Japan could become one of the first countries in the world to end the HIV epidemic, says the president of Gilead Sciences Japan, Kennet Brysting. The idea for now could seem a little too ambitious, but it is not entirely unrealistic, given that the availability of medicines that can prevent transmission of HIV. Drugs are not the cure, but control over the spread of virus to the point where the disease is no longer a major public health threat.

What Is The Role Of Preventative HIV Medicines?

Gilead's have two key drugs, Truvada and lenacapavir. These two are playing a crucial role in prevention. Truvada is taken as a daily pill, while lenacapavir requires two injections per year. It can make the virus undetectable in infected individuals and prevent transmission to those who are not infected yet. In trials, lenacapavir showed 100% efficacy in preventing HIV infections. This is why it is describe as "almost a vaccine".

In 2024, Japan also approved Truvada for HIV prevention, but the country has yet to approve lenacapavir for the same. Until now, people in Japan had been importing generic versions of Truvada or purchasing it from clinics that source it from overseas.

HIV In Japan

Up until now, Japan reported around 25,000 HIV infections, whereas 669 new cases were reported in 2023. For seven consecutive years, the number of new infections remained under 1,000. The downward trend thus shows that the virus has been controlled, however, getting to zero new infections remains the ultimate goal.

Brysting too acknowledged that simply having effective drug is not enough. What is important is to have a proper implementation, access and healthcare support to make sure that these treatments are widely available and effective.

What Are The Challenges In Implementation?

The biggest challenges is testing rates. There is a need to increase testing rates. At this very moment, around 86% people infective with Japan have been tested, but the goal is to increase it up to 95%, with an ideal goal of 100%. Without widespread testing, many infected people may not even know that they are infected and it could transmit the virus.

Another measure issue is the cost of preventative medication. While Japan's health insurance covers treatments for diseases, it does not cover preventative drugs. Those who purchase Truvada for prevention, pay around $470 per month. Some clinics in Tokyo offer generic alternatives too, which is cheaper, but they are not ideal.

Better Healthcare Support

Brysting expressed concern that individuals importing medications might not be consulting doctors regularly, which is essential for monitoring HIV status and overall health. Truvada users need to be tested for HIV initially and every three months, along with screenings for other infections and kidney function checks. Without proper medical supervision, there is a risk of misuse and inadequate protection.

Gilead is in discussions with Japanese authorities to improve access and insurance coverage for Truvada, and progress is being made. Japan has shown efficiency in approving critical medicines, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when Gilead’s remdesivir was approved in just three days.

What Is The Way Ahead?

Gilead at this moment is not only focused on HIV and hepatitis C, but also expanding into oncology with innovative treatments like CAR-T cell therapy, which strengthens a patient's immune system to fight cancer.

However, Japan’s strict approval processes can slow down drug availability. Phase 3 clinical trials often need to be conducted within the country, and Japan tends to approve medicines much later than other regions. For instance, Truvada was approved for prevention in Japan 12 years after the U.S. and nearly 20 years after its approval for treatment. inancial factors also play a role. The Japanese government adjusts drug prices annually, often reducing them, which can make long-term investment challenging for pharmaceutical companies.

Amid the ongoing Cyclospora parasite outbreak linked to lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, the produce company has recalled shredded iceberg lettuce distributed across 27 US states over possible contamination concerns.

The outbreak, which has been under investigation for more than a month, has sickened over 5,000 people across at least 34 states, causing widespread cases of diarrhea.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initially linked the outbreak to lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms to Taco Bell restaurants in five states earlier this week. However, a recall notice issued by the company late last week indicated that the potentially contaminated lettuce had a much wider distribution.

Taylor Farms said it is "actively removing" the affected products, has suspended distribution of iceberg lettuce imported from Central Mexico to the United States, and is no longer receiving products from the implicated lot.

"Consumers who have purchased the recalled iceberg lettuce should discard it immediately and not consume it," the company said.

States Where Taylor Farms Recalled Lettuce

Also read: Cyclospora Parasite Outbreak: Why You Should Avoid Packaged Salads and Go For Loose Greens

According to Taylor Farms, the recalled shredded iceberg lettuce was distributed between June 29 and July 16 in:

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The recall notice includes product descriptions, brand abbreviations and use-by dates but does not identify specific retailers, restaurants or product names.

"At this time, Taylor Fresh Foods has not publicly provided distribution information or a list of customers who received the product that was voluntarily removed from the market," the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

The FDA also noted that an earlier lettuce sample from Taylor Farms initially tested positive for Cyclospora but later determined the result "should be considered a false positive."

"FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples," the agency said, adding that no confirmed positive samples have been identified so far.

Taylor Farms also said on social media that none of its Taylor Farms-branded salad kits are associated with the outbreak. Most of the recalled lettuce was sold in large bags to food-service operations, including restaurants, with many products blended with romaine lettuce.

Further, media reports stated that several companies have begun removing affected products from stores and supply chains.

The list includes

• Walmart,
• Sysco,
• US Foods,
• Jack in the Box,
• Taco Bell.

Food Safety Concerns

Food safety experts said that additional distributors and restaurants may also have received the recalled lettuce, even if they have not publicly disclosed it.

The FDA said Taylor Farms "has not publicly provided distribution information or a list of customers who received the product that was voluntarily removed from the market." Current FDA regulations do not require companies to disclose that information.

Sandra B. Eskin, chief executive of Stop Foodborne Illness, said the lack of transparency can limit the effectiveness of recalls. She added, "The whole point is to quickly identify the product and make sure no one else eats it."

How To Reduce Your Risk?

Health officials recommend:

• Avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce
• Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under clean running water, even if they are labeled pre-washed.
• Follow safe food-handling practices.
• Stay updated on food recalls and outbreak alerts.
• Contact a healthcare provider if symptoms develop.

Experts also recommend choosing whole heads of lettuce instead of bagged greens. Remove the outer leaves, wash the inner leaves thoroughly under running water, and cook produce whenever possible, as heat is the most effective way to kill Cyclospora.

Watching television for long hours can do more than contributing to a sedentary lifestyle. It could also leave a significant impact on the brain.

According to a new study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, people who watched television very often during midlife later showed smaller brain volumes in regions involved in memory and thinking, along with greater signs of damage linked to dementia and stroke.

Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) found that the negative brain changes were unique to passive television viewing and were not simply the result of spending long hours sitting.

Passive TV Watching Could Negatively Alter Brain Structures

The researchers studied data from approximately 1,700 adults enrolled in the long-running Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

Participants, whose average age was 53 when their television habits were assessed between 1987 and 1989, reported how frequently they watched television and how much of their workday they spent sitting.

More than two decades later, participants underwent MRI brain scans.

Compared with people who said they "never" or "seldom" watched television, those who watched TV "very often" had:

• Smaller brain volumes in regions associated with memory formation and early Alzheimer's disease.
• Reduced frontal and occipital lobe volumes.
• Greater white matter hyperintensity volumes, a marker of small blood vessel disease in the brain that is linked to cognitive decline, stroke and dementia.

These findings were observed even after researchers accounted for physical activity levels, body mass index, diabetes, smoking and alcohol consumption.

Also read: 10,000 Brain Scans Reveal Why Memory Declines With Age, Challenging Long-Held Theory

More Harmful Than Just Sitting

One of the study's most striking findings was that just sitting for long periods did not produce the same harmful results.

People who spent long periods sitting at work actually showed larger frontal and occipital brain regions and lower white matter damage, suggesting that mentally engaging sedentary activities may affect the brain differently from passive leisure activities like television viewing.

Researchers also observed that the associations were observed more in men, although further studies are needed to understand the reason behind.

"For years we've focused on how much people sit. Our findings suggest we should also pay attention to what they're doing while they're sitting," said David Raichlen, professor of biological sciences and anthropology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and senior author of the study.

Study corresponding author Natan Feter, a postdoctoral scholar in USC Dornsife's Human and Evolutionary Biology program, said the findings could eventually reshape public health advice.

He said, "We frequently encourage the public not to spend too much time sitting down, but experts may want to expand that recommendation to encompass the activities done while sitting, since those seem to have distinct impacts on brain health."

The researchers cautioned that the study on television viewing was based on self-reported questionnaires, which may be less accurate than objective tracking. In addition, participants did not undergo brain scans at the beginning of the study, making it difficult to directly measure changes over time.

A recent massive study analysed more than 10,000 brain MRI scans and delivered fresh insights into why memory worsens as people age.

The study suggested that age-related memory decline is not caused by damage to a single brain region, as previously believed, but by widespread structural changes across the brain.

Researchers examined 10,343 MRI brain scans alongside 13,460 memory assessments from 3,737 cognitively healthy adults across 13 long-running international studies.

The findings, published in Nature Communications, are based on one of the largest investigations of healthy brain aging to date.

Age-Related Memory Loss Involves More Than Hippocampus

For decades, scientists have focused on the hippocampus, a brain region essential for learning and memory, and one of the earliest brain areas affected by Alzheimer's disease.

However, the new study found that although the hippocampus remains the strongest factor to consider memory decline, it is far from being the only region involved.

Researchers discovered that shrinking brain tissue in multiple interconnected regions, including areas linked to the hippocampus and several parts of the temporal lobe, collectively contributes to declining memory with age.

Brain Shrinkage Occurs Over Decades

Also read: Your Country May Influence Your Dementia Risk More Than You Think, Study Suggests

The researchers found that the link between brain shrinkage and memory loss becomes much stronger after the late 50s.

Rather than following a steady, gradual path, memory decline appears to accelerate as structural changes accumulate across multiple brain regions.

The study also showed that individuals with shrinkage affecting a greater number of brain regions experienced faster declines in memory, highlighting that brain aging varies considerably from person to person.

Alzheimer's Risk Gene Isn't The Only Factor

Also read: Healthy Lifestyle Changes Improve Memory, Thinking In Older Adults At Dementia Risk: The Lancet

The team also evaluated the role of APOE ε4, the best-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

While carriers of the gene generally showed faster brain volume loss and memory decline, researchers found that genetics alone could not explain the observed changes.

Instead, widespread structural changes throughout the brain played a much larger role in determining memory performance.

Senior author Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and senior scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, said, "By integrating data across dozens of research cohorts, we now have the most detailed picture yet of how structural changes in the brain unfold with age and how they relate to memory."

He added, "These results suggest that memory decline in aging is not just about one region or one gene. It reflects a broad biological vulnerability in brain structure that accumulates over decades. Understanding this can help researchers identify individuals at risk early and develop more precise and personalized interventions that support cognitive health across the lifespan and prevent cognitive disability."

The researchers say this could improve how scientists identify people at risk for future cognitive decline before symptoms become severe.

Instead of monitoring only the hippocampus or focusing primarily on genetic risk, future screening and interventions may need to evaluate the health of multiple interconnected brain networks.

Lifestyle Changes Can Help

While there is no cure for neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's, growing evidence suggests that healthy lifestyle changes can help improve brain health and preserve cognitive function in older adults at risk.

A major study published in The Lancet suggests that adopting healthy lifestyle habits can significantly improve memory and thinking skills in older adults at risk of dementia.

The study found that a culturally adapted, structured lifestyle program delivered across 11 Latin American countries produced meaningful improvements in cognitive function over two years. Participants in the intensive program showed 55 per cent greater improvement in overall cognition than those who received general health advice.