Cigarettes with ultralow nicotine levels are now being called the game-changer in the fight against smoking. If you are having trouble in quitting smoking, then, it is for you, that soon the Biden White House is expected to formally propose a plan that will order cigarette nicotine levels to be reduced, reports The Washington Post. For now though, it has been a failure, as these cigarettes, also known as VLN cigarettes that stands for very low nicotine are only available in 5,100 stores in 26 states. This is a very small fraction of the overall market for cigarettes. The company that makes it, 22nd Century, is struggling not because of the low supply, but also from the advocates who have long believed slashing nicotine levels altogether.

The Advent and ideation

Nicotine is a chemical that is produced naturally from tobacco that makes the cigarette and also keeps people hooked. While it is believed that it makes people alert, and get the "hit" to keep them going, it exposes the users to harmful substances, carcinogens, and increases the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and other illness.

Ultralow-nicotine cigarettes, like the VLN brand, contain about 95% less nicotine than the regular cigarettes. The idea is quite simple: without the addictive grip of nicotine, smokers will find it easier to quit. Research too has shown some promise. For instance, the studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse revealed that very low nicotine cigarettes reduced addiction potential significantly without having users to increase their smoking frequency. However, the problem is, why would anyone choose for a low-nicotine that does not make them feel the same way, when the high-nicotine cigarette is right next to it, making them feel the same way, with the same alertness, sold at the same price.

“It’s very hard to imagine someone actively choosing to continue to use a low-nicotine product for the same price when a high-nicotine product is right next to it,” said Eric Donny, a Wake Forest University School of Medicine nicotine researcher.

No wonder, the experiment with low nicotine product by Philip Morris' Next cigarettes in the 1980s and Vector Tobacco's Quest brand in the early 2000s, flopped.

FDA's Role in the Push

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has supported the development of such products, even allowing VLN cigarettes to be marketed as lower-risk options. However, these products remain a niche market, available in only a fraction of U.S. stores.

Recently, the Biden administration has considered a bold step—mandating a dramatic reduction in nicotine levels for all cigarettes sold in the United States. Supporters believe this move could save millions of lives, while critics, including tobacco companies, warn of potential unintended consequences.

What Could Be The Challenges?

Resistance from Big Tobacco Companies: They could argue that slashing nicotine levels could backfire. Their claim is, smokers will turn to black markets or smoke more to satisfy their cravings, which may lead to greater exposure to harmful substances.

Consumer Reluctance: History is proof to the instances of smokers being hesitant to embrace the low-nicotine products.

Political Hurdle: It may face political roadblocks, as under the Trump administration, plans to cut nicotine were shelved.

Could Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Be The Solution?

Advocates believe that ultralow-nicotine cigarettes could be a game-changer, comparing them to decaf coffee or non-alcoholic beer—products that reduce harm while offering a similar experience.

Some experts warn that a black market for traditional cigarettes could undermine these efforts. They also stress the need for safer alternatives, such as vaping products, to support smokers transitioning away from traditional cigarettes.

A new study in the US has found that millions of military veterans continue to experience suicidal thoughts, yet many of them are not receiving the mental health treatment they need.

Researchers say the findings highlight the urgent need to improve access to mental health services and strengthen suicide prevention efforts, particularly for younger and female veterans.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from 2,636 US military veterans who participated in the 2025-2026 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS), a survey conducted between December 2025 and January 2026.

Increase In Suicidal Thoughts

Also read: US Government Backs Psychedelic Therapies Research For Veterans With PTSD and Depression

Researchers found that 13.4% of veterans reported having suicidal thoughts within the previous two weeks, while 14% experienced suicidal thoughts during the past year.

Compared with data collected in 2019-2020, the prevalence of recent suicidal thoughts increased from 9% to 13.4%, representing a 49% rise over five years. However, the prevalence of lifetime suicide planning (8%) and suicide attempts (4.9%) remained largely unchanged.

Based on national population estimates, the researchers said:

• 2.3 to 2.4 million veterans experiencing recent suicidal thoughts
• 1.4 million veterans reporting lifetime suicide planning
• Around 830,000 veterans reporting a lifetime suicide attempt.

Many Veterans Are Not Receiving Treatment

Also read: The Silent Impact of Stress On Your Brain: How Chronic Stress Affects Memory, Focus, And Mental Health

One of the study's most concerning findings was that a substantial number of veterans reporting suicidal thoughts were not receiving mental health care.

Among veterans who experienced suicidal thoughts in the previous two weeks:

• Only 37.9% were receiving any current mental health treatment.
• Treatment rates differed sharply depending on where veterans received their healthcare.
• Among veterans who primarily used the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system, 53.6% were receiving treatment.
• Among those relying mainly on non-VA healthcare, only 25.6% were receiving treatment.

Researchers also observed similar gaps in the use of psychotherapy and psychiatric medications.

The researchers also found that younger veterans and women veterans carried a disproportionately higher risk of suicidal thoughts, suicide planning and suicide attempts.

The authors concluded, "These findings suggest that suicidal ideation has increased among US veterans over the past 5 years, whereas suicidal planning and attempts have not, underscoring the need to strengthen early intervention, treatment engagement, and targeted prevention efforts."

They further added, "A substantial proportion of veterans reporting recent suicidal ideation are not currently engaged in mental health treatment."

Access To VA Care

The study showed that veterans who used the VA healthcare system as their primary source of care were more than twice as likely to receive mental health treatment compared with veterans receiving care outside the VA.

According to the researchers, this may reflect better access to mental health services within the VA system. However, the findings also indicate that significant treatment gaps remain even among VA users due to barriers like stigma, delayed help, limited availability of services, or other factors.

The study comes as suicide continues to be a major public health issue among US veterans. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 6,000 veterans die by suicide each year, and veterans continue to have higher suicide rates than the general US population.

A humanitarian worker has been admitted to a specialist infectious disease unit in London after being potentially exposed to the Ebola virus while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

UK health officials have stressed that there are no confirmed Ebola cases in the United Kingdom and that the risk to the public remains very low.

The individual, a UK resident involved in treating Ebola patients in eastern DRC, was medically evacuated to London as a precaution and is being monitored in a high-level isolation unit. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the worker is not showing symptoms of Ebola but is under observation because the virus has an incubation period of 2 to 21 days.

Why The Humanitarian Worker Is Being Monitored In The UK?

The evacuation follows established international protocols for healthcare and humanitarian workers who may have been exposed to highly infectious diseases. Health authorities emphasized that:

• The patient is in isolation purely as a precaution.
• There are no confirmed Ebola infections in the UK.
• The public is not at increased risk.
• Ebola spreads only through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of someone who is symptomatic, not through the air.

Officials are also conducting routine contact assessments where necessary, although no wider public health concerns have been identified.

Also read: Ebola Outbreak: Confirmed Cases Hit 2,344, Deaths Rise To 930

DRC Faces Its Worst Ebola Outbreak In Years

The admission comes as the Democratic Republic of the Congo is battling one of its most severe Ebola outbreaks in recent history.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, 2026, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a less common species for which there are currently no licensed vaccines or proven antiviral treatments.

This has made containment significantly more challenging than previous Ebola outbreaks caused by the Zaire strain. According to the latest reports from Congolese health authorities and international agencies:

• 2,473 reported Ebola cases
• More than 1,000 deaths
• 737 patients currently hospitalized or in isolation

WHO believes the true number of infections could be two to four times higher because many cases remain undetected in conflict-affected areas.

Also read: Ebola Outbreak In Congo: UN Warns Frontline Responders As Cases Surface In New Areas

WHO Declared An International Health Emergency

Recognizing the growing threat, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 16, 2026, just one day after the outbreak was officially announced.

WHO warned that the outbreak poses a significant regional and international public health risk due to rapid transmission, cross-border spread, limited access to affected communities, lack of approved vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus and ongoing armed conflict disrupting healthcare operations.

Should The UK Be Concerned?

Experts say the current situation should not cause public alarm. The UK's specialist infectious disease units are designed to safely manage suspected cases of high-consequence infectious diseases, and precautionary evacuations of healthcare workers have occurred during previous Ebola outbreaks.

Public health officials stress that:

• There is no evidence of community transmission in the UK.
• The hospitalized worker has not been diagnosed with Ebola.
• Isolation and monitoring are standard procedures designed to protect both the patient and the public. =

US Humanitarian Worker In DRC Tested Positive For Ebola

A U.S. humanitarian worker in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had tested positive for Ebola a few days ago.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed, saying it is working closely with the individual's employer, U.S. government health agencies, and Congolese health authorities to prevent further transmission by tracing contacts to identify people who may have been exposed.

According to reports, the infected individual was working for a humanitarian organization in eastern Congo, where the outbreak has continued to spread despite ongoing response efforts.

The CDC has not released details about the patient's identity or condition but emphasized that contact tracing and public health measures are underway.

Research suggests that disruptions in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, during which we dream, consolidate memory, and process emotions, could be among the earliest biological signs of Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists now believe that changes in sleep are not just a consequence of Alzheimer's, but may actually appear years before primary cognitive symptoms emerge.

What The Study Found?

Also read: Scientists Discover Brain Protein That Could Slow Alzheimer's Disease Progression

The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, studied 128 older adults, including people with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cognitively healthy individuals.

Participants underwent overnight polysomnography, the gold standard sleep test that records brain activity, breathing, heart rate, eye movements, and muscle activity during sleep.

Researchers discovered that participants who took significantly longer to enter REM sleep, known as REM sleep latency, were more likely to have Alzheimer's disease.

These individuals also showed:

• Higher levels of amyloid-beta, the protein that forms plaques in Alzheimer's disease.
• Increased tau protein, another hallmark of the disease that damages brain cells.
• Lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein essential for learning, memory, and maintaining healthy neurons.

Importance Of REM Sleep

Also read: Can One Partner's Dementia Raise the Other's Risk? New Study Suggests An Interesting Link

Scientists believe REM sleep also supports the brain's "cleaning system," helping remove waste products that accumulate during the day.

When REM sleep is delayed or disrupted, this process may become less efficient, allowing toxic proteins like amyloid-beta to build up over time.

According to Dr. Yue Leng, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco and one of the study's authors: "Delayed REM sleep may disrupt the brain's ability to consolidate memories by interfering with the process that converts recent experiences into long-term memories. If this is insufficient because REM sleep is delayed or shortened, it could increase the stress hormone cortisol. This may impair the brain's hippocampus, a critical structure for memory consolidation."

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Jocelyn Cheng, neurologist and Senior Director of Neuroscience Clinical Research at Eisai U.S., said:

"The relationship may be bidirectional. Delayed REM may contribute to Alzheimer's-type changes, and/or Alzheimer's itself may result in prolonged REM latency."

Sleep Problems Appear Early

The new findings offer a possible biological explanation. Researchers suggest that the accumulation of amyloid may interfere with the brain's internal clock and its ability to regulate normal sleep cycles, creating a vicious cycle where poor sleep accelerates brain changes linked to Alzheimer's.

Researchers say future studies should examine whether improving REM sleep through better sleep hygiene or treatment of conditions such as sleep apnea could help slow or delay Alzheimer's-related brain changes.

Experts recommend maintaining a regular sleep schedule, limiting alcohol before bedtime, reducing evening screen exposure, and seeking medical evaluation for persistent sleep disorders.