Health

Texas outbreak could upend measles elimination claim by US

Texas outbreak could upend measles elimination claim by US

The US declared measles eliminated 25 years ago, but the growing outbreak of the disease centered in West Texas poses a threat to this status and signals the possibility of measles becoming more common, media reported.

"The Texas outbreak, which began in late January, has sickened more than 700 people, hospitalised dozens and spread to other states. Measles has taken its first lives in the US in over a decade," noted the Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday.

Some public health leaders and epidemiologists say it is possible the months-long Texas outbreak could last longer than a year, endangering the US's status, it added.

The US achieved the elimination milestone in 2000 after widespread vaccination efforts inoculated the vast majority of children with the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine, news agency reported.

Study finds long Covid biomarkers in blood linked to respiratory problems

Study finds long Covid biomarkers in blood linked to respiratory problems

A team of Swedish researchers has identified biomarkers in the blood associated with symptoms of long Covid, particularly severe respiratory disorders.

Long Covid is a condition characterised by persistent symptoms including acute breathlessness and fatigue, after an infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The team from Karolinska Institutet discovered a set of proteins in the blood of people with long Covid. The findings may pave the way for future diagnosis and treatment.

"The proteins were mainly found in patients with long Covid and severe respiratory problems," said Marcus Buggert, docent at the Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet.

"This is a biomarker pattern that we know to be linked to inflammatory signal pathways involved in cell death and lung damage and that has also been observed in other patient groups with severe pulmonary disorders," he added.

Increasing urban vegetation can save over 1.1 mn lives from heat-related deaths: Study

Increasing urban vegetation can save over 1.1 mn lives from heat-related deaths: Study

Amid increasing global warming and heat-related deaths worldwide, a new study has shown that expanding urban vegetation cover by 30 per cent could save over one-third of all deaths caused due to heat, saving up to 1.16 million lives globally.

Researchers from Monash University in Australia showed that increasing vegetation levels by 10 per cent, 20 per cent, and 30 per cent would decrease the global population-weighted warm-season mean temperature by 0.08 degrees Celsius, 0.14 degrees Celsius, and 0.19 degrees Celsius, respectively.

It can also prevent 0.86, 1.02, and 1.16 million deaths, respectively.

While increasing greenness has been proposed as a heat-related death mitigation strategy, “this is the first modelling study to estimate both the cooling and modifying effects of greenness, providing a more comprehensive assessment of its benefits in mitigating heat-related mortality,” said Professor Yuming Guo from the varsity.

Study shows young adults not as happy as before

Study shows young adults not as happy as before

Young adults across the world between the ages of 18 and 29 are struggling, not only with happiness but also with their physical and mental health, according to a new study.

The study showed that young adults are struggling with perceptions of their own character, finding meaning in life, the quality of their relationships, and their financial security, news agency reported.

The data, collected by Gallup primarily in 2023, was derived from self-reported surveys of more than 200,000 people in over 20 countries and published in the journal Nature Mental Health.

The study was one of a collection of papers based on the inaugural wave of data from the Global Flourishing Study, a collaboration between researchers at Harvard and Baylor University.

New skin-based test to boost diagnosis of debilitating neurodegenerative disease

New skin-based test to boost diagnosis of debilitating neurodegenerative disease

Canadian researchers have developed a skin-based test that can detect signature features of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) -- a rare neurodegenerative disease that affects body movements, including walking, balance, and swallowing.

The test could allow for more accurate and faster PSP diagnosis than current methods, said the team from the University Health Network (UHN) and the University of Toronto.

"This assay is important for assigning patients to the correct clinical trials, but it will be even more important in the future as researchers develop targeted, precision treatments for PSP," said Ivan Martinez-Valbuena, a scientific associate at the Rossy Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Centre at the UHN.

New machine algorithm can identify heart, fracture risks with routine bone scans

New machine algorithm can identify heart, fracture risks with routine bone scans

Australian and Canadian researchers have developed a cutting-edge machine learning algorithm capable of rapidly identifying heart disease and fracture risks using routine bone density scans.

The innovation, developed by researchers from Australia's Edith Cowan University (ECU) in conjunction with Canada's University of Manitoba, could pave the way for more comprehensive and earlier diagnoses during routine osteoporosis screenings, improving outcomes for millions of older adults, news agency reported.

The automated system analyses vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) images to detect abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) -- a key marker linked to heart attacks, strokes, and falls.

Traditionally, assessing AAC requires around five to six minutes per image by a trained expert. The new algorithm slashes that time to under a minute for thousands of images, making large-scale screening far more efficient, it said.

Australian researchers find same arm for both shots boosts vaccine response

Australian researchers find same arm for both shots boosts vaccine response

Receiving a vaccine booster in the same arm as the first dose triggers a faster and stronger immune response and helps the body build protection faster, according to new research.

The findings could help improve vaccine strategies and may eventually lead to vaccines that need fewer boosters, news agency reported.

The study, which was led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney in Australia finds that the immune system responds more quickly when both doses are given in the same arm.

That's because immune cells in nearby lymph nodes, which are the body's infection-fighting hubs, become "primed" after the first shot. When the booster arrives in the same spot, these cells spring into action and help produce stronger antibodies, the team explained in the paper, published in the journal Cell.

Novel CAR-T therapy shows promise against hard-to-treat cancer

Novel CAR-T therapy shows promise against hard-to-treat cancer

A team of Brazilian researchers has developed an innovative CAR-T cell therapy that showed positive results in patients with a refractory type of lymphoma -- cancer in lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow.

HSP-CAR30 is the first European CAR-T30 study to successfully complete its initial phase.

The results of the Phase I trial, published in the journal Blood, trial revealed that the new therapy which targets the CD30 protein has shown high efficacy in patients with refractory CD30+ lymphoma.

The therapy also promotes the expansion of memory T cells, leading to long-lasting responses and improved clinical outcomes in treated patients.

Measles health alert issued for Australian state of Victoria

Measles health alert issued for Australian state of Victoria

Authorities in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria have issued a health alert for measles amid a spike in cases.

The Victorian Department of Health said that a new measles case has been reported in a returned traveller who visited Pakistan and was infectious, on a flight from Dubai to Melbourne on April 24.

The department said on Friday that there had been 22 confirmed cases of measles in Victoria in 2025 - more than in 2023 and 2024 combined. It said the majority of cases have been acquired locally in Melbourne and surrounding areas.

Victoria is Australia's second-most populous state with a population of over seven million.

Chemicals in food containers, medical equipment behind spike in heart disease deaths: Lancet

Chemicals in food containers, medical equipment behind spike in heart disease deaths: Lancet

Daily exposure to certain chemicals used in plastic items like food containers or medical equipment could be linked to an increase in deaths due to heart disease worldwide, according to a study published in the journal Lancet eBiomedicine on Tuesday.

Researchers at New York University Langone Health said that the chemicals, called phthalates, are in widespread use globally.

Phthalates found in cosmetics, detergents, solvents, plastic pipes, and bug repellants have for decades been linked with an increased risk of conditions ranging from obesity and diabetes to fertility issues and cancer.

The new study focused on a kind of phthalate called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to make food containers, medical equipment, and other plastic softer and more flexible.

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