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The South Western Ambulance Service says it is ready for a significant rise in demand during the school summer holidays.

Every year, the region welcomes about 23 million visitors according to the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) – that is on top of the 5.5 million people it already serves.

In the region more than one million emergency 999 calls are made each year.

Dr John Martin, chief executive of SWASFT, said: “We know the summer will be a busy period for us, so we want to make sure that we’re there for everyone that needs us in a medical emergency.”

SWASFT is encouraging residents and tourists to plan ahead to ensure a safe and healthy summer by:

• Knowing how to describe your exact location in a remote or rural area by using What3Words – a free app which converts your location into a unique three-word address, so the emergency services can find you.

• Making use of community pharmacies, which can advise on minor illnesses and provide medications.

• Being considerate when parking to make sure there is enough room for emergency service vehicles to pass through.

Dr Martin said: “We need your support to help us, help you, by asking you to choose the right care so we have crews available for patients with the most life-threatening conditions.

“999 is for when someone is seriously injured or ill and their life may be at risk. For example, if someone is unconscious, not breathing or is bleeding heavily.”

The trust said it was leading the country in treating patients at home, which avoided unnecessary hospital visits.

Nearly a third (30.5%) of all patients in May were assessed and treated by paramedics at the scene without needing to be taken to hospital, it said.

The Trust’s Emergency Operations Centres in Bristol and Exeter use a triage system to assess and prioritise calls.

Bosses said, in many cases, patients could be helped over the phone through the service’s Hear and Treat initiative.

In May, 13,309 patients – about 14.5% of all callers – were treated remotely or directed to more appropriate NHS services without needing an ambulance on scene, the trust said.

Megan Barker, deputy head of clinical operations and safety, said: “If we can send our ambulances to patients who need them most, that’s our ultimate goal.”

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. The pyrimidine analog 5-flurouracil (5-FU) is effective against solid tumors. However, the half-life of intravenously administered 5-FU is less than 20 minutes, and the compound is quickly eliminated and shows systemic toxicity.

This study was aimed at developing a nanohydrogel of 5-FU to improve anticancer drug delivery for skin cancer treatment. 5-FU Chitin nanoparticles (5-FCHNPs) were prepared through the ionic gelation technique, and 3²-factorial design approach was used to optimize the 5-FCHNPs and nanohydrogel formulations. Subsequently, 5-FCHNP particle size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency were evaluated.

The optimized nanohydrogel formulation was assessed for pH, spreadability, consistency, morphology, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and in vitro cytotoxicity analyses were conducted. The developed nanohydrogel formulation (5-FNH9) showed 68.40% entrapment efficiency, 72.88% drug release, and 1.418% skin penetration. The IC₅₀ value of 5-FU was greater than that of 5-FNH9. The developed 5-FNH exhibited enhanced skin penetration and pH-responsive controlled drug release and therefore has potential in skin cancer treatment.

 

Have you ever said “for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes”? What about “biting your time” or calling someone an “escape goat”? If so, you’re not alone. These commonly misunderstood phrases are called eggcorns.

What is an eggcorn?

Merriam-Webster defines an eggcorn as “a word or phrase that sounds like and is mistakenly used in a seemingly logical or plausible way for another word or phrase either on its own or as part of a set expression.”

The term was coined in 2004 after a University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor saw the term “eggcorn”  instead of “acorn” in a letter from 1844.

Want to learn more? Check out NPR’s “Here Are 100 ‘Eggcorns’ That We Say Pass Mustard”

Are eggcorns caused by hearing loss?

Not necessarily. Hearing specialists regularly hear patients using incorrect words during a hearing exam, and not just those with hearing difficulties.

“It’s not uncommon for patients to misinterpret or closely approximate words during a hearing exam, particularly with words that sound similar or have similar syllable structures,” said Dr. Jason Wigand, AuD, CCC-A, chief audiologist at Beach Audiology Hearing & Balance Center. “This phenomenon can occur in people with both normal hearing and those with hearing loss.”  

Dr. Wigand explains that even in people with normal hearing, these errors can happen for several reasons—including reduced attention, cognitive difficulties, or simply because the test uses words that sound very similar.

For those with hearing loss, these mix-ups may happen more often, but for both groups it’s important to consider the context and how familiar a person is with the words being tested when evaluating results.

When mishearing words can be a sign of hearing loss

Hearing loss comes on gradually and symptoms are subtle at first. When it comes to misunderstandings, the more frequent they are the more likely it is that something hearing-related is going on.

“Occasional misunderstandings are typical, especially in noisy environments,” said Dr. Wigand. “However, consistent difficulty understanding speech—particularly when it happens frequently in quiet settings, during group conversations, or over the phone may indicate a hearing problem.”

He goes on to mention that other signs of hearing loss may include:

• needing others to repeat themselves often,
• turning up the TV louder than others prefer
• or withdrawing from conversations due to frustration.  

How hearing loss impacts speech sounds

The most common type of hearing loss is sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). This is the type that happens with aging or exposure to loud noise, among other causes. Because this type of loss affects higher frequencies first, one of the earliest signs of SNHL is struggling to hear speech sounds, particularly consonants.

“This type of loss can damage the hair cells in the cochlea responsible for processing subtle sound details, making it difficult to distinguish similar consonants like “s,” “f,” “sh,” “th,” or “b” and “d,” said Dr. Wigand. “As a result, even when speech is loud enough, it may still sound like someone is mumbling or unclear.” 

These difficulties can make everything from following along in work meetings to dinner out with family and friends more frustrating and less enjoyable. 

When to get your hearing tested

If you are experiencing frequent miscommunications or other signs of hearing loss listed above, make an appointment for a hearing test. 

When you visit a hearing care professional, you’ll likely start with a pure tone audiometry test—the one with the familiar series of beeps. This test is a standard way to measure how softly you can hear sounds at different pitches.

But when it comes to understanding how well you can follow speech, especially in real-world settings, other tests may provide even more useful insights.

Why speech-in-noise testing matters

“Word recognition testing (sometimes called speech discrimination testing) is essential for evaluating how well someone can understand speech at a comfortable loudness level,” explained Dr. Wigand.

“However, more importantly, speech-in-noise testing—like the QuickSIN or the HINT test—can reveal how well a person understands speech in challenging listening environments. These tests help audiologists determine the degree of hearing loss and how well the brain processes speech. It’s not just about the beeps!”

Hearing aids help speech sound clearer

Though sensorineural hearing loss is permanent, treatments such as hearing aids can make a meaningful difference in your ability to understand what’s being said. 

Today’s hearing aids are designed to help you hear speech more clearly, especially in environments where background noise can make conversations difficult. They can:

• Amplify the speech frequencies you have trouble hearing
• Reduce background noise to make voices clearer
• Use directional microphones to focus on the person speaking
• Stream calls, TV, or other audio directly to your ears

Concerned your loved one has trouble hearing?

Have you noticed a parent or your spouse missing more words or asking you to repeat yourself? Not only can this be frustrating for both parties, but it’s also a sign that it may be time to have a conversation with them about getting their hearing checked.

Dr. Wigand urged empathy and concern, rather than frustration when broaching this topic. He suggested something along the lines of:

“I’ve noticed it’s getting harder for us to understand each other, especially when we’re out or watching TV. And you’re not engaging as much during conversations. I’m worried it might be your hearing. I want you to check it—it could help both of us.”

Read more: How to support someone with hearing loss

Find a hearing provider near you

Whether you or someone you care about is showing signs of hearing loss, seeing a hearing care specialist can make a big difference. It’s a simple step that can improve communication and strengthen your connection.

Not sure where to start? Use our hearing directory to find a provider near you.

Published on
09/07/2025 – 7:00 GMT+2

One of the world’s most common viruses appears to significantly raise the risk of cancer, according to a new study from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research agency.

Most people around the world have been infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) at some point in their lives. It spreads easily through saliva and other bodily fluids and does not usually cause symptoms, but it can lead to mononucleosis, also known as “mono” or “the kissing disease”.

Scientists already knew that EBV, which stays in the body forever, can cause certain cancers, such as lymphomas and a rare form of throat cancer. But until now, there has been little data on the broader health risks.

The new study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, found that the virus puts people at higher risk for additional cancers, years before they are diagnosed.

Researchers tracked nearly 74,000 people in southern China for eight to 10 years, identifying 1,990 cancer cases. They also tested whether people had EBV antibodies, which are proteins that fight off infections and are stored in the body, serving as a sign that someone has had the virus.

People with EBV antibodies were about five times as likely to develop cancer compared with people who did not have them, according to the study from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and research centres in China.

The higher the level of antibodies, the higher the cancer risk.

The findings will help scientists “understand the link between [EBV infection] and the risk of various cancer types,” said Dr Zisis Kozlakidis, one of the study’s co-authors and head of IARC’s laboratory support, biobanking, and services unit.

The risks were highest for nasopharyngeal cancer, which is a rare cancer that affects the part of the throat that connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth. People who had EBV were 26 times as likely to develop this form of cancer than those who were not infected.

Meanwhile, EBV antibodies were also tied to an elevated risk of developing lung cancer, liver cancer, and lymphomas, which are a group of blood cancers.

The study had some limitations. The results may not translate directly to different demographic groups, for example, and other risk factors, such as smoking rates, could have affected the findings.

Even so, researchers said the findings shed new light on cancer-causing viruses such as EBV. They called for more investigation into how exactly the virus causes cancer.

Most people who have had mono will not develop cancer because of EBV, but the virus can cause genetic changes in cells that make them more likely to become cancerous.

Health experts say that if people know their risks, they can watch out for signs of cancers that may be linked to the virus.