Cigarette smoking can manipulate signalling molecules to subvert macrophage functions, hindering the innate immune response against pneumococcal infection and promoting infectivity, according to new trial results published in the Journal of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection. By Like Halpern Key Takeaways Cigarette smoking impairs macrophage function, reducing innate immune response against pneumococcal infection and increasing infection susceptibility. Smokers have more potential pathogens in their nasopharyngeal flora, leading to increased bacterial colonization and lung inflammation. One of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, cigarette smoke (CS) inhalation can lead to acute lung and respiratory tract inflammation. This is associated with bacterial colonization; when…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
At COP29 in Baku, developed-country parties such as the EU, the US and Japan agreed to help raise “at least” $300bn a year by 2035 for climate action in developing countries. Global-north leaders welcomed the goal, which was presented as a “tripling” of the previous target for international climate finance. By Josh Gabbatiss Yet it faced a strong backlash from many developing countries, with some branding it a “joke” and “betrayal”. A closer analysis of the goal and climate-finance data helps to explain this response. Analysts have shown that the target is achievable with virtually “no additional budgetary effort” from developed countries, beyond already-committed increases. A combination of pre-existing national pledges and multilateral Development Bank (MDB) plans will bring…
Ever since the United Nations cultural organization recognized the Haiti and the Dominican Republic’s indigenous cassava flatbread for its contribution to humanity on Wednesday, Geo Ripley’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing. The Dominican Republic-based artist and researcher has been fielding calls, he says, from fellow cassava enthusiasts from around Latin America wanting to know how they too can get their version of the popular flatbread made from the bitter cassava or yucca root using techniques passed down from the region’s first inhabitants to its present-day populations, also recognized. On Wednesday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, recognized cassava…
Niger’s military junta has taken operational control of Somair, the uranium mining subsidiary of French nuclear giant Orano, amid escalating disputes over mining regulations and foreign influence. Since seizing power in a 2023 coup, the junta has pursued an aggressive overhaul of foreign mining operations in Niger, the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer, signaling a strategic shift in its economic and diplomatic alignments. Authorities recently revoked Orano’s permit for the massive Imouraren uranium deposit, a resource of significant global interest, and sealed the Benin border, halting uranium exports vital to Niger’s economy. The junta has also downgraded its longstanding ties with…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted prequalification to the Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra, a molecular diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) and antibiotic susceptibility. This marks a significant advancement in global TB care, being the first TB diagnostic test to meet WHO’s stringent prequalification standards for quality, safety, and performance. Tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases, claiming over a million lives annually and imposing severe socioeconomic challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The early and accurate detection of TB, especially drug-resistant strains, is critical to combating the disease. The Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra, developed by Cepheid Inc., utilizes the…
A new survey by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), conducted in collaboration with Epicentre and the Katsina State Ministry of Health, reveals alarming levels of malnutrition in Katsina State, northwest Nigeria. The findings show malnutrition rates have reached “extremely critical” levels, with global acute malnutrition (GAM) affecting over 30% of children in some areas, and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) — the deadliest form — ranging between 6.8% and 14.4%. The survey, carried out in July 2024 across Katsina, Jibia, and Mashi Local Government Areas (LGAs), highlights a worsening crisis. Compared to 2022, GAM prevalence has risen sharply, doubling in some areas.…
The world needs to urgently change the way food is grown and land is used in order to avoid irreparable harm to global food production capacity, according to a major new scientific report released Sunday. Currently seven out of nine ‘planetary boundaries’ have been negatively impacted by unsustainable land use, mostly related to unsustainable agriculture, warns the report produced by the German-based Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) along with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Approximately 15 million km² of land area, or 10% of the world’s terrestrial space, is already severely degraded, as measured by the extent of…
The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on plastic pollution wrapped up in Busan, South Korea, with over 3,300 delegates from 170 nations agreeing on a “Chair’s Text” as the foundation for further treaty negotiations. A follow-up session is planned for 2025. The Chair’s Text, developed by Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, aims to advance efforts toward a legally binding global treaty addressing plastic pollution across its life cycle. While progress was made on treaty structure and shared challenges, key areas of divergence remain, requiring additional negotiation. Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), highlighted the…
The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN), hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), has announced the first 10 recipients of its catalytic grant fund, awarding nearly $2 million to strengthen pathogen genomic surveillance in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The grants aim to enhance the use of genomic analysis, a technology that decodes the genetic makeup of viruses and bacteria, enabling scientists to track disease spread, develop vaccines, and inform public health responses. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Wellcome, the fund is hosted by the United Nations Foundation. ALSO READ Nigeria now beneficiary…
Shakira Abubakar, a resident of Ogijo, a boundary community between Lagos and Ogun States, received the news of her pregnancy with joy, but that joy was nearly threatened when she entered labour prematurely, giving birth to her son at 27 weeks gestation. By Oluwafunke Ishola “I was at the salon plaiting my hair during a visit to my mother at Yaba when I experienced a sharp pain in my stomach. “From there, I was rushed to the hospital, where I was examined and told it was a contraction. I was shocked, and scared and burst into tears, but my mother…