Until law, GLP-1 drugs were used to treat diabetes, obesity and even the recent evidences suggest that it could as well be used to treat chronic kidney problems. There is yet another research, published in JAMA Psychiatry on February 25, titled Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial that explores if GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide reduce alcohol consumption and cravings in adults with alcohol use disorder.

What Do Studies Say?

The research was conducted over a period of 9 weeks, where in the randomized clinical trial, the participants who were administered semaglutide, it led to reductions in some but not all measures of weekly consumptions. It also reduced weekly alcohol and craving related to placebo, and also led to a greater relative reduction in cigarettes per day.

The research also found that weekly injections of semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in weight loss drugs like Wegovy also helped reduce cravings in people with alcohol use disorder.

The lead author Christian Hendershot said that these findings will help in developing new approaches to treat alcoholism. "Two drugs currently approved to reduce alcohol consumption aren't widely used. The popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists increases the chances of broad adoption of these treatments for alcohol use disorder," said Hendershot in news release by the University of Southern California's Institute for Addiction Research, where he is the director.

The study is government-funded research and was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The study was small, and took in account for only 48 adults over two months, thus experts say that it is not yet clear how safe these drugs are for people who do not need to lose weight. Though the results do add up with the evidence form animal studies on drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on how it helps manage cravings, not just for food, but also for tobacco and alcohol. Scientists are also studying these drugs on smokers, people with opioid addiction and cocaine users.

Co-author Dr Klara Klein of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who treats people with obesity and diabetes said, "This is such promising data. And we need more of it. We frequently will hear that once people start these medications that their desire to drink is very reduced, if not completely abolished."

Why Does It Work So Well Against Alcoholism?

The GLP-1 receptor agonists work by mimicking hormones GLP-1 in the gut and brain that regulates appetite and feelings of fullness. This response is what helps one lose weight, and what helps one curb their craving for alcohol. These drugs that mimic the functioning of your brain, which is responsible to tell your body when to stop consuming, are the same hormones that tell your body about other kinds of consumptions, including alcohol. Therefore by consuming the weight loss drugs one can treat alcohol use disorder.

However, the researchers have pointed out on the limited data on the research and have suggested to continue using the three approved drugs by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, namely, Disulfiram, Naltrexone, and Acamprosate to treat alcohol use disorder until large studies confirm these findings.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed attention on the importance of laboratory biosafety and biosecurity after the death of a worker at a plague research institute in Siberia, Russia. This comes even after Russian authorities confirm that no laboratory accident or confirmed plague infection.

In a Disease Outbreak News update published on October 10, the WHO stated it had not identified evidence of ongoing transmission of pneumonic plague linked to the incident. However, the cause of the worker's fatal pneumonia remains unexplained, leaving several emergency public health questions unanswered.

A 28-year-old lab technician of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute who was hospitalised with severe pneumonia on September 29 and died on October 2.

Initial media reports suspected possible pneumonic plague following occupational exposure, but Russian authorities reported that tests had not detected plague or other dangerous pathogens.

WHO's Inquiry

Also read: Plague Treatable, CDC Monitoring US Arrivals From Russia After Worker’s Death, Says Director Erica Schwartz

According to updates provided by Russian authorities, more than 5,500 laboratory tests were conducted as part of the investigation. No high-threat pathogens were detected among high-risk contacts. Additionally, the contacts reportedly displayed no alarming symptoms.

Russia also told the WHO that two independent investigations found no laboratory biosafety or biosecurity incidents at the institute. The authorities classified the death as pneumonia of "undetermined origin" rather than plague.

However, the WHO has highlighted the fact that it has not received information about the confirmed cause of the fatal illness.

In its assessment, the agency stated, "A key uncertainty for this event is the absence of a confirmed diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker."

The WHO added that the occupational setting remained relevant because the worker was employed at an institution that handled high-risk pathogens. “A laboratory-associated exposure therefore cannot be fully excluded at this stage,” the report said.

This does not establish that an accident occurred. Rather, it points towards the limits of the available evidence while the cause of death remains unresolved.

WHO Reiterates Laboratory Safety Rules

Also read: Russia Denies Second Plague Case As WHO Seeks Answers On Lab Death; Trump Says It’s Not A Bioweapon

The WHO's advice focuses on preventing occupational exposure to hazardous biological agents and reducing the risk of accidental leaks.

The agency emphasised that laboratories handling dangerous pathogens should maintain robust biosafety, biosecurity and infection prevention and control practices. These precautions apply routinely, regardless of whether a particular incident has been confirmed.

The WHO specifically clarified that its recommendation was precautionary and did not imply that a laboratory-related infection or incident had been confirmed yet.

Biosafety involves practices and equipment designed to prevent accidental exposure to infectious pathogens, while biosecurity focuses on preventing their loss, theft, misuse or unauthorised release.

Plague Outbreak Risk

The WHO said it had found no evidence of ongoing transmission associated with the incident. Russian authorities reported no recent plague cases in the Irkutsk region and said medical monitoring of contacts had been completed.

However, the absence of a confirmed diagnosis means the exact cause of the worker's death remains unknown, keeping loose ends open. The WHO said additional clinical, epidemiological and laboratory information would help strengthen its assessment.

Pneumonic plague, the form that initially prompted concern, affects the lungs and can spread between people through infectious respiratory droplets. It can be fatal without prompt treatment, although antibiotics can be effective when administered early.

Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore recently revisited her lung cancer diagnosis after she appeared on Soha Ali Khan's podcast All About Her with Saba Ali Khan. While Saba opened up about her brain tumour, they also discussed Sharmila's lung cancer which was diagnosed at stage zero.

The 81-year-old veteran actor insisted on undergoing surgery despite being diagnosed at stage zero lung cancer. She said that many believed that the procedure might not be necessary. Soha revealed that doctors confirmed that the tissue was malignant during surgery and were able to remove it completely.

Sharmila Tagore did not need chemotherapy after the surgery, according to Soha. In a chat with Nayandeep Rakshit, Soha shared that her mother did not need chemotherapy. "With my mother, she was one of the very few people to be diagnosed with lung cancer at stage zero. No chemotherapy, nothing. It was cut out of her, and she is, touchwood, fine," she said.

The actor's case brings up the question of whether surgery at the earliest stage of lung cancer can prevent the disease from progressing.

What Is Stage Zero Lung Cancer?

Stage zero is the earliest stage of non-small cell lung cancer, also called carcinoma in situ. At this stage, abnormal or cancerous cells are confined to the innermost lining of the airways and have not invaded deeper lung tissue or spread to lymph nodes or distant organs.

Unlike more advanced lung cancers, stage zero disease is often treatable with local treatment alone. However, it can be difficult to detect because it may not cause noticeable symptoms.

Also read: PET-CT in Colon Cancer: When Can It Help?

Can Surgery Stop Lung Cancer From Progressing?

In terms of progression, surgery can often help stage zero lung cancer, provided the abnormal tissue is completely removed and the diagnosis confirms that it has not become invasive.

The objective is to remove the affected tissue before the cancerous cells penetrate deeper into the lung. Depending on the lesion's size and location, surgeons may perform a wedge resection or segmentectomy, removing a small portion of the lung.

For patients whose cancer is confined to the airway lining, chemotherapy or radiation is generally not required after successful surgery, just like in Tagore's case.

Treatment decisions, however, depend on the final pathology report and individual clinical findings.

Also read: Left Delhi To Escape Air Pollution? Why Health Effects May Linger For A Long Time

Stage Zero Lung Cancer Is Difficult To Detect

Lung cancer is frequently diagnosed after it has progressed because early disease may produce fewer or no symptoms. Persistent cough, chest pain and breathlessness are not reliable early warning signs of stage zero disease.

Low-dose CT screening can help detect lung abnormalities before symptoms develop, especially among people at high risk, like certain long-term smokers.

However, screening recommendations depend on age and smoking history, and not every lung abnormality detected on a scan is cancer.

Even though complete removal of stage zero lung cancer can offer an excellent chance of cure, it does not eliminate every future risk.

Patients may need follow-up imaging and clinical assessments to monitor for recurrence or a new primary lung cancer. The risk varies depending on the original tumour, the type of treatment and individual factors.

Flu activity is rising unusually early in parts of the US, UK and Japan, while COVID-19 cases are also increasing in the UK. Health experts are urging eligible people to get vaccinated ahead of winter, when respiratory infections can add to pressure on hospitals.

According to Nature, flu tests are returning positive at unusually high rates for early fall on the US West Coast and in the UK. In Japan, outbreaks in August and early September forced some schools to close as students returned from summer break.

“It would be an incredibly early season” for the US if cases on the West Coast continue rising at their current pace, Scott Hensley, a virologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told Nature. US flu activity typically peaks in December and January.

H1N1 Dominates Flu Cases In The US

Also read: ‘American Covid’ Strain Drives 50% Surge in UK Hospital Admissions: XFG Symptoms to Know

H1N1 accounted for 96% of US flu cases tested for type in the week ending September 26. H3N2 accounted for nearly all the remaining cases, while no influenza B was detected, Nature reported, citing federal data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified the 2025–2026 US flu season as moderately severe, with more than 32 million cases, 390,000 hospitalizations and up to 81,000 deaths. Cases rose in November and peaked in December.

This season, flu activity began rising in August and September in western states, including California, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

“We’re looking at an early flu season this year,” James Watt, deputy director of infectious diseases at the California Department of Public Health, said at an October 6 briefing, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Danielle Zerr, an infectious diseases specialist at Seattle Children’s, told The Washington Post that the early spread was concerning because many people had yet to be vaccinated.

“The way flu is circulating now, you wanted that vaccine in you two weeks ago, if not even a little before that,” she said.

UK Reports Flu And COVID-19

Read More: XFG COVID Variant: What India Should Watch As Cases Rise In UK And France

In the UK, around 6.5% of flu tests were positive in the week reported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), up from 5% the previous week. This compares with 3.3% at the same point last year.The early rise has raised concerns that flu could add to pressure on the National Health Service (NHS), which has already experienced a busy summer. University students returning to campuses may also be contributing to the spread.

COVID-19 activity has increased as well. Reported infections rose from 1,374 in August to 4,589 in September, the highest monthly total since October last year, according to figures cited in reports. However, officials said levels of both infections remained within the expected range.

Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, warned of early signs of winter pressure on hospitals. Around two in every 100,000 people in England were being hospitalized with flu, while overall hospital capacity was approximately 95% occupied in September.

Swords urged eligible people to get vaccinated early, warning that pressure could increase as temperatures fall.

Since the start of September, around 3.9 million people in the UK had received a flu vaccine, while approximately 730,000 had received an autumn COVID-19 vaccine.

France is also reporting a rise in COVID-19 cases as the government prepares to launch its autumn COVID and flu vaccination campaign on October 13.

Flu Symptoms You Should Know

Flu often begins suddenly, causing fever, chills, body aches and extreme fatigue.

Common symptoms include:

• Fever and chills
• Body aches
• Extreme fatigue
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Cough

Children may also experience vomiting and diarrhea. Flu symptoms can overlap with those of other respiratory infections, so testing may be needed to confirm the cause.

Do Flu Vaccines Protect Against All Circulating Strains?

Seasonal flu vaccines are designed to protect against selected influenza strains, including H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B viruses.

However, influenza viruses can undergo genetic changes known as antigenic drift, which may reduce vaccine effectiveness against circulating strains.

Flu and COVID-19 vaccines target different viruses. A flu shot does not protect against COVID-19, so eligible people may need separate vaccinations to reduce their risk of severe illness from both infections.