Groundbreaking HIV drug that could stop transmission approved in US

The United States has given its approval to the world’s first twice-a-year injection for HIV prevention, marking a significant step towards a global rollout that could safeguard millions, The Independent reported.The drug, lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, offers a powerful new option in the fight against the virus, though questions remain regarding its accessibility both within the US and internationally.While the ultimate goal of an HIV vaccine remains elusive, experts are hailing lenacapavir as a groundbreaking alternative.Clinical studies demonstrated its remarkable efficacy, nearly eliminating new infections in high-risk individuals, outperforming daily preventive pills which can be easily forgotten."This really has the possibility of ending HIV transmission," stated Greg Millett, public policy director at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.Condoms help guard against HIV infection if used properly, but what's called PrEP — regularly using preventive medicines such as the daily pills or a different shot given every two months — is increasingly important.Lenacapavir’s six-month protection period makes it the longest-lasting preventive option available. This extended duration could prove particularly appealing to individuals who are wary of frequent doctor visits or who face stigma associated with daily medication.However,...

Read More........→June 26, 2025

Experts meet to strategise Caribbean climate change, health

Dr Maria Neira. -THE Caricom region is best poised to act as a champion for making health systems climate resilient, as it is the most affected by the effects of climate change. It must use its lived experience to advocate for the intersection of climate change and health on the global stage.World Health Organisation director of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health Dr Maria Neira made the call to participants at the three-day conference titled A Regional Response: Advancing Climate And Health Together, held from June 17-19 in Bridgetown, Barbados.She said facing climate change will require more political commitment, as well as innovation, commitment, speed and ambition from health professionals and sectors which support the environment, while communicating to societies why this was important. She said the Caribbean was one region which did not need an explanation on the impacts of climate change.“You are among the most vulnerable countries, but being among the most vulnerable gives you the possibility of having the most experience, more position to do something because you would know how important it is. You understand how to respond to the challenges of climate change, to protect our health, how to argue for more actionable adaptation to climate change. There is no way we can escape the need to adapt to...

Read More........→June 25, 2025

Using artificial intelligence to tease out answers to health care disparities

Jake Luo, an associate professor in UWM’s Zilber College of Public Health and College of Engineering & Applied Science, directs the UWM Center for Health Systems Solutions. An expert in bioinformatics, Luo sifts through electronic medical records in order to spot patterns. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)By Jennifer Walter: Without computers, it would take Jake Luo a lifetime to sort through the sheer amount of data that is integral to his work. An associate professor in UWM’s Zilber College of Public Health and College of Engineering & Applied Science, Luo focuses on identifying patterns in massive, sprawling electronic health records to highlight disparities in care.One dataset in particular, from the National Inpatient Sample, contains the data of 7 million patients across multiple years, Luo said. Even regular computers struggle to process this amount of information. “Sometimes, if the data set is too large, you can’t get a result because of the memory limitation or the CPU limitations,” he explained.That’s why artificial intelligence is a powerful companion for Luo’s work. AI was designed to handle huge amounts of data and identify patterns. With resources from UWM’s High Performance Computing Center, Luo employs advanced AI computing techniques to efficiently process massive datasets.These AI models can identify subtle...

Read More........→June 21, 2025

World's first baby born via AI-powered IVF system in Mexico

A baby has been born following a form of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) largely carried out by a machine, in what researchers say is a world first.The development could signal a major shift in how fertility treatments are performed, The Express Tribune reported.The machine, developed by New York-based biotech firm Conceivable Life Sciences, was used to complete 23 critical steps of a procedure known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A human operator supervised the process remotely via livestream, initiating each step with the press of a button."This level of automation could reduce the chance of human error and fatigue affecting the outcomes," said Jacques Cohen, co-founder of the company and an expert in assisted reproduction.In ICSI, a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, a technique often used when male infertility is involved. However, the manual nature of the process requires extreme precision and concentration, making it prone to errors.To test the automated system, researchers recruited a couple struggling with infertility. The male partner's sperm had limited motility, and the female partner received donor eggs due to ovulatory issues.Of the eight donor eggs, five were fertilised using the automated system, and three through conventional manual ICSI. All eight developed into embryos. An AI model then evaluated...

Read More........→June 19, 2025

Probiotics May Improve Mood Via Gut–Brain Axis

There is growing interest in the possibility that probiotics improve not only gut health but also mental health.Probiotics are "good" bacteria in the form of drinks or tablets that you can buy in the supermarket and are also found in foods like yogurts, fermented cheese and sauerkraut. There is growing interest in the possibility that probiotics improve not only gut health but also mental health. "The gut–brain connection provides various routes through which bacteria in the gut can influence how we feel and behave, including via the vagus nerve, immune system and hormones", says Johnson.Daily mood reportsWhile animal studies have previously found promising effects of probiotics on the brain and behaviour, human studies have yielded inconsistent results. Johnson and Steenbergen therefore used a combination of methods to capture how probiotics might influence the ability to regulate our emotions and affect our moods. These included psychological questionnaires, daily mood reports and computer tasks testing how people process emotions. The study was conducted in young, healthy adults who took a probiotic (containing bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) daily for a month.This is the first study to use daily mood reports to assess the effects of probiotics. It clearly shows that probiotics can reduce negative feelings...

Read More........→June 16, 2025

Shingles vaccine can protect heart health up to 8 years: Study

New Delhi, (IANS) People who are given a vaccine for shingles -- zoster vaccine -- have a 23 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, according to a study of more than a million people.The live zoster vaccine contains a weakened form of the varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles.Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It has also been linked to a higher risk of heart problems.The condition can lead to serious complications, especially in older adults and those with weak immune systems.The study showed that protective effect of the vaccine lasts for up to eight years and is particularly pronounced for men, people under the age of 60, and those with unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and being inactive."Our study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help lower the risk of heart disease, even in people without known risk factors. This means that vaccination could offer health benefits beyond preventing shingles," said Professor Dong Keon Yon from the Kyung Hee University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea.The study included 1,271,922 people aged 50 or older living in South Korea.The findings showed that among people who received the vaccine, there was a 23 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular events overall, with...

Read More........→June 09, 2025

This Common Fungus Found on Human Skin Wipes Out Deadly Superbug Staph Infections

University of Oregon researchers have uncovered a molecule produced by yeast living on human skin that showed potent antimicrobial properties against a pathogen responsible for a half-million hospitalizations annually in the US.It’s a unique approach to tackling the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. With the global threat of drug-resistant infections, fungi inhabiting human skin are an untapped resource for identifying new antibiotics, said Caitlin Kowalski, a postdoctoral researcher at the UO who led the study.Described in a paper published last month in Current Biology, the common skin fungus Malassezia gobbles up oil and fats on human skin to produce fatty acids that selectively eliminate Staphylococcus aureus.One out of every three people have Staphylococcus aureus harmlessly dwelling in their nose, but the bacteria are a risk factor for serious infections when given the opportunity: open wounds, abrasions and cuts. They’re the primary cause of skin and soft tissue infections known as staph infections.Staphylococcus aureus is also a hospital superbug notorious for being resistant to current antibiotics, elevating the pressing need for new medicines.There are lots of studies that identify new antibiotic structures, Kowalski said, “but what was fun and interesting about ours is that we identified (a compound) that...

Read More........→June 06, 2025

Japan to Begin Clinical Trials for Artificial Blood This Year

credit – Adrian Sulyok on UnsplashJapan is the first country to begin clinical trials of artificial blood, a medical innovation which if proven successful, would solve one of the largest hospital challenges of our age.Beginning back in March, a clinical trial organized by Nara Medical University will look to build on the success of an early-stage trial in 2022 of hemoglobin vesicles, small artificial blood cells that were confirmed to be safe and capable of delivering oxygen as normal.The trial will administer 100 to 400 milliliters of the artificial blood cells to further test safety before moving onto broader performance and efficacy targets, all in the hopes that by 2030, the artificial blood could enter clinical use.Whether high-income or low-income, every country has challenges meeting the necessity necessary amounts of stockpiled blood donations for emergency medical procedures.In high-income countries where the 90% of blood stockpiles comes from voluntary donors, the challenge is getting enough of these donations, and crucially, enough from those with rare blood types.In low-income countries where only 40% of needs are met with donations, the challenge lies in importation from abroad when donated blood packs are only safe for use for a few months. A useful proxy to understanding this shortfall is that of 175 countries included...

Read More........→May 29, 2025

This Wearable Device Monitors Health by Sensing the Gases Passing Through Your Skin

Credit: John A. Rogers / Northwestern University.Your skin is breathing. This wearable gas sensor can measure it.Northwestern University researchers have developed the first wearable device for measuring gases emitted from and absorbed by the skin.By analyzing these gases, the device offers an entirely new way to assess skin health, including monitoring wounds, detecting skin infections, tracking hydration levels, quantifying exposure to harmful environmental chemicals and more.The new technology comprises a collection of sensors that precisely measure changes in temperature, water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which each give valuable insight into various skin conditions and overall health. These gases flow into a small chamber within the device that hovers above the skin without actually touching it. This no-contact design is particularly useful for gathering information about fragile skin without disturbing delicate tissues.“This device is a natural evolution of our lab’s wearable electronic devices that collect and analyze sweat,” said Northwestern’s John A. Rogers, who co-led the study. “In that case, we were analyzing sweat to learn about the wearer’s overall health. While useful, that method requires pharmacological stimulation of sweat glands or exposure to a hot, humid environment. We...

Read More........→May 05, 2025

Researchers Discover New Mechanism for Rapid Liver Regeneration to Restore Damaged Livers

Getty Images for Unsplash+Researchers at the National Cancer Research Centre in Spain (CNIO) have discovered a mechanism that is triggered just minutes after acute liver damage occurs—and it could lead to treatments for those with severe liver problems.The avenues for future treatments of liver damage include a diet enriched with the amino acid glutamate.“Glutamate supplementation can promote liver regeneration and benefit patients in recovery following hepatectomy or awaiting a transplant,” wrote the authors in a paper published in ‘Nature’.The liver is a vital organ, crucial to digestion, metabolism, and the elimination of toxins. It has a unique ability to regenerate, which allows it to replace liver cells damaged by the very toxins that these cells eliminate.However, the liver stops regenerating in cases of diseases that involve chronic liver damage–such as cirrhosis—and such diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent, associated with poor dietary habits or alcohol consumption. So activating liver regeneration is key to treating the disease.Learning to activate liver regeneration is therefore a priority today, to benefit patients with liver damage and also those who’ve had part of their liver cut out to remove a tumor.The research has discovered in animal models this previously unknown mechanism of liver regeneration. It is...

Read More........→April 17, 2025

Newly Identified Neural Stem Cells Could Transform Parkinson's Treatment

Credit: Gerd Altmann/ PixabayThe detection of peripheral neural stem cells could transform treatment of Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries.A team of researchers from more than ten laboratories in Europe, Asia and North America examined newly identified cells in mice called peripheral neural stem cells. These cells share important molecular and functional characteristics with neural stem cells of the brain. Peripheral neural stem cells have the same cell morphology, self-renewal and differentiation capacity as neural stem cells of the brain. They express several specific markers and have genome-wide transcriptional and epigenetic profiles that are consistent with those of neural stem cells in the brain. Furthermore, many peripheral neural stem cells that migrate out of the neural tube can differentiate into mature neurons and, to a limited extent, glial cells during embryonic and postnatal development.The discovery of the new cell type not only provides new insights into the development of the mammalian nervous system. Their existence also challenges a long-standing hypothesis in neuroscience and, because they can be grown in substantial numbers in the petri dish, opens up new possibilities for regenerative medicine. Furthermore, obtaining neural stem cells from the brain is not a favoured method. By contrast, obtaining...

Read More........→April 16, 2025

Those Who Got Shingles Vaccine Were 20% Less Likely to Get Dementia in Study of 280,000 Seniors

CDC library – public domainOlder people who received the vaccine for shingles had a 20% lower risk of dementia, according to researchers who called the results “remarkable”.The study looked into the health records of seniors in Wales and revealed that those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who didn’t receive the jab.Scientists say the findings support an emerging theory that viruses which affect the nervous system can increase the risk of dementia.The new findings suggest that a preventive intervention for dementia is already close at hand.Shingles is a viral infection that produces a painful rash, and is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, varicella-zoster. After people contract chicken pox, usually in childhood, the virus remains dormant in the nerve cells for life. In people who are older or have weakened immune systems, the dormant virus can reactivate and cause shingles.Previous studies based on health records have linked the shingles vaccine with lower dementia rates, but the research could not account for one major source of bias: people who are vaccinated also tend to be more health conscious.The study’s senior author, Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford Medicine, said that most studies suffered from the basic problem. “In general,...

Read More........→April 14, 2025

Using tranquillisers on racehorses is ethically questionable and puts horses and riders at risk

Paul McGreevy, University of Sydney and Cathrynne Henshall, Charles Sturt UniversityAustralia’s horse racing industry is in the spotlight after recent allegations of tranquilliser use on horses so they can be “worked” (exercised) between race days. A recent ABC report stated workers in the Australian racing industry allegge horses are being routinely medicated for track work at the peril of rider and horse safety. Using tranquillisers on horses during training and management may not be illegal but this could breach nationwide racing rules. The prevalence of the practice is not clear but many industry insiders report it as common. Racing Australia had “recently become aware” of the use of acepromazine for track work and had begun collecting data about the practice, but had not been made aware of any complaints or concerns. What medications are horses given? Horses may be given a low dose of a tranquilliser, most commonly acepromazine. This makes their behaviour easier to control in certain situations, such as when they’re being examined by a veterinarian. This drug must be prescribed by an attending veterinarian, and it can calm unfriendly and apprehensive animals. This could assist with making excited, hyperactive horses easier to control and less likely to buck, rear or put people at risk of injury from uncontrolled...

Read More........→April 12, 2025

World’s Smallest Pacemaker is Made for Newborns, Activated by Light, and Requires No Surgery

World’s smallest pacemaker next to a grain of rice – Credit: John Rogers / Northwestern University press releaseNorthwestern University engineers have developed a pacemaker so small that it can fit inside the tip of a syringe and be non-invasively injected into the body, according to a new study published in Nature.Although it can work with hearts of all sizes, the pacemaker is particularly well-suited to the tiny, fragile hearts of newborn babies with congenital heart defects.A pacemaker is an implantable device that helps maintain an even heart rate, either because the heart’s natural cardiac pacemaker provides an inadequate or irregular heartbeat, or because there is a block in the heart’s electrical conduction system.Smaller than a single grain of rice, the pacemaker is paired with a small, soft, flexible, wireless, wearable device that mounts onto a patient’s chest to control pacing. When the wearable device detects an irregular heartbeat, it automatically shines a light to activate the pacemaker.These short light pulses, which penetrate through the patient’s skin, breastbone, and muscles, control the pacing.Designed for patients who only need temporary pacing, the pacemaker simply dissolves after it’s no longer needed. All the pacemaker’s components are biocompatible, so they naturally dissolve into the body’s biofluids, bypassing...

Read More........→April 09, 2025