September 03, 2025

Over 100 cr people worldwide live with mental health disorder, women account for 53 pc: WHO

Key Points

1 Women account for 53% of global mental health disorders at 581.5 million cases

2 Depression and anxiety cost global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity

3 Suicide claimed 727,000 lives in 2021 and remains leading youth cause

4 Only 45% of countries have mental health laws complying with human rights standards

More than 1 crore people globally live with a mental health disorder, and women account for over 53 per cent, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

The WHO reports World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 stated that conditions such as anxiety and depression inflict immense human and economic tolls and called for greater investment and action to scale up services to protect and promote people’s mental health.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

"Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies -- an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every government and every leader has a responsibility to act with urgency and to ensure that mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right for all,” he added.

The reports showed that anxiety and depressive disorders are the most common types of mental health disorders among both men and women. However, women are disproportionately impacted overall.

Overall, more females (581.5 million) than males (513.9 million) live with a mental disorder.

“Mental disorders were found common among pregnant women and women in the year after birth, often with severe impacts for both mothers and babies. Worldwide, more than 10 per cent of pregnant women and women in the year after birth experience depression. In low- and medium-income countries (LMICs), this figure is estimated to be substantially higher,” the reports said.

Further, the report showed that suicide remains a devastating outcome, claiming an estimated 7,27,000 lives in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts, and progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low.

Of the targeted one-third reduction in suicide rates by 2030, only a 12 per cent reduction will be achieved.

Further, the economic impact of mental health disorders due to loss of productivity is also staggering. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated $ 1 trillion each year, the WHO report said.

The 2024 Mental Health Atlas showed that fewer countries have adopted or enforced rights-based mental health legislation, and only 45 per cent of countries evaluated laws in full compliance with international human rights standards.

The report also revealed a concerning stagnation in mental health investment. Median government spending on mental health remains at just 2 per cent of total health budgets -- unchanged since 2017, with low-income countries spending as little as $ 0.04.

The WHO stressed to governments to urgently intensify efforts toward systemic transformation of mental health systems worldwide. This includes equitable financing of mental health services; legal and policy reform to uphold human rights; sustained investment in the mental health workforce; and expansion of community-based, person-centered care.

WHO Reports 1 Billion People Live With Mental Health Disorders

The World Health Organization reveals over 1 billion people worldwide live with mental health disorders. Women are disproportionately affected, accounting for 53% of all cases globally. Depression and anxiety disorders inflict a massive economic toll of $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. The report calls for urgent government action and increased investment in mental health services as a basic human right.

https://www.newkerala.com/news/o/100-cr-people-worldwide-live-mental-health-disorder-women-925

Zydus Lifesciences launches India's first trivalent flu vaccine

Key Points

1 Protects against three current influenza strains including H1N1 and H3N2

2 Recommended for individuals aged 6 months and above

3 Aligns with WHO and NCDC recommendations for 2025-2026

4 Replaces quadrivalent vaccine as B Yamagata strain no longer circulates

Zydus Lifesciences on Tuesday launched India’s first trivalent influenza vaccine, aligning with the global recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Seasonal influenza viruses evolve rapidly, necessitating annual updates to vaccine compositions. The WHO, thus, recommended trivalent vaccines for use in the 2025-2026 Northern Hemisphere (NH) influenza season.

The new Vaxiflu-Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (TIV) is recommended for individuals aged 6 months and above. It will effectively protect strains such as an A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus; an A/Croatia/10136RV/2023 (H3N2)-like virus; and a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus, stated the company.

Globally, the influenza vaccine is available as quadrivalent and trivalent formulations.

India earlier followed a quadrivalent flu vaccine regimen, which offered protection against these strains, as well as the influenza B Yamagata virus.

However, there has been no circulation of the influenza B Yamagata virus since March 2020, including in India. This indicates a very low risk of infection, rendering the inclusion of this strain in influenza vaccines no longer necessary.

Aligning with this, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) also recommended the use of the Trivalent Influenza vaccine for use in the NH 2025-26 season. India is among 40 countries, including the US, that have adopted the trivalent vaccine.

“Vaccines are essential for well-being and good health in times where we are battling several infectious and communicable diseases. We believe in aligning with global guidelines and enabling timely access to vaccines, as they are a critical part of preventive healthcare,” said Dr. Sharvil Patel, Managing Director, Zydus Lifesciences.

“We believe that this will significantly reduce vaccine-preventable diseases and related complications in high-risk groups,” he added.

Flu remains a significant global health concern of seasonal influenza annually, causing 3-5 million cases of severe illness with 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths annually. The disease disproportionately affects vulnerable populations such as infants, the elderly, and individuals with chronic conditions.

A contagious respiratory illness, flu is caused by influenza viruses, which are spread from person to person, mainly through airborne respiratory droplets generated from coughing and sneezing or direct contact.

Zydus Lifesciences has made history by launching India's first trivalent influenza vaccine. This new vaccine follows WHO recommendations and targets the most relevant flu strains currently circulating. The shift from quadrivalent to trivalent formulation reflects the disappearance of the influenza B Yamagata virus since 2020. This advancement represents a significant step in India's preventive healthcare landscape, especially for vulnerable populations.

https://www.newkerala.com/news/o/zyduslifescienceslaunches-indias-first-trivalent-flu-vaccine-425

New drug shows promise for people with treatment-resistant hypertension

Key Points

1 Baxdrostat blocks aldosterone production to address root cause of resistant hypertension

2 Phase III trial involved 800 patients across 214 global clinics

3 40% of patients achieved healthy blood pressure levels versus 20% on placebo

4 Drug showed persistent effectiveness up to 32 weeks with no safety concerns

A new medication has been shown to significantly lower blood pressure in people whose levels stay dangerously high, despite taking several existing medicines, according to the results of a Phase III clinical trial.

Globally, around 1.3 billion people have high blood pressure (hypertension), and in around half of cases, the condition is uncontrolled or treatment-resistant. These individuals face a much greater risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and early death.

The international trial showed that after 12 weeks, patients taking the new drug baxdrostat (1 mg or 2 mg once daily in pill form) experienced a blood pressure reduction of around 9-10 mmHg more than those taking the placebo -- a reduction large enough to cut cardiovascular risk potentially.

About 4 in 10 patients reached healthy blood pressure levels, compared with fewer than 2 in 10 on placebo, revealed the trial, led by University College London’s Institute of Cardiovascular Science.

The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, were based on nearly 800 patients across 214 clinics worldwide.

“Achieving a nearly 10 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure with baxdrostat in the Phase III trial is exciting, as this level of reduction is linked to substantially lower risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease,” said Principal Investigator Professor Bryan Williams from UCL, while presenting the findings at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025 in Madrid, Spain.

Blood pressure is strongly influenced by a hormone called aldosterone, which helps the kidneys regulate salt and water balance.

Some people produce too much aldosterone, causing the body to hold onto salt and water. This aldosterone dysregulation pushes blood pressure up and makes it very difficult to control.

Baxdrostat works by blocking aldosterone production, directly addressing this driver of high blood pressure (hypertension). The findings are important as they can decode the mechanism behind the difficult-to-control blood pressure.

Further, the study showed that in patients with uncontrolled or resistant hypertension, the addition of baxdrostat 1mg or 2mg once daily to background antihypertensive therapy led to clinically meaningful reductions in systolic blood pressure, which persisted up to 32 weeks with no unanticipated safety findings.

“This suggests that aldosterone is playing an important role in causing difficult-to-control blood pressure in millions of patients and offers hope for more effective treatment in the future,” said Williams.

“The results suggest that this drug could potentially help up to half a billion people globally,” he added.

https://www.newkerala.com/news/o/new-drug-shows-promise-people-treatment-resistant-hypertension-465

51% of Gen Z women want fertility checks as part of routine health tests: Survey

Around 25% of women mostly asked about fertility timelines and pregnancy, highlighting age as a key parameter to fertility

More than 50 per cent of the Gen Z women want fertility checks as part of their routine health tests, a survey has found.

Gen Z (Generation Z) refers to individuals born between 1997 and 2012.

A nationwide survey was conducted by Motherhood Hospitals and Nova IVF Fertility, taking inputs from over 200 women aged 23 to 30 years across metros and tier-I cities. It sheds light on perceptions of fertility, timelines and reproductive health among young professionals.

As per the survey finding, 51 per cent of India’s Gen Z women want fertility checks as part of their routine health tests. Just like their financial health, members of the Gen Z are looking at a more planned approach to parenthood, and 40 per cent of the respondents plan to start trying for pregnancy between 28 and 32 years, it said.

Around 25 per cent of women mostly asked about fertility timelines and pregnancy, highlighting age as a key parameter to fertility.

According to the survey, there is a rise in PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and obesity, including a rising trend in delayed marriage and parenthood.

“The survey also suggests that 20 per cent of women are diagnosed with conditions like PCOS, thyroid, and endometriosis and are still not concerned about seeking medical help,” said Dr Sharvari Mundhe, consultant- fertility specialist of Motherhood Hospitals, Bengaluru.

Lifestyle also plays a very important role in fertility health, just like heart health, she said, adding that one needs to be aware of the lifestyle, which is not limited to consumption of processed foods, alcohol or smoking, it is also about following fad diets and consuming supplements without a prescription.

“There is a need for fertility awareness from a preventative care perspective. While egg freezing can be a viable option, awareness about when and why to consider it is still low,” Dr Mundhe added.

Dr Rashmi Niphadkar, fertility specialist at Pune-based Nova IVF Fertility, said, “Gradually, there is awareness on age and fertility. Reports suggest that Indian women’s ovaries age six years faster compared to Caucasian women, and we are observing AMH decline in women in their late 20s and early 30s.

Fertility decline is gradual, but the most significant drop occurs after 35 and by making fertility testing as routine as a preventive health check, young women can make informed reproductive choices, she said.

“We are also observing an increase in egg freezing queries, particularly for social reasons. This is a welcome change. However, it is important for them to know the right age to freeze their eggs,” Dr Niphadkar added.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/51-of-gen-z-women-want-fertility-checks-as-part-of-routine-health-tests-survey/

Cancer incidence highest in northeast India, finds study

Women accounted for a higher proportion of cancer cases, and men for deaths due to it

Northeast India’s Aizawl, East Khasi Hills, Papumpare, Kamrup Urban, and Mizoram consistently recorded the highest rates of cancer between 2015 and 2019, according to a study. The cross-sectional study used data from 43 population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) across India.

Between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019, as many as 7.08 lakh cancer cases and 2.06 lakh deaths were reported from 43 PBCRs across India. Women accounted for a higher proportion of cancer cases, and men for deaths due to it.

Women comprised 51.1 per cent of the total cancer cases and 45 per cent of the deaths. Men, on the other hand, accounted for 48.9 per cent of the disease incidents and 55 per cent of the deaths due to it.

The study obtained population-at-risk data from the Census of India, and the findings were assessed by registry area.

According to the study, the lifetime risk of developing cancer in India was 11.0 per cent.

However, in Mizoram, the reported lifetime risk was a staggering 21.1 per cent in males and 18.9 per cent in females. Aizawl district reported the highest age-adjusted incidence rate (AAIR) in both males and females.

The most common types of cancers were oral, lung, and prostate in males and breast, cervical, and ovarian in females, the study found.

Among metropolitan cities — with a population of over 1 million — Delhi had the highest overall cancer AAIR for males, while Srinagar recorded the highest AAIR for lung cancer.

Oral cancer showed significant increases in 14 PBCRs among males and four PBCRs among females.

The analysis revealed a distinct pattern in the leading cancer sites across India. Among males, lung cancer emerged as the most frequently diagnosed form of the disease in the southern regions and metropolitan cities, including Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru, Malabar, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, and Delhi.

A previous study had found that patients in India tend to present with lung cancer about a decade earlier than those in Western populations, with a median age ranging from 54 to 70 years.

Additionally, half of the patients were diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis on tobacco use revealed a significantly higher risk of respiratory system cancers.

Mouth cancer is the predominant form of cancer in western (Ahmedabad Urban, Bhopal, Nagpur, and Wardha), central (Barshi Rural, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Osmanabad and Beed, Pune, Sindhudurg, and Ratnagiri), and certain northern (Prayagraj and Varanasi) regions, the study found.

It underlined that since tobacco and alcohol use are major risk factors, it is vital to promote widespread education about their harmful effects. Furthermore, quitline services and the implementation of early detection programs are critical for effective prevention and control.

In India, breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers have been consistently ranked among the top three most common forms of cancers in women, with disparities observed in survival rates for breast and cervical cancers.

The increasing incidence of breast cancer and decreasing incidence of cervical cancer were more associated with generational shifts in risk factors than period effects, the researchers said.

Effective cancer control in India requires coordinated efforts, focusing on public awareness, prevention, and early detection. Awareness campaigns help reduce stigma and encourage timely health-seeking behaviour, the study underlined.

Beyond prevention, upgrading existing cancer care facilities and expanding services in high-incidence regions is vital to ensure equitable access to quality and affordable care.

However, cancer care delivery faces challenges, including regional disparities, socioeconomic inequalities, low awareness, and varied health-seeking patterns.

Addressing these issues requires a collaborative, data-driven approach to build equitable and accessible cancer care across India, it stated.

Globally, cancer contributes to approximately 10 million deaths each year. In 2022, Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) pegged the total number of cancer cases worldwide at approximately 20.0 million and projected these to increase to 32.6 million by 2045.

The Southeast Asia region is estimated to have a total of 2.4 million new cancer cases and 1.5 million cancer deaths.

Cancer incidence and mortality in this region are estimated to increase to 4 million new cases and 2.7 million deaths by 2045. Concurrently, the GCO estimated that the incidence of cancer in India will increase to approximately 2.46 million cases by 2045.

India ranks second in Asia and third in the world in terms of the number of cancer cases, and the likelihood of developing cancer during one’s lifetime is approximately 11 per cent.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/cancer-incidence-highest-in-northeast-india-finds-study/

Study identifies brain process that may help differentiate tremor disorder from Parkinson's

Shivering of the hands is the most prominent symptom of essential tremor disorder

A study has identified a process involving dopamine and serotonin chemicals in the brain that could help distinguish essential tremor in a movement disorder from that experienced as part of Parkinson's disease.

Findings published in the journal Nature Communications suggest that dopamine-producing processes, commonly thought to be impacted in Parkinson's disease, may not be the only ones affected.

Shivering of the hands is the most prominent symptom of essential tremor disorder. However, tremors in limbs, along with problems in maintaining balance, are among the symptoms that affect one's movement in Parkinson's disease, an ageing-related neurological disorder.

Studies have shown that the brain's dopamine-producing processes are affected in Parkinson's disease, resulting in lower levels of the chemical known to be important for feeling motivation and pleasure.

However, the study's findings show that the lack of rise-and-fall in serotonin and dopamine levels "turned out to be the clearest difference between Parkinson's and essential tremor", senior author William Howe, an assistant professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's school of neuroscience, USA, said.

Serotonin, known to help regulate one's moods, does not commonly feature in processes thought to contribute towards Parkinson's disease and, therefore, the study could open a new view and potentially powerful clinical insights, researchers said.

The team monitored activity in the 'caudate of the striatum', a brain region that helps in decision-making and processing rewards, as patients with Parkinson's disease and essential tremor played a game involving fair and unfair offers.

How the patients formed and adjusted expectations during the game was analysed using a computational model.

Among the patients with essential tremor, offers made in the game that went against expectations triggered a "seesaw pattern — dopamine levels rose, while serotonin dropped", the researchers said.

In a 2018 study, the team published that levels of dopamine and serotonin simultaneously fluctuate when a human is engaged in decision-making.

However, among the patients of Parkinson's disease, the simultaneous ups-and-downs in dopamine and serotonin amounts were found to be absent.

"It wasn't just that dopamine was disrupted. It was that the normal back-and-forth between dopamine and serotonin was gone," Howe said.

Mismatches between what the patients expected and what they received were found to trigger changes in serotonin levels, which the researchers said were strong indicators of which disease the patient had.

"There's neither the serotonin dip nor the dopamine rise. It's not just one system being disrupted —it's the lack of that dynamic interaction that turned out to be the clearest difference between Parkinson's and essential tremor," the senior author said.

The researchers "show that violations in the expected value of monetary offers are encoded by opponent patterns of dopamine and serotonin release in essential tremor, but not Parkinson's disease, patients".

Linking moment-to-moment changes in one's internal beliefs to measurable chemical levels in the brain is powerful and "opens a new window into how deeply human cognitive processes, like social evaluation, are shaped by disease", said author Dan Bang, an associate professor at the center of functionally integrative neuroscience at Aarhus University, Denmark.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/study-identifies-brain-process-that-may-help-differentiate-tremor-disorder-from-parkinsons/

Africa is seeing surge of dementia cases, Families aren’t sure what to do

As the population of older people increases across Africa, experts are seeing a spike in new diagnoses

In the night, when all that glows on this hilltop is the moonlight and all that moves are branches tickled by a soft breeze, the tumult returns. The old woman grows convinced her house is on fire and, panicked, drags the table, chairs and the rest of her few worldly possessions, outside. Unable to calm his mother, her son knows just one way to end it.

He locks her up.

“She yells,” the son, 62-year-old Herbert Rutabyama, says matter-of-factly. “She pounds on the door.”

Dementia’s prevalence has long been muted on this continent where lifespans have trailed the rest of the world for as long as anyone has kept track. But as the population of older people increases across Africa, experts are seeing a spike in new diagnoses, each of them bringing profound challenges to the patient and their family.

A surge of new cases of dementia is expected across Africa in the coming years as the demographic shift continues. But, already, the desperation of those caring for people living with diseases like Alzheimer’s is beginning to show.

They turn for help in a place with little to offer. In many of the languages spoken on this continent, they don’t even have a word for dementia.

This day, the crew from Reach One Touch One is making its rounds in this western Uganda village about an hour north of the Rwandan border. Nearing the woman whose middle-of-the-night visions are so unnerving, aid worker Moses Kahigwa musters as much sunniness as is splashed outside the lush valley below.

“You look good!” he coos.

The woman, 87-year-old Alice Ndimuhara, gives him an icy glare.

“This looks good to you?” she says.

It’s just past noon and Ndimuhara hasn’t had anything to eat today. She has no money. All her limbs feel weak. Her headache never seems to go away.

If not for visitors, she would’ve just stayed in bed.

“My life is just meaningless,” she says.

Her son, Rutabyama, arrives from working in the field, wearing tall black rubber boots that are coated with mud. Sweat wets his forehead.

Don’t be fooled by his mother’s sass. This, he says, is one of her good days.

It’s been a few years since she started wandering from the house and showing other signs that something was wrong. He took her to ROTOM’s clinic and they said she had dementia. His father has been diagnosed, too.

“It’s really, really hard,” he says of managing their care.

When Ndimuhara wanders off in the daytime, her son will set out to look for her, sometimes finding she’s made it as far as the next village. But when her nighttime confusion returns, he’s unsure what to do. He puts a padlock on her door and nails her window shutters closed and resists unlatching them even when she screams and pounds.

“You know better,” the mother says when the subject comes up.

It’s not entirely uncommon. The United Nations’ chief voice on the rights of older people, Claudia Mahler, issued a report in 2022 warning of elders being locked in their rooms and tied to trees in their yards, without citing the countries in which it was common.

Even for the wealthiest people in the richest places, the solutions offered for those with dementia are inadequate, amounting to salves for a disease with no cure.

Here, though, there is basically nothing. Rutabyama believes caring for his parents is his responsibility. Even if he could afford a nursing home, the country has only a handful and the closest one is a day’s drive away.

As Africa’s longevity revolution makes itself known in a thousand ways, the problems that come with it are being dumped in a place where they have lots of company.

Elders, no longer able to walk, are trapped inside with no wheelchair. But what good would it do if sidewalks are missing, streets are cratered and homes are unnavigable shacks?

Untreated cataracts leave many blind. But how do you broach surgery when even a ride to the doctor is a quandary and even a simple pair of glasses is out of reach?

Dementia brings ostracisation and accusation. But who can help if belief in witchcraft is wide, cognitive expertise is sparse and the language hasn’t even a word for the diagnosis?

Rutabyama doesn’t know the answer to those questions and doesn’t defend his choice to lock his mother up.

It is another flawed response to a question with no good answer.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/africa-is-seeing-surge-of-dementia-cases-families-arent-sure-what-to-do/

Scientists Find Kidney-Saving microRNA in a World-First Discovery

A groundbreaking discovery by Canadian researchers has identified a microRNA capable of protecting delicate kidney blood vessels after injury, opening new possibilities for early diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease.

Millions of kidney patients could benefit from early detection and prevention as a result of the breakthrough made by scientists at the CRCHUM.

In a groundbreaking achievement, researchers at the CRCHUM, the hospital research center affiliated with Université de Montréal, have identified a type of microRNA that can safeguard small blood vessels and help maintain kidney function following severe injury.

This discovery holds significant promise for the more than four million Canadians living with chronic renal failure, as well as millions of patients worldwide, by offering new possibilities for earlier detection and prevention of the disease.

Until now, there had been no dependable biomarker to assess the condition of these delicate capillaries or to guide targeted strategies aimed at protecting kidney function.

Discovery of miR-423-5p as a biomarker

Findings published in JCI Insight reveal that the microRNA known as miR-423-5p shows strong potential as a blood-based biomarker for evaluating kidney microvascular health.

The study was co-authored by Université de Montréal medical professors Marie-Josée Hébert and Héloïse Cardinal, who hold the Shire Chair in Nephrology, Renal Transplantation and Regeneration, alongside Hébert’s research associate Francis Migneault.

Their research focuses on the decline of peritubular capillaries, a key indicator of chronic renal failure.

These minute vessels, found in the kidneys by the millions, are responsible for removing waste from the blood while delivering oxygen and nutrients essential for kidney function.

Risks and potential applications in patients

Kidney damage that occurs when blood flow is temporarily cut off and then restored can result in the loss of small blood vessels, significantly impairing the organ’s ability to function properly.

“In people who have received a transplant, if kidney function is severely altered, the kidney’s survival is threatened,” said Hébert, a nephrology-transplant physician and UdeM’s outgoing vice-rector for research, discovery, creation, and innovation.

“Using this biomarker, a test could be developed to evaluate the status of the small blood vessels much earlier,” she said. “Doctors in hospitals could then better evaluate the microvascular health of higher-risk patients.

“These could include elderly patients or those undergoing surgeries during which blood flow is temporarily stopped, as is the case for organ transplants or cardiovascular interventions.”

Of mice and… 51 transplant recipients

“We first observed fluctuating levels of miR-423-5p microRNA in the blood of mice with acute kidney injuries,” said Migneault, the study’s first author. “These results were then confirmed in 51 transplant recipients who participated in the CHUM kidney transplant biobank.”

Thanks to this biomarker, clinical teams could confirm whether their interventions improve or diminish the health of small blood vessels.

“But what’s really incredible is that by injecting this microRNA into mice with kidney injuries, we were able to preserve the small blood vessels and limit the damage done to the kidneys,” said Migneault.

While direct injection into the kidney is a clinically feasible method during a transplant, to protect the remaining small blood vessels, the CRCHUM scientists are now focused on alternative techniques to transport the microRNA, or likely a microRNA cocktail, to the kidney.

Potentially useful for other patients

In terms of prevention, a test based on this miR-423-5p microRNA could be useful for patients with cardiac failure, pulmonary failure, or certain neurodegenerative diseases.

“For these medical conditions, the loss of small blood vessels plays a key role, because of the association with normal or accelerated aging,” said Hébert. “Our discovery could, therefore, have a significant impact on the health of all Canadians.”

For those with pulmonary failure, several research projects are in progress under Emmanuelle Brochiero, a researcher and head of the Immunopathology research theme at the CRCHUM.

It may also be possible, using the CHUM’s biological material biobank, to determine if existing medications, administered after a kidney transplant to treat another issue, impact small blood vessel health, added Hébert.

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-find-kidney-saving-microrna-in-a-world-first-discovery/

Doctors Just Found Out What Metformin Really Does Inside You

Metformin doesn’t just manage diabetes—it reshapes copper, iron, and zinc levels in the body, a potential clue to its broad protective effects.

Metformin, the world’s most prescribed diabetes drug, is known for benefits far beyond blood sugar control, yet its precise workings have remained a mystery.

Researchers at Kobe University have now provided the first clinical evidence that the drug alters metal levels in the blood, lowering copper and iron while raising zinc, which may help explain its protective effects.

Metformin: More Than Just a Diabetes Drug

Metformin is the most commonly prescribed medication for diabetes worldwide. In addition to lowering blood sugar, it has been linked to a wide range of positive health effects, including protection against tumors, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Yet, despite more than 60 years of use, scientists still do not fully understand how it works, which has slowed efforts to design even more effective treatments for these conditions.

Investigating Metals in Diabetes Patients

According to Kobe University endocrinologist Wataru Ogawa, “It is known that diabetes patients experience changes in the blood levels of metals such as copper, iron, and zinc. In addition, chemical studies found that metformin has the ability to bind certain metals, such as copper, and recent studies showed that it is this binding ability that might be responsible for some of the drug’s beneficial effects. So, we wanted to know whether metformin actually affects blood metal levels in humans, which had not been clarified.”

To explore this question, Ogawa and his colleagues conducted a study involving roughly 200 diabetes patients at Kobe University Hospital. Half of the participants were taking metformin, while the other half were not. The researchers compared blood serum samples from both groups, measuring levels of copper, iron, and zinc, as well as indicators of possible metal deficiencies.

First Clinical Evidence of Metal Shifts

In the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, the Kobe University team has now published the first clinical evidence of altered blood metal levels in patients taking metformin. They found that patients who take it have significantly lower copper and iron levels and higher zinc levels. Ogawa says, “It is significant that we could show this in humans. Furthermore, since decreases in copper and iron concentrations and an increase in zinc concentration are all considered to be associated with improved glucose tolerance and prevention of complications, these changes may indeed be related to metformin’s action.”

Comparing Metformin and Imeglimin

Recently, Japan has approved the use of imeglimin, a new diabetes drug that is a derivative of metformin but that should not be able to bind metals the same way as its parent. “Imeglimin is thought to have a different method of action, and we are already conducting studies to compare the effects the two drugs have,” says Ogawa.

Towards Smarter Diabetes Treatments

It is not just about understanding the current drugs, however. Ogawa explains the bigger picture, saying: “We need both clinical trials and animal experiments to pinpoint the causal relationship between the drug’s action and its effects. If such studies progress further, they may lead to the development of new drugs for diabetes and its complications by properly adjusting the metal concentrations in the body.”

https://scitechdaily.com/doctors-just-found-out-what-metformin-really-does-inside-you/

Stanford Scientists Successfully Reverse Autism Symptoms in Mice

Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered that hyperactivity in a brain region known as the reticular thalamic nucleus may underlie behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder. By dampening activity in this area using experimental drugs and neuromodulation techniques, they were able to reverse autism-like symptoms in mice, from seizures to social deficits.

Overactivity in the reticular thalamic nucleus was shown to cause autism-like behaviors in mice. Drugs that reduce this activity reversed the symptoms.

Researchers at Stanford Medicine studying the neurological basis of autism spectrum disorder have found that excessive activity in a particular brain region may be responsible for driving behaviors commonly linked to the condition.

Using a mouse model of autism, the team identified the reticular thalamic nucleus, a structure that filters sensory information between the thalamus and cortex, as a promising treatment target.

Importantly, they showed that administering drugs to dampen activity in this brain region reversed autism-like symptoms in the mice, including seizure susceptibility, heightened sensitivity to stimuli, increased motor activity, repetitive actions, and reduced social interaction.

Shared pathways with epilepsy

These same drugs are also under investigation as potential treatments for epilepsy, underscoring how the mechanisms that drive autism spectrum disorders and epilepsy may intersect in the brain and help explain why the two conditions often appear in the same individuals.

The findings were recently published in Science Advances. The senior author of the study is John Huguenard, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences. The lead author is Sung-Soo Jang, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in neurology and neurological sciences.

Overactivity in the reticular thalamic nucleus

Connections between the thalamus and cortex have been linked to autism in both people and animal models, but the specific contribution of the reticular thalamic nucleus had remained uncertain.

In the new study, the researchers recorded the neural activity of this brain region in mice while observing the animals’ behavior. In mice that had been genetically modified to model autism (Cntnap2 knockout mice), the reticular thalamic nucleus showed elevated activity when the animals encountered stimuli like light or an air puff as well as during social interactions. The brain region also showed bursts of spontaneous activity, causing seizures.

Epilepsy is much more prevalent in people with autism than in the general population — 30% versus 1% — though the mechanisms are not well understood. Recognizing this connection, the researchers tested an experimental seizure drug, Z944, and found that it reversed behavioral deficits in the autism mouse model.

With a different experimental treatment that genetically modifies neurons to respond to designer drugs, known as DREADD-based neuromodulation, the researchers could suppress overactivity in the reticular thalamic nucleus and reverse behavioral deficits in the autism mouse model. They could even induce these behavioral deficits in normal mice by ramping up activity in the reticular thalamic nucleus.

The new findings highlight the reticular thalamic nucleus as a novel target for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

https://scitechdaily.com/stanford-scientists-successfully-reverse-autism-symptoms-in-mice/

September 01, 2025