An international team of scientists has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that could revolutionise cancer treatment by mapping cellular diversity within tumours.

The innovation tackles tumour heterogeneity in oncology, where varied cell populations cause treatment resistance and recurrence, news agency reported.

The AAnet AI tool, developed by the Sydney-based Garvan Institute of Medical Research in collaboration with the Yale School of Medicine in the US, uses deep learning to study gene activity in single cancer cells.

It finds five different cell types within tumours, each with its own behaviour and risk of spreading. This helps doctors understand cancer better than older methods, which treated all tumour cells the same, said the multinational research team.

Sleep patterns are significantly influenced by the day of the week, the season, and geographic locations, according to a study.

The study, led by researchers from Flinders University in South Australia, is based on data from more than 116,000 adults and over 73 million nights of sleep. The team used an under-mattress device to objectively track sleep duration and timing across 3.5 years, news agency reported.

The study finds that sleep is shaped not just by personal habits, but by environmental factors like daylight, temperature, and weekly routines.

"Our findings underscore the seasonal nature of human sleep, and that it is influenced by demographics and geography," said Hannah Scott, a sleep health expert at Flinders University.

Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Thursday launched a state-level Td (Tetanus and Diphtheria) and DPT (Triple Antigen) immunisation campaign from Unjha in Mehsana district.

The campaign aims to protect children and adolescents from life-threatening diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, pneumonia, and others.

Under this public health initiative, 992 Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) teams will conduct vaccination sessions across 47,439 schools, targeting an estimated 18.2 lakh students.

In addition, around 6.1 lakh children in approximately 39,045 Anganwadis will receive the second dose of the DPT booster as per the national immunisation schedule.

The campaign is part of India’s Universal Immunisation Programme, which has, since 2019, included Td vaccines for adolescents aged 10 and 16.

Gene therapy may be a crucial tool to put HIV to sleep permanently, providing a lasting and durable treatment against the virus that causes AIDS, according to a study.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in the US showed that a molecule within HIV can be manipulated and amplified to force the virus into long-term dormancy -- a state in which HIV does not replicate.

The new findings add to a growing body of evidence that may help researchers develop a gene therapy that boosts the production of the molecule -- an "antisense transcript," or AST, said Fabio Romerio, Associate Professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The study builds on previous research which showed that AST is produced by HIV's genetic material and is part of a molecular pathway that essentially puts the virus to sleep -- a state known as viral latency.

More than 90 per cent of employees in India are confident that they can afford the healthcare needs for themselves and their families, according to a report on Thursday.

The Mercer Marsh Benefits report, based on a survey of over 18,000 employees across 17 markets, including in India, explores what employees value most from their workplace benefits, and how their expectations are evolving.

The findings showed that for Indian employees there are high levels of well-being and satisfaction. The report also highlights growing expectations around flexibility, personalisation, and long-term support, indicating a broader evolution in the Indian workforce – one that is becoming more rooted in long-term ambitions.

While the report showed that although 92 per cent of employees are confident about affording healthcare needs, the top two reasons for delaying healthcare are financial and anticipated long wait times.

While biological drugs or biologics have improved the lives of many people with severe asthma, a new study shows that some immune cells with high inflammatory potential are not completely eradicated after treatment.

The findings may explain the reason for the return of inflammation of the airways as soon as the treatment is discontinued, said researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

In a new study published in the scientific journal Allergy, the team explored what happens to the immune cells of patients being treated with biologics -- which has become an important tool in the treatment of severe asthma.

They analysed blood samples from 40 patients before and during treatment. They found that instead of disappearing during treatment, certain types of immune cells -- which play a key part in asthma inflammation -- actually increased.

“This suggests that biologics might not attack the root of the problem, no matter how much they help asthma patients during treatment,” said Jenny Mjösberg, professor of tissue immunology at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Medicine in Huddinge.

Nepal has reported its first death due to the Omicron sub-variants of Covid-19, as the virus continues to spread in the country, posing a renewed health risk, local media reported on Wednesday.

This is the first Covid death in the South Asian nation in over two years.

The officials at Biratnagar-based Nobel Medical College and Teaching Hospital on Tuesday confirmed that a 39-year-old woman admitted to the hospital's emergency department had died from the infection.

"The woman was brought to our hospital at 4:20 in the morning. The patient died at 6 am," Nepal's leading daily, The Kathmandu Post, quoted Dipesh Rai, manager of the hospital, as saying.

Nepal's Epidemiology and Disease Control Division officials noted they are informed about the newly reported death.

Low dose of emicizumab could be as effective as standard dose against Haemophilia A, according to a study led by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Emicizumab is a bispecific monoclonal antibody used to treat hemophilia A -- a genetic bleeding disorder.

The drug works by mimicking the function of the missing or deficient clotting factor VIII (FVIII), enabling blood clotting to occur and preventing or reducing bleeding episodes.

As per the official government data, there are 27,000 haemophilia patients registered and 1, 40,000 patients expected to be affected in India.

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk on Tuesday launched its once-weekly injectable weight-loss drug Wegovy in India, at Rs 4,336.25 per dose.

Wegovy, a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), is the first and only weight management medication in India.

The drug, with semaglutide as the active ingredient, is indicated for both long-term chronic weight management and reduction in risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people living with the condition.

The drug is available in five dosing -- 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg -- and comes with the convenience of an innovative, easy-to-use pen device.

The first three will be priced at 4,336 rupees, and the monthly price for the drug starts at Rs 17,345 per pen, the company said.

A 41-year-old woman from northwestern Cambodia's Siem Reap province has been confirmed for H5N1 human avian influenza, raising the number of cases to seven so far this year, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

"A laboratory result from the National Institute of Public Health showed on June 23 that the woman was positive for H5N1 virus," the statement said on Monday night.

"The patient has the symptoms of fever, cough, and dyspnea, and she is currently in critical condition," it added.

According to queries, there were sick and dead chickens at the patient's home and her neighbour's homes, and the patient had been in contact with sick and dead chickens and cooked them for food five days before she felt ill.