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.

While President Donald Trump has boasted about his ability to correctly identify a squirrel on a cognitive screening test, his remarks have sparked debate about such tests. They also highlight misconceptions, raise awareness about brain health, and underscore the importance of screening.

Speaking on Monday at the White House Small Business Summit, Trump said he has taken the Montreal Cognitive Assessment three times and “aced each one,” claiming a doctor told him it was the first time they had seen a perfect score, The Daily Beast reported.

The US President said he answered the test questions easily, suggesting he is cognitively in good condition—a claim that critics have repeatedly questioned.

“The first question is very easy,” he said. “You have a lion, a bear, an alligator, and a—what’s another good…? A squirrel. Which is the squirrel?” He added that the difficulty increases as the test progresses. “By the time you get to the middle, they’re very tough.”

However, the test’s creator, Canadian neurologist Ziad Nasreddine, has challenged Trump’s claims. “It wasn’t designed to be a test of IQ,” he told nine.com.au. “It was designed to assess normal cognitive performance.”

The average score is 26 out of 30. Nasreddine said about 10 percent of people of Trump’s age achieve a perfect result. “I think he’s proud that he can demonstrate that his cognition is fine,” he added.

“President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history, working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, as quoted by The Daily Beast.

What Is The Montreal Cognitive Assessment?

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a short clinical screening tool used in roughly 200 countries to detect signs of cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

It includes tasks such as:

• Drawing a clock
• Recalling words
• Identifying the date and location

Does The test Signal Mental Ability?

Also read: Donald Trump’s Weekend Dental Appointment Triggers Fresh Health Concerns

The test is intentionally easy for healthy adults. It is designed to detect deficits—particularly in short-term memory, attention, and language—rather than measure intelligence.

A perfect score confirms the absence of obvious impairment. However, it does not indicate exceptional mental ability. Nasreddine also noted that the test is intended to be administered by professionals, not self-conducted.

As the oldest person elected president of the United States, Trump’s mental and physical health has been under public scrutiny.

While concerns about his mental health were raised during his first presidency (2017–2021), they have intensified in the past 15 months of his second presidency.

According to experts, Trump has displayed behaviors such as seeking “great adulation” and becoming “angry if reality does not meet his needs,” BMJ reported.

Trump’s Dipping Image Among Americans

Read More: Donald Trump’s Discolored Left Hand Triggers Health Speculation: Expert Explains

Nearly 60 percent of Americans are questioning whether Trump is healthy enough to serve in the Oval Office, according to a Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll.

Alongside dissatisfaction with his leadership on the Iran war, the economy, and inflation, a growing share of Americans are also questioning his mental acuity.

Nearly 6 in 10 say he lacks the mental sharpness for the role, while 55 percent say he is not in good enough physical health to serve effectively.

Nathan Crawford from the UK was just 9-years-old when his testicular tissue was frozen, before undergoing chemotherapy for his brain tumor.

About 16 years later, the cryopreserved immature testicular tissue was reintroduced into his body, which triggered sperm cell production and restored his fertility, according to researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

“This is an important step in further scientific research to preserve the fertility of children with cancer or other blood diseases for the future. While the procedure is specifically designed to restore fertility, we cannot at this time guarantee that it will be successful or that patients can go on to have children. This treatment offers lots of perspectives for these young adults. They now have options that they did not have until recently,” said Dr Veerle Vloeberghs, part of the novel trial and staff member at Brussels IVF.

What Had Happened To Nathan

Nathan, now 27-years-old, had a type of tumor called a glioma, which develops from the glial cells that support the nerve cells of the brain, The Guardian reported. The tumor was so close to vital brain tissue that surgeons were unable to remove it without causing serious damage to important brain functions.

He underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy to shrink his tumor, before which surgeons at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford in a keyhole surgery removed and froze a wedge of testicular tissue, with the aim that it is one day re-implanted into Nathan.

How Is The Testicular Tissue Preserved?

While Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are lifesaving they can destroy testicular stem cells, the precursors of sperm cells in boys who undergo radical treatments before starting puberty. As it can affect their fertility, preventively removing and freezing testicular tissue is an option pioneered by UZ Brussel.

In 2002, UZ Brussel became the first hospital worldwide to initiate a clinical fertility preservation program for young boys suffering from cancer or diseases of the blood, bone marrow or lymph nodes.

Since then, the hospital has frozen testicular tissue fragments of 141 boys.

The tissue is preserved in liquid nitrogen at -196°C.

Prepubescent boys do not yet produce sperm cells. The removed tissue contains stem cells that would normally produce sperm after starting puberty.

"While the procedure is specifically designed to restore fertility, we cannot at this time guarantee that it will be successful or that patients can go on to have children,” Dr Vloeberghs said.

How Was The Testicular tissue Implanted

The Guardian reported that in 2025, four tissue fragments were grafted back into the remaining testicle and four under the skin of the scrotum.

After a year inside the body, the grafts were removed and analysed in the laboratory. The results are published in a preprint paper, which is yet to be peer reviewed.

Two of the grafts from inside the testicle had produced mature sperm, which was collected and frozen.

Because the tissue fragments are not directly connected to the sperm duct, the researchers do not expect sperm cells to naturally find their way into the semen.

“This is a huge finding,” Prof Ellen Goossens, of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, who led the trial was quoted as saying. “Many more people will have hope that they can have biological children. It’s great to see for the patients for whom we already have tissue banked.”

A new research paper published in the PNAS Journal triggered concerns over the potential risk of influenza D spilling over into humans.

Although primarily found in livestock such as cattle and swine, this virus has been increasingly studied due to evidence of exposure among agricultural workers.

A key concern raised was that the influenza D virus triggers a relatively weak early immune response in human respiratory cells.

However, to understand whether it is just a hype or a real concern, HealthandMe spoke to Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Ex-President of IMA Cochin and Convener of the Research Cell, Kerala.

“So far, this virus has not been a major cause of respiratory disease in man, unlike other types of Influenza viruses like H1N1 and H3N2 of the Influenza A family. It is true that studies have demonstrated antibodies against this virus among cattle farmers, which is consistent with its ability to infect species other than cattle,” Dr. Jayadevan said.

He noted that the virus may not be an “imminent threat” to humankind as feared.

“So far, the signals are that this virus remains primarily a cattle pathogen, which doesn’t pose an imminent threat to man, unlike other types of influenza viruses”.

What is the Influenza D Virus?

Influenza D is one of four types of influenza viruses and belongs to the Orthomyxoviridae family. Unlike the more familiar influenza A and B viruses that cause seasonal flu in humans, influenza D has primarily been detected in animals, particularly cattle and pigs.

According to the US CDC, the virus was first identified in 2011. It has since been found across multiple species, including livestock and wildlife, including camels, deer, giraffes, kangaroos, llamas, wallabies, and wildebeests.

It is not currently known to cause illness in humans, but has had a spill over in different animal species — more recently in poultry.

CDC’s January 2026 report stated that “influenza D has shown to have considerable potential for causing future human epidemics, but diagnostics and surveillance for the viruses are lacking”.

Also read: Can A Common Cold Virus Save You From Cancer? New Study Claims So

What Did The PNAS Study find?

Researchers investigated multiple influenza D virus isolates collected from livestock between 2011 and 2020 to assess their ability to infect human airway systems.

The paper demonstrated that the virus is capable of infecting human respiratory cells and was also adept at switching off the interferon-based ‘alarm systems’ of the cell.

This means that the virus may spread silently and efficiently, but without causing significant symptoms, Dr. Jayadevan said.

Importantly, the findings suggest that only small genetic changes might be needed for influenza D virus to achieve more sustained transmission in humans, although this has not yet been observed.

Read More: Hantavirus Outbreak: WHO Flags 6 Suspected Cases; How The Rare Rodent-Borne Virus Spreads

H5N1 Bird Flu: A More Deadly Threat

Dr. Jayadevan told HealthandMe that a bigger concern for humans besides the commonly circulating human Influenza A and B viruses is the avian influenza (bird flu) virus H5N1.

H5N1 spreads among birds and carries a very high death rate whenever it infects humans.

“Fortunately, this bird flu virus isn’t able to easily spread from person to person, but ongoing mutations could potentially change that,” the expert said.