World Health Organization

Vaping now more common than smoking among young people – and the risks go beyond lung and brain damage

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Flavor, Nitrosamine, Temperature, Health, Bronchiolitis obliterans, Brain, Herbal cigarette, Learning, Tobacco, Nicotine, Inhalation, Research, Self-control, Cancer, University, Food, Life, Adolescence, Asthma, Diacetyl, Electronic cigarette, World Health Organization, Smoking, Polonium, Fruit, Safety, Chocolate, Cotinine

This echoes research that has found the popularity of vaping among young people in the UK has surged in recent years.

Key Points: 
  • This echoes research that has found the popularity of vaping among young people in the UK has surged in recent years.
  • But vaping comes with many risks to young people, including harm to the lungs and brain.
  • Young people who vape may be more likely to start smoking and find it harder to quit any nicotine use at all.
  • And using vaping products alongside other products containing nicotine, like cigarettes, for example, may be even worse for their health.

Hidden risks

  • There are many less obvious risks to vaping too.
  • The chemicals in vape liquids – including various toxins, heavy metals and possibly even radioactive polonium – may be harmful.
  • This could be because of the specific mix of ingredients different brands put in the vape liquid.
  • Even if a vape liquid is advertised as being nicotine-free, it might still contain chemicals called nitrosamines, which are known to cause cancer.

Is a ban on disposable vapes enough?

  • The forthcoming ban on disposable vapes in England, Scotland and Wales may not be enough to deal with the problem.
  • With more than 400 vape brands already on the market, a more comprehensive approach is needed.


Amira Guirguis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Parrot fever cases amid a ‘mysterious’ pneumonia outbreak in Argentina – what you need to know about psittacosis

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Health, Chlamydia psittaci, COVID, Infection, Pneumonia, Psittacosis, Disease, Poultry, Parrot, Risk, COVID-19, Bird, Bacteria, Duck, Death, Human, Thought, Systematic review, World Health Organization, Mask, WHO, Nursing care plan, Workplace, Paper, Government, Mower

This is how the yet-to-be-named disease COVID-19 was first described when a cluster of cases was identified in Wuhan, China.

Key Points: 
  • This is how the yet-to-be-named disease COVID-19 was first described when a cluster of cases was identified in Wuhan, China.
  • This term is being used again to describe a cluster of “atypical” pneumonia cases in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Some cases of psittacosis, also known as “parrot fever”, have been confirmed within this cluster.
  • Psittacosis, or parrot fever, is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia psittaci, and is a common infection in birds.
  • A 2017 systematic review concluded that around 1% of pneumonia cases not acquired in a hospital may be the result of psittacosis.
  • There are often local respiratory infectious disease outbreaks, potentially causing severe pneumonia, and these do not spread more widely or internationally.
  • At the time of writing this article, there is very little information available about the Argentina outbreak.
  • There has been no statement from the public health authorities in Argentina, nor the WHO Pan America Health Organisation.
  • Among the key pieces of information we really would need to know is the likelihood of human-to-human transmission.


Michael Head has previously received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development, and currently receives funding from the UK Medical Research Foundation.

Two new malaria vaccines are being rolled out across Africa: how they work and what they promise

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Diagnosis, RTS, Health, GSK plc, Disease, Science, The Lancet, UNICEF, Parasitic disease, Ageing, Research, News, Child, Death, Parasitism, World Health Organization, Congo, Clinical trial, R21, Safety, WHO, University of Oxford, Vaccine, Democratic republic, Pharmaceutical industry

Malaria incidents are on the rise. There were 249 million cases of this parasitic disease in 2022, five million more than in 2021. Africa suffers more than any other region from malaria, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths worldwide. This year two revolutionary malaria vaccines are being rolled out across the continent. Nadine Dreyer asks Jaishree Raman if 2024 will be the year the continent takes a significant leap towards beating the disease.The RTS,S malaria vaccineThe long-awaited vaccine was described as a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control.

Key Points: 


Malaria incidents are on the rise. There were 249 million cases of this parasitic disease in 2022, five million more than in 2021. Africa suffers more than any other region from malaria, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths worldwide. This year two revolutionary malaria vaccines are being rolled out across the continent. Nadine Dreyer asks Jaishree Raman if 2024 will be the year the continent takes a significant leap towards beating the disease.

The RTS,S malaria vaccine

  • The long-awaited vaccine was described as a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control.
  • It is being aimed at children under the age of 5, who make up about 80% of all malaria deaths in Africa.
  • Among children aged 5 and 17 months who received 4 doses of RTS,S, the vaccine prevented about 30% of them from developing severe malaria.
  • Since 2019 more than 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been vaccinated with the RTS,S malaria vaccine.

R21/Matrix M

  • The R21 vaccine is a significant improvement on the RTS,S vaccine, with 75% efficacy over a year.
  • The R21/Matrix M vaccine is very cost-effective, projected to retail at $2-$4 a dose, comparable in price to other childhood vaccines used in Africa.
  • These very encouraging findings prompted several malaria-endemic African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria, to approve use of the R21/Matrix M vaccine well before the World Health Organization.
  • The WHO finally approved and prequalified R21/Matrix M for use in the last quarter of 2023.

No silver bullet

  • While the fight against malaria has been significantly bolstered by the availability of these vaccines, they are not the silver bullets that are going to get us to an Africa free of malaria.
  • This will be the year that many vulnerable young African children will have access to not one, but two malaria vaccines.


Jaishree Raman receives funding from the Global Fund, the Gates Foundation, the South Africa Research Trust, the South African Medical Research Council, the National Research Foundation, and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. She is affiliated with the Wits Research Institute for Malaria, University of Witwatersrand, and the Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, the University of Pretoria.

How to get vaccines to remote areas? In Sierra Leone they’re delivered by foot, boat or motorbike

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 18, 2024
World Health Organization, Chlorine, Farm, Sanitation, Social Science Research Council, Motorcycle, International Growth Centre, COVID-19, Tablet, Vitamin A, Child, Death, Mercury, Telephone numbers in Hungary, Demographics of Sierra Leone, HPV, Vaccination, Safety, Science policy, Vaccine, Ministry, Pandemic, Nursing, Drinking water

In Sierra Leone almost 59% of the population live in remote, rural areas.

Key Points: 
  • In Sierra Leone almost 59% of the population live in remote, rural areas.
  • Roads may be non-existent or in bad condition, making it very difficult for rural dwellers to access healthcare.

Why are vaccination rates low in Sierra Leone?

  • In stark contrast, only 15% of people had been vaccinated in low-income countries.
  • The hardships Sierra Leoneans face are typical of the obstacles people in low-income countries have to overcome to access healthcare.
  • In the early days of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Sierra Leone, it took the average Sierra Leonean living in a rural community three-and-a-half hours each way to the nearest vaccination centre.

How did this vaccine drive tackle the problem?

  • The primary aim of this intervention was to take vaccine doses and nurses to administer vaccines to remote, rural communities, preceded by seeking permission and community mobilisation.
  • At the time, only 6% to 9% of the adults who took part in the programme were already immunised.
  • The leaders were asked for their cooperation in encouraging eligible community members to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Finally, vaccine doses and healthcare workers arrived at the villages to administer the doses.

Looking forward

  • This approach proved 76% more cost-effective than other vaccination campaigns.
  • Transport accounted for a large share of the costs, so the cost-effectiveness of last mile delivery can be increased by offering a “bundle” of health products.
  • Other estimates put the death toll for the same period at 14.83 million, which is 2.74 times higher.
  • Developing cost-effective strategies to make vaccines easily accessible to everyone, everywhere, is the most promising solution to prevent future pandemics.


Niccolò Francesco Meriggi receives funding from Weiss Asset Management, UKRI and the International Growth Centre.

LSU Researchers' Nootkatone Studies Could Lead to Prevention of Lyme Disease

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Ozone, SCI, Innovation, Lyme disease, Biting, Ant, DEET, Tick, Research, Notifiable disease, Nootkatone, Biology, Che, Military personnel, Leg, NSF, Mosquito net, World Health Organization, CDC, Malaria, WHO, Patent, Chemical engineering, Biol, Tree, West Nile virus, FDA, Defense, Deer, LSU, Vaccine

The LSU researchers propose decreasing the cost of the nootkatone synthesis, making any products made with the compound affordable to the general public.

Key Points: 
  • The LSU researchers propose decreasing the cost of the nootkatone synthesis, making any products made with the compound affordable to the general public.
  • “The family of compounds that make up nootkatone is already proven to be both safer and more effective than existing commercial repellents,” principal investigator Dooley said.
  • Years ago, Laine discovered the efficacy of nootkatone as an insect repellent while collaborating with retired LSU AgCenter Entomologist Gregg Henderson in Laine’s lab.
  • Mosquito nets could be covered with it, or they could have cloth ankle bands with nootkatone so ticks can’t crawl up your leg.

Basilea awarded CARB-X grant to develop recently acquired novel class of antibiotics

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Colistin, Beta-lactam, Education, Development, Partnership, Patient, HHS, Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, World Health Organization, Infection, USD, Administration, Antibiotic, BMBF, Pharmaceutical industry

The grant award is to support initial preclinical activities on the antibiotics program recently acquired from Spexis.

Key Points: 
  • The grant award is to support initial preclinical activities on the antibiotics program recently acquired from Spexis.
  • Basilea could receive additional funding from CARB-X, to continue preclinical and early clinical development of the antibiotics program, if the project achieves certain milestones.
  • The program comprises antibiotics targeting LptA, which is part of the lipopolysaccharide transport bridge, an essential structure in Gram-negative bacteria.
  • The molecules belong to one of the very few novel classes of antibiotics in development.

Psyence Biomed Partners with Fluence and iNGENū CRO to Train Research Therapists for Phase IIb Psilocybin Trial

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 8, 2024
Diagnosis, The Lancet, Depression, NASW, Partnership, PAP, Psychotherapy, Palliative care, Patient, Research, Gold, American Psychological Association, Standard of care, Anxiety, Cancer, Doctor of Philosophy, Quality of life, Adjustment disorder, Social work, World Health Organization, Clinical trial, Safety, Adjustment, WHO, National Association, DSM-IV codes, APA, FDA, Physician, Health, PBM, Practitioner, Nursing

NEW YORK, April 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Psyence Biomedical Ltd (Nasdaq:PBM) (“Psyence Biomed” or the “Company”) today announced that its Australian subsidiary, Psyence Australia Pty Ltd. (“Psyence Australia”), has entered into a partnership with Fluence , a global leader in professional education and training for psychedelic therapy research, and iNGENū CRO Pty Ltd (“iNGENū”), an Australian clinical research organization (CRO), to support an upcoming Phase llb clinical trial.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, April 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Psyence Biomedical Ltd (Nasdaq:PBM) (“Psyence Biomed” or the “Company”) today announced that its Australian subsidiary, Psyence Australia Pty Ltd. (“Psyence Australia”), has entered into a partnership with Fluence , a global leader in professional education and training for psychedelic therapy research, and iNGENū CRO Pty Ltd (“iNGENū”), an Australian clinical research organization (CRO), to support an upcoming Phase llb clinical trial.
  • According to Lancet Oncology, Adjustment Disorder affects as many as 19% of patients following a life-limiting cancer diagnosis.
  • “The success of the clinical trial relies on rigorous, standardized therapist training designed to achieve the highest standard of patient care,” said Elizabeth Nielson, PhD, Fluence co-founder.
  • Psyence Biomed anticipates enrolling the first subject in the second quarter of 2024 and expects the primary endpoint results to be available in 2025.

Trinity Biotech Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results & Business Updates

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 4, 2024
CGM, Consultant, Negotiation, Conference, Growth, Data analysis, HIV, Himawari (satellites), Diabetes, World Health Organization, Acquisition, American depositary receipt, Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, Units of paper quantity, Clinical trial, Injection, Balance sheet, Waveform, Pharmaceutical industry

DUBLIN, Ireland, April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trinity Biotech plc (Nasdaq: TRIB), a commercial stage biotechnology company focused on diabetes management solutions and human diagnostics, including wearable biosensors, today announced results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 and fiscal year 2023 and key business updates.

Key Points: 
  • DUBLIN, Ireland, April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trinity Biotech plc (Nasdaq: TRIB), a commercial stage biotechnology company focused on diabetes management solutions and human diagnostics, including wearable biosensors, today announced results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 and fiscal year 2023 and key business updates.
  • We expect to have fully executed this change by the end of 2024 and expect this will deliver significant annualised savings.
  • The assets and liabilities attributable to Fitzgerald Industries have been removed from our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023.
  • Total revenues for Q4, 2023 were $13.4m which compares to $15.7m in Q4, 2022, a decrease of 14.6% and which were broken down as follows:

Cannabix Technologies Welcomes Dr. Phillip Olla to the Board of Directors

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
MIS, Brunel University London, Management information system, University of Detroit Mercy, Research, United Nations, University, IBM, Health, Morgan Stanley, Doctor of Philosophy, BT Group, Publication, Roche, World Health Organization, OTC, Telecom, Book, THC, Blood, Consultant, Medical device

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE: BLO) (OTC PINK: BLOZF) (the “Company or Cannabix”) developer of marijuana and alcohol breath testing devices is pleased to report that Dr. Phillip Olla (Ph.D.) has joined the board of directors.

Key Points: 
  • VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE: BLO) (OTC PINK: BLOZF) (the “Company or Cannabix”) developer of marijuana and alcohol breath testing devices is pleased to report that Dr. Phillip Olla (Ph.D.) has joined the board of directors.
  • Dr. Olla is an expert in breath technologies, breathomics, healthcare innovation, artificial and medical informatics.
  • Dr. Olla is one of only a handful of scientists globally who has ever conducted delta-9 THC analysis in blood and breath.
  • Dr. Olla is an associate professor at University of Detroit Mercy in Michigan and is the Vice Chair of the MedHealth Consortium.

Cocrystal Pharma Reports 2023 Financial Results and Provides Updates on its Antiviral Drug-Development Programs

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 28, 2024
COCP, MERS, Research, SARS, Enzyme, Drug discovery, Influenza, CFO, COVID-19, Lung, Coronavirus, RNA, Gastroenteritis, G&A, Death, SARS-CoV-2, Trial of the century, IND, Disease, World Health Organization, Post-exposure prophylaxis, Clinical trial, CDC, Safety, Pharmacokinetics, Cocrystal, Therapy, FDA, Pharmaceutical industry

Our drug-discovery process focuses on the highly conserved regions of the viral enzymes and inhibitor-enzyme interactions at the atomic level.

Key Points: 
  • Our drug-discovery process focuses on the highly conserved regions of the viral enzymes and inhibitor-enzyme interactions at the atomic level.
  • Cocrystal reported unrestricted cash as of December 31, 2023 of $26.4 million, compared with $37.1 million as of December 31, 2022.
  • Net cash used in operating activities for 2023 was $14.7 million, compared with $21.4 million for 2022.
  • The Company had working capital of $25.0 million and 10.2 million common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2023.