Cogeneration of innovative audio-visual content: A new challenge for computing art

BEIJING ZHONGKE JOURNAL PUBLISING CO. LTD.

 

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SUMMARY OF AI-BASED VISUAL ART GENERATION  

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CREDIT: BEIJING ZHONGKE JOURNAL PUBLISING CO. LTD.

Walter Benjamin came up with aura and authenticity in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction in 1936 to describe the value of original artworks created by artists instead of mechanical copies. He wanted to defend artificiality and support traditional fine arts. Not singly but in pairs, Mitchell’s core concern was about the work of art in the age of biocybernetic reproduction in What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of Images (2005) followed Benjamin’s train of thought. He especially mentioned the first cloned sheep, Dolly, and regarded it as a living image. Mitchell is one of the most representative and influential theorists in the arts and human sciences. He developed a series of concepts to explain the value of biocybernetic artworks. However, based on carbon, artists in this field are limited by the development of biotechnology, and their creation is sometimes repressed instead of released. Some disappointing cooperation between biologists and artists seems to popularize scientific knowledge by entertaining visual culture and show a lack of critical thinking. Therefore, researchers need to reflect on what artists can do with advanced technology.

 

Humans have faced new challenges in the era of the metaverse. Humans have not only mechanical copies of artworks or biocybernetic replicas but also avatars of humans themselves. This paper proposes the concept of artificial intelligent (AI) art, thus summarizing the main features of artworks produced by artificial intelligent technology, such as extended reality (XR, the combination of VR/AR/MR), cyber-physical system (CPS), cloud computing, and blockchain. The cooperation between AI technical staff and artists is more intimate than that between biologists and artists. AI technology discharges artists from laborious work, which was primarily accused by Marx et al., and encourages them to realize their full potential in art. As a result, AI is like a capable partner in the team who always understands the artist in time and does intense work to bring the artist’s romantic conceiving into reality.

 

With bright prospects for development, AI technology plays essential roles in design, creation, and exhibition in art circles. The concept of AI art may be easily confused with computer art. It is important to note that AI art is more advanced than computer art and can cover more perceptual requirements, including optical and acoustical requirements. AI art usually presents a fusion of the human senses. Art appreciators obtain visual, aural, and tactual feelings simultaneously. In other words, AI technology provides a rich audio-visual feast for modern art exhibitions.

 

The development plan for AI art is still in its infancy. There are some concerns in society about the general applicability of AI technology. Here is an interesting question that has always been mentioned. Do AI dream of electric sheep? In 1968, Philip K. Dick first put this question forward in his science fiction: Do Androids dream of electric sheep? The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049. After discussing AI ethical issues, this title has become the core question that represents the fear that AI would replace humans. Such fears soon spread to the humanities. Some intellectuals believe there should be limits to AI technology. However, if one has sufficient knowledge of AI technology, one will find such fears laughable. People’s fear is nothing more than a rejection of the unknown. Cutting-edge AI technology still needs to reach the emotional level of humans. The urgent need to work on developing and applying AI technology remains as strong as possible.

 

AI technology is currently used in the art field for technique classification, style migration, interactive design, manufacturing, and cultural industry, and so on. AI art has produced AI-generated poetry, VR painting, digital media art, AI voiceovers, and smart electrical appliances. These examples show the solid creative power of AI art. However, some artists are not happy with it. In 1972, the German artist Joseph Beuys gave a speech at Documenta in Kassel, presenting the idea that “everyone is an artist.” His views have caused an uproar. In those days, it was nothing more than an imagination. After all, not everyone was skilled in creating art. With the development of AI art, this idea seems to be becoming a reality. AI is powerful enough to allow anyone to become an artist. It should be noted that the creative ability of AI is not endless. It comes from humans who have talents in creating art. The development of AI art is, therefore, not incompatible with the training of artists. In contrast, the spread of AI art enables artists to do what they do best. In this way, AI art development and traditional art innovation can hold a win-win situation.

 

To be on target, a paper by Prof. Gao Feng from Peking University focuses on AI-generated video and AI-generated audio. Audio-visual ability is often thought of as a composite human sensory ability. Their combination has rapidly improved the production efficiency of industries such as movies, short videos, and games. The summary of AI visual and auditory technology and the presentation of existing results can help practitioners in the industry determine art industry trends in the future.

 

Audio-visual art generation can be divided into visual art generation and auditory art generation. Section 2 of this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the datasets and methods in the two fields. Visual art generation part: first, researchers introduce ten classic image datasets; then, based on three tasks of AI painting, style transfer and text-to-image translation, researchers summarize the classic models in the field of visual content generation; finally, researchers show typical systems and products for it. Auditory art generation part: they use the form of sound expression as an indicator, specifically listing eight classic music datasets in the field of auditory art generation; then, regarding the model structure as standard, the music generation methods are divided into two categories, general model, and composite model. Researchers outline nine classical frameworks for music generation and identify related models and products.

 

There are two types of evaluation methods for algorithm performance: objective evaluation and subjective evaluation. Objective evaluation applies several metrics based on mathematical theory, which is quantitative, efficient, and widely used, but it is not suitable for content that requires subjective feelings. Subjective evaluation usually needs to design experiments, and observers evaluate the results of the algorithm, which is time-consuming, laborious, and difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, subjective evaluation is consistent with subjective feelings. In the field of art generation, subjective evaluation plays an important role in evaluating the creativity of the model. In Section 3, researchers provide an overview of measuring the quality of generated results from objective and subjective perspectives.

 

Section 4 introduces proposed materials and mechanism. Cogeneration of audio-visual content is a multimodal task and requires approaches to fuse information from different sources, including image, video, audio, text, etc. By weighing the strengths and limitations of various audio-visual art generation algorithms, researchers develop and propose a joint generation mechanism for generating digital audio-visual art works using multiple types of algorithms. The system is divided into a visual art generation module and an auditory art generation module. The former is responsible for generating dynamic video content of a specified style, and the latter generates the corresponding video soundtrack through the text features associated with the video. In Section 4.1, researchers introduce two datasets constructed for audio-visual joint tasks. In Sections 4.2 and 4.3, they demonstrate the visual art generation module and the auditory art generation module, respectively.

 

This paper has summarized the results of the technical development of audio-visual art generation. The technology of audio-visual art generation has a wide range of applications. It can be used at home to make entertainment more diverse. It can also be used in public places. For example, it can increase the attractiveness of commercial promotion and art exhibits. A study proposed a new museum archiving system that applies AI technology to the service of art institutions, including museums. Studies such as this show widespread interest in AI-based computing art, which can facilitate people’s daily lives and empower the development of cultural industries. Furthermore, visual art generation and auditory art generation will revolutionize the way art is produced and increase its productivity. However, this inevitably poses some challenging issues. Traditional artists have shown great anxiety about the development of computing art. They fear that computers will soon replace their jobs. This concern is not unwarranted. AI is increasingly replacing manual labor. There are two aspects involved in Section 5. On the one hand, researchers need to clarify whether computing art qualifies to replace artificial art. On the other hand, researchers need to know whether computing art instead of artificial art is more beneficial to the well-being of society. In summary, the main challenges of AI-based computing art can be summarized as the artificial and intelligent aspects of computing art.

 

This paper has provided a comprehensive survey on audio-visual content generation. Researchers hope that this review will help people better understand the research field of audio-visual art and the development tendency of AI-based generation.

 

See the article:

Cogeneration of Innovative Audio-visual Content: A New Challenge for Computing Art

http://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-023-1453-5

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JOURNAL

Machine Intelligence Research

DOI

10.1007/s11633-023-1453-5 

ARTICLE TITLE

Cogeneration of Innovative Audio-visual Content: A New Challenge for Computing Art

 

Aston University research center to focus on using AI to improve lives

ASTON UNIVERSITY

 

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PROFESSOR ANIKÓ EKÁRT AND 'PEPPER' THE ROBOT

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CREDIT: ASTON UNIVERSITY

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 New centre specifically focuses on using AI to improve society
•    Current research is designed to improve transport, health and industry
•    “There have been a lot of reports focusing on the negative use of AI...this is why the centre is so       important now.”

Aston University researchers have marked the opening of a new centre which focuses on harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to improve people’s lives.

The Aston Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Application (ACAIRA) has been set up to become a West Midlands hub for the use of AI to benefit of society. 

Following its official opening, the academics leading it are looking to work with organisations and the public. Director Professor Anikó Ekárt said: “There have been a lot of reports focusing on the negative use of AI and subsequent fear of AI. This is why the centre is so important now, as we aim to achieve trustworthy, ethical and sustainable AI solutions for the future, by co-designing them with stakeholders.”

Deputy director Dr Ulysses Bernardet added: “We work with local, national and international institutions from academia, industry, and the public sector, expanding Aston University’s external reach in AI research and application. 

“ACAIRA will benefit our students enormously by training them to become the next generation of AI practitioners and researchers equipped for future challenges.”

The centre is already involved in various projects that use AI to solve some of society’s challenges.

A collaboration with Legrand Care aims to extend and improve independent living conditions for older people by using AI to analyse data collected through home sensors which detect decline in wellbeing. This allows care professionals to change and improve individuals’ support plans whenever needed. 

A project with engineering firm Lanemark aims to reduce the carbon footprint of industrial gas burners by exploring new, more sustainable fuel mixes. 

Other projects include work with asbestos consultancy Thames Laboratories which will lead to reduced costs, emissions, enhanced productivity and improved resident satisfaction in social housing repairs and a partnership with transport safety consultancy Agilysis to produce an air quality prediction tool which uses live data to improve transport planning decisions.  

The centre is part of the University’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and its official launch took place on the University campus on 29 February. The event included a talk by the chair of West Midlands AI and Future Tech Forum, Dr Chris Meah. He introduced the vision for AI within the West Midlands and the importance of bringing together academics, industry and the public.

Current research in sectors such as traffic management, social robotics, bioinformatics, health, and virtual humans was highlighted, followed by industry talks from companies Smart Transport Hub, Majestic, DRPG and Proximity Data Centres. 

The centre’s academics work closely with West Midlands AI and Future Tech Forum and host the regular BrumAI Meetup.

Artificial intelligence to reconstruct particle paths leading to new physics

THE HENRYK NIEWODNICZANSKI INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR PHYSICS POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

 

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THE PRINCIPLE OF RECONSTRUCTING THE TRACKS OF SECONDARY PARTICLES BASED ON HITS RECORDED DURING COLLISIONS INSIDE THE MUONE DETECTOR. SUBSEQUENT TARGETS ARE MARKED IN GOLD, AND SILICON DETECTOR LAYERS ARE MARKED IN BLUE.

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CREDIT: SOURCE: IFJ PAN

Cracow, 20 March 2024

Artificial intelligence to reconstruct particle paths leading to new physics

Particles colliding in accelerators produce numerous cascades of secondary particles. The electronics processing the signals avalanching in from the detectors then have a fraction of a second in which to assess whether an event is of sufficient interest to save it for later analysis. In the near future, this demanding task may be carried out using algorithms based on AI, the development of which involves scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the PAS.

Electronics has never had an easy life in nuclear physics. There is so much data coming in from the LHC, the most powerful accelerator in the world, that recording it all has never been an option. The systems that process the wave of signals coming from the detectors therefore specialise in... forgetting – they reconstruct the tracks of secondary particles in a fraction of a second and assess whether the collision just observed can be ignored or whether it is worth saving for further analysis. However, the current methods of reconstructing particle tracks will soon no longer suffice.

Research presented in Computer Science by scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow, Poland, suggests that tools built using artificial intelligence could be an effective alternative to current methods for the rapid reconstruction of particle tracks. Their debut could occur in the next two to three years, probably in the MUonE experiment which supports the search for new physics.

In modern high-energy physics experiments, particles diverging from the collision point pass through successive layers of the detector, depositing a little energy in each. In practice, this means that if the detector consists of ten layers and the secondary particle passes through all of them, its path has to be reconstructed on the basis of ten points. The task is only seemingly simple.

“There is usually a magnetic field inside the detectors. Charged particles move in it along curved lines and this is also how the detector elements activated by them, which in our jargon we call hits, will be located with respect to each other,” explains Prof. Marcin Kucharczyk, (IFJ PAN) and immediately adds: “In reality, the so-called occupancy of the detector, i.e. the number of hits per detector element, may be very high, which causes many problems when trying to reconstruct the tracks of particles correctly. In particular, the reconstruction of tracks that are close to each other is quite a problem.”

Experiments designed to find new physics will collide particles at higher energies than before, meaning that more secondary particles will be created in each collision. The luminosity of the beams will also have to be higher, which in turn will increase the number of collisions per unit time. Under such conditions, classical methods of reconstructing particle tracks can no longer cope. Artificial intelligence, which excels where certain universal patterns need to be recognised quickly, can come to the rescue.

“The artificial intelligence we have designed is a deep-type neural network. It consists of an input layer made up of 20 neurons, four hidden layers of 1,000 neurons each and an output layer with eight neurons. All the neurons of each layer are connected to all the neurons of the neighbouring layer. Altogether, the network has two million configuration parameters, the values of which are set during the learning process,” describes Dr Milosz Zdybal (IFJ PAN).

The deep neural network thus prepared was trained using 40,000 simulated particle collisions, supplemented with artificially generated noise. During the testing phase, only hit information was fed into the network. As these were derived from computer simulations, the original trajectories of the responsible particles were known exactly and could be compared with the reconstructions provided by the artificial intelligence. On this basis, the artificial intelligence learned to correctly reconstruct the particle tracks.

“In our paper, we show that the deep neural network trained on a properly prepared database is able to reconstruct secondary particle tracks as accurately as classical algorithms. This is a result of great importance for the development of detection techniques. Whilst training a deep neural network is a lengthy and computationally demanding process, a trained network reacts instantly. Since it does this also with satisfactory precision, we can think optimistically about using it in the case of real collisions,” stresses Prof. Kucharczyk.

The closest experiment in which the artificial intelligence from IFJ PAN would have a chance to prove itself is MUonE (MUon ON Electron elastic scattering). This examines an interesting discrepancy between the measured values of a certain physical quantity to do with muons (particles that are about 200 times more massive equivalents of the electron) and predictions of the Standard Model (that is, the model used to describe the world of elementary particles). Measurements carried out at the American accelerator centre Fermilab show that the so-called anomalous magnetic moment of muons differs from the predictions of the Standard Model with a certainty of up to 4.2 standard deviations (referred as sigma). Meanwhile, it is accepted in physics that a significance above 5 sigma, corresponding to a certainty of 99.99995%, is a value deemed acceptable to announce a discovery.

The significance of the discrepancy indicating new physics could be significantly increased if the precision of the Standard Model's predictions could be improved. However, in order to better determine the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon with its help, it would be necessary to know a more precise value of the parameter known as the hadronic correction. Unfortunately, a mathematical calculation of this parameter is not possible. At this point, the role of the MUonE experiment becomes clear. In it, scientists intend to study the scattering of muons on electrons of atoms with low atomic number, such as carbon or beryllium. The results will allow a more precise determination of certain physical parameters that directly depend on the hadronic correction. If everything goes according to the physicists' plans, the hadronic correction determined in this way will increase the confidence in measuring the discrepancy between the theoretical and measured value of the muon's anomalous magnetic moment by up to 7 sigma – and the existence of hitherto unknown physics may become a reality.

The MUonE experiment is to start at Europe's CERN nuclear facility as early as next year, but the target phase has been planned for 2027, which is probably when the Cracow physicists will have the opportunity to see if the artificial intelligence they have created will do its job in reconstructing particle tracks. Confirmation of its effectiveness in the conditions of a real experiment could mark the beginning of a new era in particle detection techniques.

The work of the team of physicists from the IFJ PAN was funded by a grant from the Polish National Science Centre.

The Henryk Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN) is currently one of the largest research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences. A wide range of research carried out at IFJ PAN covers basic and applied studies, from particle physics and astrophysics, through hadron physics, high-, medium-, and low-energy nuclear physics, condensed matter physics (including materials engineering), to various applications of nuclear physics in interdisciplinary research, covering medical physics, dosimetry, radiation and environmental biology, environmental protection, and other related disciplines. The average yearly publication output of IFJ PAN includes over 600 scientific papers in high-impact international journals. Each year the Institute hosts about 20 international and national scientific conferences. One of the most important facilities of the Institute is the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB), which is an infrastructure unique in Central Europe, serving as a clinical and research centre in the field of medical and nuclear physics. In addition, IFJ PAN runs four accredited research and measurement laboratories. IFJ PAN is a member of the Marian Smoluchowski Kraków Research Consortium: “Matter-Energy-Future”, which in the years 2012-2017 enjoyed the status of the Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) in physics. In 2017, the European Commission granted the Institute the HR Excellence in Research award. As a result of the categorization of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Institute has been classified into the A+ category (the highest scientific category in Poland) in the field of physical sciences.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS:

“Machine Learning based Event Reconstruction for the MUonE Experiment”

M. Zdybał, M. Kucharczyk, M. Wolter

Computer Science 25(1) (2024) 25-46

DOI: 10.7494/csci.2024.25.1.5690

 

LINKS:

http://www.ifj.edu.pl/

The website of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

http://press.ifj.edu.pl/

Press releases of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

 

IMAGES:

IFJ240320b_fot01s.jpg                                 

HR: http://press.ifj.edu.pl/news/2024/03/20/IFJ240320b_fot01.jpg

The principle of reconstructing the tracks of secondary particles based on hits recorded during collisions inside the MUonE detector. Subsequent targets are marked in gold, and silicon detector layers are marked in blue. (Source: IFJ PAN)

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JOURNAL

Computer Science

DOI

10.7494/csci.2024.25.1.5690 

ARTICLE TITLE

Machine Learning based Event Reconstruction for the MUonE Experiment

 

 

“Concerning” disparities in HP vaccine uptake among US adults, with men and Hispanic people among those least protected

In a national sample of 27-45 year olds, nearly 85% had not been vaccinated against the virus – highlighting an “urgent need” to address uptake disparities

TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP

An analysis of data from a nationwide health survey reveals “concerning” disparities in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among US adults aged 27 to 45 years. 
 

More than 84% of the 9,440 people involved in a national sample had yet to be vaccinated for this common virus which can cause cancers later in life such as cervical, oropharyngeal (throat), anal, penile, vaginal and vulvar. 
 
Low uptake in the vaccine was observed among men, as well as people of Hispanic heritage, and those with lower educational levels. 

 

Publishing their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, the expert team state the results highlight an “urgent need” to address and mitigate disparities in HPV vaccine uptake in this age group and raise awareness of the importance of the vaccine – especially for men who were more than three times less likely to be vaccinated.   
 
“The overall low uptake of the HPV vaccine in this age group, raises concerns regarding cancer prevention efforts,” states lead author Dr. Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, who is a  head and neck cancer epidemiologist at Duke University School of Medicine’s and the Duke Cancer Institute, in North Carolina.  
 
“Given the importance of the HPV vaccine in cancer prevention, it is critical that these disparities are addressed and mitigated. 
 

“Addressing disparities and improving access to vaccination services are crucial steps in preventing HPV-associated cancers and improving public health outcomes for all.” 

 

Dr, Osazuwa-Peters adds: “Males are in particular need of increased knowledge of the vaccine, in light of the increasing incidence of both anal and oropharyngeal cancers, which are known to originate from the HPV virus. 

 

“When the HPV vaccine was first approved in the US in 2006, it was approved for only girls, and with a focus on cervical cancer; so, males have literally been playing catch-up the whole time. Interestingly, as of now, oropharyngeal cancer, 75% of which are in males, have overtaken cervical cancer, for which the vaccine was originally developed.” 

 

With nearly 36,000 people diagnosed with an HPV-associated cancer each year in the US, HPV vaccination offers a critical opportunity for cancer prevention, potentially preventing more than 90% of these cancers. 

 

While routine HPV vaccination was initially recommended for children aged 11 to 12 years, with catch-up vaccination through to age 26 years, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the age range for eligibility to adults aged 27 to 45 years in 2018. However, there is little currently known about the uptake of the vaccine within this age group. 

 

This research analyzed data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey, which collects cross-sectional health data from a nationally representative sample of the US population. It is the first study since the FDA age expansion to exclusively examine differential HPV vaccine uptake in a diverse sample of 27- to 45-year-old adults from across the US population. 
 
Results reveal that a significant proportion (84.5%) of participants had not yet been vaccinated against HPV. 

 
The outcomes also unveil disparities in HPV vaccine uptake based on demographic and socioeconomic factors: 

 

• Females had over three times greater odds of vaccine uptake compared to males. 

• Non-Hispanic Blacks were 36% more likely, while Hispanics were 27% less likely, to receive the vaccine compared to non-Hispanic Whites. 

• Individuals without a usual place of care and those with lower educational levels had lower odds of vaccine uptake. 

 

Dr. Osazuwa-Peters, who led a team of specialists from institutions across the US, adds: “For oropharyngeal cancer, about 75% of new cases are in males. As oral HPV is the primary cause of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer, providing the HPV vaccine to middle-aged individuals is undoubtedly an important strategy to decreasing risk of infection, persistence, and eventual HPV-associated oropharyngeal malignancy.  
 
“While the population benefit of the HPV vaccines in preventing oropharyngeal cancer may not be realized until years later, there are ongoing clinical trials to definitely establish that the current vaccines are effective in the prevention of oral HPV infection.”  
 
Of particular concern, too, is the lower likelihood of HPV vaccine uptake among Hispanic adults, they authors add, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to increase awareness and access to vaccination.  

 

Overall, the expert team state their findings should “serve as a call to action for policymakers, healthcare providers, and community leaders to intensify efforts to promote HPV vaccination among adults aged 27 to 45 years”. 

 

A key strength of this study lies in its analysis of a nationally representative sample of data. However, its limitations include a reliance on self-reported data and the inability to determine the exact age of HPV vaccination among participants.

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JOURNAL

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

DOI

10.1080/21645515.2024.2313249 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Racial and ethnic disparities in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among United States adults, aged 27–45 years

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

28-Mar-2024

You are never too old for an STI – more older adults being diagnosed with STIs such as gonorrhea and syphilis

Infectious disease expert addresses how to manage the rise in sexually transmitted infections in older adults

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

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• Infectious disease expert addresses how to manage the rise in sexually transmitted infections in older adults.
• STIs in Americans aged 55 to 64 years have more than doubled over the past decade; in England the number of over 45s diagnosed with gonorrhoea and syphilis doubled between 2015 and 2019.
• Availability of sildenafil (Viagra) in late 1990s had an impact on STIs in older men.
• Sexual health campaigns overlook the needs and experiences of the baby boom generation.
• Health professionals must be proactive in discussing sexual concerns and making sexual health a routine part of general health care for older adults.

**Note: the release below is a special early release from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, Spain, 27-30 April). Please credit the congress if you use this story**

A new research review presented at a pre-congress day for this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, 27-30 April) will look at how to manage the rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in older people, such as gonorrhoea, syphilis, and genital warts. It will focus on the importance of sex, intimacy, and sexual health to the Baby Boomer generation, especially given that 1 in 6 individuals worldwide will be aged 60 and older by 2030. The presentation will be given by Professor Justyna Kowalska from the Medical University of Warsaw, Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Warsaw, Poland—who will highlight the need for conversations around older people and sexual health to be normalised.

Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that rates of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis among US adults aged 55 and older have more than doubled over the past 10 years. For example, rates of gonorrhoea among those aged 55 to 64 years rose from around 15 cases per 100,000 people in 2015 to 57 per 100,000 in 2019 [1]. In England, 31,902 new STIs were recorded in the over 45s in 2015, which rose to 37,692 in 2019 – an increase of 18%, with the majority of new diagnoses in men who have sex with men [2]. High STI prevalence estimates have also been reported more broadly in older adults around the world, including China, Korea, Kenya, and Botswana.

“Rising divorce rates, forgoing condoms as there is no risk of pregnancy, the availability of drugs for sexual dysfunction, the large number of older adults living together in retirement communities, and the increased use of dating apps are likely to have contributed to the growing incidence of STIs in the over 50s”, explains Professor Kowalska. “These data likely underestimate the true extent of the problem as limited access to sexual health services for the over 50s, and trying to avoid the stigma and embarrassment both on the part of older people and healthcare professionals, is leading to this age group not seeking help for STIs.”

Compounding the problem are the many misconceptions around sexuality and sexual activity in older adults, and the importance of sex and intimacy to older people’s happiness and wellbeing. As Professor Kowalska explains, “People do not become asexual with age. In fact, with preventive medicine and improved lifestyles people are enjoying a healthy life and sex life for longer. Older people often find greater satisfaction in their sex lives due to experience and known expectations. We need more role models like Samantha Jones in the TV show Sex and the City to challenge stereotypes around older sexuality.”

Although the frequency of sexual activity tends to decline with age, older adults are still having lots of sex. In a study in England, half of men and almost a third of women aged 70 and over reported being sexually active. Similarly, in a Swedish study, 46% of individuals aged 60 years and older reported being sexually active, as did 10% of those aged 90 years or older [3].

Studies show higher levels of sexual desire, greater sexual frequency, and more sexual partners among older men than women. A retrospective study from the USA involving 420,790 couples aged 67 to 99 years, found that widowhood was associated with an increased risk of STIs in older men, but not women. And the effects in men were larger after sildenafil (Viagra), the first phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5 inhibitor), hit the market. Professor Kowalska says, “These findings indicate that sexual risk taking is common among older adults, particularly men. Given that the number of people aged 60 years and older is set to double worldwide by 2050 and the widespread availability of drugs to enhance sexual activity, health professionals must be proactive in discussing sexual concerns and making sexual health a routine part of general health care for older adults.”

Although the incidence of STIs among the over 50s is small compared to younger age groups, it is rising, and Prof Kowalska will call for raising awareness about sexual health in older adults, explaining that they came of age at a time when sex education in school did not exist. “Sexual health campaigns are focused on young people and overlook the needs and experiences of those aged 50 and older”, she says. “Health promotion messages give the impression that condoms and concerns about STIs only apply to young people. But the dangers of undiagnosed and untreated STIs such as HPV-related cancers and onwards transmission are very real, particularly in this age group who are more likely to have underlying conditions such as heart disease and stroke.”

Prof Kowalska will also highlight the lack of evidence for using communication to promote positive behaviours to reduce the spread of STIs in older adults, particularly outside the USA and for infections other than HIV. “Increasing older adults’ knowledge of the risk of STIs and how to engage in safer sex is crucial to tackling record levels of STIs”, says Professor Kowalska. “Tailoring education programmes to the over 50s and including peer support and ensuring they are located within existing community settings is vital to their success.” Ultimately she says, “Older people have a right to good sexual health, so let’s normalise conversations around sex and older people, and change the narrative on ageing.”

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ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Mar-2024

 

Around half of people living with HIV in developed countries are now aged 50 years and over and at higher risk of becoming frail and having multiple comorbidities

Older people with HIV are more likely to have comorbidities, and the risk increases the longer they have lived with HIV

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

A new research review to be presented at a pre-congress day for this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) will focus on the growing prevalence of HIV in older adults, with, using England as an example, half of adults accessing care aged now 50 years and older, and around 1 in 11 aged 65 years and older. Similar trends exist in Italy and other countries of Western Europe.  Older adults with HIV in all countries are also more likely to have comorbidities and become ‘frail’ early compared with older adults without HIV.

Presenter Professor Giovanni Guaraldi, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy, will also discuss the problem of more older people being diagnosed with HIV (one in 5 new diagnoses in those aged 50 and over) and late diagnosis in those older people, with (again using the example of England) around half of those cases newly diagnoses in the over-50s presenting with white blood cell CD4 count below 350 cells per mm³ of blood within 3 months of diagnosis, increasing their risk of mortality in the following year by 5-fold.*

Despite the challenges, Prof Guaraldi will also highlight the progress made, with the difference in remaining life expectancy comparing those people living with HIV and those without HIV infection aged 21 years decreasing from 22 years in 2003-06 down to 9 years in 2014-2016. Yet across that same period, there was no change in the difference of years lived without developing other conditions (multimorbidity) with those living with HIV living 15 fewer years without multimorbidity compared with those not infected. Today, in another sign of progress, a young person diagnosed with HIV promptly can expect the same life expectancy as those not living with HIV.

By age 65 years, around 70% of those living with HIV for 20 years or more are living with multiple other conditions, compared with around 50% for those infected for less than 20 years and close to 40% for those not living without HIV. These figures steadily increase as those with HIV age, but the gap narrows between those with and without HIV (see graph in presentation). A similar trend is shown for polypharmacy (taking multiple prescribed drugs) in those living with HIV.

Prof Guaraldi will also discuss the hidden phenomenon of accelerated ageing or ‘early frailty’ in those living with HIV. Frailty is a clinical syndrome based on presence of specific signs and symptoms, including weight-loss, exhaustion, lack of physical activity, decreasing grip strength, and walking speed. He will review a study showing frailty levels higher in people living with HIV compared with those not living with HIV, across all age groups from age 50 years and up, with rates some five times higher in those aged 65+. Another study shows older adults living with HIV twice as likely to become frail as their HIV negative peers.

He will discuss that frailty and poor outcomes are not inevitable, and ways of avoiding this include early diagnosis of HIV and initiation of antiretroviral treatment (to avoid risk of rapid progression and cognitive impairment), but also a careful analysis of all their other medications and taking people off them (deprescribing) where possible.  He will also cover drugs that should be avoided in older people with HIV where possible, due to drug-drug interactions and also drugs that increase the risks of frailty. Examples in this extensive list include the alfalitics drug class used for treating high blood pressure, and benzodiazepines that can increase the risk of falls. 

Finally, he will refer to the social and care challenges faced by older people living with HIV, explored in the recent paper he co-authored in The Lancet HIV, discussing, among other issues, the problems that they can face entering long-term aged care facilities and opening up about their diagnosis to new doctors and people that they are not familiar with – and an array of other problems, including exacerbated challenges of daily living, mental health problems including ‘survivor guilt’ and stigma, and the increasing isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They explain: “Ageism can enhance several HIV-related issues, including self-inflicted stigma, and loneliness. At-risk communities are particularly susceptible to experiencing these aspects. Ageism can be considered the last pillar of the stigma cascade affecting older people living with HIV, and also the most important barrier to achieving healthy ageing in people living with HIV.”

Among the many recommendations, Prof Guaraldi and colleagues recommend “Clinical care systems need to be reshaped to meet the needs of older people living with HIV, including geriatric syndrome screening, integrated care, and support and referral systems that include provision of adequate time for medical visits with a focus on improving wellness and functional status” and that “HIV doctors and clinicians should receive training on how to provide comprehensive care for older people living with HIV”.

They say: “The model of care for older people living with HIV needs to extend beyond virological success by adopting a geriatric mindset, which is attentive to the challenge of ageism and is proactive in promoting a comprehensive approach for the ageing population.”

Prof Guaraldi will also emphasise that with the advances in care and treatment, people living with HIV can age healthily with the right support. He will refer to the first ever known patient with HIV to reach age 100 years, The ‘Lisbon Patient’ Miguel, who died in August 2019 months after celebrating his 100th birthday. He did not have multiple other conditions or polypharmacy, and lived alone and independently, and had never in his life been admitted to hospital. Prof Guaraldi concludes: “We are now in an entirely new era where living into your 70s, 80s and even 90s with HIV is now possible and becoming more and more common,” he concludes. “We must make sure that we do everything we can, socially, physically and medically, to ensure people living with HIV live as healthy a life as possible as they reach their later years.”

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ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Mar-2024

 

Olympics not likely to swallow up skateboarding’s subversive nature into its corporate spectacle, study says

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

 

The subversive nature of skateboarding is not likely to be affected by its continuing place in the corporate world of the Olympics, experts have predicted.

The inclusion of the street sport – which happened for the first time in Tokyo 2020 – could help to promote pacifism and egalitarianism and help to combat sexism, homophobia and racism, research suggests.

Some had suggested the subversive sport and its links to rebellion, pools, ramps, and skateparks, as well as less typical type of competition, would not fit easily into a world of sponsors and broadcast deals.

The study, by Brian Glenney, from Norwich University, and Paul O’Connor, from the University of Exeter, says the inclusion of skateboarding can help the Olympics keep pace with the modern world.

Dr O’Connor said: “Skateboarding is mainstream and yet there remains an irony that skateboarders can now win an Olympic gold medal in a stadium for acts that are deemed illegal in the streets outside it. To emphasize this contrast, it would be like graffiti vandalism becoming an Olympic event.

“Skateboarding’s inclusion in the games is the final rung on the sportification ladder that has been evolving since the late 90’s ESPN X Games and 2010’s Street League. Yet skateboarding remains stubbornly moored to its anti-sport subversive ethos of cooperative fun defined by use of illegal street locations. And though the inclusion of skateboarding in the Olympics is made possible by commodifying international sport conglomerates like VF Corp. and Nike, Inc, core elements of skateboarding’s messaging remain anti-corporate.

“It is tempting to suggest that both skateboarding and the Olympics will benefit most by remaining non-overlapping activities after this collision of worlds; skateboarding will retain its subcultural and niche style, and the Olympics will become more open and accessible to activities that emphasize play, lifestyle, unity, and fun.”

Dr Glenney said: “The modern Olympics has become so aligned with the economics of broadcast rights that the IOC is dependent on expanding its waning viewership; skateboarding is one opportunity to capture a lucrative youthful demographic of viewers. But can the Olympic myth survive in a globalized media-rich era? Can it absorb these media enriched lifestyle sport myths unfettered and often antagonistic to nationalism, corporatism, and politics, capturing the public imagination with their own unique and diverse narratives of individualism, authenticity, and transcendent defining moments?

“The skateboarding myth holds no such restrictions and largely answers to the culture rather than a corporate board. This appears to be a key reason why the Olympics have sought to include lifestyle activities like surfing, skateboarding, and most recently, break-dancing in its games.

“What remains to be seen is how the Olympic myth can move beyond its reductive nationalist frame and be a more authentic source for pacifism and human egalitarianism. Here we are hopeful that skateboarding might be able to offer its humble contribution. While it is far from devoid of sexist, homophobic, and racist elements, it has proven to be remarkably open and fertile in addressing these changes above and beyond other sports.”