evidence DS is a well-known CBS, which is defined as undue concern about the weakening effects after the passage of semen in urine or through nocturnal emission that has been stated by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10).[36] It is also known as “semen loss syndrome” by Shakya,[20] which is prevalent mainly in the Indian subcontinent[37] and has also been reported in the South-Eastern and western population.[15],[16],[20],[32],[38],[39],[40],[41] Individuals with “semen loss anxiety” suffer from a myriad of psychosexual symptoms, which have been attributed to “loss of vital essence through semen” (common in South Asia).[7],[15],[16],[17],[32],[37],[41],[42],[43] The various studies related to attributes of DS and their findings are summarized further.Prakash et al.[5] studied 100 DS patients through 139 symptoms of the Associated Symptoms Scale. They studied sociodemographic profile, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and Postgraduate Institute Neuroticism Scale.

The study found a wide range of physical, anxiety, depression, sexual, and cognitive symptoms. Most commonly associated symptoms were found as per score ≥1. This study reported several parameters such as the “sense of being unhealthy” (99%), worry (99%), feeling “no improvement despite treatment” (97%), tension (97%), tiredness (95%), fatigue (95%), weakness (95%), and anxiety (95%). The common sexual disorders were observed as loss of masculinity (83%), erectile dysfunction (54%), and premature ejaculation (53%). Majority of patients had faced mild or moderate level of symptoms in which 47% of the patients reported severe weakness.

Overall distress and dysfunction were observed as 64% and 81% in the studied subjects, respectively.A study in Taiwan involved 87 participants from a Urology clinic. Most of them have sexual neurosis (Shen-K'uei syndrome).[7] More than one-third of the patients belonged to lower social class and symptoms of depression, somatization, anxiety, masturbation, and nocturnal emissions. Other bodily complaints as reported were sleep disturbances, fatigue, dizziness, backache, and weakness. Nearly 80% of them considered that all of their problems were due to masturbatory practices.De Silva and Dissanayake[8] investigated several manifestations on semen loss syndrome in the psychiatric clinic of Colombo General Hospital, Sri Lanka. Beliefs regarding effects of semen loss and help-seeking sought for DS were explored.

38 patients were studied after psychiatrically ill individuals and those with organic disorders were excluded. Duration of semen loss varied from 1 to 20 years. Every participant reported excessive loss of semen and was preoccupied with it. The common forms of semen loss were through nocturnal emission, masturbation, urinary loss, and through sexual activities. Most of them reported multiple modes of semen loss.

Masturbatory frequency and that of nocturnal emissions varied significantly. More than half of the patients reported all types of complaints (psychological, sexual, somatic, and genital).In the study by Chadda and Ahuja,[9] 52 psychiatric patients (mostly adolescents and young adults) complained of passing “Dhat” in urine. They were assessed for a period of 6 months. More than 80% of them complained of body weakness, aches, and pains. More than 50% of the patients suffered from depression and anxiety.

All the participants felt that their symptoms were due to loss of “dhat” in urine, attributed to excessive masturbation, extramarital and premarital sex. Half of those who faced sexual dysfunctions attributed them to semen loss.Mumford[11] proposed a controversial explanation of DS arguing that it might be a part of other psychiatric disorders, like depression. A total of 1000 literate patients were recruited from a medical outdoor in a public sector hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. About 600 educated patients were included as per Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI). Men with DS reported greater symptoms on BSI than those without DS.

60 psychiatric patients were also recruited from the same hospital and diagnosed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-III-R. Among them, 33% of the patients qualified for “Dhat” items on BSI. The symptoms persisted for more than 15 days. It was observed that symptoms of DS highly correlated with BSI items, namely erectile dysfunction, burning sensation during urination, fatigue, energy loss, and weakness. This comparative study indicated that patients with DS suffered more from depressive disorders than without DS and the age group affected by DS was mostly the young.Grover et al.[15] conducted a study on 780 male patients aged >16 years in five centers (Chandigarh, Jaipur, Faridkot, Mewat, and New Delhi) of Northern India, 4 centers (2 from Kolkata, 1 each in Kalyani and Bhubaneswar) of Eastern India, 2 centers (Agra and Lucknow) of Central India, 2 centers (Ahmedabad and Wardha) of Western India, and 2 centers of Southern India (both located at Mysore) spread across the country by using DS questionnaire.

Nearly one-third of the patients were passing “Dhat” multiple times a week. Among them, nearly 60% passed almost a spoonful of “Dhat” each time during a loss. This work on sexual disorders reported that the passage of “Dhat” was mostly attributed to masturbation (55.1%), dreams on sex (47.3%), sexual desire (42.8%), and high energy foods consumption (36.7%). Mostly, the participants experienced passage of Dhat as “night falls” (60.1%) and “while passing stools” (59.5%). About 75.6% showed weakness in sexual ability as a common consequence of the “loss of Dhat.” The associated symptoms were depression, hopelessness, feeling low, decreased energy levels, weakness, and lack of pleasure.

Erectile problems and premature ejaculation were also present.Rao[17] in his first epidemiological study done in Karnataka, India, showed the prevalence rate of DS in general male population as 12.5%. It was found that 57.5% were suffering either from comorbid depression or anxiety disorders. The prevalence of psychiatric and sexual disorders was about three times higher with DS compared to non-DS subjects. One-third of the cases (32.8%) had no comorbidity in hospital (urban). One-fifth (20.5%) and 50% subjects (51.3%) had comorbid depressive disorders and sexual dysfunction.

The psychosexual symptoms were found among 113 patients who had DS. The most common psychological symptoms reported by the subjects with DS were low self-esteem (100%), loss of interest in any activity (95.60%), feeling of guilt (92.00%), and decreased social interaction (90.30%). In case of sexual disorders, beliefs were held commonly about testes becoming smaller (92.00%), thinness of semen (86.70%), decreased sexual capabilities (83.20%), and tilting of penis (70.80%).Shakya[20] studied a clinicodemographic profile of DS patients in psychiatry outpatient clinic of B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

A total of 50 subjects were included in this study, and the psychiatric diagnoses as well as comorbidities were investigated as per the ICD-10 criteria. Among the subjects, most of the cases had symptoms of depression and anxiety, and all the subjects were worried about semen loss. Somehow these subjects had heard or read that semen loss or masturbation is unhealthy practice. The view of participants was that semen is very “precious,” needs preservation, and masturbation is a malpractice. Beside DS, two-thirds of the subjects had comorbid depression.In another Indian study, Chadda et al.[24] compared patients with DS with those affected with neurotic/depressive disorders.

Among 100 patients, 50%, 32%, and 18% reported depression, somatic problems, and anxiety, respectively. The authors argued that cases of DS have similar symptom dimensions as mood and anxiety disorders.Dhikav et al.[31] examined prevalence and management depression comorbid with DS. DSM-IV and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used for assessments. About 66% of the patients met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria of depression. They concluded that depression was a frequent comorbidity in DS patients.In a study by Perme et al.[37] from South India that included 32 DS patients, the control group consisted of 33 people from the same clinic without DS, depression, and anxiety.

The researchers followed the guidelines of Bhatia and Malik's for the assessment of primary complaints of semen loss through “nocturnal emissions, masturbation, sexual intercourse, and passing of semen before and after urine.” The assessment was done based on several indices, namely “Somatization Screening Index, Illness Behavior Questionnaire, Somatosensory Amplification Scale, Whitley Index, and Revised Chalder Fatigue Scale.” Several complaints such as somatic complaints, hypochondriacal beliefs, and fatigue were observed to be significantly higher among patients with DS compared to the control group.A study conducted in South Hall (an industrial area in the borough of Middlesex, London) included Indian and Pakistani immigrants. Young men living separately from their wives reported promiscuity, some being infected with gonorrhea and syphilis. Like other studies, nocturnal emission, weakness, and impotency were the other reported complaints. Semen was considered to be responsible for strength and vigor by most patients. Compared to the sexual problems of Indians, the British residents complained of pelvic issues and backache.In another work, Bhatia et al.[42] undertook a study on culture-bound syndromes and reported that 76.7% of the sample had DS followed by possession syndrome and Koro (a genital-related anxiety among males in South-East Asia).

Priyadarshi and Verma[43] performed a study in Urology Department of S M S Hospital, Jaipur, India. They conducted the study among 110 male patients who complained of DS and majority of them were living alone (54.5%) or in nuclear family (30%) as compared to joint family. Furthermore, 60% of them reported of never having experienced sex.Nakra et al.[44] investigated incidence and clinical features of 150 consecutive patients who presented with potency complaints in their clinic. Clinical assessments were done apart from detailed sexual history. The patients were 15–50 years of age, educated up to mid-school and mostly from a rural background.

Most of them were married and reported premarital sexual practices, while nearly 67% of them practiced masturbation from early age. There was significant guilt associated with nocturnal emissions and masturbation. Nearly 27% of the cases reported DS-like symptoms attributing their health problems to semen loss.Behere and Nataraj[45] reported that majority of the patients with DS presented with comorbidities of physical weakness, anxiety, headache, sad mood, loss of appetite, impotence, and premature ejaculation. The authors stated that DS in India is a symptom complex commonly found in younger age groups (16–23 years). The study subjects presented with complaints of whitish discharge in urine and believed that the loss of semen through masturbation was the reason for DS and weakness.Singh et al.[46] studied 50 cases with DS and sexual problems (premature ejaculation and impotence) from Punjab, India, after exclusion of those who were psychiatrically ill.

It was assumed in the study that semen loss is considered synonymous to “loss of something precious”, hence its loss would be associated with low mood and grief. Impotency (24%), premature ejaculation (14%), and “Dhat” in urine (40%) were the common complaints observed. Patients reported variety of symptoms including anxiety, depression, appetite loss, sleep problems, bodily pains, and headache. More than half of the patients were independently diagnosed with depression, and hence, the authors argued that DS may be a manifestation of depressive disorders.Bhatia and Malik[47] reported that the most common complaints associated with DS were physical weakness, fatigue and palpitation, insomnia, sad mood, headache, guilt feeling and suicidal ideation, impotence, and premature ejaculation. Psychiatric disorders were found in 69% of the patients, out of which the most common was depression followed by anxiety, psychosis, and phobia.

About 15% of the patients were found to have premature ejaculation and 8% had impotence.Bhatia et al.[48] examined several biological variables of DS after enrolment of 40 patients in a psychosexual clinic in Delhi. Patients had a history of impotence, premature ejaculation, and loss of semen (after exclusion of substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders). Twenty years was the mean age of onset and semen loss was mainly through masturbation and sexual intercourse. 67.5% and 75% of them reported sexual disorders and psychiatric comorbidity while 25%, 12.5%, and 37.5% were recorded to suffer from ejaculatory impotence, premature ejaculation, and depression (with anxiety), respectively.Bhatia[49] conducted a study on CBS among 60 patients attending psychiatric outdoor in a teaching hospital. The study revealed that among all patients with CBSs, DS was the most common (76.7%) followed by possession syndrome (13.3%) and Koro (5%).

Hypochondriasis, sexually transmitted diseases, and depression were the associated comorbidities. Morrone et al.[50] studied 18 male patients with DS in the Dermatology department who were from Bangladesh and India. The symptoms observed were mainly fatigue and nonspecific somatic symptoms. DS patients manifested several symptoms in psychosocial, religious, somatic, and other domains. The reasons provided by the patients for semen loss were urinary loss, nocturnal emission, and masturbation.

Dhat Syndrome. The Epidemiology The typical demographic profile of a DS patient has been reported to be a less educated, young male from lower socioeconomic status and usually from rural areas. In the earlier Indian studies by Carstairs,[51],[52],[53] it was observed that majority of the cases (52%–66.7%) were from rural areas, belonged to “conservative families and posed rigid views about sex” (69%-73%). De Silva and Dissanayake[8] in their study on semen loss syndrome reported the average age of onset of DS to be 25 years with most of them from lower-middle socioeconomic class. Chadda and Ahuja[9] studied young psychiatric patients who complained of semen loss.

They were mainly manual laborers, farmers, and clerks from low socioeconomic status. More than half were married and mostly uneducated. Khan[13] studied DS patients in Pakistan and reported that majority of the patients visited Hakims (50%) and Homeopaths (24%) for treatment. The age range was wide between 12 and 65 years with an average age of 24 years. Among those studied, majority were unmarried (75%), literacy was up to matriculation and they belonged to lower socioeconomic class.

Grover et al.[15] in their study of 780 male subjects showed the average age of onset to be 28.14 years and the age ranged between 21 and 30 years (55.3%). The subjects were single or unmarried (51.0%) and married (46.7%). About 23.5% of the subjects had graduated and most were unemployed (73.5%). Majority of subjects were lower-middle class (34%) and had lower incomes. Rao[17] studied 907 subjects, in which majority were from 18 to 30 years (44.5%).

About 45.80% of the study subjects were illiterates and very few had completed postgraduation. The subjects were both married and single. Majority of the subjects were residing in nuclear family (61.30%) and only 0.30% subjects were residing alone. Most of the patients did not have comorbid addictive disorders. The subjects were mainly engaged in agriculture (43.40%).

Majority of the subjects were from lower middle and upper lower socioeconomic class.Shakya[20] had studied the sociodemographic profile of 50 patients with DS. The average age of the studied patients was 25.4 years. The age ranges in decreasing order of frequency were 16–20 years (34%) followed by 21–25 years (28%), greater than 30 years (26%), 26–30 years (10%), and 11–15 years (2%). Further, the subjects were mostly students (50%) and rest were in service (26%), farmers (14%), laborers (6%), and business (4%), respectively. Dhikav et al.[31] conducted a study on 30 patients who had attended the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of a tertiary care hospital with complaints of frequently passing semen in urine.

In the studied patients, the age ranged between 20 and 40 years with an average age of 29 years and average age of onset of 19 years. The average duration of illness was that of 11 months. Most of the studied patients were unmarried (64.2%) and educated till middle or high school (70%). Priyadarshi and Verma[43] performed a study in 110 male patients with DS. The average age of the patients was 23.53 years and it ranged between 15 and 68 years.

The most affected age group of patients was of 18–25 years, which comprised about 60% of patients. On the other hand, about 25% ranged between 25 and 35 years, 10% were lesser than 18 years of age, and 5.5% patients were aged >35 years. Higher percentage of the patients were unmarried (70%). Interestingly, high prevalence of DS was found in educated patients and about 50% of patients were graduate or above but most of the patients were either unemployed or student (49.1%). About 55% and 24.5% patients showed monthly family income of <10,000 and 5000 Indian Rupees (INR), respectively.

Two-third patients belonged to rural areas of residence. Behere and Nataraj[45] found majority of the patients with DS (68%) to be between 16 and 25 years age. About 52% patients were married while 48% were unmarried and from lower socioeconomic strata. The duration of DS symptoms varied widely. Singh[46] studied patients those who reported with DS, impotence, and premature ejaculation and reported the average age of the affected to be 21.8 years with a younger age of onset.

Only a few patients received higher education. Bhatia and Malik[47] as mentioned earlier reported that age at the time of onset of DS ranged from 16 to 24 years. More than half of them were single. It was observed that most patients had some territorial education (91.67%) but few (8.33%) had postgraduate education or professional training. Finally, Bhatia et al.[48] studied cases of sexual dysfunctions and reported an average age of 21.6 years among the affected, majority being unmarried (80%).

Most of those who had comorbid DS symptoms received minimal formal education. Management. A Multimodal Approach As mentioned before, individuals affected with DS often seek initial treatment with traditional healers, practitioners of alternative medicine, and local quacks. As a consequence, varied treatment strategies have been popularized. Dietary supplements, protein and iron-rich diet, Vitamin B and C-complexes, antibiotics, multivitamin injections, herbal “supplements,” etc., have all been used in the treatment though scientific evidence related to them is sparse.[33] Frequent change of doctors, irregular compliance to treatment, and high dropout from health care are the major challenges, as the attributional beliefs toward DS persist in the majority even after repeated reassurance.[54] A multidisciplinary approach (involving psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers) is recommended and close liaison with the general physicians, the Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy practitioners, dermatologists, venereologists, and neurologists often help.

The role of faith healers and local counselors is vital, and it is important to integrate them into the care of DS patients, rather than side-tracking them from the system. Community awareness needs to be increased especially in primary health care for early detection and appropriate referrals. Follow-up data show two-thirds of patients affected with DS recovering with psychoeducation and low-dose sedatives.[45] Bhatia[49] studied 60 cases of DS and reported better response to anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications compared to psychotherapy alone. Classically, the correction of attributional biases through empathy, reflective, and nonjudgmental approaches has been proposed.[38] Over the years, sex education, psychotherapy, psychoeducation, relaxation techniques, and medications have been advocated in the management of DS.[9],[55] In psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral and brief solution-focused approaches are useful to target the dysfunctional assumptions and beliefs in DS. The role of sex education is vital involving the basic understanding of sexual anatomy and physiology of sexuality.

This needs to be tailored to the local terminology and beliefs. Biofeedback has also been proposed as a treatment modality.[4] Individual stress factors that might have precipitated DS need to be addressed. A detailed outline of assessment, evaluation, and management of DS is beyond the scope of this article and has already been reported in the IPS Clinical Practice Guidelines.[56] The readers are referred to these important guidelines for a comprehensive read on management. Probably, the most important factor is to understand and resolve the sociocultural contexts in the genesis of DS in each individual. Adequate debunking of the myths related to sexuality and culturally appropriate sexual education is vital both for the prevention and treatment of DS.[56] Adequate treatment of comorbidities such as depression and anxiety often helps in reduction of symptoms, more so when the DS is considered to be a manifestation of the same.

Future of Dhat Syndrome. The Way Forward Classifications in psychiatry have always been fraught with debates and discussion such as categorical versus dimensional, biological versus evolutionary. CBS like DS forms a major area of this nosological controversy. Longitudinal stability of a diagnosis is considered to be an important part of its independent categorization. Sameer et al.[23] followed up DS patients for 6.0 ± 3.5 years and concluded that the “pure” variety of DS is not a stable diagnostic entity.

The authors rather proposed DS as a variant of somatoform disorder, with cultural explanations. The right “place” for DS in classification systems has mostly been debated and theoretically fluctuant.[14] Sridhar et al.[57] mentioned the importance of reclassifying DS from a clinically, phenomenologically, psycho-pathologically, and diagnostically valid standpoint. Although both ICD and DSM have been culturally sensitive to classification, their approach to DS has been different. While ICD-10 considers DS under “other nonpsychotic mental disorders” (F48), DSM-V mentions it only in appendix section as “cultural concepts of distress” not assigning the condition any particular number.[12],[58] Fundamental questions have actually been raised about its separate existence altogether,[35] which further puts its diagnostic position in doubt. As discussed in the earlier sections, an alternate hypothesization of DS is a cultural variant of depression, rather than a “true syndrome.”[27] Over decades, various schools of thought have considered DS either to be a global phenomenon or a cultural “idiom” of distress in specific geographical regions or a manifestation of other primary psychiatric disorders.[59] Qualitative studies in doctors have led to marked discordance in their opinion about the validity and classificatory area of DS.[60] The upcoming ICD-11 targets to pay more importance to cultural contexts for a valid and reliable classification.

However, separating the phenomenological boundaries of diseases might lead to subsetting the cultural and contextual variants in broader rubrics.[61],[62] In that way, ICD-11 might propose alternate models for distinction of CBS like DS at nosological levels.[62] It is evident that various factors include socioeconomics, acceptability, and sustainability influence global classificatory systems, and this might influence the “niche” of DS in the near future. It will be interesting to see whether it retains its diagnostic independence or gets subsumed under the broader “narrative” of depression. In any case, uniformity of diagnosing this culturally relevant yet distressing and highly prevalent condition will remain a major area related to psychiatric research and treatment. Conclusion DS is a multidimensional psychiatric “construct” which is equally interesting and controversial. Historically relevant and symptomatically mysterious, this disorder provides unique insights into cultural contexts of human behavior and the role of misattributions, beliefs, and misinformation in sexuality.

Beyond the traditional debate about its “separate” existence, the high prevalence of DS, associated comorbidities, and resultant dysfunction make it relevant for emotional and psychosexual health. It is also treatable, and hence, the detection, understanding, and awareness become vital to its management. This oration attempts a “bird's eye” view of this CBS taking into account a holistic perspective of the available evidence so far. The clinical manifestations, diagnostic and epidemiological attributes, management, and nosological controversies are highlighted to provide a comprehensive account of DS and its relevance to mental health. More systematic and mixed methods research are warranted to unravel the enigma of this controversial yet distressing psychiatric disorder.AcknowledgmentI sincerely thank Dr.

Debanjan Banerjee (Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bangalore) for his constant selfless support, rich academic discourse, and continued collaboration that helped me condense years of research and ideas into this paper.Financial support and sponsorshipNil.Conflicts of interestThere are no conflicts of interest. References 1.2.3.Srinivasa Murthy R, Wig NN. A man ahead of his time. In. Sathyanarayana Rao TS, Tandon A, editors.

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An analysis of 60 cases of culture bound syndromes. Indian J Med Sci 1999;53:149-52. [PUBMED] [Full text] 50.Morrone A, Nosotti L, Tumiati Mc, Cianconi P, Casadei F, Franco G. Dhat Syndrome. An Analysis of 18 Cases.

Paper Presented in 11th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology &. Venerology. Prague. Czech. 2002.

51.Carstairs GM. Hinjra and jiryan. Two derivatives of Hindu attitudes to sexuality. Br J Med Psychol 1956;29:128-38. 52.Carstairs GM.

The Twice Born. Bloomington. Indiana University Press. 1961. 53.Carstairs GM.

Psychiatric problems of developing countries. Based on the Morison lecture delivered at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, on 25 May 1972. Br J Psychiatry 1973;123:271-7. 54.Sathyanarayana Rao TS. Some thoughts on sexualities and research in India.

Indian J Psychiatry 2004;46:3-4. [PUBMED] [Full text] 55.Prakash O, Rao TS. Sexuality research in India. An update. Indian J Psychiatry 2010;52:S260-3.

56.Avasthi A, Grover S, Rao TS. Clinical practice guidelines for management of sexual dysfunction. Indian J Psychiatry 2017;59 Suppl 1:S91-115. 57.Kavanoor Sridhar V, Subramanian K, Menon V. Current nosology of Dhat syndrome and state of evidence.

Indian J Health Sex Cult 2018;4:8-14. 58.APA (American Psychological Association). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. DSM-5. Washington.

DC. American Psychological Association. 2013. 59.Yasir Arafat SM. Dhat syndrome.

Culture bound, separate entity, or removed. J Behav Health 2017;6:147-50. 60.Prakash S, Sharan P, Sood M. A qualitative study on psychopathology of dhat syndrome in men. Implications for classification of disorders.

Asian J Psychiatr 2018;35:79-88. 61.Lewis-Fernández R, Aggarwal NK. Culture and psychiatric diagnosis. Adv Psychosom Med 2013;33:15-30. 62.Sharan P, Keeley J.

Cultural perspectives related to international classification of diseases-11. Indian J Soc Psychiatry 2018;34 Suppl S1:1-4. Correspondence Address:T S Sathyanarayana RaoDepartment of Psychiatry, JSS Medical College and Hospital, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore - 570 004, Karnataka IndiaSource of Support. None, Conflict of Interest. NoneDOI.

10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_791_20.

How to cite this article:Singh https://2018.berlin-conferences.com/buy-ventolin-online-canada/ OP zithromax purchase. Mental health in diverse India. Need for advocacy zithromax purchase. Indian J Psychiatry 2021;63:315-6”Unity in diversity” - That is the theme of India which we are quite proud of. We have diversity in terms of geography – From the Himalayas to the deserts zithromax purchase to the seas.

Every region has its own distinct culture and food. There are so many varieties of dress and language. There is huge difference between the states in terms of development, attitude toward women, health infrastructure, child mortality, and other sociodemographic development zithromax purchase indexes. There is now ample evidence that sociocultural factors influence mental health. Compton and Shim[1] have described in their model of gene environment interaction how public policies and social norms act on the distribution zithromax purchase of opportunity leading to social inequality, exclusion, poor environment, discrimination, and unemployment.

This in turn leads to reduced options, poor choices, and high-risk behavior. Combining genetic vulnerability and early zithromax purchase brain insult with low access to health care leads to poor mental health, disease, and morbidity.When we come to the field of mental health, we find huge differences between different states of India. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was markedly different while it was 5.8 and 5.1 for Assam and Uttar Pradesh at the lower end of the spectrum, it was 13.9 and 14.1 for Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra at the higher end of the spectrum. There was also a huge difference between the rural areas and metros, particularly in terms of psychosis and bipolar disorders.[2] The difference was distinct not only in the prevalence but also in the type of psychiatric disorders. While the more developed southern states had higher prevalence zithromax purchase of adult-onset disorders such as depression and anxiety, the less developed northern states had more of childhood onset disorders.

This may be due to lead toxicity, nutritional status, and perinatal issues. Higher rates of depression and anxiety were found in females zithromax purchase. Apart from the genetic and hormonal factors, increase was attributed to gender discrimination, violence, sexual abuse, and adverse sociocultural norms. Marriage was found to be a zithromax purchase negative prognostic indicator contrary to the western norms.[3]Cultural influences on the presentation of psychiatric disorders are apparent. Being in recessive position in the family is one of the strongest predictors of psychiatric illnesses and psychosomatic disorders.

The presentation of depressive and anxiety disorders with more somatic symptoms results from inability to express due to unequal power equation in the family rather than the lack of expressions. Apart from culture bound syndromes, the role of cultural idioms of distress in manifestations of psychiatric symptoms is well acknowledged.When we look into suicide data, suicide in lower socioeconomic strata (annual income <1 lakh) zithromax purchase was 92,083, in annual income group of 1–5 lakhs, it was 41,197, and in higher income group, it was 4726. Among those who committed suicide, 67% were young adults, 34% had family problems, 23.4% of suicides occurred in daily laborers, 10.1% in unemployed persons, and 7.4% in farmers.[4]While there are huge regional differences in mental health issues, the challenges in mental health in India remain stigma reduction, conducting research on efficacy of early intervention, reaching the unreached, gender sensitive services, making quality mental healthcare accessible and available, suicide prevention, reduction of substance abuse, implementing insurance for mental health and reducing out-of-pocket expense, and finally, improving care for homeless mentally ill. All these require sustained advocacy aimed zithromax purchase at promoting rights of mentally ill persons and reducing stigma and discriminations. It consists of various actions aimed at changing the attitudinal barriers in achieving positive mental health outcomes in the general population.

Psychiatrists as Mental Health Advocates There is a debate whether psychiatrists who are overburdened with clinical care could or should be involved in the advocacy activities which require skills in other areas, and sometimes, they find themselves at the receiving end of mental health advocates. We must be involved and pathways should be to build technical evidence for mapping out the problem, cost-effective interventions, and their efficacy.Advocacy can be done at institutional level, zithromax purchase organizational level, and individual level. There has been huge work done in this regard at institution level. Important research work done in this regard includes the National Mental Health Survey, National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, Global Burden of Diseases in Indian zithromax purchase States, and Trajectory of Brain Development. Other activities include improving the infrastructure of mental hospitals, telepsychiatry services, provision of free drugs, providing training to increase the number of service providers.

Similarly, at organizational level, the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) has filed a case zithromax purchase for lacunae in Mental Health-care Act, 2017. Another case filed by the IPS lead to change of name of the film from “Mental Hai Kya” to “Judgemental Hai Kya.” In LGBT issue, the IPS statement was quoted in the final judgement on the decriminalization of homosexuality. The IPS has also started helplines at different levels and media interactions. The Indian Journal of Psychiatry has also come out with editorials highlighting the need of care of marginalized population such as migrant laborers zithromax purchase and persons with dementia. At an individual level, we can be involved in ensuring quality treatment, respecting dignity and rights of the patient, sensitization of staff, working with patients and caregivers to plan services, and being involved locally in media and public awareness activities.The recent experience of Brazil is an eye opener where suicide reduction resulted from direct cash transfer pointing at the role of economic decision in suicide.[5] In India where economic inequality is increasing, male-to-female ratio is abysmal in some states (877 in Haryana to 1034 in Kerala), our actions should be sensitive to this regional variation.

When the enemy is economic inequality, our weapon is research highlighting the role of these factors on zithromax purchase mental health. References 1.Compton MT, Shim RS. The social determinants of mental zithromax purchase health. Focus 2015;13:419-25. 2.Gururaj G, Varghese M, Benegal V, Rao GN, Pathak K, Singh LK, et al.

National Mental Health Survey zithromax purchase of India, 2015-16. Prevalence, Patterns and Outcomes. Bengaluru. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, NIMHANS Publication No. 129.

2016. 3.Sagar R, Dandona R, Gururaj G, Dhaliwal RS, Singh A, Ferrari A, et al. The burden of mental disorders across the states of India. The Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2017. Lancet Psychiatry 2020;7:148-61.

4.National Crime Records Bureau, 2019. Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India. 2019. Available from. Https://ncrb.gov.in.

[Last accessed on 2021 Jun 24]. 5.Machado DB, Rasella D, dos Santos DN. Impact of income inequality and other social determinants on suicide rate in Brazil. PLoS One 2015;10:e0124934. Correspondence Address:Om Prakash SinghDepartment of Psychiatry, WBMES, Kolkata, West Bengal.

AMRI Hospitals, Kolkata, West Bengal IndiaSource of Support. None, Conflict of Interest. NoneDOI. 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_635_21Abstract Sexual health, an essential component of individual's health, is influenced by many complex issues including sexual behavior, attitudes, societal, and cultural factors on the one hand and while on the other hand, biological aspects, genetic predisposition, and associated mental and physical illnesses. Sexual health is a neglected area, even though it influences mortality, morbidity, and disability.

Dhat syndrome (DS), the term coined by Dr. N. N. Wig, has been at the forefront of advancements in understanding and misunderstanding. The concept of DS is still evolving being treated as a culture-bound syndrome in the past to a syndrome of depression and treated as “a culturally determined idiom of distress.” It is bound with myths, fallacies, prejudices, secrecy, exaggeration, and value-laden judgments.

Although it has been reported from many countries, much of the literature has emanated from Asia, that too mainly from India. The research in India has ranged from the study of a few cases in the past to recent national multicentric studies concerning phenomenology and beliefs of patients. The epidemiological studies have ranged from being hospital-based to population-based studies in rural and urban settings. There are studies on the management of individual cases by resolving sexual myths, relaxation exercises, supportive psychotherapy, anxiolytics, and antidepressants to broader and deeper research concerning cognitive behavior therapy. The presentation looks into DS as a model case highlighting the importance of exploring sexual health concerns in the Indian population in general and in particular need to reconsider DS in the light of the newly available literature.

It makes a fervent appeal for the inclusion of DS in the mainstream diagnostic categories in the upcoming revisions of the diagnostic manuals which can pave the way for a better understanding and management of DS and sexual problems.Keywords. Culture-bound syndrome, Dhat syndrome, Dhat syndrome management, Dhat syndrome prevalence, psychiatric comorbidity, sexual disordersHow to cite this article:Sathyanarayana Rao T S. History and mystery of Dhat syndrome. A critical look at the current understanding and future directions. Indian J Psychiatry 2021;63:317-25 Introduction Mr.

President, Chairpersons, my respected teachers and seniors, my professional colleagues and friends, ladies and gentlemen:I deem it a proud privilege and pleasure to receive and to deliver DLN Murti Rao Oration Award for 2020. I am humbled at this great honor and remain grateful to the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) in general and the awards committee in particular. I would like to begin my presentation with my homage to Professor DLN Murti Rao, who was a Doyen of Psychiatry.[1] I have a special connection to the name as Dr. Doddaballapura Laxmi Narasimha Murti Rao, apart from a family name, obtained his medical degree from Mysore Medical College, Mysuru, India, the same city where I have served last 33 years in JSS Medical College and JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research. His name carries the reverence in the corridors of the current National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) at Bangalore which was All India Institute of Mental Health, when he served as Head and the Medical Superintendent.

Another coincidence was his untimely demise in 1962, the same year another Doyen Dr. Wig[2],[3] published the article on a common but peculiar syndrome in the Indian context and gave the name Dhat syndrome (DS). Even though Dr. Wig is no more, his legacy of profound contribution to psychiatry and psychiatric education in general and service to the society and Mental Health, in particular, is well documented. His keen observation and study culminated in synthesizing many aspects and developments in DS.I would also like to place on record my humble pranams to my teachers from Christian Medical College, Vellore – Dr.

Abraham Varghese, the first Editor of the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine and Dr. K. Kuruvilla, Past Editor of Indian Journal of Psychiatry whose legacies I carried forward for both the journals. I must place on record that my journey in the field of Sexual Medicine was sown by Dr. K.

Kuruvilla and subsequent influence of Dr. Ajit Avasthi from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research from Chandigarh as my role model in the field. There are many more who have shaped and nurtured my interest in the field of sex and sexuality.The term “Dhat” was taken from the Sanskrit language, which is an important word “Dhatu” and has known several meanings such as “metal,” a “medicinal constituent,” which can be considered as most powerful material within the human body.[4] The Dhat disorder is mainly known for “loss of semen”, and the DS is a well-known “culture-bound syndrome (CBS).”[4] The DS leads to several psychosexual disorders such as physical weakness, tiredness, anxiety, appetite loss, and guilt related to the loss of semen through nocturnal emission, in urine and by masturbation as mentioned in many studies.[4],[5],[6] Conventionally, Charaka Samhita mentions “waste of bodily humors” being linked to the “loss of Dhatus.”[5] Semen has even been mentioned by Aristotle as a “soul substance” and weakness associated with its loss.[6] This has led to a plethora of beliefs about “food-blood-semen” relationship where the loss of semen is considered to reduce vitality, potency, and psychophysiological strength. People have variously attributed DS to excessive masturbation, premarital sex, promiscuity, and nocturnal emissions. Several past studies have emphasized that CBS leads to “anxiety for loss of semen” is not only prevalent in the Indian subcontinent but also a global phenomenon.[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12],[13],[14],[15],[16],[17],[18],[19],[20]It is important to note that DS manifestation and the psychosexual features are based on the impact of culture, demographic profiles, and the socioeconomic status of the patients.[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12],[13],[14],[15],[16],[17],[18],[19],[20] According to Leff,[21] culture depends upon norms, values, and myths, based on a specific area, and is also shared by the indigenous individuals of that area.

Tiwari et al.[22] mentioned in their study that “culture is closely associated with mental disorders through social and psychological activities.” With this background, the paper attempts to highlight the multidimensional construct of DS for a better clinical understanding in routine practice. Dhat Syndrome. A Separate Entity or a “Cultural Variant” of Depression Even though DS has been studied for years now, a consensus on the definition is yet to be achieved. It has mostly been conceptualized as a multidimensional psychosomatic entity consisting of anxiety, depressive, somatic, and sexual phenomenology. Most importantly, abnormal and erroneous attributions are considered to be responsible for the genesis of DS.

The most important debate is, however, related to the nosological status of DS. Although considered to a CBS unique to India, it has also been increasingly reported in China, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and America.[11] The consistency and validity of its diagnosis have been consistently debated, and one of the most vital questions that emerged was. Can there be another way to conceptualize DS?. There is no single answer to that question. Apart from an independent entity, the diagnostic validity of which has been limited in longitudinal studies,[23] it has also been a cultural variant of depressive and somatization disorders.

Mumford[11] in his study of Asian patients with DS found a significant association with depressed mood, anxiety, and fatigue. Around the same time, another study by Chadha[24] reported comorbidities in DS at a rate of 50%, 32%, and 18% related to depression, somatoform disorders, and anxiety, respectively. Depression continued to be reported as the most common association of DS in many studies.[25],[26] This “cause-effect” dilemma can never be fully resolved. Whether “loss of semen” and the cultural attributions to it leads to the affective symptoms or whether low mood and neuroticism can lead to DS in appropriate cultural context are two sides of the argument. However, the cognitive biases resulting in the attributional errors of DS and the subsequently maintained attitudes with relation to sexuality can be explained by the depressive cognitions and concepts of learned helplessness.

Balhara[27] has argued that since DS is not really culture specific as thought of earlier, it should not be solely categorized as a functional somatic syndrome, as that can have detrimental effects on its understanding and management. He also mentions that the underlying “emotional distress and cultural contexts” are not unique to DS but can be related to any psychiatric syndrome for that matter. On the contrary, other researchers have warned that subsuming DS and other CBS under the broader rubric of “mood disorders” can lead to neglect and reductionism in disorder like DS that can have unique cultural connotations.[28] Over the years, there have been multiple propositions to relook and relabel CBS like DS. Considering it as a variant of depression or somatization can make it a “cultural phenotype” of these disorders in certain regions, thus making it easier for the classificatory systems. This dichotomous debate seems never-ending, but clinically, it is always better to err on over-diagnosing and over-treating depression and anxiety in DS, which can improve the well-being of the distressed patients.

Why Discuss Dhat Syndrome. Implications in Clinical Practice DS might occur independently or associated with multiple comorbidities. It has been a widely recognized clinical condition in various parts of the world, though considered specific to the Indian subcontinent. The presentation can often be polymorphic with symptom clusters of affective, somatic, behavioral, and cognitive manifestations.[29] Being common in rural areas, the first contacts of the patients are frequently traditional faith healers and less often, the general practitioners. A psychiatric referral occurs much later, if at all.

This leads to underdetection and faulty treatments, which can strengthen the already existing misattributions and misinformation responsible for maintaining the disorder. Furthermore, depression and sexual dysfunction can be the important comorbidities that if untreated, lead to significant psychosocial dysfunction and impaired quality of life.[30] Besides many patients of DS believe that their symptoms are due to failure of interpersonal relationships, s, and heredity, which might cause early death and infertility. This contributes to the vicious cycle of fear and panic.[31] Doctor shopping is another challenge and failure to detect and address the concern of DS might lead to dropping out from the care.[15] Rao[17] in their epidemiological study reported 12.5% prevalence in the general population, with 20.5% and 50% suffering from comorbid depression and sexual disorders. The authors stressed upon the importance of early detection of DS for the psychosexual and social well-being. Most importantly, the multidimensional presentation of DS can at certain times be a facade overshadowing underlying neurotic disorders (anxiety, depression, somatoform, hypochondriasis, and phobias), obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and body dysmorphic disorders, delusional disorders, sexual disorders (premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction) and infectious disorders (urinary tract s, sexually transmitted diseases), and even stress-related manifestations in otherwise healthy individuals.[4],[14],[15] This significant overlap of symptomatology, increased prevalence, and marked comorbidity make it all the more important for physicians to make sense out of the construct of DS.

That can facilitate prompt detection and management of DS in routine clinical practice.In an earlier review study, it was observed that few studies are undertaken to update the research works from published articles as an updated review, systemic review, world literature review, etc., on DS and its management approach.[29],[32],[33],[34],[35] The present paper attempts to compile the evidence till date on DS related to its nosology, critique, manifestations, and management plan. The various empirical studies on DS all over the world will be briefly discussed along with the implications and importance of the syndrome. The Construct of Dhat Syndrome. Summary of Current Evidence DS is a well-known CBS, which is defined as undue concern about the weakening effects after the passage of semen in urine or through nocturnal emission that has been stated by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10).[36] It is also known as “semen loss syndrome” by Shakya,[20] which is prevalent mainly in the Indian subcontinent[37] and has also been reported in the South-Eastern and western population.[15],[16],[20],[32],[38],[39],[40],[41] Individuals with “semen loss anxiety” suffer from a myriad of psychosexual symptoms, which have been attributed to “loss of vital essence through semen” (common in South Asia).[7],[15],[16],[17],[32],[37],[41],[42],[43] The various studies related to attributes of DS and their findings are summarized further.Prakash et al.[5] studied 100 DS patients through 139 symptoms of the Associated Symptoms Scale. They studied sociodemographic profile, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and Postgraduate Institute Neuroticism Scale.

The study found a wide range of physical, anxiety, depression, sexual, and cognitive symptoms. Most commonly associated symptoms were found as per score ≥1. This study reported several parameters such as the “sense of being unhealthy” (99%), worry (99%), feeling “no improvement despite treatment” (97%), tension (97%), tiredness (95%), fatigue (95%), weakness (95%), and anxiety (95%). The common sexual disorders were observed as loss of masculinity (83%), erectile dysfunction (54%), and premature ejaculation (53%). Majority of patients had faced mild or moderate level of symptoms in which 47% of the patients reported severe weakness.

Overall distress and dysfunction were observed as 64% and 81% in the studied subjects, respectively.A study in Taiwan involved 87 participants from a Urology clinic. Most of them have sexual neurosis (Shen-K'uei syndrome).[7] More than one-third of the patients belonged to lower social class and symptoms of depression, somatization, anxiety, masturbation, and nocturnal emissions. Other bodily complaints as reported were sleep disturbances, fatigue, dizziness, backache, and weakness. Nearly 80% of them considered that all of their problems were due to masturbatory practices.De Silva and Dissanayake[8] investigated several manifestations on semen loss syndrome in the psychiatric clinic of Colombo General Hospital, Sri Lanka. Beliefs regarding effects of semen loss and help-seeking sought for DS were explored.

38 patients were studied after psychiatrically ill individuals and those with organic disorders were excluded. Duration of semen loss varied from 1 to 20 years. Every participant reported excessive loss of semen and was preoccupied with it. The common forms of semen loss were through nocturnal emission, masturbation, urinary loss, and through sexual activities. Most of them reported multiple modes of semen loss.

Masturbatory frequency and that of nocturnal emissions varied significantly. More than half of the patients reported all types of complaints (psychological, sexual, somatic, and genital).In the study by Chadda and Ahuja,[9] 52 psychiatric patients (mostly adolescents and young adults) complained of passing “Dhat” in urine. They were assessed for a period of 6 months. More than 80% of them complained of body weakness, aches, and pains. More than 50% of the patients suffered from depression and anxiety.

All the participants felt that their symptoms were due to loss of “dhat” in urine, attributed to excessive masturbation, extramarital and premarital sex. Half of those who faced sexual dysfunctions attributed them to semen loss.Mumford[11] proposed a controversial explanation of DS arguing that it might be a part of other psychiatric disorders, like depression. A total of 1000 literate patients were recruited from a medical outdoor in a public sector hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. About 600 educated patients were included as per Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI). Men with DS reported greater symptoms on BSI than those without DS.

60 psychiatric patients were also recruited from the same hospital and diagnosed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-III-R. Among them, 33% of the patients qualified for “Dhat” items on BSI. The symptoms persisted for more than 15 days. It was observed that symptoms of DS highly correlated with BSI items, namely erectile dysfunction, burning sensation during urination, fatigue, energy loss, and weakness. This comparative study indicated that patients with DS suffered more from depressive disorders than without DS and the age group affected by DS was mostly the young.Grover et al.[15] conducted a study on 780 male patients aged >16 years in five centers (Chandigarh, Jaipur, Faridkot, Mewat, and New Delhi) of Northern India, 4 centers (2 from Kolkata, 1 each in Kalyani and Bhubaneswar) of Eastern India, 2 centers (Agra and Lucknow) of Central India, 2 centers (Ahmedabad and Wardha) of Western India, and 2 centers of Southern India (both located at Mysore) spread across the country by using DS questionnaire.

Nearly one-third of the patients were passing “Dhat” multiple times a week. Among them, nearly 60% passed almost a spoonful of “Dhat” each time during a loss. This work on sexual disorders reported that the passage of “Dhat” was mostly attributed to masturbation (55.1%), dreams on sex (47.3%), sexual desire (42.8%), and high energy foods consumption (36.7%). Mostly, the participants experienced passage of Dhat as “night falls” (60.1%) and “while passing stools” (59.5%). About 75.6% showed weakness in sexual ability as a common consequence of the “loss of Dhat.” The associated symptoms were depression, hopelessness, feeling low, decreased energy levels, weakness, and lack of pleasure.

Erectile problems and premature ejaculation were also present.Rao[17] in his first epidemiological study done in Karnataka, India, showed the prevalence rate of DS in general male population as 12.5%. It was found that 57.5% were suffering either from comorbid depression or anxiety disorders. The prevalence of psychiatric and sexual disorders was about three times higher with DS compared to non-DS subjects. One-third of the cases (32.8%) had no comorbidity in hospital (urban). One-fifth (20.5%) and 50% subjects (51.3%) had comorbid depressive disorders and sexual dysfunction.

The psychosexual symptoms were found among 113 patients who had DS. The most common psychological symptoms reported by the subjects with DS were low self-esteem (100%), loss of interest in any activity (95.60%), feeling of guilt (92.00%), and decreased social interaction (90.30%). In case of sexual disorders, beliefs were held commonly about testes becoming smaller (92.00%), thinness of semen (86.70%), decreased sexual capabilities (83.20%), and tilting of penis (70.80%).Shakya[20] studied a clinicodemographic profile of DS patients in psychiatry outpatient clinic of B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

A total of 50 subjects were included in this study, and the psychiatric diagnoses as well as comorbidities were investigated as per the ICD-10 criteria. Among the subjects, most of the cases had symptoms of depression and anxiety, and all the subjects were worried about semen loss. Somehow these subjects had heard or read that semen loss or masturbation is unhealthy practice. The view of participants was that semen is very “precious,” needs preservation, and masturbation is a malpractice. Beside DS, two-thirds of the subjects had comorbid depression.In another Indian study, Chadda et al.[24] compared patients with DS with those affected with neurotic/depressive disorders.

Among 100 patients, 50%, 32%, and 18% reported depression, somatic problems, and anxiety, respectively. The authors argued that cases of DS have similar symptom dimensions as mood and anxiety disorders.Dhikav et al.[31] examined prevalence and management depression comorbid with DS. DSM-IV and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used for assessments. About 66% of the patients met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria of depression. They concluded that depression was a frequent comorbidity in DS patients.In a study by Perme et al.[37] from South India that included 32 DS patients, the control group consisted of 33 people from the same clinic without DS, depression, and anxiety.

The researchers followed the guidelines of Bhatia and Malik's for the assessment of primary complaints of semen loss through “nocturnal emissions, masturbation, sexual intercourse, and passing of semen before and after urine.” The assessment was done based on several indices, namely “Somatization Screening Index, Illness Behavior Questionnaire, Somatosensory Amplification Scale, Whitley Index, and Revised Chalder Fatigue Scale.” Several complaints such as somatic complaints, hypochondriacal beliefs, and fatigue were observed to be significantly higher among patients with DS compared to the control group.A study conducted in South Hall (an industrial area in the borough of Middlesex, London) included Indian and Pakistani immigrants. Young men living separately from their wives reported promiscuity, some being infected with gonorrhea and syphilis. Like other studies, nocturnal emission, weakness, and impotency were the other reported complaints. Semen was considered to be responsible for strength and vigor by most patients. Compared to the sexual problems of Indians, the British residents complained of pelvic issues and backache.In another work, Bhatia et al.[42] undertook a study on culture-bound syndromes and reported that 76.7% of the sample had DS followed by possession syndrome and Koro (a genital-related anxiety among males in South-East Asia).

Priyadarshi and Verma[43] performed a study in Urology Department of S M S Hospital, Jaipur, India. They conducted the study among 110 male patients who complained of DS and majority of them were living alone (54.5%) or in nuclear family (30%) as compared to joint family. Furthermore, 60% of them reported of never having experienced sex.Nakra et al.[44] investigated incidence and clinical features of 150 consecutive patients who presented with potency complaints in their clinic. Clinical assessments were done apart from detailed sexual history. The patients were 15–50 years of age, educated up to mid-school and mostly from a rural background.

Most of them were married and reported premarital sexual practices, while nearly 67% of them practiced masturbation from early age. There was significant guilt associated with nocturnal emissions and masturbation. Nearly 27% of the cases reported DS-like symptoms attributing their health problems to semen loss.Behere and Nataraj[45] reported that majority of the patients with DS presented with comorbidities of physical weakness, anxiety, headache, sad mood, loss of appetite, impotence, and premature ejaculation. The authors stated that DS in India is a symptom complex commonly found in younger age groups (16–23 years). The study subjects presented with complaints of whitish discharge in urine and believed that the loss of semen through masturbation was the reason for DS and weakness.Singh et al.[46] studied 50 cases with DS and sexual problems (premature ejaculation and impotence) from Punjab, India, after exclusion of those who were psychiatrically ill.

It was assumed in the study that semen loss is considered synonymous to “loss of something precious”, hence its loss would be associated with low mood and grief. Impotency (24%), premature ejaculation (14%), and “Dhat” in urine (40%) were the common complaints observed. Patients reported variety of symptoms including anxiety, depression, appetite loss, sleep problems, bodily pains, and headache. More than half of the patients were independently diagnosed with depression, and hence, the authors argued that DS may be a manifestation of depressive disorders.Bhatia and Malik[47] reported that the most common complaints associated with DS were physical weakness, fatigue and palpitation, insomnia, sad mood, headache, guilt feeling and suicidal ideation, impotence, and premature ejaculation. Psychiatric disorders were found in 69% of the patients, out of which the most common was depression followed by anxiety, psychosis, and phobia.

About 15% of the patients were found to have premature ejaculation and 8% had impotence.Bhatia et al.[48] examined several biological variables of DS after enrolment of 40 patients in a psychosexual clinic in Delhi. Patients had a history of impotence, premature ejaculation, and loss of semen (after exclusion of substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders). Twenty years was the mean age of onset and semen loss was mainly through masturbation and sexual intercourse. 67.5% and 75% of them reported sexual disorders and psychiatric comorbidity while 25%, 12.5%, and 37.5% were recorded to suffer from ejaculatory impotence, premature ejaculation, and depression (with anxiety), respectively.Bhatia[49] conducted a study on CBS among 60 patients attending psychiatric outdoor in a teaching hospital. The study revealed that among all patients with CBSs, DS was the most common (76.7%) followed by possession syndrome (13.3%) and Koro (5%).

Hypochondriasis, sexually transmitted diseases, and depression were the associated comorbidities. Morrone et al.[50] studied 18 male patients with DS in the Dermatology department who were from Bangladesh and India. The symptoms observed were mainly fatigue and nonspecific somatic symptoms. DS patients manifested several symptoms in psychosocial, religious, somatic, and other domains. The reasons provided by the patients for semen loss were urinary loss, nocturnal emission, and masturbation.

Dhat Syndrome. The Epidemiology The typical demographic profile of a DS patient has been reported to be a less educated, young male from lower socioeconomic status and usually from rural areas. In the earlier Indian studies by Carstairs,[51],[52],[53] it was observed that majority of the cases (52%–66.7%) were from rural areas, belonged to “conservative families and posed rigid views about sex” (69%-73%). De Silva and Dissanayake[8] in their study on semen loss syndrome reported the average age of onset of DS to be 25 years with most of them from lower-middle socioeconomic class. Chadda and Ahuja[9] studied young psychiatric patients who complained of semen loss.

They were mainly manual laborers, farmers, and clerks from low socioeconomic status. More than half were married and mostly uneducated. Khan[13] studied DS patients in Pakistan and reported that majority of the patients visited Hakims (50%) and Homeopaths (24%) for treatment. The age range was wide between 12 and 65 years with an average age of 24 years. Among those studied, majority were unmarried (75%), literacy was up to matriculation and they belonged to lower socioeconomic class.

Grover et al.[15] in their study of 780 male subjects showed the average age of onset to be 28.14 years and the age ranged between 21 and 30 years (55.3%). The subjects were single or unmarried (51.0%) and married (46.7%). About 23.5% of the subjects had graduated and most were unemployed (73.5%). Majority of subjects were lower-middle class (34%) and had lower incomes. Rao[17] studied 907 subjects, in which majority were from 18 to 30 years (44.5%).

About 45.80% of the study subjects were illiterates and very few had completed postgraduation. The subjects were both married and single. Majority of the subjects were residing in nuclear family (61.30%) and only 0.30% subjects were residing alone. Most of the patients did not have comorbid addictive disorders. The subjects were mainly engaged in agriculture (43.40%).

Majority of the subjects were from lower middle and upper lower socioeconomic class.Shakya[20] had studied the sociodemographic profile of 50 patients with DS. The average age of the studied patients was 25.4 years. The age ranges in decreasing order of frequency were 16–20 years (34%) followed by 21–25 years (28%), greater than 30 years (26%), 26–30 years (10%), and 11–15 years (2%). Further, the subjects were mostly students (50%) and rest were in service (26%), farmers (14%), laborers (6%), and business (4%), respectively. Dhikav et al.[31] conducted a study on 30 patients who had attended the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of a tertiary care hospital with complaints of frequently passing semen in urine.

In the studied patients, the age ranged between 20 and 40 years with an average age of 29 years and average age of onset of 19 years. The average duration of illness was that of 11 months. Most of the studied patients were unmarried (64.2%) and educated till middle or high school (70%). Priyadarshi and Verma[43] performed a study in 110 male patients with DS. The average age of the patients was 23.53 years and it ranged between 15 and 68 years.

The most affected age group of patients was of 18–25 years, which comprised about 60% of patients. On the other hand, about 25% ranged between 25 and 35 years, 10% were lesser than 18 years of age, and 5.5% patients were aged >35 years. Higher percentage of the patients were unmarried (70%). Interestingly, high prevalence of DS was found in educated patients and about 50% of patients were graduate or above but most of the patients were either unemployed or student (49.1%). About 55% and 24.5% patients showed monthly family income of <10,000 and 5000 Indian Rupees (INR), respectively.

Two-third patients belonged to rural areas of residence. Behere and Nataraj[45] found majority of the patients with DS (68%) to be between 16 and 25 years age. About 52% patients were married while 48% were unmarried and from lower socioeconomic strata. The duration of DS symptoms varied widely. Singh[46] studied patients those who reported with DS, impotence, and premature ejaculation and reported the average age of the affected to be 21.8 years with a younger age of onset.

Only a few patients received higher education. Bhatia and Malik[47] as mentioned earlier reported that age at the time of onset of DS ranged from 16 to 24 years. More than half of them were single. It was observed that most patients had some territorial education (91.67%) but few (8.33%) had postgraduate education or professional training. Finally, Bhatia et al.[48] studied cases of sexual dysfunctions and reported an average age of 21.6 years among the affected, majority being unmarried (80%).

Most of those who had comorbid DS symptoms received minimal formal education. Management. A Multimodal Approach As mentioned before, individuals affected with DS often seek initial treatment with traditional healers, practitioners of alternative medicine, and local quacks. As a consequence, varied treatment strategies have been popularized. Dietary supplements, protein and iron-rich diet, Vitamin B and C-complexes, antibiotics, multivitamin injections, herbal “supplements,” etc., have all been used in the treatment though scientific evidence related to them is sparse.[33] Frequent change of doctors, irregular compliance to treatment, and high dropout from health care are the major challenges, as the attributional beliefs toward DS persist in the majority even after repeated reassurance.[54] A multidisciplinary approach (involving psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers) is recommended and close liaison with the general physicians, the Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy practitioners, dermatologists, venereologists, and neurologists often help.

The role of faith healers and local counselors is vital, and it is important to integrate them into the care of DS patients, rather than side-tracking them from the system. Community awareness needs to be increased especially in primary health care for early detection and appropriate referrals. Follow-up data show two-thirds of patients affected with DS recovering with psychoeducation and low-dose sedatives.[45] Bhatia[49] studied 60 cases of DS and reported better response to anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications compared to psychotherapy alone. Classically, the correction of attributional biases through empathy, reflective, and nonjudgmental approaches has been proposed.[38] Over the years, sex education, psychotherapy, psychoeducation, relaxation techniques, and medications have been advocated in the management of DS.[9],[55] In psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral and brief solution-focused approaches are useful to target the dysfunctional assumptions and beliefs in DS. The role of sex education is vital involving the basic understanding of sexual anatomy and physiology of sexuality.

This needs to be tailored to the local terminology and beliefs. Biofeedback has also been proposed as a treatment modality.[4] Individual stress factors that might have precipitated DS need to be addressed. A detailed outline of assessment, evaluation, and management of DS is beyond the scope of this article and has already been reported in the IPS Clinical Practice Guidelines.[56] The readers are referred to these important guidelines for a comprehensive read on management. Probably, the most important factor is to understand and resolve the sociocultural contexts in the genesis of DS in each individual. Adequate debunking of the myths related to sexuality and culturally appropriate sexual education is vital both for the prevention and treatment of DS.[56] Adequate treatment of comorbidities such as depression and anxiety often helps in reduction of symptoms, more so when the DS is considered to be a manifestation of the same.

Future of Dhat Syndrome. The Way Forward Classifications in psychiatry have always been fraught with debates and discussion such as categorical versus dimensional, biological versus evolutionary. CBS like DS forms a major area of this nosological controversy. Longitudinal stability of a diagnosis is considered to be an important part of its independent categorization. Sameer et al.[23] followed up DS patients for 6.0 ± 3.5 years and concluded that the “pure” variety of DS is not a stable diagnostic entity.

The authors rather proposed DS as a variant of somatoform disorder, with cultural explanations. The right “place” for DS in classification systems has mostly been debated and theoretically fluctuant.[14] Sridhar et al.[57] mentioned the importance of reclassifying DS from a clinically, phenomenologically, psycho-pathologically, and diagnostically valid standpoint. Although both ICD and DSM have been culturally sensitive to classification, their approach to DS has been different. While ICD-10 considers DS under “other nonpsychotic mental disorders” (F48), DSM-V mentions it only in appendix section as “cultural concepts of distress” not assigning the condition any particular number.[12],[58] Fundamental questions have actually been raised about its separate existence altogether,[35] which further puts its diagnostic position in doubt. As discussed in the earlier sections, an alternate hypothesization of DS is a cultural variant of depression, rather than a “true syndrome.”[27] Over decades, various schools of thought have considered DS either to be a global phenomenon or a cultural “idiom” of distress in specific geographical regions or a manifestation of other primary psychiatric disorders.[59] Qualitative studies in doctors have led to marked discordance in their opinion about the validity and classificatory area of DS.[60] The upcoming ICD-11 targets to pay more importance to cultural contexts for a valid and reliable classification.

However, separating the phenomenological boundaries of diseases might lead to subsetting the cultural and contextual variants in broader rubrics.[61],[62] In that way, ICD-11 might propose alternate models for distinction of CBS like DS at nosological levels.[62] It is evident that various factors include socioeconomics, acceptability, and sustainability influence global classificatory systems, and this might influence the “niche” of DS in the near future. It will be interesting to see whether it retains its diagnostic independence or gets subsumed under the broader “narrative” of depression. In any case, uniformity of diagnosing this culturally relevant yet distressing and highly prevalent condition will remain a major area related to psychiatric research and treatment. Conclusion DS is a multidimensional psychiatric “construct” which is equally interesting and controversial. Historically relevant and symptomatically mysterious, this disorder provides unique insights into cultural contexts of human behavior and the role of misattributions, beliefs, and misinformation in sexuality.

Beyond the traditional debate about its “separate” existence, the high prevalence of DS, associated comorbidities, and resultant dysfunction make it relevant for emotional and psychosexual health. It is also treatable, and hence, the detection, understanding, and awareness become vital to its management. This oration attempts a “bird's eye” view of this CBS taking into account a holistic perspective of the available evidence so far. The clinical manifestations, diagnostic and epidemiological attributes, management, and nosological controversies are highlighted to provide a comprehensive account of DS and its relevance to mental health. More systematic and mixed methods research are warranted to unravel the enigma of this controversial yet distressing psychiatric disorder.AcknowledgmentI sincerely thank Dr.

Debanjan Banerjee (Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bangalore) for his constant selfless support, rich academic discourse, and continued collaboration that helped me condense years of research and ideas into this paper.Financial support and sponsorshipNil.Conflicts of interestThere are no conflicts of interest. References 1.2.3.Srinivasa Murthy R, Wig NN. A man ahead of his time. In. Sathyanarayana Rao TS, Tandon A, editors.

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10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_791_20.

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Asked whether the Neuralink chip would allow people to summon their Tesla telepathically, Musk responded zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation. €œDefinitely — of course.”Matthew MacDougall, the company’s head neurosurgeon, appearing in scrubs, said the company had so far only implanted its technology into the brain’s cortical surface, the coaster-width layer enveloping the brain, but added that it hoped to go deeper in the future. Still, Musk zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation said. €œYou could solve blindness, you could solve paralysis, you could solve hearing — you can solve a lot just by interfacing with the cortex.”Musk and MacDougall said they hoped to eventually implant Neuralink’s devices — which they referred to on stage simply as “links” — in the deeper structures of the brain, such as in the hypothalamus, which is believed to play a critical role in mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.There were no updates at the event of Neuralink’s research in monkeys, which the company has been conducting in partnership with the University of California, Davis since 2017.

At last July’s event, Musk said — without providing evidence — that a monkey had controlled a computer with its brain.At that same July 2019 event, Neuralink released a preprint paper — published a few months later — that claimed to zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation show that a series of Neuralink electrodes implanted in the brains of rats could record neural signals. Critically, the work did not show where in the brain the implanted electrodes were recording from, for how long they were recording, or whether the recordings could be linked to any of the rats’ bodily movements.In touting Friday’s event — and Neuralink’s technological capabilities — on Twitter in recent weeks, Musk spoke of “AI symbiosis while u wait” and referenced the “matrix in the matrix” — a science-fiction reference about revealing the true nature of reality. The progress the company reported on Friday fell far short zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation of that. Neuralink’s prototype is ambitious, but it has yet to show evidence that it can match up to the brain-machine interfaces developed by academic labs and other companies.

Other groups have shown that they can listen in on neural activity and allow primates and people to control a computer cursor with their brain — so-called “read-out” technology — and have also shown that they can use electrical stimulation to input information, such as a command or the heat of a hot cup of coffee, using “write-in” zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation technology. Neuralink said on Friday that its technology would have both read-out and write-in capabilities.Musk acknowledged that Neuralink still has a long way to go. In closing the event after more than 70 minutes, zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation Musk said. €œThere’s a tremendous amount of work to be done to go from here to a device that is widely available and affordable and reliable.”Following the news this week of what appears to have been the first confirmed case of a buy antibiotics re, other researchers have been coming forward with their own reports.

One in Belgium, another in the Netherlands. And now, one in Nevada.What caught experts’ attention about the case of the 25-year-old Reno man was not that he appears to have contracted antibiotics (the zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation name of the zithromax that causes buy antibiotics) a second time. Rather, it’s that his second bout was more serious than his first.Immunologists had expected that if the immune response generated after an initial could not prevent a second case, then it should at least stave off more severe illness. That’s what occurred with the first known re case, in a 33-year-old Hong Kong man.advertisement Still, despite what happened to the man in zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation Nevada, researchers are stressing this is not a sky-is-falling situation or one that should result in firm conclusions.

They always presumed people would become vulnerable to buy antibiotics again some time after recovering from an initial case, based on how our immune systems respond to other respiratory zithromaxes, including other antibioticses. It’s possible zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation that these early cases of re are outliers and have features that won’t apply to the tens of millions of other people who have already shaken off buy antibiotics.“There are millions and millions of cases,” said Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The real question that should get the most focus, Mina said, is, “What happens zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation to most people?.

€advertisement But with more re reports likely to make it into the scientific literature soon, and from there into the mainstream press, here are some things to look for in assessing them.What’s the deal with the Nevada case?. The Reno resident in question first tested positive for antibiotics in April after coming down with a sore throat, cough, and headache, as well zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation as nausea and diarrhea. He got better over time and later tested negative twice. But zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation then, some 48 days later, the man started experiencing headaches, cough, and other symptoms again.

Eventually, he became so sick that he had to be hospitalized and was found to have pneumonia.Researchers sequenced zithromax samples from both of his s and found they were different, providing evidence that this was a new distinct from the first. What happens when zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation we get buy antibiotics in the first case?. Researchers are finding that, generally, people who get buy antibiotics develop a healthy immune response replete with both antibodies (molecules that can block pathogens from infecting cells) and T cells (which help wipe out the zithromax). This is what happens after other viral s.In addition to fending off the zithromax the first time, that immune response also creates memories of the zithromax, should it try to invade a second zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation time.

It’s thought, then, that people who recover from buy antibiotics will typically be protected from another case for some amount of time. With other antibioticses, protection is thought to last for perhaps zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation a little less than a year to about three years.But researchers can’t tell how long immunity will last with a new pathogen (like antibiotics) until people start getting reinfected. They also don’t know exactly what mechanisms provide protection against buy antibiotics, nor do they know what levels of antibodies or T cells are required to signal that someone is protected through a blood test. (These are called the “correlates of protection.”) Why do experts expect second cases to be milder? zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation.

With other zithromaxes, protective immunity doesn’t just vanish one day. Instead, it zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation wanes over time. Researchers have then hypothesized that with antibiotics, perhaps our immune systems might not always be able to prevent it from getting a toehold in our cells — to halt entirely — but that it could still put up enough of a fight to guard us from getting really sick. Again, this is what happens with other respiratory pathogens.And it’s why some researchers actually looked at the Hong Kong case with zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation relief.

The man had mild to moderate buy antibiotics symptoms during the first case, but was asymptomatic the second time. It was a demonstration, experts said, of what you would want zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation your immune system to do. (The case was only detected because the man’s sample was taken at the airport when he arrived back in Hong Kong after traveling in Europe.)“The fact that somebody may get reinfected is not surprising,” Malik Peiris, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, told STAT earlier this week about the first re. €œBut the re didn’t cause disease, so that’s the first point.”The Nevada case, then, provides a counterexample to that.

What kind zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation of immune response did the person who was reinfected generate initially?. Earlier, we described the robust immune response that most people who have buy antibiotics seem to mount. But that zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation was a generalization. s and the immune responses they induce in different people are “heterogeneous,” said Sarah Cobey, an epidemiologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago.Older people often generate weaker immune responses than younger people.

Some studies have also indicated that milder cases of buy antibiotics induce tamer immune responses that might not provide as lasting or as thorough of a defense as stronger immune zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation responses. The man in Hong Kong, for example, did not generate antibodies to the zithromax after his first , at least to the level that could be detected by blood tests. Perhaps that explains why he contracted the zithromax again just about 4 1/2 months after recovering from his initial .In the Nevada zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation case, researchers did not test what kind of immune response the man generated after the first case.“ is not some binary event,” Cobey said. And with re, “there’s going to be some viral replication, but the question is how much is the immune system getting engaged?.

€What might be broadly meaningful is when people who mounted zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation robust immune responses start getting reinfected, and how severe their second cases are. Are people who have buy antibiotics a second time infectious?. As discussed, immune memory can prevent zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation re. If it can’t, it might stave off serious illness.

But there’s a third aspect of this, too.“The most important question for re, with the most serious implications for controlling the zithromax, is whether reinfected people can transmit the zithromax zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation to others,” Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen wrote in Slate this week.Unfortunately, neither the Hong Kong nor the Reno studies looked at this question. But if most people who get reinfected don’t spread the zithromax, that’s obviously good news. What happens when people broadly zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation become susceptible again?. Whether it’s six months after the first or nine months or a year or longer, at some point, protection for most people who recover from buy antibiotics is expected to wane.

And without the arrival of a treatment and broad uptake of it, that zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation could change the dynamics of local outbreaks.In some communities, it’s thought that more than 20% of residents have experienced an initial buy antibiotics case, and are thus theoretically protected from another case for some time. That is still below the point of herd immunity — when enough people are immune that transmission doesn’t occur — but still, the fewer vulnerable people there are, the less likely spread is to occur.On the flip side though, if more people become susceptible to the zithromax again, that could increase the risk of transmission. Modelers are starting to factor that possibility into their forecasts.A crucial question for which there is not an answer yet is whether what happened to the man in Reno, where the second case was more severe than the first, remains a zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation rare occurrence, as researchers expect and hope. As the Nevada researchers wrote, “the generalizability of this finding is unknown.”An advocacy group has asked the Department of Defense to investigate what it called “an apparent failure” by Moderna (MRNA) to disclose millions of dollars in awards received from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in patent applications the company filed for treatments.In a letter to the agency, Knowledge Ecology International explained that a review of dozens of patent applications found the company received approximately $20 million from the federal government in grants several years ago and the funds “likely” led to the creation of its treatment technology.

This was used to develop treatments to combat different zithromaxes, such as Zika and, later, the zithromax that causes buy antibiotics.In arguing for an investigation, the advocacy group maintained Moderna zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation is obligated under federal law to disclose the grants that led to nearly a dozen specific patent applications and explained the financial support means the U.S. Government would have certain rights over the patents. In other words, U.S zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation. Taxpayers would have an ownership stake in treatments developed by the company.advertisement “This clarifies the public’s right in the inventions,” said Jamie Love, who heads Knowledge Ecology International, a nonprofit that tracks patents and access to medicines issues.

€œThe disclosure (also) changes the narrative about who has financed the inventive activity, often the most risky part of development.” One particular patent assigned to Moderna concerns methods and compositions that can be used specifically against antibioticses, including zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation buy antibiotics. The patent names a Moderna scientist and a former Moderna scientist as inventors, both of which acknowledged performing work under the DARPA awards in two academic papers, according to the report by the advocacy group.advertisement The group examined the 126 patents assigned to Moderna or ModernaTx as well as 154 patent applications. €œDespite the evidence that multiple inventions were conceived in the course of research supported by the DARPA awards, not a single one of the patents or applications assigned to Moderna disclose U.S. Federal government funding,” the report zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation stated.[UPDATE.

A DARPA spokesman sent us this over the weekend. €œIt appears that all past and present DARPA awards to Moderna include the requirement to zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation report the role of government funding for related inventions. Further, DARPA is actively researching agency awards to Moderna to identify which patents and pending patents, if any at all, may be associated with DARPA support. This effort is ongoing.”]We asked Moderna for comment and will update you accordingly.The missive to the Department of Defense follows a recent analysis by Public Citizen, another advocacy zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation group, indicating the National Institutes of Health may own mRNA-1273, the Moderna treatment candidate for buy antibiotics.

The advocacy group noted the federal government filed multiple patents covering the treatment and two patent applications, in particular, list federal scientists as co-inventors.The analyses are part of a larger campaign among advocacy groups and others in the U.S. And elsewhere to ensure zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation that buy antibiotics medical products are available to poor populations around the world. The concern reflects the unprecedented global demand for therapies and treatments, and a race among wealthy nations to snap up supplies from treatment makers. In the U.S., the effort has focused on the extent to zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation which the federal government has provided taxpayer dollars to different companies to help fund their discoveries.

In some cases, advocates argue that federal funding matters because it clarifies the rights that the U.S. Government has to ensure a therapy or treatment is available to Americans on reasonable zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation terms.One example has been remdesivir, the Gilead Sciences (GILD) treatment being given to hospitalized buy antibiotics patients. The role played by the U.S. Government in developing remdesivir zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation to combat antibioticses involved contributions from government personnel at such agencies as the U.S.

Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.As for the Moderna treatment, earlier this month, the company was awarded a $1.525 billion contract by the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of its buy antibiotics treatment. The agreement also includes an option to purchase another 400 million doses, although the terms were not zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation disclosed. In announcing the agreement, the government said it would ensure Americans receive the buy antibiotics treatment at no cost, although they may be charged by health care providers for administering a shot.In this instance, however, Love said the “letter is not about price or profits. It’s about zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation (Moderna) not owning up to DARPA funding inventions.

If the U.S. Wants to pay for all of the development of Moderna’s treatment, as Moderna now acknowledges, and throw in a zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation few more billion now, and an option to spend billions more, it’s not unreasonable to have some transparency over who paid for their inventions.”This is not the first time Moderna has been accused of insufficient disclosure. Earlier this month, Knowledge Ecology International and Public Citizen maintained the company failed to disclose development costs in a $955 million contract awarded by BARDA for its buy antibiotics treatment. In all, the federal government has awarded zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation the company approximately $2.5 billion to develop the treatment.The coming few weeks represent a crucial moment for an ambitious plan to try to secure buy antibiotics treatments for roughly 170 countries around the world without the deep pockets to compete for what will be scarce initial supplies.Under the plan, countries that want to pool resources to buy treatments must notify the World Health Organization and other organizers — Gavi, the treatment Alliance, as well as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations — of their intentions by Monday.

That means it’s fish-or-cut-bait time for the so-called COVAX facility.Already, wealthy countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Australia, among others, as well as the European Union — have opted to buy their own treatment, signing bilateral contracts with manufacturers that have secured billions of doses of treatment already. That raises the possibility that less wealthy countries will be boxed out of supplies.advertisement And yet Richard Hatchett, the CEO of CEPI, insists there is a path to billions of zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation doses of treatment for the rest of the world in 2021. STAT spoke with Hatchett this week. A transcript of the zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation conversation, lightly edited for clarity and length, follows.

You said this is a critical time for CEPI. Can you explain what needs to happen between now and mid-September for this joint purchasing approach to be a success?. Advertisement The critical moment is now for countries to commit to the COVAX facility, because that will enable us to secure ample quantities of treatment and then to be able to convey when that treatment is likely to become available based on zithromax 300mg 7.5 ml preparation current information.What we’re now here asking countries to do is to indicate their intent to participate by Aug. 31, and to make a binding commitment by Sept.

18. And to provide funds in support of that binding commitment by early October. Our negotiations with companies are already taking place and it will be important for us from a planning purpose that countries indicate their intent to participate.Those binding commitments we think will be sufficient to allow us to then secure the advance purchase agreements, particularly with those companies that don’t have a prior contractual obligation to COVAX. And then obviously, we need the funds to live up to those advance purchase agreements.Is it possible this thing could still fall apart?.

There appears to be some concern COVAX has been boxed out by rich countries. There was always a possibility that there wouldn’t be sufficient uptake. But I think we’re very encouraged at this point by the level of commitment, both from countries that would be beneficiaries of the advance market commitment — that’s the lower-income, lower-middle-income countries — as well as the self-financing countries. To have over 170 countries expressing interest in participating — they see the value.We’re much more encouraged now that it’s not going to fall apart.

We still need to bring it off to maximize its value. And we’re right at the crunch moment where countries are going to have to make these commitments. So, the next month is really absolutely critical to the facility. I am confident at this point that the world recognizes the value and wants it to work.I’ve been keeping tabs on advance purchase agreements that have been announced.

And at this point, a small number of rich countries have nailed down a lot of treatment — more than 3 billion doses. How hard does that make your job?. The fact that they’re doing it creates anxiety among other countries. And that in itself can accelerate the pace.

So, I’m not going to say that we’re not watching that with concern.I will say that for COVAX and the facility, this is absolutely critical moment. I think we still have a window of opportunity between now and mid-September — when we’re asking that the self-financing countries to make their commitments — to make the facility real and to make it work. Between doses that are committed to COVAX through the access agreements and other agreements — these are discussions with partners that CEPI has funded as well as partners that CEPI has not funded — we still see a pathway for COVAX to well over 3 billion doses in 2021.I think it’s really important to bear in mind is that there are at least a few countries — and I think the U.S. And the U.K.

Most publicly — that may be in a situation of significant oversupply. I believe the U.S. And U.K. Numbers, if you add them together, would result in enough treatment for 600 million people to receive two doses of treatment each.

And, you know, there is no possible way that the U.S. Or the U.K. Can use that much treatment.So, there may be a lot of extra supply that looks like it’s been tied up sloshing around later. I don’t think that the bilateral deals that have been struck are going to prevent COVAX from achieving its goals.But if so much treatment has been pre-ordered by rich countries, can countries in the COVAX pool get enough for their needs?.

One of the things that we’ve argued through COVAX is that to control the zithromax or to end the acute phase of the zithromax to allow normalcy to start to reassert itself, you don’t have to vaccinate 100% of your population.You need to vaccinate those at greatest risk for bad outcomes and you need to vaccinate certain critical workers, particularly your health care workforce. And if you can achieve that goal, which for most countries means vaccinating between 20% and maybe 30% of the population, then you can transform the zithromax into something that is much more manageable. Then you can buy yourself time to vaccinate everybody who wants to be vaccinated.We’ve argued the COVAX facility really offers the world the best shot at doing that globally in the fastest possible way, as well as providing for equitable access. This is a case where doing the equitable thing is also doing the efficient thing.CEPI has provided funding to nine treatments.

Is it true that all those manufacturers aren’t required to provide the COVAX facility with treatment?. That is correct. One of the things that we did, and I think it was an important role that CEPI played early on, was that we moved money very, very quickly, in small increments. You know, some of the early contracts were only $5 million or $10 million, to get programs up and running while we potentially put in place much larger-scale, longer-term contracts.If you were doing it over again, would you have given money without strings attached?.

Yes, I think I would have. I think that was critically important to initiating programs.Our contract with Moderna was established in about 48 hours. And that provided critical funding to them to manufacture doses that got them into clinical trials within nine weeks of the genetic sequences [of the antibiotics zithromax] being released.And if you look at the nine programs that we’ve invested in, seven are in clinical trials. Two — the AstraZeneca program now and the Moderna program — are among the handful in Phase 3 clinical trials.

And, I think the number of projects that that we funded initially, which started in kind of a biotech or academic phase that have now been picked up by large multinational corporations, there’s at least four. The Themis program being picked up by Merck, Oxford University by AstraZeneca, the University of Queensland by CSL, and Clover being in partnership with GSK, I think that speaks to the quality of the programs that we selected.So, I think that combination of rapid review, speed of funding, getting those programs started, getting them oriented in the right direction, I think all of that is critical to where we are now.Companies that got money from CEPI to build out production capacity — that money came with strings attached, right?. Yes, exactly. So, where CEPI has made investments that create manufacturing, or secure manufacturing capacity, the commitment has been that the capacity that is attributable to the CEPI investment is committed — at least right of first refusal — to the global procurement facility.WASHINGTON — The Trump administration removed a top Food and Drug Administration communications official from her post on Friday in the wake of several controversial agency misstatements, a senior administration official confirmed to STAT.The spokeswoman, Emily Miller, had played a lead role in defending the FDA commissioner, Stephen Hahn, after he misrepresented data regarding the use of blood plasma from recovered buy antibiotics patients.

The New York Times first reported Miller’s ouster. Miller’s tenure at as the top FDA spokeswoman lasted only 11 days. Her appointment was viewed with alarm by agency officials who felt her presence at the agency was emblematic of broader political pressure from the Trump administration, STAT first reported earlier this week.advertisement Before joining the FDA, Miller had no experience in health or medicine. Her former role as assistant commissioner for media affairs is typically not an appointment filled by political appointees.

The FDA’s communications arm typically maintains a neutral, nonpolitical tone.Miller’s appointment particularly alarmed FDA staff and outside scientists given her history in right-wing political advocacy and conservatism journalism. Her résumé included a stint as a Washington Times columnist, where she penned columns with titles that include “New Obamacare ads make young women look like sluts,” and a 2013 book on gun rights titled “Emily Gets Her Gun. But Obama Wants to Take Yours.”advertisement She also worked as a reporter for One America News Network, a right-wing cable channel that frequently espouses conspiracy theories and has declared an open alliance with President Trump.Miller quickly made her presence known at the FDA. In the wake of Hahn’s misstatements on blood plasma, she aggressively defended the commissioner, falsely claiming in a tweet that the therapy “has shown to be beneficial for 35% of patients.” An FDA press release on blood plasma, issued less than a week after her appointment, similarly alarmed agency insiders by trumpeting the emergency authorization as “Another Achievement in Administration’s Fight Against [the] zithromax.”.

Elon Musk on Friday unveiled a coin-sized prototype of a brain implant developed by his startup Neuralink to enable people who are paralyzed to operate smartphones and robotic limbs with their thoughts — and said the company had worked to “dramatically simplify” the device since presenting an earlier version last summer.In an event live-streamed on YouTube to more zithromax purchase than 150,000 viewers at one point, the company staged a demonstration in which it trotted out a pig named Gertrude that was said to have had click site the company’s device implanted in its head two months ago. The live stream showed what Musk claimed to be Gertrude’s real-time brain activity as it sniffed around a pen. At no point, though, did he provide evidence that the signals — rendered in beeps and bright blue wave patterns on screen — were, in fact, emanating from the zithromax purchase pig’s brain.A pig presented at a Neuralink demonstration was said to have one of the company’s brain implants in its head. YouTube screenshot“This is obviously sounding increasingly like a Black Mirror episode,” Musk said at one point during the event as he responded affirmatively to a question about whether the company’s implant could eventually be used to save and replay memories.

€œThe future’s zithromax purchase going to be weird.”advertisement Musk said that in July Neuralink received a breakthrough device designation from the Food and Drug Administration — a regulatory pathway that could allow the company to soon start a clinical trial in people with paraplegia and tetraplegia. The big reveal came after four former Neuralink employees told STAT that the company’s leaders have long fostered an internal culture characterized by rushed timelines and the “move fast and break things” ethos of a tech company — a pace sometimes at odds with the slow and incremental pace that’s typical of medical device development. Advertisement Friday’s event zithromax purchase began, 40 minutes late, with a glossy video about the company’s work — and then panned to Musk, standing in front of a blue curtain beside a gleaming new version of the company’s surgical “sewing machine” robot that could easily have been mistaken for a giant Apple device. Musk described the event as a “product demo” and said its primary purpose was to recruit potential new employees.

It was unclear whether the demonstration was taking zithromax purchase place at the company’s Fremont, Calif., headquarters or elsewhere. Musk proceeded to reveal the new version of Neuralink’s brain implant, which he said was designed to fit snugly into the top of the skull. Neuralink’s technological design has changed significantly since its last zithromax purchase big update in July 2019. At that time, the company’s brain implant system involved a credit-card sized device designed to be positioned behind the back of a person’s ear, with several wires stretching to the top of the skull.

After demonstrating the pig’s brain activity at Friday’s event, Musk showed video footage of a pig walking on a treadmill and said Neuralink’s device could be used to “predict the position of limbs with high accuracy.” That capability would be critical to allowing someone using the device to do something like controlling a prosthetic limb, for example.Neuralink for months zithromax purchase has signaled that it initially plans to develop its device for people who are paralyzed. It said at its July 2019 event that it wanted to start human testing by the end of 2020. Receiving the breakthrough device designation from zithromax purchase the FDA — designed to speed up the lengthy regulatory process — is a step forward, but it by no means guarantees that a device will receive a green light, either in a short or longer-term time frame. After Musk’s presentation, a handful of the company’s employees — all wearing masks, but seated only inches apart — joined him to take questions submitted on Twitter or from the small audience in the room.In typical fashion for a man who in 2018 sent a Tesla Roadster into space, Musk didn’t hesitate to use the event to cross-promote his electric car company.

Asked whether the Neuralink chip would allow people to summon their Tesla telepathically, Musk responded zithromax purchase. €œDefinitely — of course.”Matthew MacDougall, the company’s head neurosurgeon, appearing in scrubs, said the company had so far only implanted its technology into the brain’s cortical surface, the coaster-width layer enveloping the brain, but added that it hoped to go deeper in the future. Still, Musk said zithromax purchase. €œYou could solve blindness, you could solve paralysis, you could solve hearing — you can solve a lot just by interfacing with the cortex.”Musk and MacDougall said they hoped to eventually implant Neuralink’s devices — which they referred to on stage simply as “links” — in the deeper structures of the brain, such as in the hypothalamus, which is believed to play a critical role in mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.There were no updates at the event of Neuralink’s research in monkeys, which the company has been conducting in partnership with the University of California, Davis since 2017.

At last July’s event, Musk said — without providing evidence — that a monkey had controlled a computer zithromax purchase with its brain.At that same July 2019 event, Neuralink released a preprint paper — published a few months later — that claimed to show that a series of Neuralink electrodes implanted in the brains of rats could record neural signals. Critically, the work did not show where in the brain the implanted electrodes were recording from, for how long they were recording, or whether the recordings could be linked to any of the rats’ bodily movements.In touting Friday’s event — and Neuralink’s technological capabilities — on Twitter in recent weeks, Musk spoke of “AI symbiosis while u wait” and referenced the “matrix in the matrix” — a science-fiction reference about revealing the true nature of reality. The progress the company reported on Friday fell far short of that zithromax purchase. Neuralink’s prototype is ambitious, but it has yet to show evidence that it can match up to the brain-machine interfaces developed by academic labs and other companies.

Other groups have shown that they can listen in on neural activity and allow primates and people to control a computer cursor with zithromax purchase their brain — so-called “read-out” technology — and have also shown that they can use electrical stimulation to input information, such as a command or the heat of a hot cup of coffee, using “write-in” technology. Neuralink said on Friday that its technology would have both read-out and write-in capabilities.Musk acknowledged that Neuralink still has a long way to go. In closing the event after more than 70 minutes, Musk said zithromax purchase. €œThere’s a tremendous amount of work to be done to go from here to a device that is widely available and affordable and reliable.”Following the news this week of what appears to have been the first confirmed case of a buy antibiotics re, other researchers have been coming forward with their own reports.

One in Belgium, another in the Netherlands. And now, one in Nevada.What caught experts’ attention about the case of the 25-year-old Reno man was not that he appears zithromax purchase to have contracted antibiotics (the name of the zithromax that causes buy antibiotics) a second time. Rather, it’s that his second bout was more serious than his first.Immunologists had expected that if the immune response generated after an initial could not prevent a second case, then it should at least stave off more severe illness. That’s what occurred with the first known re case, in a 33-year-old Hong Kong man.advertisement Still, despite zithromax purchase what happened to the man in Nevada, researchers are stressing this is not a sky-is-falling situation or one that should result in firm conclusions.

They always presumed people would become vulnerable to buy antibiotics again some time after recovering from an initial case, based on how our immune systems respond to other respiratory zithromaxes, including other antibioticses. It’s possible that these early cases of re are outliers and have features that won’t apply to the tens of millions zithromax purchase of other people who have already shaken off buy antibiotics.“There are millions and millions of cases,” said Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The real question that zithromax purchase should get the most focus, Mina said, is, “What happens to most people?.

€advertisement But with more re reports likely to make it into the scientific literature soon, and from there into the mainstream press, here are some things to look for in assessing them.What’s the deal with the Nevada case?. The Reno resident in question first tested positive for antibiotics in April zithromax purchase after coming down with a sore throat, cough, and headache, as well as nausea and diarrhea. He got better over time and later tested negative twice. But then, some 48 days later, the man zithromax purchase started experiencing headaches, cough, and other symptoms again.

Eventually, he became so sick that he had to be hospitalized and was found to have pneumonia.Researchers sequenced zithromax samples from both of his s and found they were different, providing evidence that this was a new distinct from the first. What happens when we get buy antibiotics in the first zithromax purchase case?. Researchers are finding that, generally, people who get buy antibiotics develop a healthy immune response replete with both antibodies (molecules that can block pathogens from infecting cells) and T cells (which help wipe out the zithromax). This is what happens after other viral s.In addition to fending off the zithromax the first time, that immune response also creates memories of the zithromax, should it try zithromax purchase to invade a second time.

It’s thought, then, that people who recover from buy antibiotics will typically be protected from another case for some amount of time. With other antibioticses, protection is thought to last for perhaps a little less than a year to about three years.But zithromax purchase researchers can’t tell how long immunity will last with a new pathogen (like antibiotics) until people start getting reinfected. They also don’t know exactly what mechanisms provide protection against buy antibiotics, nor do they know what levels of antibodies or T cells are required to signal that someone is protected through a blood test. (These are called the “correlates of zithromax purchase protection.”) Why do experts expect second cases to be milder?.

With other zithromaxes, protective immunity doesn’t just vanish one day. Instead, it wanes over time zithromax purchase. Researchers have then hypothesized that with antibiotics, perhaps our immune systems might not always be able to prevent it from getting a toehold in our cells — to halt entirely — but that it could still put up enough of a fight to guard us from getting really sick. Again, this is what happens with other respiratory pathogens.And it’s why some researchers actually looked at the Hong Kong case zithromax purchase with relief.

The man had mild to moderate buy antibiotics symptoms during the first case, but was asymptomatic the second time. It was a demonstration, experts said, of what you zithromax purchase would want your immune system to do. (The case was only detected because the man’s sample was taken at the airport when he arrived back in Hong Kong after traveling in Europe.)“The fact that somebody may get reinfected is not surprising,” Malik Peiris, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, told STAT earlier this week about the first re. €œBut the re didn’t cause disease, so that’s the first point.”The Nevada case, then, provides a counterexample to that.

What zithromax purchase kind of immune response did the person who was reinfected generate initially?. Earlier, we described the robust immune response that most people who have buy antibiotics seem to mount. But that was a generalization zithromax purchase. s and the immune responses they induce in different people are “heterogeneous,” said Sarah Cobey, an epidemiologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago.Older people often generate weaker immune responses than younger people.

Some studies have also indicated that milder cases of buy antibiotics induce tamer immune responses that might not provide as lasting or as thorough of a defense as stronger immune zithromax purchase responses. The man in Hong Kong, for example, did not generate antibodies to the zithromax after his first , at least to the level that could be detected by blood tests. Perhaps that explains why zithromax purchase he contracted the zithromax again just about 4 1/2 months after recovering from his initial .In the Nevada case, researchers did not test what kind of immune response the man generated after the first case.“ is not some binary event,” Cobey said. And with re, “there’s going to be some viral replication, but the question is how much is the immune system getting engaged?.

€What might be broadly meaningful is when people who mounted robust immune zithromax purchase responses start getting reinfected, and how severe their second cases are. Are people who have buy antibiotics a second time infectious?. As discussed, immune memory can prevent re zithromax purchase. If it can’t, it might stave off serious illness.

But there’s a third aspect of this, too.“The most important question for re, with the most serious implications for controlling the zithromax, is whether reinfected people zithromax purchase can transmit the zithromax to others,” Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen wrote in Slate this week.Unfortunately, neither the Hong Kong nor the Reno studies looked at this question. But if most people who get reinfected don’t spread the zithromax, that’s obviously good news. What happens when zithromax purchase people broadly become susceptible again?. Whether it’s six months after the first or nine months or a year or longer, at some point, protection for most people who recover from buy antibiotics is expected to wane.

And without the arrival of a treatment and broad uptake of it, that could change the dynamics of local outbreaks.In some communities, it’s thought zithromax purchase that more than 20% of residents have experienced an initial buy antibiotics case, and are thus theoretically protected from another case for some time. That is still below the point of herd immunity — when enough people are immune that transmission doesn’t occur — but still, the fewer vulnerable people there are, the less likely spread is to occur.On the flip side though, if more people become susceptible to the zithromax again, that could increase the risk of transmission. Modelers are starting to factor that possibility into their forecasts.A crucial question for which there is not an answer yet is whether what happened to the man in Reno, where the second case was more severe than the first, remains a rare occurrence, zithromax purchase as researchers expect and hope. As the Nevada researchers wrote, “the generalizability of this finding is unknown.”An advocacy group has asked the Department of Defense to investigate what it called “an apparent failure” by Moderna (MRNA) to disclose millions of dollars in awards received from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in patent applications the company filed for treatments.In a letter to the agency, Knowledge Ecology International explained that a review of dozens of patent applications found the company received approximately $20 million from the federal government in grants several years ago and the funds “likely” led to the creation of its treatment technology.

This was used to develop treatments to combat different zithromaxes, such as Zika and, later, the zithromax that causes buy antibiotics.In arguing for an investigation, the advocacy group maintained Moderna is obligated under federal law to disclose the grants that led to nearly a dozen zithromax purchase specific patent applications and explained the financial support means the U.S. Government would have certain rights over the patents. In other words, U.S zithromax purchase. Taxpayers would have an ownership stake in treatments developed by the company.advertisement “This clarifies the public’s right in the inventions,” said Jamie Love, who heads Knowledge Ecology International, a nonprofit that tracks patents and access to medicines issues.

€œThe disclosure (also) changes the narrative about who has financed the inventive activity, often zithromax purchase the most risky part of development.” One particular patent assigned to Moderna concerns methods and compositions that can be used specifically against antibioticses, including buy antibiotics. The patent names a Moderna scientist and a former Moderna scientist as inventors, both of which acknowledged performing work under the DARPA awards in two academic papers, according to the report by the advocacy group.advertisement The group examined the 126 patents assigned to Moderna or ModernaTx as well as 154 patent applications. €œDespite the evidence that multiple inventions were conceived in the course of research supported by the DARPA awards, not a single one of the patents or applications assigned to Moderna disclose U.S. Federal government zithromax purchase funding,” the report stated.[UPDATE.

A DARPA spokesman sent us this over the weekend. €œIt appears that all zithromax purchase past and present DARPA awards to Moderna include the requirement to report the role of government funding for related inventions. Further, DARPA is actively researching agency awards to Moderna to identify which patents and pending patents, if any at all, may be associated with DARPA support. This effort is ongoing.”]We asked Moderna for comment and will update zithromax purchase you accordingly.The missive to the Department of Defense follows a recent analysis by Public Citizen, another advocacy group, indicating the National Institutes of Health may own mRNA-1273, the Moderna treatment candidate for buy antibiotics.

The advocacy group noted the federal government filed multiple patents covering the treatment and two patent applications, in particular, list federal scientists as co-inventors.The analyses are part of a larger campaign among advocacy groups and others in the U.S. And elsewhere to ensure that buy antibiotics medical zithromax purchase products are available to poor populations around the world. The concern reflects the unprecedented global demand for therapies and treatments, and a race among wealthy nations to snap up supplies from treatment makers. In the U.S., the effort has focused on the extent to which the federal government has provided taxpayer zithromax purchase dollars to different companies to help fund their discoveries.

In some cases, advocates argue that federal funding matters because it clarifies the rights that the U.S. Government has to ensure a therapy or treatment is available to Americans on reasonable terms.One example has been remdesivir, the Gilead Sciences (GILD) zithromax purchase treatment being given to hospitalized buy antibiotics patients. The role played by the U.S. Government in developing remdesivir to combat antibioticses involved contributions from government personnel zithromax purchase at such agencies as the U.S.

Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.As for the Moderna treatment, earlier this month, the company was awarded a $1.525 billion contract by the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of its buy antibiotics treatment. The agreement also includes an option to purchase another zithromax purchase 400 million doses, although the terms were not disclosed. In announcing the agreement, the government said it would ensure Americans receive the buy antibiotics treatment at no cost, although they may be charged by health care providers for administering a shot.In this instance, however, Love said the “letter is not about price or profits. It’s about (Moderna) not owning up zithromax purchase to DARPA funding inventions.

If the U.S. Wants to pay for all of the development of Moderna’s treatment, as Moderna now acknowledges, and throw in a few more billion now, and an option to spend billions more, it’s not unreasonable to have some transparency over who paid for their inventions.”This is not the first time Moderna has been accused of zithromax purchase insufficient disclosure. Earlier this month, Knowledge Ecology International and Public Citizen maintained the company failed to disclose development costs in a $955 million contract awarded by BARDA for its buy antibiotics treatment. In all, the federal government has awarded the company approximately $2.5 billion to develop the treatment.The coming few weeks represent a crucial moment for an ambitious plan to zithromax purchase try to secure buy antibiotics treatments for roughly 170 countries around the world without the deep pockets to compete for what will be scarce initial supplies.Under the plan, countries that want to pool resources to buy treatments must notify the World Health Organization and other organizers — Gavi, the treatment Alliance, as well as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations — of their intentions by Monday.

That means it’s fish-or-cut-bait time for the so-called COVAX facility.Already, wealthy countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Australia, among others, as well as the European Union — have opted to buy their own treatment, signing bilateral contracts with manufacturers that have secured billions of doses of treatment already. That raises the zithromax purchase possibility that less wealthy countries will be boxed out of supplies.advertisement And yet Richard Hatchett, the CEO of CEPI, insists there is a path to billions of doses of treatment for the rest of the world in 2021. STAT spoke with Hatchett this week. A transcript of the zithromax purchase conversation, lightly edited for clarity and length, follows.

You said this is a critical time for CEPI. Can you explain what needs to happen between now and mid-September for this joint purchasing approach to be a success?. Advertisement The critical moment is now for countries to commit to the COVAX facility, because that will enable us to secure ample quantities of treatment and then to be able to convey when that treatment is likely to become available based on current information.What we’re now here asking countries to do is to indicate their zithromax purchase intent to participate by Aug. 31, and to make a binding commitment by Sept.

18. And to provide funds in support of that binding commitment by early October. Our negotiations with companies are already taking place and it will be important for us from a planning purpose that countries indicate their intent to participate.Those binding commitments we think will be sufficient to allow us to then secure the advance purchase agreements, particularly with those companies that don’t have a prior contractual obligation to COVAX. And then obviously, we need the funds to live up to those advance purchase agreements.Is it possible this thing could still fall apart?.

There appears to be some concern COVAX has been boxed out by rich countries. There was always a possibility that there wouldn’t be sufficient uptake. But I think we’re very encouraged at this point by the level of commitment, both from countries that would be beneficiaries of the advance market commitment — that’s the lower-income, lower-middle-income countries — as well as the self-financing countries. To have over 170 countries expressing interest in participating — they see the value.We’re much more encouraged now that it’s not going to fall apart.

We still need to bring it off to maximize its value. And we’re right at the crunch moment where countries are going to have to make these commitments. So, the next month is really absolutely critical to the facility. I am confident at this point that the world recognizes the value and wants it to work.I’ve been keeping tabs on advance purchase agreements that have been announced.

And at this point, a small number of rich countries have nailed down a lot of treatment — more than 3 billion doses. How hard does that make your job?. The fact that they’re doing it creates anxiety among other countries. And that in itself can accelerate the pace.

So, I’m not going to say that we’re not watching that with concern.I will say that for COVAX and the facility, this is absolutely critical moment. I think we still have a window of opportunity between now and mid-September — when we’re asking that the self-financing countries to make their commitments — to make the facility real and to make it work. Between doses that are committed to COVAX through the access agreements and other agreements — these are discussions with partners that CEPI has funded as well as partners that CEPI has not funded — we still see a pathway for COVAX to well over 3 billion doses in 2021.I think it’s really important to bear in mind is that there are at least a few countries — and I think the U.S. And the U.K.

Most publicly — that may be in a situation of significant oversupply. I believe the U.S. And U.K. Numbers, if you add them together, would result in enough treatment for 600 million people to receive two doses of treatment each.

And, you know, there is no possible way that the U.S. Or the U.K. Can use that much treatment.So, there may be a lot of extra supply that looks like it’s been tied up sloshing around later. I don’t think that the bilateral deals that have been struck are going to prevent COVAX from achieving its goals.But if so much treatment has been pre-ordered by rich countries, can countries in the COVAX pool get enough for their needs?.

One of the things that we’ve argued through COVAX is that to control the zithromax or to end the acute phase of the zithromax to allow normalcy to start to reassert itself, you don’t have to vaccinate 100% of your population.You need to vaccinate those at greatest risk for bad outcomes and you need to vaccinate certain critical workers, particularly your health care workforce. And if you can achieve that goal, which for most countries means vaccinating between 20% and maybe 30% of the population, then you can transform the zithromax into something that is much more manageable. Then you can buy yourself time to vaccinate everybody who wants to be vaccinated.We’ve argued the COVAX facility really offers the world the best shot at doing that globally in the fastest possible way, as well as providing for equitable access. This is a case where doing the equitable thing is also doing the efficient thing.CEPI has provided funding to nine treatments.

Is it true that all those manufacturers aren’t required to provide the COVAX facility with treatment?. That is correct. One of the things that we did, and I think it was an important role that CEPI played early on, was that we moved money very, very quickly, in small increments. You know, some of the early contracts were only $5 million or $10 million, to get programs up and running while we potentially put in place much larger-scale, longer-term contracts.If you were doing it over again, would you have given money without strings attached?.

Yes, I think I would have. I think that was critically important to initiating programs.Our contract with Moderna was established in about 48 hours. And that provided critical funding to them to manufacture doses that got them into clinical trials within nine weeks of the genetic sequences [of the antibiotics zithromax] being released.And if you look at the nine programs that we’ve invested in, seven are in clinical trials. Two — the AstraZeneca program now and the Moderna program — are among the handful in Phase 3 clinical trials.

And, I think the number of projects that that we funded initially, which started in kind of a biotech or academic phase that have now been picked up by large multinational corporations, there’s at least four. The Themis program being picked up by Merck, Oxford University by AstraZeneca, the University of Queensland by CSL, and Clover being in partnership with GSK, I think that speaks to the quality of the programs that we selected.So, I think that combination of rapid review, speed of funding, getting those programs started, getting them oriented in the right direction, I think all of that is critical to where we are now.Companies that got money from CEPI to build out production capacity — that money came with strings attached, right?. Yes, exactly. So, where CEPI has made investments that create manufacturing, or secure manufacturing capacity, the commitment has been that the capacity that is attributable to the CEPI investment is committed — at least right of first refusal — to the global procurement facility.WASHINGTON — The Trump administration removed a top Food and Drug Administration communications official from her post on Friday in the wake of several controversial agency misstatements, a senior administration official confirmed to STAT.The spokeswoman, Emily Miller, had played a lead role in defending the FDA commissioner, Stephen Hahn, after he misrepresented data regarding the use of blood plasma from recovered buy antibiotics patients.

The New York Times first reported Miller’s ouster. Miller’s tenure at as the top FDA spokeswoman lasted only 11 days. Her appointment was viewed with alarm by agency officials who felt her presence at the agency was emblematic of broader political pressure from the Trump administration, STAT first reported earlier this week.advertisement Before joining the FDA, Miller had no experience in health or medicine. Her former role as assistant commissioner for media affairs is typically not an appointment filled by political appointees.

The FDA’s communications arm typically maintains a neutral, nonpolitical tone.Miller’s appointment particularly alarmed FDA staff and outside scientists given her history in right-wing political advocacy and conservatism journalism. Her résumé included a stint as a Washington Times columnist, where she penned columns with titles that include “New Obamacare ads make young women look like sluts,” and a 2013 book on gun rights titled “Emily Gets Her Gun. But Obama Wants to Take Yours.”advertisement She also worked as a reporter for One America News Network, a right-wing cable channel that frequently espouses conspiracy theories and has declared an open alliance with President Trump.Miller quickly made her presence known at the FDA. In the wake of Hahn’s misstatements on blood plasma, she aggressively defended the commissioner, falsely claiming in a tweet that the therapy “has shown to be beneficial for 35% of patients.” An FDA press release on blood plasma, issued less than a week after her appointment, similarly alarmed agency insiders by trumpeting the emergency authorization as “Another Achievement in Administration’s Fight Against [the] zithromax.”.