Comment

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 23, 2025 at 7:16am

Sara L. Loo et al, Scenario Projections of COVID-19 Burden in the US, 2024-2025, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.32469

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 23, 2025 at 7:15am

COVID-19 models suggest universal vaccination may avert over 100,000 hospitalizations

US Scenario Modeling Hub, a collaborative modeling effort of 17 academic research institutions, reports a universal COVID-19 vaccination recommendation could avert thousands more  hospitalizations and deaths than a high-risk-only strategy.

Nine independent teams produced projections under six scenarios that combined two immune escape rates, 20% and 50% per year. An immune escape rate is the annual reduction in protection against infection that occurs as new SARS-CoV-2 variants evolve. Projections covered the United States population of 332 million with an estimated 58 million aged 65 years.

Three vaccine recommendation strategies were tested. No recommendation, recommendation for high-risk groups only, or recommendation for all eligible individuals. Annually reformulated vaccines were assumed to match variants circulating on June 15, 2024, to be available on September 1, 2024, and to be 75% effective against hospitalization at the time of release.

Teams calibrated their models to weekly hospitalizations and deaths reported by the National Healthcare Safety Network and the National Center for Health Statistics.

In the worst case scenario, defined by high immune escape with no vaccine recommendation, projections reached 931,000 hospitalizations with a 95% projection interval of 0.5 to 1.3 million and 62,000 deaths with a 95% projection interval of 18,000 to 115,000.

In the best case defined by low immune escape with a universal recommendation, the ensemble projected 550,000 hospitalizations with a 95% projection interval of 296,000 to 832,000 and 42,000 deaths with a 95% projection interval of 13,000 to 72,000.

Severe outcomes clustered in older populations. Across scenarios, adults aged 65 years and older accounted for 51% to 62% of hospitalizations and 84% to 87% of deaths.

Vaccination of high-risk groups was only projected to avert 11% of hospitalizations under low immune escape and 8% under high escape, along with 13% and 10% of deaths. A universal recommendation increased the effect with 15% fewer hospitalizations under low immune escape and 11% fewer under high, with 16% and 13% fewer deaths.

Under high immune escape, a high-risk-only strategy averted 76,000 hospitalizations with a 95% CI of 34,000 to 118,000 and 7,000 deaths with a 95% CI of 3,000 to 11,000. Expanding to a universal recommendation prevented 104,000 hospitalizations with a 95% CI of 55,000 to 153,000 and 9,000 deaths with a 95% CI of 4,000 to 14,000.

Additional indirect benefits accrued to older adults under a universal strategy. Compared with high-risk-only vaccination, universal recommendations prevented about 11,000 more hospitalizations and 1,000 more deaths in those aged 65 years and older.

Observed national patterns diverged in timing from projections. A marked summer 2024 wave was followed by a smaller peak in January 2025, while projections anticipated the heaviest burden from late December 2024 to mid January 2025. Ensemble coverage for weekly deaths remained strong, with 95% intervals closely matching observed values.

Authors conclude that vaccines remain a critical tool to limit COVID-19 burden in 2024–2025, with universal recommendations offering added direct and indirect protection and the potential to save thousands more lives, including among older adults.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 23, 2025 at 7:12am

 Jacques E. Rossouw et al, Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cardiovascular Diseases in Women With Vasomotor Symptoms, JAMA Internal Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.4510

Deborah Grady et al, Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms—Better Understanding Cardiovascular Risk, JAMA Internal Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.4521

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 23, 2025 at 7:11am

Hormone therapy eases hot flashes while leaving heart risk unchanged in younger women

Researchers report that menopausal hormone therapy relieved vasomotor symptoms without raising cardiovascular risk in younger women, but increased risk was evident in women aged 70 years and older.

Concerns about the safety of hormone therapy have discouraged many women and clinicians from using it to treat hot flashes and night sweats. Some previous studies have suggested increased risk of coronary heart disease linked to hormone use, particularly in older women. At the same time, vasomotor symptoms remain among the most common and distressing consequences of menopause, and effective treatment options have been limited.

In the study, "Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cardiovascular Diseases in Women With Vasomotor Symptoms: A Secondary Analysis of the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Clinical Trials," published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed outcomes from two hormone therapy trials to assess the safety of treatment in women experiencing vasomotor symptoms.

A total of 27,347 postmenopausal women  aged 50 to 79 years were enrolled from 40 clinical centers across the United States. Among them, 10,739 had undergone hysterectomy and were randomized to receive conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) or placebo, while 16,608 with an intact uterus were randomized to CEE plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) or placebo.

Women were followed for a median of 7.2 years in the CEE trial and 5.6 years in the CEE plus MPA trial. Vasomotor symptoms were assessed at baseline and year one, with nearly all women who reported moderate or severe symptoms recalling onset near menopause.

CEE alone reduced vasomotor symptoms by 41% across all age groups. CEE plus MPA also reduced symptoms but with age-related variation, showing strong benefit in women aged 50 to 59 years and diminished or absent benefit in women 70 years and older.
Analysis of cardiovascular outcomes found neutral effects of both CEE alone and CEE plus MPA in women aged 50 to 59 years with moderate or severe symptoms. No clear harm was observed in those aged 60 to 69 years, although risk estimates were elevated for CEE alone.

Women aged 70 years and older had significantly higher rates of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with hazard ratios of 1.95 for CEE alone and 3.22 for CEE plus MPA, corresponding to 217 and 382 excess events per 10,000 person-years, respectively.

Investigators concluded that hormone therapy can be considered for treatment of vasomotor symptoms in younger women aged 50 to 59 years, while initiation in women aged 60 to 69 years requires caution. For women 70 years and older, the findings argue against the use of hormone therapy due to substantially increased cardiovascular risk.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 23, 2025 at 7:04am

El Niño, which means little boy in Spanish, is a complex, cyclical weather pattern that warms the surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This weakens trade winds and alters atmospheric conditions, a process that has long been known to suppress summer rainfall in India.

Studies  found a direct connection between Indian rainfall and El Niño. In the drier regions of southeastern and northwestern India, this climate phenomenon reduces total rainfall and the intensity of extreme events. However, in the wet central and southwestern parts of the country, it results in less frequent but more intense downpours. This is due to changes in convective buoyancy, an atmospheric force that powers storms.

During El Niño summers, convective buoyancy increases in the wettest regions, which makes more extreme rainfall likely. The chance of a very heavy downpour (more than 250 mm of rain) increases by 43% across all of India's monsoon-affected areas and 59% for the Central Monsoon Zone during El Niño summers.

"Extreme daily rainfall over the Indian summer  monsoon's rainiest areas becomes more likely the stronger that El Niño conditions are," commented the researchers in their study.

Spencer A. Hill, More extreme Indian monsoon rainfall in El Niño summers, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adg5577. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg5577

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 22, 2025 at 11:56am

Study finds 10% of pediatric blood cancers may stem from medical imaging radiation

A new study has concluded that radiation from medical imaging is associated with a higher risk of blood cancers in children.

Researchers examined data from nearly 4 million children and estimated that one in 10 blood cancers—some 3,000 cancers in all—may be attributable to radiation exposure from medical imaging. The risk increased proportionally based on the cumulative amount of radiation the children received.

The investigation is the first comprehensive assessment using data from children and adolescents in North America that quantifies the association between radiation exposure from medical imaging and blood and bone marrow cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, which are the most common forms of cancer in children and adolescents.

Medical imaging saves lives by enabling timely diagnosis and effective treatment, but it also exposes patients to ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen, particularly through computed tomography (CT).

Children are particularly vulnerable to radiation-induced cancer due to their heightened radiosensitivity and longer life expectancy.

The authors caution that doctors and parents should avoid excessive radiation doses and minimize exposure when clinically feasible.

Investigators found a significant relationship between cumulative radiation dose and the risk of a hematologic malignancy, which includes tumors affecting the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system.

Among all the forms of medical imaging, the study found that chest radiography was the most common imaging exam that doctors performed. The most common form of CT was of the head and brain.

For children who underwent a head CT, the researchers attributed about a quarter of the children's subsequent hematologic malignancies to radiation exposure.

The authors emphasized that while medical imaging remains an invaluable tool in pediatric care, their findings highlight the need to carefully balance its diagnostic benefits with potential long-term risks.

Rebecca Smith-Bindman, et al. Medical Imaging and Pediatric and Adolescent Hematologic Cancer Risk. The New England Journal of Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2502098

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 20, 2025 at 9:19am

Think before you ink: Uncovering the hidden risks in tattoo inks

New research suggests that what's in the ink may pose greater risks than the size and design of the tattoo.

A new study has revealed that the ingredients listed on tattoo ink labels often don't match what's actually inside the bottle. Researchers warn that this comes with risk because there are currently few regulations, laws and safety criteria for tattoo and permanent cosmetic formulations.

The findings, published this month as the cover story in the Journal of Environmental Health, raise fresh concerns about the safety and regulation of tattoo inks.

Using a combination of advanced analytical techniques, researchers found discrepancies between labeled and actual ingredients in a range of commercially available yellow tattoo inks.

The results showed not only discrepancies with label claims, but also the presence of unlisted elements such as aluminum, sodium and silicon.

Batool A. Aljubran et al, Decoding Tattoo Inks: Multiple Analysis Techniques Reveal Discrepancies in Ingredient Composition and Elemental Content When Compared Against Label Claims, Journal of Environmental Health (2025). DOI: 10.70387/001c.143999

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 20, 2025 at 9:13am

Sugary drinks may increase risk of metastasis in advanced colorectal cancer

A new study by researchers shows that the glucose-fructose mix found in sugary drinks directly fuels metastasis in preclinical models of advanced colorectal cancer. The study was published today in Nature Metabolism.

The researchers studied how sugary drinks may affect late-stage colorectal cancer. Using laboratory cancer models, they compared the effects of the glucose-fructose mix found in most sugary drinks with those of glucose or fructose alone. Only the sugar mix made cancer cells more mobile, leading to faster spread to the liver—the most common site of colorectal cancer metastasis.

The sugar mix activated an enzyme called sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD), which boosts glucose metabolism and triggers the cholesterol pathway, ultimately driving metastasis. This is the same pathway targeted by statins, common heart drugs that inhibit cholesterol production. Blocking SORD slowed metastasis, even with the sugar mix present. These findings suggest that targeting SORD could also offer an opportunity to block metastasis.

These  findings highlight that daily diet matters not only for cancer risk but also for how the disease progresses once it has developed.

Fructose and glucose from sugary drinks enhance colorectal cancer metastasis via SORD, Nature Metabolism (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42255-025-01368-w. www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01368-w

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 19, 2025 at 12:04pm

New cancer clue discovered in our saliva

Scientists have discovered a brand-new type of DNA element swimming in our saliva.

The giant loops of genetic information – named ‘inocles’ – are linked to oral health, the immune system, and cancer risk.

Those with head and neck cancers show far fewer of these DNA elements in their mouths.

Inocles are found in roughly 75 percent of the population. Like little survival kits, their presence might help certain oral bacteria during stressful times, possibly altering the microbiome in our mouths.

How that impacts tumor growth is a mystery to solve. Right now, 95 percent of the genes in inocles remain elusive. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62406-5

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 19, 2025 at 10:22am

India health alert after 'brain-eating' amoeba rise

India has issued a health alert after infections and deaths caused by a rare water-borne "brain-eating" amoeba doubled compared to last year in the southern state of Kerala.

Officials were "conducting tests on a large scale across the state to detect and treat cases."

Officials reported 19 deaths and 72 infections of the Naegleria fowleri amoeba this year, including nine deaths and 24 cases in September alone.

Last year, the amoeba killed nine people out of 36 reported cases.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it is often called a "brain-eating amoeba" because it can "infect the brain and destroy brain tissue."

If the amoeba reaches the brain, it can cause an infection that kills over 95% of those affected.

Infections are "very rare but nearly always fatal," the CDC notes.

The amoeba lives in warm lakes and rivers and is contracted by contaminated water entering the nose. It does not spread from person to person.

The World Health Organization says that symptoms include headache, fever and vomiting, which rapidly progresses to "seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations, and coma."

Source: News Agencies

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