Findings from the phase 2 COMRADE trial (NCT03317392)were recently shared at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.1
Overall, data showed that the combination of olaparib (Lynparza) plus radium-223 (Xofigo) led to improved radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) vs radium-223 alone in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) with bone metastases.This finding was consistent across both HRR-positive and HRR-negative subgroups.
In a recent interview with Urology Times®, presenting author Rana R. McKay, MD, FASCO, walked through the key findings and notable takeaways from the study. McKay noted that although it is unlikely that the combination of olaparib plus radium-223 will advance to a phase 3 trial, these results open the door for more combination DNA damaging agents in this setting.
McKay is a genitourinary medical oncologist at the University of California, San Diego.
Could you describe the background/rationale for this study?
As a way of background, CRPC really represents a lethal disease. Over 90% of patients develop bone metastases, which are associated with morbidity and diminished quality of life. Radium-223 is a targeted radionuclide that has demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival for patients with CRPC with bone metastases, and olaparib, we know, is a potent PARP inhibitor that has shown clinical efficacy in mCRPC patients harboring HRR alterations.
The rationale for the combination of olaparib with radium-223 is built on 4 complementary mechanisms: that of synthetic lethality; leveraging the G2/M cell cycle arrest period that is the most radiosensitive part of the cell cycle; leveraging the chromatin remodeling effects that are associated with PARP inhibition, which can delay chromatin opening and accessibility, making it harder for cells to repair damaged DNA that’s elicited by radium-223; and reduced tumor hypoxia. So, PARP inhibition decreases cellular oxygen consumption, reducing the hypoxic tumor environment that typically provides radio-resistance. Those complementary mechanisms are why we decided to investigate the combination of these 2 agents.
How was this trial designed? What were the key findings?
The COMRADE study was a phase 1/2 study that enrolled patients with an ECOG [score] of 0 to 1 and progressive mCRPC with at least 2 or more bone metastases without visceral metastases. Patients with adenopathy that was less than or equal to 4 cm were eligible. Patients weren’t permitted to have received prior radium or olaparib, [but] prior docetaxel was permitted. They were required to be on a bone-protecting agent unless contraindicated.
We had previously conducted the phase 1 study, which had demonstrated the recommended phase 2 dose of olaparib at 200 mg by mouth twice daily with fixed dose radium-223 at 55 kBq/kg every 4 weeks for up to 6 doses. The phase 2 study randomized patients 1:1 to the combination of olaparib plus radium vs radium [alone], with a primary end point of radiographic progression-free survival. There were stratification factors based off prior docetaxel utilization and the extent of bone metastases. Crossover was permitted.
This was a positive trial, resulting in a statistically significant improvement in the primary end point of radiographic progression-free survival in the intent-to-treat population. The median rPFS was 8.9 months in the combination, compared with 4.7 months in the radium-223 alone arm with a stratified hazard ratio of 0.47, which was statistically significant. When we look at the benefit based off prior docetaxel utilization, we demonstrate that the greatest effect was observed in patients who had not received prior docetaxel, with a hazard ratio of 0.24. When we looked at the pre-specified subgroup analysis by bone metastases, the greatest effect was among those who had 20 or less bone metastases with a hazard ratio in that subgroup of 0.21.
So, this was a positive trial that met its primary end point of improved radiographic progression-free survival with combination therapy.
What did the safety data from this trial show?
With regards to the safety data, the study demonstrated that there was a higher rate of grade 3 treatment-related adverse events that were observed in the combination arm, 56% compared to 33%. The most common events included anemia (22% vs 16%) and lymphocyte count decrease (31% vs 9%). Most of these were well-managed. For the lymphocyte counts, we largely monitored the symptoms. Drug discontinuation rates were about 24% with [olaparib] in arm A and around 12% with radium-223 in arm A.
Where do you see a radium-223 plus PARP inhibitor combination fitting into the treatment landscape for mCRPC?
This trial really opens up the landscape for combination DNA damaging agents in prostate cancer. Although the combination of olaparib and radium-223 is unlikely to move forward into a large phase 3 trial, there are other radiopharmaceuticals and other PARP inhibitors and DNA-damaging agents. We demonstrated that we could safely and feasibly complete a 145-patient trial with a combination radiopharmaceutical strategy.
What are some of the next steps for this study?
Additional next steps are subgroup analyses based off the molecular findings. All patients on the trial underwent a baseline bone biopsy, and we’re working at dissecting out those results right now. [Patients also underwent] serial ctDNA testing, so we’ll be dissecting out the efficacy data based off biomarker status.
Is there anything else that you wanted to add?
The only other thing to add is that this study was really conducted through the [Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network] ETCTN as an investigator-initiated trial at 9 different centers across the US, with support from the NCI [National Cancer Institute], PCF [Prostate Cancer Foundation], and other funding agents [such as] Padres Pedal the Cause. We thank all of the patients and the community for supporting this study.
REFERENCE
1. McKay RR, Xie W, Ajmera A, et al. A multicenter, randomized, phase 2, investigator-initiated ETCTN trial of olaparib + radium-223 vs. radium-223 in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) with bone metastases (BM) (COMRADE): Initial efficacy and biomarker analysis. J Clin Oncol. 2025;43(suppl 17):5007. doi:10.1200/JCO.2025.43.16_suppl.5007
Wearing shoes indoors might seem harmless — maybe you just track in a little dirt, right? Not quite.
Truth is, most of us probably don’t realize just how unsanitary our shoes really are.
Wearing shoes indoors means dragging in plenty of germs — along with toxins, pollen and even traces of feces. If that doesn’t give you the ick, remember some of it can actually make you, or anyone you live with, sick.
“Your shoes are probably dirtier than the bottom of a public toilet seat,” says Lisa Cuchara, a professor of biomedical sciences at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
That’s why some people opt for a no-shoes policy at home, for themselves and even their guests. Here’s what the experts say about adopting (and enforcing) this kind of rule.
The health risks of wearing shoes inside your home
Of course, it depends on where you’re walking. Shoes that have been on city streets all day are likely much dirtier than those worn just to and from your car on a daily commute.
But either way, your shoes are likely carrying all sorts of stuff, according to Cuchara. Beyond bacteria and germs, Cuchara says shoes are also one of the main ways pollen gets tracked into your home. Your soles can carry bits of the poisonous metal lead, too, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Plus, the bottoms of your shoes probably have bits of bird poop, dog poop and even human poop, per Cuchara.
While gross, none of this is likely to kill you. But Cuchara suggests you consider who is living in your home: Do you have little kids crawling around the floor? Or someone who’s elderly or immunocompromised? That could increase the health risk of wearing shoes inside.
The etiquette of a no-shoes household
If you’re convinced that you need to start enforcing a “no shoes inside” rule, there are a few etiquette considerations, especially if you’re going to ask guests to follow that policy.
“Etiquette is oftentimes thought of how you can best put people at ease,” says Elaine Swann, an etiquette expert and founder of The Swann School of Protocol. “When I welcome guests into my home, I want them to feel comfortable.”
With that in mind, Swann adopts something of a hybrid approach: For overnight or lengthy stays, she asks her guests to leave their shoes at the door. But for brief visits, Swann allows guests to keep their shoes on, and cleans her floors after they leave.
Here are a few more tips for adopting a successful no-shoes policy:
Make sure there is a clearly designated area for guests to leave their shoes after they enter your home.
Provide guests with some means of comfort while they’re shoeless: Maybe a pair of comfy slippers or a pair of socks that can double as a parting gift.
Let your guests know ahead of time that you’ll be asking them to take their shoes off, so they can prepare their sock and shoe choices accordingly. This helps make sure guests aren’t surprised (and then embarrassed) for arriving without socks or with old socks.
If you play your cards right, a no-shoes policy doesn’t have to be a burden on your guests, Swann says. Rather than being seen as the friend who makes guests uncomfortable without their shoes, people might love arriving at your house if they know they’ll be greeted with a pair of cozy slippers to change into.
And when you’re the guest, do your best to follow the rules of the home you’re entering. If they request you take your shoes off, it might be because they have small pets, or an infant who’s picking things up off the floor and putting it in their mouth.
People make requests for a reason, Swann says, and “it’s important for us to respect the wishes of the host.”
The Dreame X50 is mopping up muddy paw prints from vinyl plank flooring. It knows to avoid the area rug when it’s performing the mopping function.
Jared Hannah
Home technology can help
In the event you allow guests to enter your home with their shoes on, CNET has tested hundreds of home tech products that can help you sanitize and clean up after those pesky germs.
Marc Pierrat’s mind once ran as smoothly as the gears on his endurance bike. He was a mechanical engineer by training and a marathoner for fun, a guy who maintained complicated systems at work and a meticulously organized garage at his Westlake Village home.
Three years after his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, Marc’s thoughts are a jumble he can’t sort out alone. Once-routine tasks are now incomprehensible; memories swirl and slip away. His wife, Julia Pierrat, 58, shepherds Marc, 59, through meals and naptime, ensures he is clean and comfortable, gently offers names and words he can’t find himself.
It is often impossible for a person to talk about the internal experience of living with FTD, either because they can’t accurately assess their internal state or don’t have the language to describe it. In many cases the disease attacks the brain’s language centers directly. In others, a common symptom is loss of insight, meaning the ability to recognize that anything is wrong.
But minds can unwind in a million different ways. In Marc’s case, the disease has taken a path that for now has preserved his ability to talk about life with what one doctor called “the most difficult of all neurologic diseases.”
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Thousands of people in the U.S. live with FTD. Marc can speak for only one of them, and at times he does so with clarity that breaks his wife’s heart. Occasionally Julia records snippets of conversation with his permission, mementos from a stage of marriage they never saw coming.
“It feels like walking into a closet you haven’t been in in a while, and you’re looking for something that you know is there, but you don’t know where,” Marc said recently, as Julia looked on.
“And then, you know, you just — yeah. You just give up,” he concluded. “It’s the giving up part that’s hard.”
Marc takes a selfie with his wife, Julia before Marc was diagnosed with FTD.
(Pierrat family)
Do you know the name of the disease that you’re living with?
Yes.
What is it called?
Frontotemporal dementia.
Yep, that’s exactly right.
FTD, for short.
How does it affect you?
Well, I guess, processing of inputs tend to, in a normal mind — they get processed efficiently to a decision. Like, if you’re going to catch a ball, you know, you have the ball in the air, [and] you have to raise your arm and your glove, and you catch the ball. And FTD interferes with all of that. So it makes it harder to catch the ball.
More than 6 million people in the U.S. currently live with dementia, an umbrella term for conditions affecting memory, language and other cognitive functions.
Up to 90% of dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer’s disease, the progressive memory disorder, or by strokes and other vascular problems that disrupt blood flow to the brain. The rest arise from a variety of lesser-known but equally devastating conditions. Frontotemporal dementia is one of them.
After putting Marc in bed for an afternoon nap, Julia spends a quiet moment in the kitchen of their home in Westlake.
In FTD, abnormal proteins accumulate in the brain’s frontal or temporal lobes, damaging and eventually destroying those neurons. It’s frequently misdiagnosed, and so the number of current U.S. cases is hard to pin down — estimates place it between 50,000 and 250,000 people.
By far the best-known person living with FTD is the actor Bruce Willis, whose family disclosed his diagnosis in 2023.
Willis has primary progressive aphasia, the second-most common form. In his case, the most damaged tissues are in his brain’s left frontal or left temporal lobes, which play crucial roles in processing and forming language. One of his first noticeable symptoms was a stutter, his wife Emma Heming Willis has said in interviews; he now has minimal language ability.
But FTD is highly heterogeneous, meaning that symptoms vary widely, and it has affected Marc and Willis in very different ways.
The disease has several subtypes based on where the degeneration begins its advance through the brain.
Marc Pierrat dances with activity counselor Rhoda Nino who leads a class at Infinity Adult Day Health Care Center in Westlake Village.
Pierrat has the most common subtype, behavioral variant FTD. His disease has targeted his frontal lobes, which manage social behavior, emotional regulation, impulse control, planning and working memory — essentially, everything a person needs to relate to others.
FTD typically presents between the ages of 45 and 60. Because it shows up so much earlier than other dementias, its initial symptoms are often mistaken for other conditions: depression, perimenopause, Parkinson’s disease, psychosis.
Everything we think and do and say to one another depends on very specific physical locations in our brains functioning correctly. Behavioral variant FTD strikes right at the places that house our personalities.
When an eloquent person suddenly can’t form sentences, it’s typically seen as a medical problem. But when an empathetic person suddenly withholds affection, it’s perceived as an act of unkindness. The truth is that both can be the product of physical deterioration in a previously healthy brain.
If you were to describe to another person what it’s like to live with FTD, how would you describe it?
Oh my God. . . . Well, you can’t assess situations accurately. You see a train coming, and it’s gonna smash into your car, and you’d be, like, ‘Oh. Huh. That train’s gonna hit my car.’ And there’s nothing you can do.
The first sign came in late 2018. Marc, then 52, was in a fender-bender a few blocks from home and called Julia for a ride. When she arrived, he was not just surprised to see her, but angry. Why was she there? Who’d asked her to come?
She was taken aback by his forgetfulness, and more so by his hostility. Marc could be stubborn and confrontational; over the decades, they’d argued as much as any couple. But this outburst was out of character. She chalked it up to nerves.
Marc was a respected project manager in the pharmaceutical industry. He spent weekends on home improvement projects or immersed in his many hobbies: hiking, woodworking, 100-mile bike races.
Marc, Julia (right), and their daughter take a selfie on the Golden Gate Bridge during a bike ride.
(Pierrat family)
Julia was a business manager with Dole Packaged Foods. Their daughter was pursuing a doctorate at UCLA. The couple enjoyed life as empty nesters with shared passions for road trips and camping.
For a year or two after the accident, nothing happened that couldn’t be dismissed as a normal midlife memory lapse or a cranky mood. But by late 2020, something had undeniably changed. The harsh parts of Marc’s personality ballooned to bizarre proportions, smothering his kindness, generosity and curiosity.
He lost a phone charger and accused Julia’s mother of stealing it. He misplaced his binoculars and swore his sister took them. The neighbors asked the Pierrats to trim their gum trees and Marc flew into a rage, ranting about a supposed plot to spy on them.
His work performance and exercise habits appeared unaffected, which only made his outbursts more confusing — and infuriating — to Julia.
“At the beginning of the disease nobody knew he had any issue, other than he seemed like a total jerk,” she recalled.
The Pierrats did not know they were at the start of a chaotic period distinct to sufferers of FTD’s behavioral variant.
Julia laughs as Marc he squeezes by on a narrow bridge at the Foxfield Riding School in Lake Sherwood.
“Everything that can affect relationships is at the center of the presentation of the behavioral variant,” said Dr. Bruce Miller, director of the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center. “The first instinct of a spouse or a child or a human resource program or a psychiatrist [is to] assume a psychiatric problem.”
People with the condition start to lash out at loved ones or lose interest in lifelong relationships. They may snarl at strangers or shoplift at the mall. They consume food or alcohol obsessively, touch people inappropriately or squander the family’s savings on weird purchases.
And at first, just like in the Pierrats’ case, nobody understands why.
“When someone is not who they were, think neurology before psychology,” said Sharon Hall, whose husband Rod — a devoted spouse who delighted in planning romantic surprises — was diagnosed in 2015 after he started drinking heavily and sending explicit texts to other women.
At Julia’s insistence Marc visited his doctor in July 2021, who referred him to a neurologist. He would spend the next year making his way through a battery of appointments, scans and cognitive testing.
In the meantime, his life disintegrated.
Marc and Julia with their family dogs prior to his diagnosis with FTD.
(Pierrat family)
Just a few years earlier, bosses and colleagues praised Marc as a superlative manager. In January 2022 he was put on notice for a host of causes: combative emails, obnoxious behavior, failures of organization.
At home he botched routine fix-it jobs, missed crucial appointments and got lost on familiar routes. He stopped showering and called Julia appalling names. She went to therapy and contemplated divorce.
Finally, on July 18, 2022, the couple sat across from a neurologist who delivered the diagnosis with all the delicacy of an uppercut.
There was no cure, he told them, and few treatment options. He handed them a pamphlet. Marc showed no emotion.
In the car Julia sobbed inconsolably as Marc sat silent in the passenger seat. Eventually she caught her breath and pulled out from the parking lot.
Do you like being married?
Yes, I do.
Why?
It makes me a better person.
That’s so sweet. How do you think it makes you a better person?
Being able to talk to you and, you know, resolve through different problems together. I mean, it’s good to have an extra mind.
They left the neurologist with nothing: no instructions, no care plan, not even the stupid pamphlet, which was about memory problems in general. “It was diagnose and adios,” Julia said. “I hit the internet immediately.”
Julia now had three different roles: her paid job, Marc’s 24-hour care, and a part-time occupation finding support, services and answers.
Marc tries to figure out what he would like for lunch as Julia offers suggestions at the Joi Cafe in Westlake.
She insisted Marc fill the neurologist’s prescription for an anti-anxiety medication that diminished his irritability and agitation without zonking him out.
She found an eldercare attorney, and together she and Marc organized their legal and financial affairs while he was still well enough to understand what he was signing. Through Facebook she found her most valuable lifeline, a twice-weekly Zoom support group for caregivers.
She went on clinicaltrials.gov, a database of studies run by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and FTDregistry.org, which lists trials specific to the disease, and signed the two of them up for every study they qualified for.
Marc was accepted into AllFTD, a longitudinal study that is the largest ever conducted for this disease. The couple travels yearly to the University of Pennsylvania’s FTD Center for tests that track changes in his symptoms and biomarkers, with the goal of contributing to future therapies and preventive treatments.
Marc paints a bird house during an art class at Infinity Adult Day Health Care Center in Westlake Village.
She found the website of the nonprofit Assn. for Frontotemporal Degeneration. Eventually she became a volunteer AFTD ambassador, speaking and advocating for families affected by the disease. In August, she posed for a group photograph at the state capitol with Emma Heming Willis and other FTD advocates who traveled to Sacramento to meet with state lawmakers.
All of it is a way of finding purpose in pain. FTD has dulled Marc’s emotional reactions, leaving Julia to carry the full weight of their grief.
“He grasps the impact, but somehow the emotion is buffered,” she said. “I lose it sometimes. I cry my eyes out, for sure. I feel the full emotional impact of it, in slow motion. . . . There’s no blunting it for me.”
Julia helps Marc up from a couch on the back patio of their home in Westlake.
These days the Pierrats rise around 6 a.m., eat the breakfast Julia prepares, and then Marc takes his first nap of the day (fatigue is a common FTD symptom). When he wakes around 9 a.m. Julia makes sure he uses the bathroom, and then drives him to a nearby adult daycare program where he does crafts and games until lunch. He sleeps for another few hours at home, spends two hours in the afternoon with a paid caregiver so that Julia can do errands or exercise, and then the couple eats dinner together before Marc beds down by 8 p.m.
When they are awake together, they go for walks around the neighborhood or to familiar cafes or parks. The hostility of the early disease has passed. They speak tenderly to one another.
At each sleep, Julia walks him upstairs to the bedroom they used to share. She tucks him in and gives him a kiss. At night she retires to a downstairs guestroom, because if they share a bed Marc will pat her constantly throughout the night to make sure she’s still there.
My clock’s ticking. I could die any day.
Do you feel like you’re going to die any day? Or do you feel healthy?
I feel kind of healthy, but I’m still worried. Because I have something that I can’t control inside of me.
About two years ago, Julia and Marc were on one of their daily walks when she realized they had already had their last conversation as the couple they once were, with both of them in full possession of their faculties. In one crucial sense, Marc was already gone.
Julia makes sure Marc is comfortable for his afternoon nap at their home in Westlake.
But in other ways, their connection remains.
“The love that we have is still completely there,” she said recently in the couple’s backyard, while Marc napped upstairs.
“When you’re married to someone and you’ve been with someone for so long, you almost have your own language between you. He and I still have that.”
She looked out over the potted succulents and winding stone pathways they had spent so many weekends tending together.
“A lot of our relationship is preserved in spite of it, which is just so interesting, [and] also makes it more heartbreaking,” she continued. “Because you know that if the disease plays out like it is expected to, you will just continue to slowly lose pieces.”
The average life expectancy for people with Marc’s type of FTD is five to seven years after diagnosis. Some go much sooner, and others live several years longer.
At the moment, all FTD variants lead to a similar end. Cognition and memory decline until language and self-care are no longer possible. The brain’s ability to regulate bodily functions, like swallowing and continence, erodes. Immobility sets in, and eventually, the heart beats for the last time.
But until then, people keep living. They find reasons to keep going and ways to love one another. The Pierrats do, anyway.
Marc and Julia visit horses at the Foxfield Riding School in Lake Sherwood.
On a recent morning, the couple strolled through a nearby equestrian school where their daughter once took lessons. Julia brought a baggie of rainbow carrot coins she’d sliced at home. She showed Marc how to feed the horses, as she does at every visit.
“Hold your hand completely flat, like I’m doing,” she said gently.
“I don’t want to lose a finger,” Marc said as a chestnut horse nuzzled his palm.
“You’re not going to lose a finger,” Julia assured him. “I won’t let that happen to you.”
Marc and Julia walk hand-in-hand after visiting horses at the Foxfield Riding School in Lake Sherwood.
If you are concerned about a loved one with dementia or need support after a diagnosis, contact the Assn. for Frontotemporal Dementia helpline at theaftd.org/aftd-helpline or (866) 507-7222 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
Losing weight after 35, especially belly fat, can feel like an uphill battle. Hormonal shifts, slower metabolism, and lifestyle demands often make it harder for women to see results, even with regular workouts.
Fitness coach Dr Akanni Salako shared 2 weight loss hacks to get rid of stubborn belly fat for women above 35.(Unsplash)
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According to women’s weight loss coach Dr Akanni Salako, the key isn’t just cardio or calorie-cutting – it’s a smarter, more balanced approach. He reveals two easy hacks to help you shed fat and finally beat that stubborn belly pooch.
In an Instagram video posted on August 26, Dr Salako shares advice for women above 35 aiming to reduce belly fat, emphasizing a holistic approach beyond just cardio, strongly recommending strength training and meals rich in proteins and fibres. He also adds a sample workout chart and meal plan that will make it easier for you to adopt his advice. In addition to this, he also slips in a bonus tip that will help you manage meals on busy days.
Strength training
Dr. Salako recommends strength training for a minimum of three times a week. According to the fitness coach, “Cardio alone won’t help you lose stubborn belly fat, especially when you’re navigating hormonal shifts. Strength training builds muscle, balances your hormones, and allows you to burn more calories at rest.” He also shares a sample workout chart and suggests incorporating it in your next gym session.
Dr. Salako shared a full body workout chart that will help you incorporate strength training in your routine.(instagram/@dr.salako)
Protein and fibres in every meal
The coach recommends making proteins and fibers a priority at every meal to support weight management and overall wellness. He explains that having consistent cravings is your body’s way of signalling a need for nutrient balance. He suggests, “Pair lean protein with high-fiber foods during your meals. This will help you stay full longer and prevent the midnight and the late night cravings.” He also shares a sample meal chart with go-to protein and fibre rich meal options, complete with cooking time and how it works for the body.
Also Read | Radhika Apte’s diet secrets for toned body on 40th birthday: Water with coriander seeds, cumin first thing in morning
The fitness coach shared meal options that will help you include more proteins and fibres in your diet.(instagram/@dr.salako (image enhanced using AI tools))
‘Pivot plans’ for busy nights
When life gets busy, it’s easy to grab takeout or junk food. Having a few “pivot” meals will ensure you are never stuck without a healthy option, even on busy days.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
Abdominal pain in women is common, and many may overlook or downplay it. Most importantly, they confuse it with regular issues like menstrual cramps or digestive discomfort. But, Dr Pankaj Sharma, director of the department of bariatric, general and laparoscopic surgery at Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh and founder at Shalya Clinic, Rohini in New Delhi, told HT Lifestyle that it should not be taken casually.
DGBI symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, acid reflux.(Shutterstock)
ALSO READ: Hepatologist warns don’t ignore severe pain in right side of stomach: 7 warning signs your simple tummy ache is serious
In fact, according to his clinical observation, one of the common complaints from women is mostly abdominal pain. And women dismiss these symptoms mostly. But this causes a delay in treatment and diagnosis at an advanced stage.
Dr Sharma shared his experience of how the situation escalates by revealing one of the frequent patterns among his patients, “I frequently see women who lived with gallstone pain for months, thinking it was acidity or indigestion. By the time they come to us, surgery is often the only option.”
Describing how all kinds of pain require medical attention, he said, “Abdominal pain should never be ignored, whether it’s dull, sharp, or recurring.” Earlier diagnosis, as per him, helps in better outcomes. Further, when things get complicated, the doctor observed that many women regretted waiting too long.
Awareness is the first step towards acknowledging that abdominal pain is something more than everyday discomfort, particularly for women.
Dr Sharma listed 5 potential health issues abdominal pain could be associated with, along with signs when one should visit a doctor promptly:
5 common overlooked conditions behind abdominal pain
Endometriosis pain is very difficult to manage, and different from regular period pain. (Shutterstock)
1. Gallstones
Gallstones are particularly common in women due to hormonal influences, obesity, and dietary factors.
They can cause severe pain in the upper right abdomen, often after fatty meals.
2. Appendicitis
Appendicitis can mimic menstrual cramps or general stomach pain in women, leading to misdiagnosis or delayed treatment.
A ruptured appendix is a life-threatening emergency.
3. Endometriosis
Though gynaecological, endometriosis often presents as severe lower abdominal pain and is commonly confused with gastrointestinal issues.
It requires careful evaluation and sometimes surgical intervention.
4. Ovarian cysts
Many women ignore bloating or dull pelvic pain, assuming it is related to their cycle.
Large cysts can twist (ovarian torsion) and require urgent surgery.
5. Hernias
Women often overlook groin or abdominal bulges, assuming them to be weight gain.
Untreated hernias can lead to obstruction or strangulation, both surgical emergencies.
When should women seek medical help?
Abdominal pain along with a bloated belly, fever indicates something serious, requiring medical attention. (Shutterstock)
Severe pain that does not subside with rest.
Pain associated with vomiting, fever, or bloating.
Persistent changes in digestion or bowel habits.
Pain that worsens after eating.
Pain interferes with daily activities.
In the end, Dr Sharma shared a very important piece of advice: “If abdominal pain is persistent or unusual for you, don’t self-medicate with painkillers or dismiss it as ‘normal.’ A simple ultrasound or diagnostic laparoscopy can save you from serious complications.”
Often, women ignore their abdominal pain due to family responsibilities, confusion with period cramps, and other reasons. Instead, they resort to home-based treatments, which often include painkillers. However, this is not the right approach, as timely diagnosis can prevent complications. As Dr Sharma reminded, modern laparoscopic treatment techniques include minimally invasive surgeries and shorter recovery times.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
The method can analyze proteins in 27 cells simultaneously compared to the previous limitation of 3 cells, making it possible to map the entire brain’s proteome within a few years.
The technology can identify early warning signals for Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear, when treatments have a better chance of working.
If the team succeeds in scaling up their methods by another 100 times, it may be possible to map the proteome of every cell in the human brain within a few years.
Protein analysis becomes more efficient
Researchers at Parallel Squared Technology Institute have developed methods that can analyze proteins in significantly more cells simultaneously than before. They work to make protein analysis as simple and affordable as DNA sequencing, writes Asimov Press.
Human cells contain more than 20,000 different proteins, all of which can change depending on the cell’s needs. These changes are crucial for understanding diseases like Alzheimer’s, where protein modifications play a central role.
The cost of analyzing a cell’s proteome has dropped from thousands of dollars to between 2 and 50 dollars per cell. The problem is that researchers can only analyze about a dozen cells at a time with existing technology.
Barcodes multiply capacity
The team has developed a system with nine different barcodes that attach to proteins. Previously, researchers could only use three barcodes simultaneously. The chemistry team has created 10,000 different barcodes during the year and uses algorithms to design better versions.
The researchers have also developed a method called timePlex. Instead of waiting 30-60 minutes between each analysis, they feed in three rounds of samples with a few minutes’ interval. This creates a continuous stream of signals that triples the capacity.
The combination of nine barcodes and three time-shifted loads allows the team to analyze 27 different proteomes in a single experiment. This is nine times more than the previous standard.
Alzheimer’s research as test area
The institute uses its technology to study Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 7.1 million Americans. The disease is linked to at least two proteins: amyloid-β plaques outside neurons and phosphorylated Tau proteins inside neurons.
The researchers analyze neurons from Alzheimer’s patients who died at different stages of the disease, from Braak 0 to Braak 6. They cut out thin sections of brain tissue and sort them into individual neurons. Each neuron is placed in small water droplets and marked with barcodes before analysis.
The goal is to find warning signals long before plaques or tangles become visible. The team hopes to identify markers that appear in the disease’s early, symptomless phase when treatments have a better chance of working.
Existing drugs like lecanemab and donanemab can reduce plaque burden and slow cognitive decline by 27 percent and 35 percent respectively over 18 months. But they can only be given after the patient shows clear symptoms.
From dozens to thousands of cells
PTI was founded in 2023 by Nikolai Slavov together with Harrison Specht and Aleksandra Petelski. The team now consists of 22 people in biochemistry, computational biology, and organic chemistry.
Their current limitation is that the robot preparing cell samples can keep pace with the mass spectrometers. When their barcodes and timePlex methods expand, the mechanical part of the experiment will become the bottleneck instead of mass spectrometry.
If the team succeeds in scaling up their methods by another 100 times, it may be possible to map the proteome of every cell in the human brain within a few years. This would have a major impact on understanding complex diseases.
The technology can also be used to track how signaling circuits malfunction in cancer, follow immune cells as they learn to recognize pathogens, or detect early changes in brain disorders long before symptoms begin.
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The brings together non-profit health organizations across Europe to advocate for policies that improve health through cleaner air. The Coalition’s new infographic sets out the evidence on the health burden of air pollution and the urgent steps needed to address it.
Air pollution is the leading environmental threat to health in Europe. It is linked to all major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, cancer, and diabetes. Scientific evidence shows that even low levels of exposure can be harmful. Certain groups are disproportionately affected: pregnant women, children, older people, individuals with pre-existing health conditions, and socio-economically disadvantaged populations face the highest risks.
Poor air quality carries substantial health impacts and a significant economic cost, amounting to hundreds of billions of euros each year in healthcare expenditure, lost productivity, and reduced quality of life.
To protect health and reduce these costs, EU and national decision-makers should:
Accelerate the pace of binding emissions reductions
Introduce binding methane reduction targets
End subsidies for fossil fuels and ammonia-emitting practices
Remove the “renewable” designation from biomass that worsens air quality
“The annihilation of the smallpox, the most dreadful scourge of the human species, must be the final result of this practice,” Jenner wrote in 1801. And he would be proved right. In 1980, after a decades-long public health campaign that included widespread vaccination, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared smallpox had been eradicated. It remains the only infectious disease where this has been achieved.
A sleugh of other vaccines have been developed against other diseases, from influenza to human papillomavirus infections that cause certain cancers and the Sars-COV-2 virus behind Covid-19. In the past 50 years, an estimated 154 million lives have been saved by vaccines, according to one recent study.
Yet, opposition to vaccines – or hesitancy about accepting them – is widespread and on the rise in many parts of the world, even percolating into the uppermost branches of governments responsible for improving public health. This week, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was quizzed by the Senate Finance Committee over his vaccine policies, resulting in fiery exchanges. On the same day, the surgeon general of Florida also announced plans to end vaccine mandates in the state. (Read more about why vaccine distrust is on the rise.)
So, is this a recent phenomenon, or has distrust in vaccines been around for as long as the jabs themselves? Why do they face protests from relatively small, but vocal, segments of the public? And how have these arguments evolved? This is a look at the long, and strange history of the anti-vax movement.
Back in the early 1800s, a series of controlled experiments by Jenner and other doctors quickly showed inoculation to be extremely effective, granting immunity against smallpox in well over 95% of those vaccinated. Public health authorities worldwide took action to roll it out. In the UK, a series of Vaccination Acts, passed in 1840, 1853 and 1871, made immunisation for children first free, then compulsory.
