The first new Alzheimer’s treatment in 20 years was given full FDA approval earlier this month — and now two patients who participated in the clinical trials have spoken about their personal experience with the drug to Fox News Digital.

Lecanemab, sold under the brand name Leqembi, works by reducing amyloid plaques in the brain, which is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. 

In early trials, the drug was shown to slow cognitive decline by 27%.

FDA FULLY APPROVES 'NOVEL' ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE DRUG LEQEMBI, WILL BE COVERED BY MEDICARE

Two Ohio patients who participated in the trials recently spoke to Fox News Digital about how Leqembi has impacted their Alzheimer’s journeys — and changed their lives.

Joan Murtaugh, 77, lives in Lakewood, Ohio, with her husband, Larry. 

She first started noticing memory problems nearly seven years ago, just after her 70th birthday.

"Timing is everything," her husband, Larry Murtaugh, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "It was Joan who made an appointment at the brain center clinic."

In 2017, Murtaugh was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. 

The next year, after having a 3-D MRI and spinal tap, she learned that she had an enzyme in her spinal fluid that predicted a 65% chance of getting Alzheimer’s in her lifetime. 

In February 2020, Murtaugh received some good news: She was eligible to participate in a double-blind study trial for a new drug, Leqembi, at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. 

"I assume it was because it was obvious there was some plaque in my brain, which they realized was causing Alzheimer’s," Murtaugh told Fox News Digital.

This was Phase 3 of the clinical trial, which included some 1,800 people worldwide. Murtaugh was one of only eight people to receive the drug at Cleveland Clinic.

A few months later, she began getting twice-monthly infusions of what was either a drug or a placebo.

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IS MOST COMMON IN THESE US COUNTIES, NEW STUDY FINDS

To this day, Murtaugh still doesn’t know if she was getting the real thing or a placebo — she won’t find out until the very last person has received the very last dose of the double-blind study. Yet she said she "has a hunch."

"I am fully functional — I’m still doing everything I always did," Murtaugh said. 

"I can still drive my car, shop, garden, cook, read — all those things."

Throughout the entire trial period, Murtaugh said she never got any worse. She just experienced the same mild symptoms she’d had before starting the drug — and she may have even improved a bit. 

Although Leqembi has been linked to some potential side effects, she experienced none.

"When you first hear the word ‘Alzheimer’s,’ a chill goes through you — it’s like you’re looking into a dark abyss," Murtaugh said. 

"But this new drug offers great hope."

VISION PROBLEMS COULD MEAN HIGHER DEMENTIA RISK, STUDY FINDS: 'EYE HEALTH AND BRAIN HEALTH ARE CLOSELY LINKED'

In September 2021, the trial portion of the study ended and Murtaugh was eligible to start receiving the actual medication, which she still takes today. 

Instead of the lengthy infusions, she now gets the medication via an EpiPen injection once a week with the help of her husband.

The drug is currently covered by Medicare, which means Murtaugh gets it for free — and she hopes that will continue for the foreseeable future.

While the Murtaughs realize that the future may bring challenges, they regard Leqembi as "a ray of sunshine in a very cloudy sky."

Paired with other approaches such as cognitive speech therapy, they’re optimistic that the drug will continue to keep Alzheimer’s symptoms at bay.

"We’re not going to declare victory, but we’re on the right path and we have the right team at Cleveland Clinic," said Larry Murtaugh. 

"It’s not a miracle, but it’s gradual progress."

A retired attorney in Aurora, Ohio, John Domeck was just 57 years old when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

The people around him — his colleagues at the law office and his family at home — started noticing his memory lapses before he did.

After 30 years of never having to take many notes at work, Domeck, now 61, had started to write things down to avoid forgetting them.

"Over time, I wasn't able to continue doing as much work as quickly as I once did," he told Fox News Digital during an interview.

His wife of 40 years, Ann Domeck, had also started noticing some red flags at home, but said the last thing they expected was Alzheimer's disease.

The Domecks made an appointment at Cleveland Clinic for some cognitive testing, which led to a spinal tap and, ultimately, an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in July 2019.

Domeck’s wife, a TV news producer in Cleveland, left her job to help care for her husband.

Given Domeck’s young age and early-stage decline, a Cleveland Clinic doctor told him he was the perfect candidate for a clinical trial for a new Alzheimer’s drug.

For 18 months, Domeck went in for twice-monthly infusions, which lasted up to six hours per session — without knowing whether he was getting the drug or the placebo.

A year ago, he was switched to the "open-label" Leqembi medication, which he takes via injection at home once a week.

SURPRISING BRAIN BOOST: BRUSHING YOUR TEETH MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF DEMENTIA, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS

The Domecks suspect that John has been on the drug the entire time, as he has not declined much at all in the past four years.

"Everyone's like, he had to have been getting it before — he's doing so well," Ann Domeck said. "His cognitive deficits have only increased minimally. After four years of Alzheimer’s, his scores should be a lot lower."

"The fact that he’s still able to maintain his day-to-day activities and do the things that he enjoys is just so promising," she added.

"John gets up and drives and golfs and reads every day," she said. "He got to see our son get married, and we’re planning to visit our daughter in Europe."

Throughout the process, the Domecks said they have been "astounded" by the compassion and support of their care team at Cleveland Clinic.

"They're professionals, and they know their stuff about Alzheimer's, but they're also some of the nicest people we've ever met," Ann Domeck said. 

While the couple understand that Leqembi is not a cure, they’re more optimistic now than they were a few years ago. 

"Alzheimer's kind of rocked our world, and this drug kind of rocked it back a little bit the other way," said Ann Domeck. 

After initially being "shell-shocked" by the unexpected diagnosis, the Domecks feel that the drug has given them time they were told not to expect.

"I thank God every day that we got in this trial," Ann Domeck said. "It's the best thing that's happened to us."

While it's the first Alzheimer’s drug to receive full FDA approval in 20 years, Leqembi is also the first medication to target the underlying disease and not just the symptoms, explained Dylan Wint, M.D., director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Leqembi is approved only for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer's for people who have been shown to have amyloid plaques in the brain.

"Lecanemab labels abnormal amyloid and tells the immune cells to remove those fibers from the brain," Wint told Fox News Digital. 

In testing, about two-thirds of patients went from amyloid positive to amyloid negative — and cognitive and functional decline was 27% slower for study participants compared to those on placebo, the doctor said.

AI GIVES DOCTORS PERSONALIZED TREATMENT PLANS FOR DEMENTIA PATIENTS

"Taking this drug is a long-term commitment," said Wint. "Doctors need to make sure the patient can tolerate this rigorous regimen — intravenous infusions every two weeks for 18 months, interspersed with MRI scans and memory testing."

More care and support are needed for people with moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease and their families, not to mention people with other forms of dementia, he added.

As with any medication, lecanemab can have some side effects. 

Most commonly, it can cause various brain reactions, like swelling and bleeding, explained Manisha Parulekar, M.D., co-director of Hackensack University Medical Center’s Center for Memory Loss & Brain Health in New Jersey.

"Patients will have to stop the medication if these changes are noted on MRIs," Parulekar told Fox News Digital. "People who are taking multiple blood thinners will not be able to take Leqembi."

Headaches and confusion are also commonly reported. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Now that Leqembi is fully approved, Medicare will cover the medication, with other insurance companies likely to follow, said Parulekar.

"Without Medicare or insurance, the out-of-pocket costs are around $26,000 per year," she noted. 

Alzheimer’s disease involves many complex factors, Wint noted, and the new medication targets just one factor: amyloid. 

"While this new approach is excellent news, removing amyloid is not a cure," he said. 

"We still need to find better symptomatic and disease-modifying treatments in the future." 

Leqembi is most effective when combined with existing treatments, said Wint, including symptomatic medicines, rehabilitation and family support.

PAHO seeks adolescent and youth voices to address mental health crisis in the Americas

Cristina Mitchell

17 Jul 2023

We have just had the hottest day of the year and based on recorded data, the hottest day ever. Staying cool, keeping well hydrated now becomes literally a matter of life and death for expecting mothers, as one possible complication of extreme heat exposure to a pregnant woman is pre-term contractions which may progress to pre-term birth.

What is pre-term birth?

Pre-term birth is defined as any birth occurring prior to 37 weeks or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Why is this important? Pre-term birth is one of leading causes of a newborn becoming ill and suffering a complication of this illness (morbidity) and death of a newborn (mortality) globally.

Impact of excessive heat on pregnant women

Pregnant women are at increased risk to suffering complications from excessive heat due to a number of reasons. Firstly, due to the physiologic changes associated with pregnancy they may not realise they are becoming severely hyperthermic (overheated) and dehydrated until it is severe. Core body temperature can increase in pregnancy making the threshold for "overheating" lower. The excessive heat is associated with pre-term contractions.

The exact cause of this has not been identified; however, the main theories proposed are the body in its efforts to cool down increases blood flow to skin and sweat glands, this reduces blood flow to the (uterus) and stimulates contractions. Another theory proposed is increased blood flow to the brain and in particular the pituitary which leads to increased hormone production which stimulate contractions.

Are these really contractions?

Women who are progressing through their pregnancy may be all too familiar with Braxton-Hicks contractions which are perfectly normal. However, if you are noticing that you are having abdominal pains that are increasing in severity and are coming more frequently, and your are not at term, consult your obstetrician immediately.

Prevention is better than cure!

Yes, grandma was right! Prevention is better than cure. It is best to avoid this risk than trying to treat the pre-term labour. Ways to avoid hyperthermia include staying inside if possible. If you have access to air-conditioning units or fans use them. Ice packs and sponge baths can also be used.

If being outside in the heat is unavoidable pay keen attention to your fluid intake in particular, fluids that contain electrolytes. Monitor your urine output if you are not going to the bathroom as often as you are used to; this could be an early sign of dehydration. If you are pregnant and have been exposed to excessive heat and feel unwell or start having abdominal pains, seek help urgently.

An expecting mother has so many things on her mind including now the environment. During these very adverse weather conditions, please pay careful attention to any changes in your body or foetal movements and if you are feeling overwhelmed with this heat seek help!

Dr Jordan Hardie is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Contemporary Medical Affiliates, 1 Stanton Terrace, Suite #7. Contact him by calling 876-505-5829 or sending an email to drjhardieOBGYN@gmail.com

Speaking during the WHO's Science in 5 programme, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 at the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said the first reason is the virus continues to evolve.

"Since Omicron [variant] first emerged we've had more than 900 sub -ineages of Omicron in circulation, and we're tracking each and every one of those, and we'll come to those in a moment. The other reason is that we have a lifting of public health and social measures so people are living their lives, and they're living their lives as safely as possible because we have increasing vaccination coverage around the world and we have increasing levels of immunity from vaccination and/or past infection," she explained.

But Van Kerkhove warned that immunity does wane over time, which means people can become infected.

"And the combination of variants that emerge that have increased transmissibility — which means they can infect people more easily because there are properties of immune escape — means that people can be reinfected again so this is something we will have to deal with going forward. Right now we are seeing an increase in case reporting from a number of countries around the world.

"For example, one of these countries is India. And one of the reasons why we are seeing an increase in case detection is likely because of the sub-lineage XBB.1.16. XBB.1.16 does have increased transmissibility, but we have not yet seen a change in severity."

She said another reason we're likely seeing an increase in case reporting from India is because one of the last big waves of infection that India experienced was the Delta wave.

"And that was quite some time ago. While we are seeing an increase in case reporting in a number of countries around the world, we are not really seeing an increase in hospitalisations and deaths. It's not true in all countries. We still see hospitalisations, and at the present time we estimate that hundreds of thousands of people are in hospital each week due to COVID-19," Van Kerkhove said.

But because we have access to diagnostics, she added, "early clinical care, and the use of antivirals and safe and effective vaccines, people who are infected or reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 are not dying as frequently as they were in the beginning of this pandemic when we didn't have treatments and we didn't have vaccines".

Van Kerkhove said governments need to ensure there is access to rapid diagnostics, that people are tested very quickly so they can get into the "clinical care pathway", and that people have access to antivirals so they can be treated very quickly so as not to develop severe disease.

"We have to work on increasing primary vaccination coverage, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. And we have to ensure those who are most at risk for severe disease receive the boosters according to need."

Black women in Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States are more likely than their white counterparts to report denial of medication or physical and verbal abuse in health care settings.

Karnataka: Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has
invited online applications for admission to UG MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BUMS and BHMS courses for the year 2023.

Detailed schedule –

Commencement of online registration and application entry

14-07-2023 After 6.00 pm

Last date to complete the online application entry process by
fee

paid candidates.

before 11.59 pm on 21-07-2023

Last date to pay the Registration fees.

22-07-2023 – up to 6.00 pm

Submission of Special Category Certificates (only by
Karnataka candidates - NCC, Sports, Defence, Ex-defence, Scouts &

Guides, CAPF, Ex-CAPF, AGL) Only at KEA, Bangalore.

As per the schedule

Kannada Language Test only for Horanadu and Gadinadu
Kannadiga Candidates (only to newly registered candidates, those CET-2023
candidates who have already appeared for the Kannada examination on 22-05-2023
are not eligible to appear for Kannada Language Test once again)

25-07-2023

From 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm

Medical Examination to Physically Disabled candidates -
only for Karnataka candidates – including those who have already appeared for the medical examination for UGCET-2023 should also compulsorily appear for
UGNEET-2023 medical examination.

25-07-2023

(10.00 am to 1.00 pm) Medical Examination At KEA,
Bangalore

Report at 9.30 am

Verification of Documents - Karnataka candidates - Read
the instructions in the following pages and also hosted separately in the KEA
Website with regard to document verification and follow the instructions.

Will be notified

Verification of Documents – non-Karnataka candidates -
Read the instructions on the following pages and also hosted separately on
the KEA Website with regard to document verification and follow the
instructions.

-

Downloading of Verification Slip - Read the instructions
in the

following pages.

Will be notified

Instructions issued -

Registration of the application form for appearing in the UGNEET
2023 is online only at the website http://kea.kar.nic.in Application forms
CANNOT be submitted in offline / printed copy by post. No request for a change of
details in the online application will be entertained.

The prescribed registration fee of Rs. 500 (for Karnataka
SC/ST/Cat-1/PWD/ GM/2A/2B/3A/3B candidates), Rs. 2500 for Non-Karnataka
candidates, and Rs. 5500 (for NRI Ward/NRI/OCI/PIO/Foreign Nationals
candidates) should be remitted through payment gateway provided using a Credit
Card or a Debit Card issued by banks in India or through Internet banking or by
downloading bank challan.

Registered but unverified/unregistered candidates will not
be allowed for any admission either through KEA or by the College as after the
mop-up round, the list of registered and verified but un-allotted candidates
will be sent by KEA to colleges to fill up vacant seats if any. (As per GOI
instructions).

A candidate may have the option to select Medical / Engineering
etc; seat in other boards like JEE, MCC, KPCF and KEA etc. In case such a candidate wishes to confirm the seat selected from other boards, then such
candidate who has also been allotted a seat through KEA has to surrender the
seat allotted by KEA before the last date fixed for modifying of options of the Second Round of seat allotment, failing which it may amount to blocking of the seat
and KEA may initiate action/proceedings against such candidates.

If a candidate decides to surrender the seat, he/she has
to surrender the seat only to KEA in writing. Merely not reporting to the
selected/allotted college should not be presumed by the candidate that he/she has surrendered the seat to KEA.

A candidate who had obtained a Medical / Dental seat in any
of the previous years and not surrendered the seat before the last date fixed
for entry of options for the final round of seat allotment and candidates already
studying Medical / Dental and selected Medical / Dental seat from other boards
will not be eligible for allotment of a Medical / Dental seat during 2023.

Candidates who do not pass all the subjects in the
qualifying examination and candidates, who do not possess the required academic
eligibility, will not be eligible to be considered for verification of
documents and allotment of Medical and Dental seats.

A candidate who passes all the subjects in the qualifying
examination in 2023 and later withdraws from one or more subjects for reappearing in
the qualifying examination for improving his performance will not be considered
for allotment of seats.

The SC / ST/Category-I / 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B and other
eligibility criteria is applicable to Karnataka candidates who are eligible to
claim eligibility for Government seats under clauses (a), (b), (f), (h), (j),
(k) (l) and (o) and the same is not applicable to eligibility clauses (c), (d),
(e), (g), (i), (m) and (n) to claim Government Seats and Government quota
seats. Reservation of seats in certain categories such as Rural, Kannada etc
and in Special Categories such as NCC, Sports etc, is applicable only to
Karnataka candidates who are eligible for Government seats and Government Quota
seats.

Further, as per the letter dated 13-07-2023 of Karnataka
AYUSH Department, the seat matrix for 85% of seats available for admission in
Government and Government Aided Institutions (except 15% All India Quota) and
in Private Institutions all seats (including State Quota, All India Quota and
Management / NRI quota) available for UG courses in Private Ayurveda, Unani and
Homeopathy Colleges of Karnataka state shall be allotted through KEA.
UGNEET-2023 eligible candidates can also register online for Ayurveda, Unani
and Homeopathy seats. However, non-Karnataka candidates are eligible only for
the notified seats.

The options entered by the candidate for the first round
will remain the same for the subsequent round of seat allotment. The candidates
will not be allowed to enter options again. Entry of options by the candidates
will begin only after the seat matrix is notified by the Government.

After the entry of options is completed, based on the
options entered by the candidates in the order of merit and by following the
Roster System, MOCK ALLOTMENT will be carried out as per the procedures
explained in this Information Bulletin. This Mock Seat Allotment is only an
INDICATIVE seat status which the candidate may or may not get in the real
allotment. It will help the candidate to revise, update, add or delete already
the entered options.

The seat matrix notified by the Government for each
discipline will be adopted for allotment seats, course-wise, college wise and
category wise seat matrix notified by Government will be hosted on the KEA
Website for the information of the candidates and parents.

The allotment of seats will be conducted in two rounds, and
each round consists of three phases, and each phase consists of a number of
iterations.

The candidates have to be present personally for the counselling
process; no one can represent the candidate under any circumstances. Only one
person (Parent / nearest relative) can accompany the candidate. The entry pass
for mop-up round should necessarily have the details of the accompanying
person.

The candidates have to compulsorily pay the prescribed fees
in the form of a demand draft drawn in favour of “The Executive Director, KEA”
payable at Bangalore. Candidates can bring multiple demand drafts for different
denominations. Online payment or Cheques or Cash is not allowed. Candidates
will not be allowed to select the seats without the demand drafts for the
required fees. Candidates are advised to visit KEA Website for seat
availability / vacant seats for mop-up round allotment before participating.

Detailed information about the schedule for the first round, second
round and mop-up round etc., and other counseling-related procedures/guidelines will be published later on the KEA Website.

Instructions to Karnataka UGCET-2023 registered candidates -

1. Select the link on the KEA Website for UGNEET-2023 registration.

2. Select “UGCET-2023 registered candidates”.

3. Enter UGNEET-2023 Roll Number.

4. Complete the registration details.

5. UGCET-2023 online application details will be displayed.

6. Verify the details in each TAB.

7. Do the changes if required. (edit the application / additional claims)

8. Before selecting the declaration take the draft print and verify the entries and do the changes if required. Once the declaration is done, changes cannot be made.

9. Select the declaration and complete the process.

10. Pay the fees. Take the final print.

Also Read:BOPEE Begins Online Registration Process For NEET PG, NEET MDS Courses, check out details

UGNEET-2023 – document verification -

Admission to Medical, Dental, Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy courses for the year 2023, Verification of Documents will be conducted at Karnataka Examinations Authority, 18th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore. The Karnataka candidates who are required to appear for document verification should produce a KEA UGNEET-2023 application printout, verification slip, UGNEET-2023 Score Card, and all other required original documents along with any valid Identity Card (Driving License / Voter ID / Passport / PAN / Aadhar Card).

The candidates should produce all the required original documents as detailed in the UGNEET-2023 Information Bulletin and attend the document verification based on All India Rank only. Candidates have to be personally present as per the schedule for document verification, and no one can represent them. Please read the instructions hosted on the KEA Website regarding participation in document verification.

Karnataka candidates -

Candidates, who have assigned ranks in UGCET-2023 and completed their document verification as per CET-2006 Admission Rules, and those who are not claiming any additional reservation need not appear for verification of documents once again for Medical / Dental / Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy courses.

However, if any such candidate is eligible to claim reservation as per Government of Karnataka norms or Linguistic Minority or Religious Minority or NRI ward seats or candidates eligible to claim seats under Category-2 to Category-8 in St. John Medical College, Bangalore, then they have to claim such reservations in the online application form and they have to appear for document verification with such relevant certificates/documents.

Further, candidates who have already claimed Linguistic Minority /Religious Minority / NRI WARD in the UGCET-2023 application should also appear for document verification with all the relevant original certificates/documents.

No separate document verification is required for Category-1 (All India Open Merit) and Category-9 (Karnataka State Open Merit) of St. John Medical College, Bangalore.

Non-Karnataka candidates -

Non-Karnataka candidates will not be eligible for reservation. Hence, in the UGNEET-2023 examination, if they have scored the required minimum 50th percentile or above, fixed for the ‘GENERAL (UR)’ category as per the qualifying criteria, then only they are eligible to register for admissions through KEA or for any other seats in the State of Karnataka. Please note that SC/ST/OBC eligibility criteria are applicable to Karnataka SC/ST/OBC candidates only.

Non-Karnataka candidates those who have qualified in UGNEET 2023 and registered with KEA, need NOT appear for verification of documents. However, if any non-Karnataka candidates were eligible to claim NRI Ward, Religious Minority or eligible to claim seat under Category-2 to Category-8 in St. John Medical College, Bangalore, then they have to appear for verification of documents with all the original necessary documents at KEA, Bangalore as per the following schedule.

Category-1 (All India Open Merit) of St. John Medical College, no separate verification is required.

The non-Karnataka candidates, who are required to appear for document verification, should produce a KEA UGNEET-2023 application printout, UGNEET-2023 Score Card and all other required original documents as detailed in the UGNEET-2023 Information Bulletin. Any valid Identity Card (Driving License / Voter ID / Passport / PAN / Aadhar Card).

Horanadu and Gadinadu candidates and those who have qualified in UG NEET-2023 but have not attended the UGCET-Kannada Language Test on 22-05-2023, such candidates have to appear for Kannada Language Test in Bangalore on 25-07-2023 (3.00 pm to 4.00 pm) as notified to become eligible to claim Government seats.

Qualifying Criteria of UGNEET-2023 –

Category

Qualifying Criteria

Marks Range

UR/EWS

50th Percentile

720-137

OBC

40th Percentile

136-107

SC

40th Percentile

136-107

ST

40th Percentile

136-107

UR / EWS & PH

45th Percentile

136-121

OBC & PH

40th Percentile

120-107

SC & PH

40th Percentile

120-107

ST & PH

40th Percentile

120-108

Academic Eligibility for all seats

For Admission to 1st Year

Eligibility

Criteria for Determination

of Merit / Rank

In Qualifying Examination, the candidate

should have

In NEET-

Examination

Passed in 2nd PUC / 12th Std /

Equivalent Exam with English
as one

of the Languages and obtained a

Minimum of 50% of Marks in

aggregate in Physics, Chemistry,

Declared as

Based on

Medical /

Biology subjects. (*40% for SC, ST,

qualified in

UGNEET-2023

Dental /

Cat-1, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B category

UGNEET-2023 *

All India Rank.

Ayurveda /

candidates)

Unani /

*Other eligibility criteria and

Homoeopathy

conditions as mentioned in UGNEET-

courses

2023 Information Bulletin.

*The SC / ST/Category-I / OBC eligibility criteria are applicable to Karnataka

candidates who are eligible
to claim Government seats under clauses
(a),

(b), (f), (h), (j), (k), (l) and (o), and the same is not applicable to clauses (c),

(d), (e), (g), (i), (m) and (n) i.e.,
Eligibility Clauses to claim Government

Seats.

Eligibility clauses have also been released. The detail related to each clause is enclosed in the notice below.

Candidates must retain the following documents with them as reference for future correspondence -

1. At least two printouts of the finally submitted Online Application.

2. UGNEET-2023 Admit Card and UGNEET-2023 Score Card.

3. 2 passport-size identical photograph which is uploaded in the Online Application.

Classification of seats –

These seats are classified into four categories, namely -

1. G - Government Seats

2. P - Private Seats

3. N - NRI Seats

4. Q - Others Seats

The details related to each seat are enclosed in the notice below.

Compulsory rural service for one year –

1. All candidates who take admitted to Medical course shall under go one year of compulsory rural service in a Government hospital as per Karnataka Compulsory Service Training by Candidates Completed Medical Courses, Act 2012 as amended in 27/09/2017 and Karnataka Compulsory Service by Candidates Completed Medical courses (Counseling, Allotment and Certification) (Amendment) Rules, 2017.

2. The candidates will be entitled to only temporary registration till completion of such service. Until they complete the same, they will not be entitled to permanent registration.

3. All the candidates who will be allotted Medical Seats through KEA, both in Government and Private Medical colleges, should compulsorily submit sworn affidavit to the Principal of the respective college at the time of admission (on a hundred Rupees e-stamp paper signed by the candidate and the parent as per the format hosted on the KEA Website) regarding one-year rural service after completion of the course.

To view the notices, click on the links -

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/eligibility-clauseskannada-214291.pdf

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/e-brochure-ugneet-2023-14-07-2023kannada-214290.pdf

Also Read:MCC Releases Tentative Schedule For NEET Counselling 2023, check out details

The World Health Organization (WHO) released its official statement this week on the potential health risks of aspartame, with a committee classifying the non-sugar, low-calorie sweetener as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."

Many industry experts, however, are speaking out in defense of aspartame, which is commonly used in diet sodas, chewing gum, some dairy products and many other low-calorie foods and beverages.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a cancer-focused organization within WHO, was the agency that called out the sweetener’s potential cancer risk.

BYPRODUCT OF SUCRALOSE, A CHEMICAL IN SPLENDA, FOUND TO CAUSE 'SIGNIFICANT HEALTH EFFECTS' IN NEW STUDY

The IARC uses five different levels of cancer risk: Group 1, "carcinogenic to humans"; Group 2A, "Probably carcinogenic to humans"; Group 2B: "Possibly carcinogenic to humans"; Group 3, "Unclassifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans"; and Group 4, "Probably not carcinogenic to humans."

Aspartame was placed in Group 2B based on "limited evidence" of causing cancer in humans and animals — particularly a type of liver cancer, the press release stated.

In the same announcement, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), another group within WHO, seemed to contradict the IARC’s classification.

"JECFA also considered the evidence on cancer risk, in animal and human studies, and concluded that the evidence of an association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing," the press release stated.

The acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame remains 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, JECFA also said. That amount is the equivalent of nine cans of 12-ounce diet soda per day for a 150-pound person.

(The FDA recommends an even higher ADI, at 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.)

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"Our results do not indicate that occasional consumption should pose a risk to most consumers," Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the WHO, stated during a press conference in Geneva.

Dr. Mona S. Jhaveri, a biotech scientist and cancer researcher in Ridgefield, Connecticut, told Fox News Digital that the likelihood of getting cancer depends on the types and the number of carcinogens that one is exposed to, as well as genetic factors. 

"Carcinogens can work either alone or in combination with other substances," she said. 

Often, she added, "people who are subject to multiple carcinogens can increase their risk of getting cancer exponentially."

Many industry experts maintain that aspartame is still safe for consumption — including the FDA, which released a statement refuting the cancer risk.

"The FDA disagrees with IARC’s conclusion that these studies support classifying aspartame as a possible carcinogen to humans," the statement read. 

"FDA scientists reviewed the scientific information included in IARC’s review in 2021 when it was first made available and identified significant shortcomings in the studies on which IARC relied."

"We note that JECFA did not raise safety concerns for aspartame under the current levels of use and did not change the acceptable daily intake (ADI)."

Additional agencies, including the European Food Safety Authority and Health Canada, have also deemed aspartame to be safe at the current recommended levels, the FDA added.

"Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply," the FDA stated. 

"FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions."

Dr. Arnold Baskies, a New Jersey-based surgical oncologist and past chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society — he's also a member of the Coalition for Safe Food and Beverage Choices Expert Advisory Committee — pointed out that the WHO agencies, IARC and JECFA, reviewed previous research. They did not review new evidence.

"The WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives’ (JECFA) review says that aspartame is safe for human consumption," Baskies said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "JECFA is the authoritative international agency when it comes to food safety."

The FDA relies on JECFA’s assessments as part of its process of determining the safety and risks of foods and beverages, Baskies noted.

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"It is irresponsible to needlessly scare or confuse people," he said. "If there was any cause for concern, they would have adjusted the current acceptable daily intake (ADI)."

The Calorie Control Council (CCC) in Atlanta, Georgia, also spoke out in defense of aspartame as a safe food additive.

"The JECFA ruling not only confirms the four decades of science concluding aspartame is safe, but also provides real-life ‎context around the safe consumption of this ingredient," said Robert Rankin, president of the CCC, in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

Any risk is highly unlikely given the JECFA’s guidelines for recommended daily intake, Rankin also said.

"The average 150-pound person would need to consume about 14 12-oz. cans of diet beverages or about 74 packets of aspartame-containing tabletop sweetener every day over the course of their life to raise any safety concern," Rankin said.

"Obviously, that level of consumption is not realistic or recommended, nor is it ‎aligned with the intended use of these ingredients."

Regarding IARC describing aspartame as "possibly cancer-causing," Rankin stated that IARC is not a regulatory agency or food safety authority, and said that its classification is "misleading, inaccurate and [constitutes] fearmongering."

He said, "IARC looks for substances that could potentially cause cancer without considering actual dietary intake, and has found many things, such as drinking hot water and working at night, to be probably carcinogenic."

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"It is not only wrong, but potentially damaging to certain populations to position IARC’s report alongside true scientific and regulatory agencies like JECFA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the European Food Safety Authority," Rankin added.

Dr. Ernest Hawk, head of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, also spoke to Fox News Digital about aspartame’s safety.

"IARC classified aspartame as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ based on limited evidence for cancer in humans and experimental animals, and limited evidence that it might behave as a carcinogen," he said. 

"Because all of the evidence was limited, aspartame was added to WHO’s list of possible carcinogens."

The list begins with 126 agents known to be carcinogenic in humans (including tobacco and alcohol) and 94 agents that are "probably carcinogenic" — followed by 322 agents that are "possibly carcinogenic," Hawk explained.

"Aspartame will now be included in that final group, but keep in mind that none of those have been convincingly proven to cause cancer," he added.

The FDA, the National Cancer Institute, the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society all have evaluated the same evidence in the past, and all of them concluded that there was no clear evidence that artificial (non-nutritive) sweeteners cause cancer when consumed at typical levels, Hawk said.

While he believes that the WHO agencies did a careful review and have the public’s best interest in mind, Hawk called for additional research on the long-term health risks of consuming non-sugar sweeteners.

The FDA and other health agencies do not agree that aspartame is a cancer risk, so some medical professionals recommend using sugar instead of artificial sweeteners.

"Although it’s approved by regulatory bodies, potential risk factors are associated with preferring aspartame over sugar," noted Jhaveri.

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"Sensitivities or allergies to aspartame can result in adverse reactions, and excessive consumption may contribute to weight gain due to heightened cravings for sweet edibles," she said.

For some people, aspartame may cause physical symptoms that include headaches, dizziness, digestive ailments and allergic responses, Jhaveri noted.

"Avoiding aspartame when possible and opting for natural sugars in fruits and vegetables is prudent," she said. 

In May, the WHO advised against the use of non-sugar sweeteners like aspartame for the purposes of controlling body weight or lowering the risk of non-communicable diseases.

"Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term," said Branca, the WHO’s director for nutrition and food safety, in a press release at the time. 

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For the general public, Hawk recommended "paying attention to the science" as it continues to develop regarding the possible health consequences of artificial sweeteners.

"In the meantime, continue to work on consistently eating a balanced, healthy diet that contains whole foods that are high in nutrient density," he suggested.

People with a rare inherited disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid aspartame, medical experts say.

Those with PKU don’t have the enzyme to break down an amino acid called phenylalanine, so it builds up in the body. 

Consuming foods and drinks with aspartame can cause dangerous levels of phenylalanine that can lead to serious health issues, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website.

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Aspartame-containing products will include a warning on the label stating "PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE." 

Anyone with PKU should avoid any food or drink with this warning.

Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released

Cristina Mitchell

14 Jul 2023