Have you ever wondered how a tax on sugary drinks could influence kids' choices? Well, down in South Africa, researchers took a close look at this very topic. Over four years, they observed how a tax on sweet beverages, known as the health promotion levy, was changing kids' drinking habits. They did
Imagine you're battling advanced biliary tract cancer (ABTC), and your doctors suggest a mix of drugs: nivolumab, modified gemcitabine, and S-1. This combo showed promise in a past trial, but PD-L1 levels didn't tell us much about how well it would work. So, scientists looked at another marker, LAG-
You might not think about it, but the time of day you get your cancer treatment could make a difference. Scientists have been looking into how our body's internal clock, called the circadian rhythm, affects how well cancer drugs work. One type of drug, called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has
Immune treatments, or immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), are game-changers for some people with far-advanced solid tumors. But when it comes to biliary tract cancer (BTC), doctors are still figuring out who gets the most benefit from these treatments. A recent trial focused on pembrolizumab, an IC
Biliary tract cancers, like cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, are growing more common worldwide, and most patients get diagnosed when the disease has already advanced, leading to a grim outlook. Recently, combining immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as durvalumab and pembrolizumab, with the
Meet Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), a common virus that can sometimes cause brain inflammation, or encephalitis. In a recent case, EBV managed to trick doctors by mimicking another brain infection caused by the herpes virus. This isn't as uncommon as you might think, but it sure is interesting! When a y
Imagine having a kidney transplant and suddenly facing a fever you can't shake off, along with a strange swelling in your spleen and blood cell counts dropping. This was the reality for a 74-year-old patient who ended up in the hospital. Doctors were baffled at first, but they soon discovered that t
When people get a stem cell transplant from someone else (called allogeneic transplant), their immune system takes a big hit. This makes them super vulnerable to infections from bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Even with better protection strategies, bacterial infections in the bloodstream (called BSIs
Ever thought about how those high-tech wrist gadgets can truly make a difference for your heart? Scientists have found a way to improve these devices by solving a major problem: the weak signals they send out. They've created a smart tool called SRECG. This tool cleans up those blurry signals, makin
Weight stigma is everywhere, affecting people's social, physical, and mental health. It comes from many places. So, researchers created a new tool called the Weight Stigma Exposure Inventory (WeSEI). This tool helps us understand where people experience weight stigma, whether it's from others or fro
