How AI is helping researchers to demystify gut bacteria

An introductory session launching the training programme. Photo credit: WHO/WHO Egypt 7 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The WHO Country Office in Egypt supported the Ministry of Health and Population in launching the Middle East and North Africa’s first field epidemiology training programme (FETP) focused on vector control. Supported by the Pandemic Fund, it aims to strengthen national capacity in detecting, preventing and responding to vector-borne diseases. The training involved 32 participants, mainly agricultural engineers from the human and animal sectors. It is designed to build workforce capacity to manage and respond to vector-borne disease outbreaks by strengthening and fostering multisectoral collaboration and communication across the human, animal and environmental health sectors using the One Health approach. The training combines short classroom-based modules with extended field placements. Over 6 months, participants attend 3 workshops, each followed by field assignments to reinforce practical skills. The programme allocates 20% of training time to classroom instruction and 80% to hands-on fieldwork across different governorates. A practical demonstration involving the design of a tool for vector-borne disease control. Photo credit: WHO/WHO Egypt Egypt FETP comprises competency-based, Read more...

New research reveals that excess weight is linked to an especially high risk of developing breast cancer in postmenopausal women with cardiovascular disease. The findings are published in Cancer.

Individual expectations about one's health can influence future condition and speed of the progression of a disease: in fact, research conducted by researchers of psychology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan campus, shows that, after a diagnosis of asthma, people who are optimistic about their health will have a slower progression of the disease.

Sport supplements are hard to get away from if you like to exercise regularly. Even if you're not interested in them, there's a good chance your gym will have posters extolling their virtues or your sporty friends will want to talk to you about them.

Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute researchers, along with colleagues in the UK and U.S., have linked brighter night-time light exposure to elevated risks of five major cardiovascular diseases.

6 July 2025  – Mycetoma is a slow-moving but destructive infectious disease that begins in the subcutaneous tissues and can invade the skin, deep tissues, muscle and bone. Caused by more than 70 microorganisms of bacterial or fungal origin, mycetoma thrives in tropical and subtropical environments where thorn injuries are common. Left untreated, the disease progresses from painless nodules to massive swellings. If not detected and managed early, mycetoma can cause gross deformity of the limbs, causing intense suffering, loss of function and impaired ability to work to earn a living. In advanced cases it can lead to amputation and death.  Little is known about the incidence and prevalence of mycetoma worldwide. As early signs often go unrecognized by patients and health workers, the disease frequently progresses to the point where amputation is needed, resulting in lifelong disability and imposing heavy medical, public health and socioeconomic burdens on patients, their communities and health care systems. Simple measures can help prevent mycetoma. Closed footwear and protective clothing can protect against puncture wounds. People living in or travelling to endemic areas are advised not to walk barefoot. Leveraging the expertise of the Mycetoma Research Centre (MRC) in Khartoum – designated a WHO Collaborating Centre in 2015 – the Government of Sudan and WHO led the first international training workshop on mycetoma in 2019 to strengthen national capacities on diagnosis, treatment and surveillance. MRC: a global hub now at risk MRC Read more...

Concussion in sport continues to make headlines, whether it be class actions, young men flocking to the highly violent "RunIt" activity or debate about whether Australian rules football should remove the "bump" once and for all.

Some hospitals in the U.S. are without essential staff because international doctors who were set to start their medical training this week were delayed by the Trump administration's travel and visa restrictions.

Ebenezer Scrooge tried to wave away the ghost of Jacob Marley by blaming the apparition on "an undigested bit of beef … a crumb of cheese." Charles Dickens might have been writing fiction, but the idea that late-night dairy can warp dreams has now gained scientific support.

Nearly one in four infants lacks enough healthy gut bacteria essential for training their immune systems, putting them at greater risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as allergies, asthma, and eczema by age 2.

Researchers at Leipzig University's Carl Ludwig Institute have discovered that in the cerebral cortex, synaptic signal transmission between brain cells functions very reliably even at low concentrations of calcium ions—unlike in the rear region of the brain.

Breast cancer often relapses in distant organs even when complete regression of primary tumors is achieved after initial treatment. Dormant and persistent disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) have been observed in animals with non-metastatic disease, which cannot be targeted by systemic chemotherapy.

Weeks after President Donald Trump took office, multiple government webpages referencing gender and sexual orientation abruptly disappeared from the internet.

Pregnant women undergo all kinds of medical checks. This is to monitor the health of both the mother and child and to detect potential abnormalities as early as possible.

Chronic wounds are a major medical challenge, burdening health care systems with billions of dollars in costs every year. Pioneer Fellow Börte Emiroglu is developing a new product: a selective, sponge-like hydrogel that reduces inflammatory signals and actively promotes healing.

A man in his 50s has died from lyssavirus in New South Wales after being bitten by a bat several months ago.

Patients in a structured exercise program experienced a 37% lower risk of death and a 28% reduction in recurrence or development of new cancers compared to those who received only health education materials, a recent study found.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected women's mental and physical health more than men's, according to research from the University of Aberdeen.