Israeli researchers have identified a genetic "fingerprint" that helps predict the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments, according to a study.

The study, by the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion), stated that the discovery would help improve the personalisation of immunotherapy treatments, news agency reported.

Immunotherapy is considered to be one of the greatest revolutions in cancer treatment. It enhances the immune system’s ability to target and destroy cancer cells efficiently.

However, a major challenge in immunotherapy is the unpredictability of patient responses. Some patients do not benefit and may experience side effects without significant improvement.

Therefore, there is a need to identify biomarkers that can forecast the effectiveness of treatment based on the specific data of each patient.

In a major step towards improving cancer detection and treatment in rural areas, the Tamil Nadu Health Department is set to launch an Organised Cancer Screening Programme across 12 districts.

The initiative, aimed at early diagnosis and timely medical intervention, will be implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM).

The pilot project will be rolled out in Thiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Dharmapuri, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Theni, Madurai, Tiruchy, and Karur districts, and the launch is tentatively scheduled for May 9, according to a senior health department official.

Certain drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes can also be used to treat prostate cancer, according to a study.

Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria identified similarities in the mechanisms of diabetes and cancer.

They showed that the protein PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) -- central to the regulation of metabolic processes -- can also influence the growth of prostate cancer cells.

But PPARγ is already known to be a target of certain drugs including so-called thiazolidinediones such as pioglitazone, which are used to treat type 2 diabetes.

The independent Oversight Board on Wednesday has sought opinion of general public to restore or remove child abuse videos on Meta.

The Board, an independent body of 22 global human rights and freedom of expression experts from across the political spectrum and the world, is reviewing two videos which show teachers hitting children in school settings.

“The review will explore the key tension between sharing content depicting non-sexual child abuse to shed light on wrongdoing and demand accountability, and the need to protect children's safety, dignity, and privacy,” the Board said in a statement.

Both videos were initially removed by Meta for violating the Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Nudity policy, later one was allowed on the platform “with a newsworthy allowance and warning screen”.

An Indian-origin researcher in the US has developed a probiotic cocktail that will help prevent dementia -- a condition that affects memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily activities of more than 57 million people worldwide.

The cocktail, developed by Hariom Yadav from the University of South Florida, is a unique blend of probiotics that can positively impact the microbiome -- the unseen community of microorganisms that live by the trillions in a person's gut.

While in healthy individuals, the microorganisms live harmoniously in their vast internal community, the gut also can become populated with certain bacteria and viruses.

This can cause disruptions throughout the body, ultimately triggering a progression over time that contributes to dementia and Alzheimer's disease -- the most common cause of dementia.

Older adults are increasingly acquiring HIV, but are underrepresented in prevention and treatment campaigns, which is more focused on youth, according to a study.

The study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, showed that the prevalence of HIV in older adults is exceeding that of younger adults. However, prevention and treatment campaigns are not adequately targeting the particular needs of the 50+ year age group, said researchers from Wits University in South Africa who investigated HIV in older people in Kenya and South Africa.

"We often think of HIV as a disease of younger people. It doesn't help that intervention campaigns are mainly targeted at the youth," said Dr. Luicer Olubayo, a researcher at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) at Wits.

The increasing number of rabies-related deaths in Kerala has emerged as a serious public health challenge, underscoring the urgent need for proactive and preventive measures.

In response, the association calls for the initiation and institutionalisation of a universal pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) rabies vaccination programme, with a particular focus on children and other high-risk groups.

Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) chief Sunil PK on Tuesday said that though Kerala has made commendable progress in rabies control through dog vaccination, public awareness campaigns, and the widespread availability of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), to achieve the goal of zero rabies deaths, it is essential to adopt a preventive strategy that includes pre-exposure immunisation.

Elderly dementia patients in South Korea hold assets worth a combined 153.5 trillion won ($110.9 billion), which is equivalent to about 6.4 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), a report showed on Tuesday.

The assets had been owned by 1.24 million dementia patients aged 65 and above as of 2023, according to the report compiled by the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, news agency reported.

In detail, the elderly dementia patients owned 33.4 trillion won worth of financial assets and 113.8 trillion won worth of real estate properties.

The committee forecast the "dementia money" would surpass 488 trillion won by 2050, amounting to 15.6 per cent of the GDP.

"Senior dementia patients make up only 2.4 per cent of the total population, but the value of their assets accounts for 6.4 per cent of the nation's GDP, indicating a disproportionately high concentration of wealth," the committee said.

Early diagnosis and proper treatment are crucial to managing asthma, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on World Asthma Day on Tuesday.

World Asthma Day is held on the first Tuesday in May to spread awareness about the common and chronic lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. The theme this year is “asthma education empowers”.

“World Asthma Day serves as a crucial platform to raise awareness about asthma and enhance care for those living with this chronic condition,” said Nadda, in a post on social media platform X.

“By emphasising early diagnosis, effective treatment, and proper management, we aim to improve the quality of life for millions of people worldwide,” he added.

Low social determinants of health are shortening the lives of people in poor countries by more than 30 years worldwide, according to a global report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

The WHO defines social determinants of health as conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.

The report noted that beyond the health sector, factors such as lack of quality housing, education, and job opportunities can dramatically reduce healthy life expectancy.

It said that people in the country with the lowest life expectancy will, on average, live 33 years shorter than those born in the country with the highest life expectancy.

Higher intakes of black tea, berries, citrus fruits, and apples may help, according to global research.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University (Australia), Queen’s University Belfast (UK), and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (US), found that foods rich in flavonoids could help to lower the risk of key components of unhealthy ageing, including frailty, impaired physical function and poor mental health.

“The goal of medical research is not just to help people live longer but to ensure they stay healthy for as long as possible,” said Dr Nicola Bondonno, Adjunct Lecturer at Edith Cowan.

Previous studies have showed people who have a higher flavonoid intake tend to live longer, and they are also less likely to get any of the major chronic diseases such as dementia, diabetes, or heart disease.

Simple, everyday behaviours like chatting with friends, spending time in nature, and mentally engaging activities can significantly improve mental health, according to research.

The study, which surveyed over 600 adults in Western Australia, found that people who engaged in daily conversations with others scored 10 points higher on a standard mental well-being scale than those who rarely did, news agency reported.

Daily exposure to nature was linked to a five-point increase, while regular social catchups, physical activity, spiritual practice, and helping others also contributed to improved mental well-being, according to Australia's Curtin University researchers.

The findings, published in the British journal of SSM-Mental Health, highlight the power of accessible, low-cost actions in maintaining mental wellness, said the study's lead researcher, Prof. Christina Pollard from Curtin's School of Population Health.

Molecular profiling can safely reduce radiotherapy for women with early-stage endometrial cancer while identifying those who would benefit from more intensive treatment, according to a study that marks a significant step forward in personalised cancer treatment.

Endometrial cancer is a type of gynaecological cancer, most often affecting women after menopause.

For women with high-intermediate-risk disease, adjuvant radiotherapy -- particularly vaginal brachytherapy (a form of internal radiotherapy delivered directly to the vaginal area) -- is commonly used after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have in a new study unravelled how disrupted brain activity impacts cognitive functions in Parkinson’s patients.

The study focussed on altered reward processing in Parkinson’s patients to decode why Parkinson’s patients lack motivation and have impaired decision-making.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder mainly causing shaky limbs, muscle stiffness, and slow movements. However, some Parkinson’s patients also manifest symptoms such as a lack of motivation or disability in experiencing pleasure, attributed to a lack of dopamine hormone.

Commonly known as the ‘feel-good’ hormone, dopamine is generally produced when performing a pleasurable task or receiving a reward.

Lack of dopamine in individuals with Parkinson’s leads to altered brain activity and impaired reward processing -- the brain's ability to recognise, value, and respond to rewarding stimuli.

Vaccinating pregnant women against whooping cough can boost the quantity and quality of antibodies in the early life of infants, according to a study.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection characterised by severe coughing spells that can end in a high-pitched "whoop" when inhaling. It is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis.

Despite extensive vaccinations, the disease has resurged. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 16 million cases annually and approximately 195,000 deaths in children globally.

Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland conducted a randomised, controlled, double-blind, phase 4 trial in Gambia to evaluate the effect of pertussis immunisation in pregnancy.

US scientists are undertaking a clinical trial to decode the efficacy of a long-acting antibody against Long Covid -- a condition that affects at least 65 million people worldwide.

Long Covid affects people after an infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The condition not properly defined yet presents with more than 200 symptoms.

The team from the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid (SILC) announced that a clinical trial is underway to assess the effectiveness and safety of sipavibart -- a long-acting monoclonal antibody designed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca’s to protect the condition.

The team enrolled 100 patients in the multi-year research, reviewed and cleared by the FDA earlier this year. It aims to improve patients Long Covid symptoms and restore them to full health.

Unhealthy lifestyles are dramatically accelerating the ageing of the heart, contributing to a global rise in several cardiovascular diseases, finds a study, led by Indian-origin researchers in the UK.

Using a new Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging technique, also known as cardiovascular MRI scan, researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) uncovered the "true age" of a heart.

The MRI scan revealed how unhealthy lifestyles can dramatically accelerate the heart’s functional age.

While among healthy people, the heart’s age was found to be similar to the chronological age, for patients with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and atrial fibrillation, the functional heart age was significantly higher.

The CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique has shown promise in fighting advanced colorectal cancer, according to results of the first-in-human clinical trial published in The Lancet Oncology.

The trial shows encouraging signs of the safety and potential effectiveness of the treatment against metastatic gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

In the study, researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing to modify a type of immune cell called tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).

They deactivated a gene called CISH and found that modified TILs were better able to recognise and attack cancer cells.

"Despite many advances in understanding the genomic drivers and other factors causing cancer, with few exceptions, stage IV colorectal cancer remains a largely incurable disease," said Emil Lou, a gastrointestinal oncologist with the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The US is experiencing a sharp resurgence of measles, with 935 confirmed cases reported so far this year -- more than triple the total for all of 2024, according to the latest data by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A total of 12 measles outbreaks have been recorded nationwide this year. The CDC defines an outbreak as three or more connected cases, news agency reported.

This year's case count represents a significant surge from 2024 when 285 measles cases were recorded in the country for the entire year.

The CDC emphasises that the best way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine are highly effective in preventing the disease.

Health officials in Thailand have confirmed the death of a 53-year-old man from Anthrax -- a serious bacterial illness --, after consuming raw meat.

Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.

The country’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) confirmed the first confirmed human death from the Don Tan district in Mukdahan province, The Nation Thailand reported.

The DDC linked the death with the consumption and distribution of beef during a religious festival.

The deceased patient, a construction worker with underlying diabetes, developed a lesion on his right hand on April 24 and was hospitalised on April 27.

The man passed away during treatment as his symptoms worsened making his wound black, swelling lymph nodes under the right armpit, fainting, and causing seizures, the report said.

Integrating mental health support in cancer care is important and will boost the health of both survivors and caregivers, according to a new study by oncologists at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

The study, published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, sheds light on the critical yet under-recognised psychological struggles faced by cancer survivors and their caregivers.

More than affecting physical health, a cancer diagnosis raises fear, uncertainty, anxiety, and depression -- all of which can profoundly affect the quality of life not only for patients but also for caregivers.

A virus long dismissed as a scientific oddity has been found hiding in plain sight, and it may help fight dangerous bacteria, according to a study.

The study focussed on bacteriophages (phages) -- viruses that infect bacteria and come in many forms. In particular, researchers investigated telomere phages -- a type of phage that until now was considered a ‘curiosity’.

These viruses aren't just passive passengers as they may actually help good bacteria wipe out neighbouring bad ones, news agency reported.

Previous studies decoded only their unique DNA replication mechanism. The new study, published in Science Advances, discovered that bacteria carrying telomere phages produce toxins that kill off rival bacteria.

Researchers from Monash University, Australia discovered that telomere phage is surprisingly common in Klebsiella. Klebsiella is a type of bacteria that can cause pneumonia and serious drug-resistant infections.

Artificial intelligence (AI) could soon play a pivotal role in diagnosing and treating genetic disorders, according to a study.

The study, led by researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) in Australia marks a significant step toward more precise, personalised medicine by harnessing the power of new data tools, news agency reported.

Published in Nature Communications, the study combines AI-powered protein models with genome sequencing to better understand how mutations affect human health.

It uncovered why some proteins are more vulnerable to harmful mutations than others, through the use of Google DeepMind AlphaFold's cutting-edge AI to analyse the effects of every possible mutation across the full range of human proteins.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"The most remarkable aspect is the 100 per cent overall response rate, which is extremely rare in patients who have undergone multiple lines of treatment. Additionally, 50 per cent of patients achieved complete remission, meaning the disease was undetectable in imaging studies and clinical analyses," said Dr. Javier Briones, Head of the Hematological Oncology at the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau).

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.

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.

Israeli researchers have discovered that stress experienced by mothers during pregnancy affects the foetus's brain.

The discovery led by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) could pave the way for new treatments or interventions to support a baby's healthy development after birth, news agency reported.

Published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, the study revealed that maternal stress during pregnancy could "reprogramme" key molecular pathways in the foetus, particularly the cholinergic system -- a network of nerve cells responsible for regulating stress responses and inflammation.

The researchers analysed blood samples from 120 newborns and their mothers collected at birth, focusing on small RNA molecules known as tRNA fragments (tRFs), many of which originate from mitochondrial DNA.

A team of Indian researchers has developed a new biosensor platform that can test and diagnose preeclampsia -- is a life-threatening complication caused by hypertension -- among pregnant women in 30 minutes.

Preeclampsia, which typically develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, affects 2-8 per cent of pregnancies worldwide.

While traditional methods to detect preeclampsia are time-consuming, and require huge infrastructure and trained personnel, the new platform offers rapid, on-site, and affordable screening at an early stage. Timely treatment is crucial to minimise both maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates.

The team led by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT) Madras, along with the Vellore Institute of Technology developed the Plasmonic Fibre Optic Absorbance Biosensor (P-FAB) technology using fibre optics sensor technology.

Reducing salt intake is one of the most cost-effective strategies to boost health, said experts as salt consumption in India is exceeding safe limits, contributing significantly to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

Doctors and public health leaders called for stronger physician-led campaigns, reformulation of packaged foods, and consumer education to curb India's rising salt crisis, at The Salt Fight 2025: Say NO to Na workshop organised by the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) and other organisations.

Addressing modifiable risk factors like excess salt intake is critical to reversing the country's non-communicable disease burden, which accounts for nearly 65 per cent of all deaths, said Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, of NITI Aayog, during the event, held in the national capital.

"Reducing salt intake may seem simple, but it is among the most cost-effective strategies available. It is not enough to know the risks -- we must focus on what works. Practical campaigns and evidence-based solutions must be scaled urgently," he added.

The New Zealand government is stepping up preparations for the possible arrival of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, emphasising the importance of a collaborative approach to tackling high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said on Monday that partnership with industry was crucial to the successful eradication of HPAI at a major commercial egg farm in Otago, South Island. The outbreak involved the less virulent H7N6 strain.

"This was the first detection of HPAI in New Zealand, and it tested some of the plans that are being developed for the arrival of HPAI H5N1," Hoggard said.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has now lifted strict biosecurity controls at Mainland Poultry's Hillgrove Farm, which had been in place since the H7N6 strain was confirmed there in December last year, allowing the farm to begin repopulating.

Do you regularly eat ready-to-eat-or-heat foods? Beware, a global study on Monday showed that the consumption of such ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can significantly increase the risk of preventable premature deaths.

Previous studies have linked UPFs -- rich in sodium, trans fats, and sugar -- with 32 different diseases including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, some types of cancer, and depression.

The new study analysed data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United Kingdom, and the US).

The findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, show that premature deaths attributable to consumption of UPFs increase significantly according to their share in individuals’ total energy intake.