Category: 8. Health

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

“Too often, we don’t see these patients until their pain is debilitating and they’ve failed everything else. Earlier neurosurgical intervention—especially for things like diabetic neuropathy—can improve outcomes, reduce medication use, and prevent long-term disability. But the system makes early access difficult.”

Chronic pain is a widespread and debilitating condition defined as pain that persists for more than 3 months, often beyond the normal course of healing. It can result from injury, surgery, nerve damage, or be associated with conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, or neuropathy. According to the CDC, over 51 million adults in the United States live with chronic pain, and of those, about 17 million experience high-impact chronic pain.

For patients with refractory or severe chronic pain who do not respond to medications, physical therapy, or less invasive interventions, neurosurgical techniques can offer meaningful relief. These surgical approaches include spinal cord stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery systems, deep brain stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, and cordotomy or myelotomy, among others. Over the years, the treatment pathways for chronic pain have evolved significantly, moving from a primarily pharmacologic and acute-care focus to a more multidisciplinary, individualized, and mechanism-based approach.

To gain greater insights on the continual evolution of treating chronic pain, NeurologyLive^® sat down with Nester Tomycz, MD, director of neurosurgical pain division at Allegheny Health Network. In the interview, Tomycz emphasized the need for earlier surgical intervention and improved patient awareness of neuromodulation techniques such as spinal cord stimulation. Furthmore, he highlighted the systemic barriers clinicians face–such as insurance requirements and procedural hurdles–that often delay access to surgical options, even when early intervention could improve outcomes.

Alzheimer’s disease is commonly associated with old age but new research reveals that an unlikely group is most prone to suffer from the disease as early as age 40.

Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behaviour. It affects nearly 7 million Americans, most of whom are aged above 65.

According to the DailyMail, the ratio of the disease in old age is as follows:

• One in 14 people at the age of 65
• One in three people at the age of 85

Now, experts have warned that 200,000 to 400,000 Americans with Down’s syndrome are at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that gradually erases memory and cognitive function.

Experts who appeared at the world’s largest dementia conference said that there exists a huge research gap in this domain and warned that the people with Down syndrome face an extremely high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

About 50 per cent of the people with down syndrome are diagnosed with Alzheimer by age of 40 while 90 per cent develop it by age 59.

The exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unclear however researchers have a theory. 

Experts speculate that protein amyloid beta forms plaques which attack brain cells and cause overall brain volume to shrink. 

Salk Institute (US) immunologists have mapped the migration pattern of immune cells from breastfeeding mothers to infants, before and during lactation. They discovered that immune cells — T cells — are abundant in the mammary glands during pregnancy and breastfeeding, with some relocating from the gut. They say these cells likely support both maternal and infant health.

Based on animal research and human milk and tissue samples, the discovery may help illuminate the advantages of breastfeeding, present new solutions for mothers unable to breastfeed, and inform dietary decisions that elevate breast milk production and quality.

“By investigating how immune cells change during pregnancy and lactation, we were able to find lots of exciting things — notably, that there’s a significant increase in immune cells in mammary tissue during lactation, and the increase in immune cells requires microbes,” says assistant professor Deepshika Ramanan, senior author of the study.

Mammary gland immune landscape

The researchers point to certain features within the mammary gland immune landscape, based on milk content research. For instance, they note that the presence of antibodies in breast milk means that antibody-producing immune cells called B cells must be present.

However, the study authors note that few have looked directly at immune cell activity within the mammary gland itself, because most breastfeeding studies focus on the relationship between milk content and infant health.

These studies, including Ramanan’s previous work, have demonstrated that babies receive essential gut bacteria and antibodies from their mother through breast milk, which lays the critical foundation for their developing immune system.

Still, significantly less is known about the changes to the mother’s body during this time.

“What’s really exciting is that we didn’t just find more T cells in mammary glands, we found that some of these T cells were actually coming from the gut,” says first author Abigail Jaquish, a graduate student researcher in Ramanan’s lab.

“We think they are likely supporting mammary tissue in the same way they typically support intestinal tissue.”

It begins with the gut

The study began by examining mouse mammary gland tissues at various stages pre- to post-lactation. A comparison of these samples revealed that three different types of T cells were proliferating: CD4+, CD8αα+, and CD8αβ+.

The team explains that these T cell subtypes represent a special immune cell class called intraepithelial lymphocytes. These are typically found in mucosal tissues, which are soft tissues like the intestines or lungs that are exposed to substances from the outside environment.

Because these tissues are more vulnerable, intraepithelial lymphocytes act as “resident” immune cells, “stationed on-site and ready for action.”

The researchers observed these CD4+, CD8αα+, and CD8αβ+ T cells lined the mammary epithelium in the same way they would line the epithelium of other mucosal tissues. Furthermore, these T cell subtypes bore gut-resident surface protein fingerprints — pointing to T cell migration between the intestines and mammary glands.

Together, these changes facilitated a mammary gland transition from non-mucosal to mucosal tissue in preparation for lactation, where it would become exposed to the outside environment, including microbes from the mother’s skin and the infant’s mouth.

Same effects in humans?

To determine if this phenomenon also happens in humans, the researchers investigated databases of human breast tissue and milk samples from the Human Milk Institute at University of California, San Diego, US. This revealed the human equivalents of these intraepithelial lymphocytes show the same trends.

A comparison of mammary glands of mice living in normal and germ-free environments revealed that all three T cell subtypes were expressed significantly more in mice exposed to microbes.

This discovery suggests that maternal microbes are modulating the number of T cells created during lactation, which can then impact the strength of the mammary gland immune barrier.

Overall, microbes led to an increase in T cell production. T cells then relocate from the gut to mammary glands, and the mammary glands switched from non-mucosal to mucosal tissues.

“We now know so much more about how the maternal immune system is changing during this critical time,” says Ramanan. “We can use this information to start exploring the direct effects of these immune cells on both maternal and infant health.”

Looking ahead at gut-breast axis

The scientists believe that hormones influence these various changes and that the overall goal is to protect the mother from the outside world and related infection. But this led them to ask how they influence lactogenesis, milk quality, and maternal and baby health.

“There’s so much more research to be done in this area — we’re just getting started,” says Jaquish. “If we’re seeing a connection between the gut and the mammary gland, what other interactions might be happening in the body? And what else could be impacting the milk that we’re passing on to our offspring?”

The findings are published in the journal Nature Immunology.

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Dorcas Daniel Tyena (Lead writer)

About 80% of new HIV infections in Nigeria are sexually transmitted from unprotected consensual intercouse. While some are diagnosed with the virus at birth, others, like Rose Gyang, 45, contracted it through rape.

Nine years ago, Zadchlo International Foundation (ZIF), a nonprofit organisation working to improve the quality of life for young people living with HIV and AIDS in Plateau State of Nigeria, conducted a medical examination on Rose. She was diagnosed as HIV-positive after being raped. It was devastating news for her as a widow. To make matters worse, she was physically disabled.

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On the day ZIF held an outreach in her community in Kuru, Rose had to crawl to the venue because she lacked a wheelchair. She had been shunned and treated as an outcast by family and friends.“After their sensitisation I realised my symptoms were similar to what we were told. I learnt about early symptoms like fatigue, headache, weight loss, and sore throat, which I experienced, are early symptoms associated with HIV.”

“They told us there isn’t a cure but you can enjoy a good life when you take your drugs and eat healthy. We were also taught to avoid sharing sharp objects with others and use protection during sex,” she recalled.

Advocates at ZIF became her family. She described the team as “intentional and consistent” because they kept in touch and provided a safe space for her. Rose and several others met monthly in groups, but each had an assigned sponsor who kept in touch daily. She could call at odd hours for “help, or just to talk,” she said. The sponsor made sure she sourced treatment and held her accountable.

Nine years later, Rose now leads Zawan, a network of 18 physically challenged women living in her community. She shares her story with women willing to listen, believing that her experience can inspire others to seek life-saving treatment and persevere. Her slogan, “Women deserve a voice,” reflects her awareness of those who died without treatment due to stigma and never had the opportunities she received.

“Society is really harsh”

In a recent briefing, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, Plateau State Commissioner for Health, noted that the state’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is 1.6%, with 2,520 new infections recorded as of December 2024, and 46,126 people currently on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Despite progress, people living with HIV in the state still face widespread stigma and discrimination.

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The stigma “did a lot to me,” Sarah, another woman who lives with HIV, said. “I couldn’t speak up and communicate the way I wanted to, so I would let other people ride over me because society made me believe that was who I was. It affected my grades, made me give up my passion for painting and drawing. I felt like a failure and blamed myself for everything bad in my life.”

As a baby, born premature, Sarah was frequently ill. Then her family got the shock of their lives when she was diagnosed with HIV at age four. This was revealed to her at age 11 when she was in her first year in secondary school. Now 24, she describes it as taking a toll on her life since. Growing up, she bore the brunt of another kind of stigma, self-stigma. At one point, she contemplated ending her life.

Self-stigmatisation happens when a person takes in the negative stereotypes about people with HIV and applies it to themselves. It can lead to feelings of shame, fear of disclosure, isolation, and despair. These feelings can keep people from getting tested and accessing HIV prevention or treatment.

“I isolated myself as much as I could. I would be in class, and I would know an answer [to a question] but I would not talk because I would feel like everybody will stigmatise or discriminate against me. I would be in the house, and I won’t be able to come out and associate with anybody.

“Society is really harsh. One time I was on a bus, and someone was talking and said over his dead body will he get married to someone who is HIV positive. He believes anyone who has HIV sleeps around and is very promiscuous. It broke me, I didn’t pick this life.”

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According to a report by the National Institute of Health, up to 48% of nurses, physicians and laboratory scientists in Nigeria still lack knowledge about the disease, increasing their negative attitudes and often refusal to treat and care for persons living with HIV.

“The worst of it is when I get discriminated against by my own HIV community, stigmatised by our own health care workers,” Sarah noted. “They use such demeaning words at us. Unless you build a very good resilience, you cannot escape it because it will happen, one way or another,” Sarah added.

Supportive community

Currently, Sarah is actively engaged in HIV advocacy while fighting against HIV-related stigma and discrimination. “I am a baby of ZIF,” Sarah said, laughing. “They practically helped raise me, helped restore my confidence and now I am pursuing my dreams with a positive mindset. Their consistency in keeping in touch and ensuring I am doing well is divine because it helped me overcome depression and self-pity.”

According to Hanatu Maiga, ZIF’s co-founder and programme officer, the network started with her late mother who was passionate about reaching out to widows in the community. It did not have a name then and was just an informal gathering of vulnerable widows, “she felt the need to create a space where vulnerable people living with HIV could be catered for and have hope for a better tomorrow.”

ZIF also deploys health workers to routinely test people for HIV at outreaches. “On one of our outreaches to widows in 2014, we conducted medical examinations and were shocked to find most of them positive to HIV,” Hanatu said. “That move gave birth to ZIF. We thought to ourselves, ‘if the older people will be carriers of HIV, what happens to the younger generation?’ Everyone, especially those living with HIV, can benefit from a solid support network. A supportive community can help improve overall quality of life as well as make it easier to stick with one’s treatment regimen.”

From a team of three, the network now has 38 members with more out on different courses in care, sponsored by ZIF. These days, the line between its clients and staff is blurred, Hantu explained. This is because many who were supported by the organisation have evolved into support givers. “The 15 widows [we counselled] are now our staff and they are all HIV positive. There are also 12 youth under us as our staff who are also HIV positive,” Hanatu explained.

Presently, 68 HIV-positive patients have been linked to care in 2024 alone, according to Hanatu. She further explained that, a total of 2,341 are currently in treatment and no death has been recorded among them so far.

Dozens of sex workers have also received help. Some have learnt a new skill and secured a job, and others have managed to accept their diagnosis and restore family ties. With help from the network, many sex workers who use drugs have managed to quit active drug use, improve adherence to life-saving HIV treatment and prevention, and reconnect with the community.

Stigma creates more barriers

Stigma and support are key factors in how HIV/AIDs is handled, Esther Turaki, the Executive Director of Plateau State AIDS Control Agency (PLACA), explained.

“HIV-related stigma and discrimination is still a serious barrier in regards to HIV services across Nigeria and in Plateau. Although there is improvement compared to two or three years back, much needs to be done in the area of awareness and sensitisation,” she said.

She further added that people are apprehensive to access ZIF’s services because of the fear, “and if that is not addressed, we will continue to have people staying in denial even when they know that they are HIV positive.”

The 2022 UNAIDS Global AIDS report ‘In Danger’ revealed that global progress towards HIV prevention is slowing down, rather than accelerating. It also noted that “the most vulnerable and marginalised are being hit the hardest.” This has been further worsened by the defunding of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a U.S. government initiative aimed at combating the global HIV/AIDS with specilised clinics closing and treatment supplies dwindling.

“The defunding of PEPFAR has significantly impacted our organisation by limiting access to critical HIV prevention and treatment services. In response, we are working to secure alternative funding sources, strengthen local partnerships, and streamline service delivery to ensure continued support for those most affected.” Hanatu explained.

New research to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) suggests that living in a rural environment in the first five years of life could increase the risk of developing type 1 diabetes compared with living in urban environments. The study is by Samy Sebraoui and Professor Soffia Gudbjornsdottir, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells. This leads to little to no insulin production, a hormone crucial for regulating blood sugar levels. Without sufficient insulin, glucose (sugar) builds up in the bloodstream, causing hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar). T1D is typically diagnosed in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood, but can occur at any age. Most people with the condition quickly progress to needing insulin replacement therapy for the rest of their lives.

Sweden has the second highest global incidence of T1D, with geographical variation suggesting environmental risk factors. Previous studies have focused on patient location at diagnosis, and only very few at the time of birth or before clinical diagnoses. This new study explores T1D incidence in Sweden based on where people have lived over time, following patients from birth to diagnosis to identify high- and low-risk clusters over different life periods.

All patients diagnosed with T1D during 2005-2022 (ages 0-30 years) were identified in the Swedish National Diabetes Register. All residential addresses from birth to diagnosis were then identified by Statistics Sweden. Statistical analysis was used to identify significant high- and low-risk clusters (see figure). A technique known as zonal statistics analysis was used to identify the land use / land cover characteristics of all identified clusters for the first five years of life exposure window.

The researchers found that 21,774 patients aged 0 to 30 years were diagnosed with T1D 2005-2022, 58 % were male; and 15,426 (around three quarters) were under 18 years old at diagnosis. The mean age at diagnosis was 13.6 yrs (males 14.1, females 12.9). 24 % of patients had relocated to a different municipality from birth to diagnosis.

Based on the residential location of all patients at the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, 4 significant high-risk clusters were identified, all located centrally in the country (all in the countryside, away from urban centres), where the relative risk of developing T1D was between 30% and 80% higher compared to what would be expected from national averages (Fig 1a). No high-risk clusters were observed in people in major cities.

On the contrary, significant low-risk clusters were found in the largest cities, where the risk of developing T1D was found to be 20% to 50% lower (within the largest cities such as Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö). The authors say: “This finding was unexpected and highlights the need for environmental studies to investigate potential risk factors in rural areas, as well as possible protective factors in urban settings. In Sweden, we have access to highly detailed environmental data covering the entire country, providing a unique opportunity to better understand the development of type 1 diabetes.”

Then a second analysis, based on the main residential location during the first 5 years of life (regardless of age of diagnosis), 11 high-risk clusters were identified, all rural, with an increased risk of developing T1D of between 20% and 2.7 times higher compared with national averages. The northern regions had the highest relative risks. For the same time period, 15 low-risk clusters were observed, all in cities across the country, where risk of developing T1D was 20% to 88% lower than national averages – the very lowest risk being found in middle-sized cities in southern Sweden – (Fig 2b) – the cities with the lowest risk being Växjö (88% lower); Norrköping (64% lower) and Halmstad (61% lower).

The land use / land cover analysis conducted by the authors revealed notable differences between high- and low-risk clusters for the first 5 years of life. High-risk clusters are characterised by land covered by forest or used in agriculture, whereas low-risk clusters are dominated by urban and open land.

The authors say: “There is a clear geographical variation in the incidence of type 1 diabetes in Sweden. The first 5 years of life exhibited the strongest association with high- and low-risk clustering. Our findings facilitate further research into environmental factors potentially influencing development of type 1 diabetes. We hypothesise that the exposure of environmental factors, predominantly in rural areas and primarily during the first five years of life, elevates the risk for developing type 1 diabetes.“

They discuss some possible theories that can be explored in future studies, saying: “Viral infections are more common in early life in urban areas and that could protect a person from future autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes. Living in rural areas could be associated with more exposure, for example, to pesticides and allergens. This is only speculation, but we have very good data to be able to investigate this in detail in future studies.”

They conclude: “These findings were previously unknown and unexpected – it was a surprise that that living in larger cities came with a lower future risk of type 1 diabetes. We will study in detail different environmental factors that might be protective or increase risk. We will also look into different lifestyles in urban versus rural areas.“

There are relatively large regional differences in Sweden in the proportion of newborns receiving antibiotics for suspected sepsis, according to a study at the University of Gothenburg. The researchers want to call attention to overuse as well as highlight good examples.

When newborns receive antibiotics, it is almost always for suspected sepsis. Despite Sweden’s low antibiotic use compared to other countries, last year researchers found unjustifiably high usage levels in newborns. The gradual decline in sepsis prevalence over time has not affected antibiotic use.

This new study provides an overview of antibiotic use in six major regions in Sweden. The dataset also includes the corresponding data from individual hospitals with neonatal units where newborns are treated, a total of 37 hospitals, from Gällivare in the north to Ystad in the south.

The study is based on data from more than one million infants born in Sweden between 2012 and 2020. The infants encompassed were born at 34 weeks’ gestation or later. The results are presented in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal & Neonatal Edition.

Considerable differences

The study presents the proportion of newborns receiving antibiotics during the first week of life, an internationally dominant metric. In the western world, where sepsis rates are low, the goal is to treat no more than one percent of infants while maintaining low sepsis prevalence and mortality rates.

In the study, western Sweden ranked highest in antibiotic use, followed by northern Sweden, south-eastern Sweden, southern Sweden, central Sweden, and eastern Sweden. The figures for western Sweden and eastern Sweden were 3.0 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively. Sepsis prevalence in all Swedish regions was below one per thousand live births.

At hospital level, the lowest antibiotic use of newborns during the first week of life was 0.9 percent, and the highest 4.3 percent.

One of the driving forces behind the study is Johan Gyllensvärd, a PhD student in pediatrics at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and a practicing pediatrician at Ryhov County Hospital in Jönköping.

“The threshold for antibiotic intervention varies, explained in part by prevalence levels, but it’s also down to local practices. It’s very much a matter of the policies and traditions seen at the different hospitals,” he says.

Greater awareness key

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the immune system’s reaction to an infection. Treatment must be started immediately. At the same time, antibiotics disrupt the bacterial flora, which is sensitive in newborns. Overuse also increases the risk of becoming a carrier of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics are essential in the treatment of sepsis in newborns, and if you have a sicker population, then it’s reasonable for antibiotic use to be higher. However, we need to increase awareness of the overuse of antibiotics and improve at distinguishing infected and uninfected infants. This study helps highlight good examples and demonstrates that it’s possible to have a treatment rate of one percent or less of all newborns while maintaining low sepsis and mortality rates.”

Johan Gyllensvärd, PhD student in pediatrics at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg

Take a peanut-based paste packed with 500 calories and nearly 13 grams of protein. Store it in a 92-gram foil pouch, so it can be easily sucked by starving infants on the front line. No water or refrigeration is required, meaning it can be distributed in drought-hit areas and stored at ambient temperature for up to two years. Just a couple of daily sachets can lead to a 10 percent weight gain over six weeks, sustaining recovery from severe acute malnutrition for less than $60 per child. Saving a life, it turns out, literally costs peanuts: just 71 cents a serving.

This life-saving mixture is Plumpy’Nut. Developed by Normandy-based manufacturer Nutriset in 1996 by French paediatrician André Briend, it was the first ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF): energy-dense pastes that have boosted survival rates of severe acute malnutrition in children from less than 25 per cent to around 90 percent.

The paste has saved tens of millions of lives. “It’s incredibly effective emergency food,” says medical doctor Steve Collins, founder of advocacy group Valid Nutrition. “RUTF contains all the essential nutrients required for someone to recover from severe acute malnutrition. They’re easy to transport, extremely energy dense, and don’t require a cold supply chain or clean water to work.”

While Nutriset’s product was the first RUTF to be developed, it is not the only brand in this important field. Mana, for example, is an American-made RUTF produced in Fitzgerald, Georgia. The company states it can make 500,000 pounds of product per day—enough to fill four shipping containers, and feed 10 million children per year.

Before Plumpy’Nut, cases of severe acute malnutrition—primarily occurring among children under 5 years old, diagnosed by very low weight-for-height scores and arm circumference—needed round-the-clock care at therapeutic feeding centres. Nurses at these makeshift hospitals in often remote areas would feed infants F100, a high-energy milk powder also made by Nutriset. Bacteria was often rife. “There was always a risk that water was contaminated and carried disease,” says Collins. It’s one of the reasons why mortality rates for in-patient care lurked at around 20 percent.

Over half of Plumpy’Nut is made from peanut paste and vegetable oils. The nutty primary base contains fat-soluble nutrients, as well as protein, energy, and fatty acids that spark recovery. Nearly a quarter is skimmed milk powder, containing dairy protein and essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Another quarter is reserved for sugar—masking the taste of the added micronutrients: potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, copper, selenium, and vitamins A, D, E, B complex, C, and K.

The apocryphal story is that Briend’s idea for the marvel that is Plumpy’Nut came from a jar of Nutella. In reality, it came from firsthand experience on the front line in the Sahel: The water-based solution wasn’t working—infants were still dying. Working with Nutriset founder Michel Lescanne, his idea was to add F100 to a spread of peanuts (a common crop in areas of malnutrition and a natural protein-rich source) with oil and sugar.

A surprising new drug combo—including a compound found in chocolate—has outperformed Tamiflu in fighting the flu, according to a study published in PNAS. The mix of Theobromine and Arainosine proved far more effective against a range of flu strains, including drug-resistant versions of bird and swine flu. By targeting a key viral weakness, this breakthrough could lead to stronger, longer-lasting treatments—not just for the flu, but potentially for other viruses as well.

In a potential game-changer for how we treat the flu, scientists have unveiled a new drug pairing that outperforms Tamiflu—the most widely used anti-influenza medication—against even the deadliest flu strains, including bird(avian) and swine flu.

The surprising duo? One of them is Theobromine, a compound found in chocolate.

In a study recently published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Prof. Isaiah (Shy) Arkin, have developed a novel combination therapy that targets a key weakness in the influenza virus: its ion channel, a microscopic gate the virus uses to replicate and spread. By blocking this gate, the team effectively cut off the virus’s ability to survive.

Their study, conducted at Israel’s new Barry Skolnick Biosafety Level 3 facility, tested this combo—Theobromine and a lesser-known compound called Arainosine—against a broad range of flu viruses. In both cell cultures and animal trials, the treatment dramatically outperformed Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), especially against drug-resistant strains.

“We’re not just offering a better flu drug,” said Prof. Arkin. “We’re introducing a new way to target viruses—one that may help us prepare for future pandemics.”

Why it matters

The stakes are high: Influenza continues to sweep the globe each year, with unpredictable mutations that challenge vaccines and existing drugs. In the U.S. alone, seasonal flu costs an estimated $87 billion annually in healthcare and lost productivity. Past pandemics—like the 2009 swine flu—have inflicted even deeper global costs, and the cost of future pandemics was estimated to rise even further up to $4.4 trillion.

Meanwhile, outbreaks of avian flu have devastated poultry industries and sparked fears of cross-species transmission to humans. Just one recent outbreak in the U.S. led to the loss of 40 million birds and billions in economic damage.

Current flu treatments, like Tamiflu, are losing ground as the virus adapts. Most drugs in use target a viral protein that mutates frequently, rendering treatments less effective over time. That’s where Arkin’s team saw an opening.

A new strategy for old viruses

Instead of fighting the virus head-on with traditional antivirals, the researchers zeroed in on the M2 ion channel—a crucial viral feature that helps the virus replicate. Past efforts to block this channel have largely failed due to drug resistance. But the new Theobromine-Arainosine combo sidesteps this resistance, even neutralizing hard-to-treat strains.

The team discovered the combo by scanning a library of repurposed compounds—many originally developed for other diseases—and testing their effects on both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant versions of the virus.

Broader implications

The implications extend beyond influenza. Because many viruses—including coronaviruses and others—also rely on ion channels, this new approach could form the basis of future antiviral strategies.

The next steps include human clinical trials, but the early results offer hope not just for a better flu treatment, but for a smarter way to fight viral disease in general. ViroBlock, a startup company emanating from the Hebrew University, has been entrusted to develop the discoveries to reach the public.

 

The health benefits of a Mediterranean diet have long been touted. New research suggests that an African heritage diet may offer similar advantages.

Plant Based News summarized a study published in April in the journal Nature Medicine that indicated swapping Western foods for a traditional Northern Tanzanian diet — rich in green vegetables, legumes, fermented foods, and whole grains — could demonstrate positive impacts in a short time.

Researchers assessed 23 men living in rural areas who typically adhered to a diet reflective of the Kilimanjaro region and who switched to a Western diet for a two-week period; 22 men living in urban areas who typically consumed a Western diet and switched to a traditional Kilimanjaro diet for the same period; and 22 men who typically followed a Western diet and added Mbege — a fermented banana and millet drink — for one week.

These participants kept food diaries, and the research team took blood samples at the start of the study, two weeks in, and four weeks after it ended.

The results indicated that switching to the traditional diet resulted in improved immune system function and “promoted the release of anti-inflammatory biomarkers, suggesting a potential reduction in [non-communicable disease] risk,” according to a breakdown from News Medical. Meanwhile, switching to a Western diet “[upregulated] inflammatory biomarkers, resulting in chronic inflammation,” and weakened immune responses. Those who added Mbege to their Western diet, however, saw metabolic and immune improvements relative to those who didn’t.

The trial adds to a growing body of research exploring the potential health benefits of plant-based diets.

A 2022 study from Stanford University comparing identical twins, for example, found that plant-based diets were associated with lower insulin levels, reduced body weight, and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. A study from the National Institutes of Health suggested that obtaining the majority of dietary fats from plant sources, such as nuts, grains, and vegetables, could significantly lower heart disease-related mortality.

Notably, plant-based diets can also provide a climate benefit. Cutting back on animal agriculture can lower the release of heat-trapping methane into the atmosphere and reduce the potential for water contamination. Meanwhile, investing in sustainable plant farming — including best practices for drought- and flood-resilience — can support biodiversity and soil health while strengthening global food systems that can be compromised by extreme weather.

In a press release, corresponding author Quirijn de Mast noted, “Our study highlights the benefits of these traditional food products for inflammation and metabolic processes in the body. At the same time, we show how harmful an unhealthy Western diet can be.”

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