Category: 8. Health

Three in five liver cancer cases globally could be prevented by reducing obesity and alcohol consumption and increasing uptake of the hepatitis vaccine, a study has found.

The Lancet Commission on liver cancer found that most cases were preventable if alcohol consumption, fatty liver disease and levels of viral hepatitis B and C were reduced.

The commission set out several recommendations for policymakers, which it estimated could reduce the incidence of liver cancer cases by 2% to 5% each year by 2050, preventing 9m to 17m new cases of liver cancer and saving 8 million to 15 million lives.

Prof Jian Zhou at Fudan University in China, who led the research, said: “Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world. It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend.”

Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer death. The number of deaths is predicted to grow from 760,000 in 2022 to 1.37 million in 2050.

Previous analyses have predicted that the number of new liver cancer cases will nearly double from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52m in 2050, mostly due to population growth and ageing populations, with the largest increases expected in Africa. At present, more than 40% of the global liver cancer cases occur in China due to its relatively high rates of hepatitis B infections.

One of the fastest growing causes of liver cancer globally is fatty liver disease, and this is expected to rise because of increasing rates of obesity.

One-third of the global population is estimated to have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) – previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, where fat builds up in a person’s liver – though it can be prevented by eating a balanced diet, being physically active and potentially losing weight.

Only 20% to 30% of people with MASLD go on to develop the more severe form, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), which can lead to liver cancer. The commission said the proportion of liver cancer cases associated with MASH was projected to increase from 8% in 2022 to 11% in 2050.

The second fastest growing cause is alcohol, with associated liver cases projected to increase from 19% in 2022 to 21% in 2050. In contrast, the proportion of liver cancer cases linked to hepatitis B is expected to decrease from 39% in 2022 to 37% in 2050, while hepatitis C-related cases are projected to drop from 29% to 26%.

The commission author Prof Hashem B El-Serag of Baylor College of Medicine in the US said: “Liver cancer was once thought to occur mainly in patients with viral hepatitis or alcohol-related liver disease. However, today, rising rates of obesity are an increasing risk factor for liver cancer, primarily due to the increase in cases of excess fat around the liver.”

The commission’s recommendations included that governments boost HBV vaccination and implement universal screening for adults; introduce minimum alcohol unit pricing and sugar taxes along with warning labels; invest in early detection of liver damage and cancer; and improve palliative care for sufferers.

The commission author Prof Valérie Paradis of Beaujon hospital in France said: “There is an urgent need to raise awareness within society about the severity of the growing health issue of rising liver cancer cases.

“Compared with other cancers, liver cancer is very hard to treat but has more distinct risk factors, which help define specific prevention strategies. With joint and continuous efforts, we believe many liver cancer cases can be prevented, and both the survival and quality of patients with liver cancer will be considerably improved.”

Dr Matt Hoare, an associate professor in hepatology at the University of Cambridge’s Early Cancer Institute, said liver cancer was “unlike many other cancers” in that the death rate was still rising, with the causes varying by region.

He said public health policy changes have proven effective, since Japan had successfully reduced its death rate by implementing preventive policies and improving detection to find cancers earlier. His team is seeking to identify new ways to spot patients with liver disease who will develop cancer through DNA sequencing of the liver.

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Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are a group of cancers that affect cells in and around our mouth and nose. With 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths annually, HNSCC accounts for roughly 4.5% of cancer diagnoses and deaths worldwide. Treatment options for HNSCC are very limited, so nearly half of affected patients with HNSCC die from the disease. Current therapies consist of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which can be effective but often have limited success and significant side effects.

To meet this unmet medical need, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine are exploring new approaches to improve the effectiveness of treatments for HNSCC. In a new study of oral cancer, a type of HNSCC, they demonstrate how precisely timing two different treatments can potentially improve treatment outcomes by protecting tumor-draining lymph nodes, which are located close to tumors and have an important role in mediating the immune system’s response to the tumor.

Lupus is a “classic” autoimmune disease.

It causes the immune system’s first-line viral defenses, known as interferons, to attack the body. Nearly every organ is at risk, leading to conditions like kidney and heart disease.

But unlike many other autoimmune or chronic illnesses, lupus can improve as patients reach their 60s and 70s.

“I see my younger lupus patients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s every few months, monitoring them closely for signs of severe disease, but many of my older patients just once a year to touch base,” said Sarah Patterson, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at UCSF. “If patients make it through those risky decades, they sometimes see a dramatic improvement.”

Now, Patterson and colleagues have published a study in Science Translational Medicine that reveals how this works.

By analyzing blood samples from patients across the age spectrum, the team discovered that aging turns down the activity of certain immune genes in people with lupus, leading to fewer interferons and other inflammatory proteins in the body.

The study found that in healthy adults, inflammation-related genes and proteins rose slowly over the years, a process that has been dubbed “inflammaging.” In patients with lupus, however, the expression of these genes and proteins were abnormally high in mid-life but decreased as the decades went by.

“Inflammaging seemed to be reversed in the lupus patients,” said Chaz Langelier, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at UCSF and senior author of the paper. “But it wasn’t fully reversed. The lupus patients still had a greater level of inflammatory signaling compared to healthy adults in older age.”

That reversal reflected what Patterson has seen in her patients — a return to something approaching healthy older age.

Next, the team intends to test whether drugs that block interferons are more or less effective in lupus patients at different ages. They also hope to extend the approach to understand other inflammation-related conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, and atherosclerosis.

Authors: Other UCSF authors are Rithwik Narendra, Hoang Van Phan, Ana Almonte-Loya, Emily C. Lydon, MD, Christina Love, Michiko Shimoda, PhD, Padmini Deosthale, MS, Lenka Maliskova, Walter Eckalbar, PhD, Gabriela K. Fragiadakis, PhD, Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH, Maria Dall’Era, MD, Patricia Katz, PhD, Chun Jimmie Ye, PhD, and Marina Sirota, PhD. For a complete author list see the paper.

Funding: This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01 AR069616, K23AT011768, P30 AI027763), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub.

VEHARI:

A growing measles outbreak in Vehari and its surrounding villages has exposed severe cracks in the district’s healthcare system, with overcrowded hospitals, lack of basic facilities, and delayed medical response.

In Chak 37 WB’s Basti Sheikhawali, residents claim that at least two children have died from measles-related complications.

Families say health teams failed to arrive in time, and critical care was either delayed or absent altogether.

In hospitals, patients—mostly children—are reportedly being treated on the floor or squeezed two or three to a bed due to a severe shortage of space and resources.

Frustrated locals staged protests, accusing the health department of focusing on “photo opportunities” rather than delivering effective, on-ground interventions.

“Where were the teams when our children were dying?” asked one protester.

Health authorities, however, have rejected claims of negligence and measles-related deaths.

Vehari Health CEO Dr Fahad Waheed stated that no fatalities due to measles have been recorded and that the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) teams are active in the field.

He said 578 suspected measles cases have been reported in the district since January 2025, but only 66 have tested positive so far.

In Union Council 5, of the nine suspected cases, only one was clinically confirmed.

Dr Waheed further emphasised that MR1 and MR2 vaccination rates in Vehari stand at 92% and 90%, respectively—figures consistent with national targets.

Regarding a child’s death in Shabbirabad, which residents linked to the measles outbreak, the health department clarified it was caused by neonatal tetanus following an unsafe delivery conducted at home by an untrained midwife.

Legal action has been recommended against those responsible and crash immunisation and awareness campaigns are now underway in the affected regions.

Despite these clarifications, civil society leaders remain unconvinced. Civic activist Sajid Masood Mughal, expressed skepticism over official statements.

“The numbers don’t match the chaos we’re witnessing in hospitals. Bed shortages and lack of urgent care are real,” said a resident.

The local activists called on the Punjab government to ensure swift, visible action, warning that without expanded vaccination, early diagnosis, and grassroots awareness, the situation could deteriorate further. They also urged authorities to strengthen the district’s healthcare infrastructure before the outbreak spirals out of control.

It’s really hard to stick to an exercise routine — even when we really want to. Only about a third of paying gym members actually work out on a regular basis, as survey after survey shows.

If that resonates, don’t fear: a team of scientists have identified a few simple strategies that you can use to make your exercise program a habit.

“We found that information alone won’t change the behavior,” Fernanda Arthuso, an exercise researcher at the University of Alberta, told Business Insider. “Support is important.”

Arthuso was part of a group that recently stunned colon cancer researchers around the world, when they showed that a sustained exercise program could be just as good for recurring colon cancer as extra rounds of chemo.

They designed exercise programs that most patients actually adhered to for three full years of the study — nearly doubling the patients’ initial activity levels. Many of the people in the study even continued exercising after the study finished, building lasting routines that are ongoing indefinitely, she said.

What made the difference were four key rules designed to promote behavior change that Arthuso used with her patients. These can be powerful levers for anyone who wants to develop a new exercise routine, she said.

1. Define what you’re getting out of it

Get personal about why exercise helps you achieve your goals.

Arthuso worked with about 10 colon cancer patients for three years each, educating them about how exercise can actually improve cancer treatment. Done carefully, it can even help reduce symptoms like tingling neuropathy in hands and feet.

This “helped them to understand why it mattered,” she said, laying the foundation for their work.

2. Make it fun — really fun

In order for a workout program to be sustainable in the long run, it must be enjoyable, Arthuso said. Working with her patients, she focused on finding “something that they enjoy — really enjoy doing.”

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“It can be anything, swimming, walking, hiking, cycling, whatever they like,” she said.

In most cases, what the patients enjoyed most was a vigorous walking program — 40 to 60 minutes of brisk walking, about five times per week. Some did it on their treadmill while watching TV. Others woke up early and drove to the mall, so they wouldn’t have to walk outside in the cold Albertan winters.

3. Develop a sense of control over your program

Scheduling is key.

“Plan ahead and have a detailed plan,” Arthuso said. Make your goals challenging, and get really specific about how you’re going to achieve them.

“We define what days of the week they will plan to exercise, what time of the day, how often.”

They even discussed the planned intensity of each workout: would the patient be breathing heavily, or would they be able to carry a conversation with a friend during this session? Patients kept a workout log, and would bring it to their check-ins.

“We ask every session: how did the past two weeks go? Were there any challenges that you faced? Did you achieve your goals? And then we would discuss those barriers that they face and make any adjustments.”

There were plenty of hurdles that came up along the way. One patient went on a cross-country road trip all the way from Canada to Texas and had to plan ahead to find hikes. In every program, wherever the patients were, there were fumbles, and skipped sessions. Arthuso says working through those issues and the imperfections of starting something new is part of what actually helps cement enduring success.

“When we are increasing or maintaining physical activity levels, I don’t think it’s a straight upward path,” she said. “There are natural ups and downs and life events can affect the consistency. But when we acknowledge this and help the patients to navigate them — this was a key component of the program.”

Being cancer patients, the participants also had many extra challenges to deal with, like major fatigue from their treatments, and pain.

Arthuso designed programs that fit these issues, with “lower intensity activities, shorter bouts of movement, or scheduling the exercise during times of the day when they notice that the energy levels are the highest.”

4. Talk to people about your workout

Halfpoint Images/Getty Images

The winning final ingredient in any successful behavior change is the people.

Patients found lasting success in their exercise routine when they were “supported by important people in their lives,” Arthuso said.

She identified a social support strategy for each patient, whether the support came from doctors, friends, or even fellow patients going through colon cancer treatment.

Some patients invited friends or spouses to walk with them. The key was “they were receiving encouragement and they were consistently supported throughout the three year intervention,” she said.

“I believe that what made the difference was this combination of the personal relevance, enjoyable and tailored activity, the consistent support and a clear and actionable plan.”

In clinical studies, the prevalence of cognitive impairments in MS is estimated to be between 54% and 65% [1]. These impairments tend to increase with worsening physical disability, disease duration, and a progressive course [6]. The cognitive domains most frequently affected in MS are speed of information processing, sustained attention, memory, and visuospatial perception [3]. Cognitive impairment significantly affects patients’ quality of life, social integration, and ability to work [18]. Levels of anxiety and depression can have a negative impact on patients’ cognitive performance, leading to poorer outcomes [8]. However, research has demonstrated that higher levels of cognitive reserve are linked to less cognitive impairment in pwMS [11].

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms, CR, sustained attention, and semantic fluency in individuals with impairment. Our hypothesis was that CR predicts the relationship between depressive symptomatology and cognitive function. The main aim was to examine the role of CR as a moderator of the relationship between BDI, PASAT, and WLG.

The findings suggest a consistent association between increased depressive symptomatology and lower performance in sustained attention, and semantic fluency.

Depression affects over 20% of MS patients [19], leading to reduced quality of life, increased hospitalisation and mortality rates, and worse disability progression [20, 21]. Research has demonstrated a correlation between symptoms of depression in patients and a decline in attention and executive function, particularly in tasks that involve distractions [22, 23]. A subsequent study revealed that symptoms of depression are more closely linked to cognitive efficiency, specifically speed, rather than memory [24]. Several studies have shown that pwMS with depression perform worse on the PASAT than non-depressed MS patients and normal control participants [25, 26]. A meta-analysis of 10 studies on MS patients with depression also found a correlation between major depression and lower PASAT scores [27]. It has been widely demonstrated that high levels of depression are associated with worse performance on verbal semantic fluency tests [28].

However, the importance of CR as a predictor of cognitive functioning in persons with disabilities was reiterated [11]. Studies have indicated how CR predicts performance in tests of processing speed and memory [29]. However, it has also been shown the central role played by CR on all aspects of cognition such as executive functions, visuospatial processing and the various cognitive indices measured by the verbal fluency test [30].

To understand whether higher levels of cognitive reserve (CR) could influence the relationship between cognitive performance and depressive symptoms, we conducted a mediation analysis in our study. The analysis considered CR as a potential moderator in the model, based on the direct correlations observed. The results of the mediation analyses indicate that depressive symptoms did not have a direct negative impact on performance in working memory, sustained attention, and verbal fluency. Instead, cognitive reserve (CR) played a protective role in this relationship, resulting in better performance.

Previous research has investigated the relationship between cognitive reserve (CR) and depression. It has been suggested that CR may have a protective effect against the negative impact of increased neurological disability on an individual’s level of depression [31].

Additionally, the correlation between the CRIq score and cognitive performance suggests that patients with higher CRIq scores exhibit better information processing speed, as well as verbal and visuospatial memory performance, compared to those with lower CRIq scores [10]. Cognitive function is differentially protected by CR [32]. High CR predicts the preservation of functional brain connectivity despite grey matter atrophy and attenuates the detrimental effect of white matter alteration on information processing speed in MS patients [33]. In another MS study, high CR was found to selectively protect against the effect of peripheral grey matter atrophy on verbal memory [34].

Previous studies have examined the protective role of CR on cognitive function in patients without multiple sclerosis, but none have specifically focused on the moderating role of CR in the relationship between cognition and depression. Wight and colleagues [35] investigated the impact of education, post-school training, and occupation on cognitive function in a sample of older men living in the community. The study found that a higher level of education moderated the effect of depressive symptoms on cognition, but only when the symptoms were more severe. Bhalla et al. [36] found no moderating effect of education level on neuropsychological performance in a sample of depressed patients. In a study designed to examine the mediation of cognitive reserve in the relationship between cognitive performance and late-life depression, subjects with higher levels of education and/or higher reading scores showed greater declines in cognitive performance with increasing depressive symptoms than those with lower levels of education or reading scores in the reference sample [37]. In agreement with the literature, we also found better performance on cognitive tasks in our study in the presence of higher levels of cognitive reserve, which acts as a protective factor when higher levels of depressive symptoms are registered. While the effect size of -0.044 might be considered weak according to Cohen’s standards, it is important to note that even small effects can have substantial clinical implications for MS patients. The attenuation of cognitive reserve benefits by depressive symptoms highlights the need for integrated therapeutic approaches that address both cognitive and emotional health in MS care.

A few limitations must be considered when interpreting our results. The cross-sectional design, utilizing self-reported measures of CR and neuropsychiatric symptoms, was performed at a single center with a relatively small patient sample and a limited neuropsychological battery. It would be interesting to observe changes in cognitive profiles in larger cohorts over long-term follow-up with a more comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation (including the SDMT and other relevant tests), which could serve as a future goal for this preliminary cross-sectional study. Our findings are specific to the RR-MS population and may not be generalizable to patients with secondary progressive MS (SP-MS). The relatively low percentage of patients on DMTs highlights the variability in treatment practices and patient circumstances. Further research could explore the impact of cognitive reserve and depressive symptoms in other MS subtypes, including SPMS.

Additionally, recognizing the potential limitation of including only newly diagnosed PwMS, who may exhibit higher levels of depression or increased depressive symptoms, future research should compare this group with patients diagnosed for at least two years. This comparison will help clarify the impact of disease duration on depression and cognitive functions.

Finally, another limitation of this study is the absence of specific inclusion criteria for anxiety, fatigue, and sleep quality, despite their known effects on depression in people with disabilities. The sole reliance on the BDI is an additional limitation, as depression can be a secondary symptom in individuals with multiple sclerosis, complicating the relationship between depression and cognitive performance. Future studies should incorporate assessments of anxiety, fatigue, and sleep quality to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the behavioral factors influencing cognitive functions in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

You’re so ugly it hurts.

Maybe if you lost some weight, someone would actually like you.

No filter can fix that face.

These are the sorts of comments teenage girls see online daily, via social media, group chats, or anonymous messages. While some may dismiss this as teasing, these comments constitute appearance-related cyberbullying.

Our previous research shows appearance-related cyberbullying is one of the most common and harmful forms of online abuse of young people. It not only hurts feelings – it changes how teens, particularly girls, see themselves.

In a new study, we’ve looked at brain images of teenage girls viewing appearance-related cyberbullying. We’ve found even just being exposed to online body shaming directed at others can activate regions of the brain linked to emotional pain and social threat.

What is appearance-related cyberbullying?

Appearance-related cyberbullying is any online behaviour that targets the way someone looks. This includes comments about their face, clothes or body. It often happens in public forums, such as comment sections or social media posts, where other people can see it, join in or share it.

The most damaging type focuses on someone’s body, such as their weight, shape or size. These messages don’t need to be long or explicit to hurt. Sometimes a single word, hashtag or even emoji is enough.

While appearance-related bullying can affect anyone, previous studies have shown teenage girls are particularly vulnerable.

During adolescence, the brain is still developing – especially the parts that shape self-esteem and help us make sense of how others see us. This means teenagers can be more affected by what people say about them.

What’s more, girls often feel strong societal pressure to look a certain way. This combination makes body shaming especially harmful.

How common is it?

In a survey of 336 teenage girls we published last year, 98% had experienced some form of cyberbullying. For 62% of them, the abuse targeted their appearance.

Most of those girls said this bullying had lasting effects on their body image and mental health, with 96% saying it made them want to change how they looked. More than 80% felt they needed to consider cosmetic procedures.

Studies from around the world have shown appearance-related cyberbullying is a strong predictor of body dissatisfaction, which is one of the biggest risk factors for eating disorders in teenage girls.

What does it do to the brain?

To understand how body-shaming content affects girls on a deeper level, we designed a brain imaging study.

First, we created a set of social media posts based on typical comments teenage girls see online. Some posts were neutral, while others included body shaming comments.

More than 400 girls rated how realistic and emotionally powerful these posts were. This helped us validate the content so it could be used in current and future studies on how young people respond to body shaming online.

We then invited 26 girls aged 14 to 18, from the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study – a five-year research project at our university seeking to better understand how the teenage brain develops and how this relates to mental health – to take part in a brain scan study.

We used functional MRI, a technique that shows which areas of the brain are more active during certain experiences. Alongside the scans, participants completed questionnaires about their recent experiences of cyberbullying and their body image.

When girls viewed body-shaming posts, we found certain brain regions “lit up” more than others. These included areas involved in emotional pain, self-image, and social judgement. These are regions the brain uses to interpret how others see us, and how we deal with feelings such as shame or rejection.

Girls who had recently been cyberbullied showed more activity in memory and attention regions. This suggests they were reprocessing earlier, painful experiences. Girls with more positive body image, meanwhile, showed calmer, more regulated brain responses, suggesting healthy self-image might be protective.

Girls are affected even when they’re not targeted

Notably, the girls in our study were viewing posts aimed at others – not being subjected to bullying directly. But even so, we saw changes in the way their brains reacted, and how they felt about their own bodies seemed to affect these reactions.

This tells us something important: body-shaming content doesn’t just hurt the person it targets. When appearance is constantly judged and criticised, it can change what girls think is normal or acceptable. It may also affect how their brains respond to social and emotional situations.

What needs to change?

Appearance-related cyberbullying is not just about teenage conflict. It’s a wider, societal issue. Social media platforms reward content that grabs attention, even when it causes harm.

All of this is happening during a sensitive period of brain development, where social feedback shapes how teenagers see themselves and others.

To reduce harm, we need to act on multiple levels:

• start early: while some schools offer lessons on body image and online safety, these topics are not taught consistently. Many young people say they want more support in dealing with appearance-related pressure online

• support parents and educators: adults need tools, resources and language to talk with young people about what they see online, without shame or blame

• hold platforms accountable: social media companies should strengthen reporting systems, and better moderate content that may promote appearance-related abuse such as “before-and-after” posts or other viral trends that target how someone looks

• celebrate all body types: schools, media and influencers can help by showing real people with different body types and focusing on strengths such as kindness, talent, or what bodies can do.

Adolescence is a time of major change in how teenagers think, manage emotions and build relationships. What teenagers experience during these years can shape how they see themselves and understand the world.

Online body shaming may seem like just words on a screen. But if we want the next generation to grow up confident and well, we need to take it seriously.

In Australia, if you are experiencing body image concerns, you can contact the Butterfly Foundation’s national helpline on 1800 33 4673 (or use their online chat).