The US Food and Drug Administration has approved TNKase or Tenecteplase, which is a thrombolytic or clot-dissolving agent, for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in adults.

Ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your brain. It can cause permanent brain damage and death. If enough brain cells die, you can also lose the abilities or body functions those cells control. They are also the most common types of stroke, with 80% of all strokes being ischemic strokes.

How is TNKase administered?

It is delivered as a single five-second intravenous bolus, which is faster than the standard of care Activase or alteplase, which is administered as an intravenous bolus followed by a 60-minute infusion. The manufacturer of TNKase, Genetech said a new 25-mg vial configuration will also be available in the coming months.

How Was TNKase approved?

The approval came at the backdrop of a study that compared TNKase to Activase in patients with acute ischemic stroke. These patients also presented with a disabling neurological deficit. Results show that TNKase was comparable to Activase in terms of efficacy and safety.

How Common Are These Strokes?

In the United States it self, it affects more than 795,000 people each year and is the leading cause of long-term disability. It is also the fifth leading cause of death. Since brain damage can happen if this progresses rapidly, one needs an immediate, fast-acting medical care.

TNKase thus provide a faster and simpler administration which can be critical for anyone. The chief medical officer and head of global product development at Genetech, Levi Garraway, MD., PhD., said, "Today's approval is a significant step forward and underscores our commitment to advancing stroke treatment options for patients."

What Are The Symptoms Of Ischemic Strokes?

Some of the most common symptoms include weakness or paralysis on one side of your face and body. You may also feel trouble speaking or have loss of speech, also known as aphasia. You may faced slurred or garbled speaking, also known as dysarthria. Other symptoms include loss of muscle control on one side of your face, or sudden worsening or loss of your senses, including vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Other symptoms include:

• Loss of coordination or clumsiness
• Blurry vision or double vision
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Nausea and vomiting
• Neck stiffness
• Mood swings or sudden personality changes
• Confusion or agitation
• Seizures
• Memory loss (amnesia)
• Headaches which are sudden and severe
• Passing out or fainting
• Coma

Are There Any Warning Signs?

While these are symptoms one has who is prone to this condition. However, often, many may confuse it with other illnesses. It is best to keep an eye out for warning signs. These could be looking out for yourself or your loved one. Note if there is a sudden loss of balance. Look out for sudden vision loss or changes in one or both eyes. Look for a droop on one or both sides of your face, especially when you smile. Raise both arms and see if one arm sags or drops in a way it usually does not. Note for your speech. Are you as fluent? Are you have trouble speaking? If you see any of such signs, start tracking it and talk to your healthcare provider.

A suspected plague case linked to the death of a lab worker at an anti-plague research facility in Russia has sparked questions about whether the incident could pose a wider pandemic threat.

However, Russian authorities have not confirmed plague. Russia's consumer safety watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said the woman's diagnosis was “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” Expanded testing of samples taken from her did not identify microorganisms associated with her professional activities, the agency said.

Nearly 200 people who may have come into contact with her remain under medical observation, but authorities have reported no symptoms or positive test results among those monitored.

Could This Become Another Pandemic?

Experts say comparisons with COVID-19 should be treated cautiously because pneumonic plague and viral respiratory diseases behave very differently.

Dr Simon Clarke, an expert from the University of Reading, said pneumonic plague is caused by Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague.

“Pneumonic plague is particularly serious because it means the infection has reached the lungs and is nearly always fatal if not treated promptly,” said Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology in the School of Biological Sciences at varsity.

Also read: 2026 Nobel Medicine Prize Awarded for Discoveries on How Nerve Cells Shape Memory, Feelings and Behaviour

Unlike bubonic plague, which is commonly associated with infected flea bites, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact. But there is an important difference from diseases such as COVID-19.

“Unlike many viral respiratory diseases, plague is caused by bacteria and is generally treatable with antibiotics if identified quickly,” Clarke said, in a post on the University's website.

Could Pneumonic Plague Spread Widely?

Pneumonic plague can spread from person to person, making rapid identification and contact tracing important. But that does not mean every suspected case carries pandemic potential.

Clarke said more information is needed to determine whether the Russian incident represents an isolated case, an occupational exposure or evidence of wider transmission.

“Transparency, rapid diagnosis and effective contact tracing would be the most important factors in managing an outbreak,” he said.

Dr Richard Hirschson, a specialist general physician at Sydney Adventist Hospital, said “a local Russian lab leak is a local issue, it will not become a global pandemic”.

In a post on social media platform X, he said isolation and preventive antibiotic treatment for exposed contacts can help limit transmission if pneumonic plague is confirmed.

Expert Says We Don't Even Know If This Is Plague

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Dr Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease specialist and Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at University Texas Southwestern Medical Center, urged caution over the growing speculation.

“But right now, we have an unexplained death from pneumonia—not confirmation of plague and certainly No evidence of a plague outbreak,” Kuppalli said on X.

“It’s appropriate to watch closely and ask questions. It’s not helpful to fill gaps in information with speculation and sensationalism. Good outbreak response starts with the same thing every time: -- follow the evidence,” she added.

Kuppalli also stressed the importance of public health preparedness in responding to emerging infectious threats.

“Infectious disease threats don’t follow political calendars,” she said. “This is why public health matters and why weakening our surveillance, expertise and response capacity should concern everyone. Pathogens aren’t political. Preparedness matters.”

What We Know About Pandemic Risk

As of now, there is no confirmed evidence of a plague outbreak or sustained person-to-person transmission linked to the Russian case.

The immediate priority is to determine what caused the woman's pneumonia while continuing to monitor potential contacts.

Even if plague is eventually confirmed, experts say its bacterial nature, antibiotic sensitivity and transmission pattern make it fundamentally different from the respiratory viruses that can spread silently and extensively through populations.

For now, the evidence supports close surveillance and investigation—not a conclusion that a new pandemic is emerging, the experts said.

Punjab is implementing routine screening for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C at government de-addiction and rehabilitation centres, highlighting the importance of testing for three major blood-borne infections in addiction patients.

The initiative, referred to as 'Triple H' screening, is being introduced under the state government’s Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign. The aim is to spot infections earlier, ensuring people undergoing treatment for substance use receive appropriate medical care when needed.

The initiative is meant to curb risks of HIV and Hepatitis B and C, especially in people who inject drugs and share contaminated needles and syringes. It is crucial as infections can also remain undetected for years.

Punjab Is Changing Its Screening Approach

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Until now, HIV and hepatitis screening at de-addiction facilities was largely conducted through medical camps, which were often held around every two months. While these camps provided testing opportunities, officials said that there was limited scope to track who had been tested, who had missed screening, and who needed further care.

Under the new system, screening will be integrated into the de-addiction and rehabilitation process. This could give people ample opportunities to get tested and allow those with positive results to be referred for intensive testing, treatment, and timely medical care.

Announcing the initiative, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh spoke about the importance of early detection of blood-borne infections in those at high risk.

Dr. Singh said, “People with a history of injecting drug use face an increased risk of blood-borne infections, and that early detection is important for timely medical care and counselling.”

He also said that the initiative goes beyond treating patients struggling with drug addiction. The minister emphasised that this could indirectly help build better lives for themselves.

He added, “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Yudh Nashean Virudh is leading a revolution towards a stronger, healthier and prosperous Punjab. Our goal is not simply to help people overcome addiction, but also to enable them to lead healthier lives and contribute to society. By integrating HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C screening into de-addiction services, the Government is taking another important step towards ensuring that recovery leads to a meaningful and brighter future.”

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Punjab Had Already Intensified HIV Screening

The latest announcement comes months after Punjab ordered HIV screening for people registered at its Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres.

In May, the state had 455 operational OOAT centres with 3,09,918 registered clients undergoing treatment for substance use.

That move came after findings from the National AIDS Control Organisation showed that Punjab recorded a 58.7% increase in annual new HIV infections between 2010 and 2024.

The report also found that 56% of newly detected HIV-positive cases in Punjab were linked with contaminated syringe use.

The state has also said testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C is available free of cost at Aam Aadmi Clinics.

Earlier in August, Punjab announced the adoption of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) and Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA) technologies to strengthen the early detection of infections that are transmitted through infusions and improve blood safety.

Three scientists from the US and Germany have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for optogenetics — a method that makes it possible to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviors in the living brain.

The Prize was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, 54, from the US, and Peter Hegemann,71, and Georg Nagel, 73, from Germany, “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics,” the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet said in a statement. A prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor will be shared equally between the laureates, it added.

At the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, in Germany's Frankfurt, Peter and Georg discovered a protein called channelrhodopsin in a single-celled alga. Karl later transformed itinto a light-controlled switch for nerve cells.

The laureates have laid the foundation for a new era in neuroscience, the Nobel Assembly said.

Deisseroth is based at Stanford University in California, while Hegemann is from Humboldt University in Berlin and Nagel from the University of Wurzburg in Germany.

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What Did Their Findings Show?

How the brain governs feelings, behaviors and bodily functions has long been a mystery, but optogenetics has fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of the brain.

“Optogenetics provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that we could once only dream of,” said Per Svenningsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine.

In the 20th century, researchers began investigating which areas of the brain affect different functions. However, the methods available at the time could not establish causal relationships. The resulting picture of the brain was like a sketch map, filled with question marks and unknowns. Optogenetics has helped change that.

How Did Optogenetics Begin?

The discovery began with Hegemann, who wanted to understand how Chlamydomonas, a single-celled alga, swims towards a light source.

In the early 2000s, Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, an algal protein with unique properties found on the surface of the cell.

They found that when exposed to blue light, a channel opens through the protein, allowing charged ions to flow into the cell and create an electrical impulse. They also found that when the protein was introduced into other cells, those cells became sensitive to light.

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How Did Deisseroth Transform the Discovery?

Deisseroth then introduced the gene for channelrhodopsin into nerve cells from rats. By illuminating the cells with blue light, he was able to trigger a nerve signal.

He published this breakthrough in 2005. Two years later, he demonstrated that the light-controlled switch could work in the brains of living mice.

This method of controlling nerve signals with light is now known as optogenetics and has rapidly gained global impact.

Using optogenetics, researchers have been able to reveal neural circuits involved in specific memories, feelings and behaviours relevant to neurological and psychiatric disorders.

In clinical medicine, researchers are also using the method in attempts to restore sight in people with visual impairment.

All About the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize was first awarded on December 10, 1901, following the will of founder Alfred Nobel, which he signed in Paris in 1895.

So far, 116 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded. The youngest medicine laureate was Frederick G. Banting, who was 31 when he received the award in 1923. The oldest was Peyton Rous, who was 87 when he received the award in 1966.