Smokers who make the decision to quit will experience immediate health benefits, including a rapid reduction in their risk of atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), according to new research published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology. The study, conducted by Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, offers compelling evidence for smokers to quit, showing that it’s never too late to avoid the damaging effects of smoking on heart health.

Dr. Marcus, the senior author of the study, emphasized that A-Fib can be prevented even in individuals who have smoked for years. "The findings provide a compelling new reason to show current smokers that it’s not too late to quit, and that having smoked in the past doesn’t mean you’re ‘destined’ to develop A-Fib," Marcus explained. "Even for the current and longtime smoker, A-Fib can still be avoided."

What is Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)?

"There’s strong evidence that smoking increases the risk of A-Fib," Marcus said. "But the benefits of quitting smoking have been less certain." With this in mind, his team sought to determine whether quitting could significantly lower a person’s risk of developing A-Fib, or if the risk would remain the same.

The research team analyzed data from over 146,700 current and former smokers, tracking their smoking habits and health over a 12-year period using data from the UK Biobank database. The results were promising: former smokers had a 13% lower risk of developing A-Fib compared to current smokers, while those who quit during the study saw an 18% reduction in their risk.

"This is likely a testament to the potency of reducing atrial fibrillation risk pretty shortly after quitting," Marcus said in a statement from the American College of Cardiology.

The findings highlight the importance of quitting smoking, not only for general health but specifically for reducing the risk of serious heart conditions like A-Fib.

Tips for Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the most effective ways to lower the risk of A-Fib and improve overall heart health. While it can be challenging, the benefits of quitting are clear and immediate. Here are some tips to help you quit smoking successfully:

1. Choose a specific date to quit smoking and stick to it. Prepare yourself mentally and physically for this change.

2. Reach out to family, friends, or a support group to help keep you accountable. Sharing your goals with others can provide encouragement.

3. Options like nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges can help ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings.

4. Identify situations that make you want to smoke, such as stress or social gatherings, and find healthy ways to cope with them.

5. Regular exercise can help distract you from cravings and improve your mood during the quitting process.

6. Drinking water can help flush nicotine out of your system faster, reducing cravings.

7. Activities like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises can help manage stress, a common trigger for smoking.

Quitting smoking offers immediate and significant benefits, particularly in reducing the risk of atrial fibrillation. The latest research provides smokers with more motivation to quit, showing that it's never too late to take control of their heart health.

Environmental and public health scientists have begun warning against the dangers of having free living amoeba in water systems that are capable of triggering severe diseases in humans.

In a recent perspective article published in Biocontaminant, the researchers noted that climate change, deteriorating water infrastructure and limited systems for monitoring and detection are the key factors that have allowed these pathogens to spread and persist.

Corresponding author Longfei Shu of Sun Yat sen University explained: "What makes these organisms particularly dangerous is their ability to survive conditions that kill many other microbes.

"They can tolerate high temperatures, strong disinfectants like chlorine and even live inside water distribution systems that people assume are safe."

The scientists also emphasized that not only can amoebae spread illnesses on its own, it can also act as hidden carriers for other harmful microbes.

By sheltering bacteria and viruses inside their cells, amoeba these unicelled organisms protect these pathogens from disinfection and help them persist and spread in drinking water systems. This so-called Trojan horse effect may also contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance among humans.

How Dangerous Is Amoeba?

Amoeba are single-celled organisms that naturally live in soil and water. Most species do not cause harm yet some can prove to be fatal.

Some of the diseases caused by this kind of bacteria include Amebiasis (Amoebic Dysentery), an intestinal infection by Entamoeba histolytica, causing diarrhea, cramps and potential liver abscesses as well as Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) from Naegleria fowleri, a rare but nearly always fatal brain infection from contaminated water entering the nose.

Effects of amoeba-caused infections range from intestinal issues (liver abscesses, anemia, peritonitis) to severe neurological damage (coma, seizures, death) from brain-eating types, with Acanthamoeba causing eye infections (keratitis).

Experts recommend thoroughly washing your hands after toilet use and before handling food, drinking clean water especially in unsanitary conditions and avoiding getting water up your nose in warm freshwater to prevent such infections.

The Indore Crisis

This comes days after the recent Indore sewage water controversy which has claimed the lives 10 people and left over 1,400 people hospitalized, according to Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava.

However, locals claim that the outbreak has instead caused the death of 17 residents, including a six-month-child. The situation has also left Parvati Bai, 67, with kidney failure, a brain stroke and symptoms of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS.

GBS is a rare condition where your immune system attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis as well as death, in certain cases.

The outbreak occurred due to lapses in civic infrastructure. Investigation revealed that a toilet constructed directly above a main drinking pipeline near a police outpost, without a mandatory safety tank resulted in the sewage mixing with drinking water.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of a blood test which can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in adults aged 55 and above.

The blood test, known as Lumipulse, can detect amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease and has proven to be a “less invasive option” that “reduces reliance on PET scans and increases diagnosis accessibility.”

FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary said of the landmark decision, "Alzheimer’s disease impacts too many people, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

"Knowing that 10% of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's, and that by 2050 that number is expected to double, I am hopeful that new medical products such as this one will help patients."

It remains unclear when this test will be available for commercial use across the world.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

About 8.8 million Indians aged 60 and above are estimated to being living with Alzheimer's disease. Over seven million people in the US 65 and older live with the condition and over 100,00 die from it annually.

Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by the development of toxic amyloid and beta proteins in the brain, which can accumulate in the brain and damage cells responsible for memory.

Amyloid protein molecules stick together in brain cells, forming clumps called plaques. At the same time, tau proteins twist together in fiber-like strands called tangles. The plaques and tangles block the brain's neurons from sending electrical and chemical signals back and forth.

Over time, this disruption causes permanent damage in the brain that leads to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, causing patients to lose their ability to speak, care for themselves or even respond to the world around them.

While there is no clear cause of Alzheimer's disease, experts believe it can develop due to genetic mutations and lifestyle choices, such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and social isolation.

Early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include forgetting recent events or conversations. Over time, Alzheimer's disease leads to serious memory loss and affects a person's ability to do everyday tasks.

There is no cure to this progressive brain disorder and in advanced stages, loss of brain function can cause dehydration, poor nutrition or infection. These complications can result in death.

How Does The Test Work?

As explained by Dr Abhay Moghekar, an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who helped study and evaluate the test for FDA approval, "If this test is positive, there’s a greater than 90% chance that you have amyloid plaque in your brain.

"Getting a blood test is gonna be far easier, quicker and cheaper,” he said. “It’s going to allow early access to therapy, so it is going to revolutionize care of patients with dementia."

However, the federal agency also noted certain limitations associated with the test such as it can only be used for patients 55 and older who are already experiencing memory problems.

The FDA also cautions that the test is not intended as a standalone diagnostic tool for Alzheimer’s and results should be interpreted based on the patient’s medical history and other assessments, such as cognitive testing.

People who stop using weight-loss medications can regain weight and return their original size within two years, a new BMJ study says.

Researchers have found that those who lose weight using blockbuster GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic could regain about 0.4kg every month after quitting these treatments. In contrast, those who lost weight through exercise, diet and other factors only gained 0.1kg.

Investigator Dr Susan Jebb, from Oxford University told the BBC, "People buying these need to be aware of the risk of fast weight regain when the treatment ends."

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription injectable GLP-1 medication primarily approved for adults with Type 2 diabetes to manage blood sugar levels. However, the drug has gained immense popularity among those trying to lose weight as it can reduce hunger and help people feel full for longer, which forces the body to burn fat deposits to stay functional.

In clinical trials, people with obesity using semaglutide have shown to lose an average of about 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks. Most people begin to see noticeable results within 8 to 12 weeks of taking the drug.

The official price in India for a once-weekly Ozempic injection pen ranges from approximately ₹8,800 for the 0.25 mg dose to around ₹11,175 for the 1 mg dose per month. Insurance coverage is generally inconsistent for weight loss indications.

What Did The Study Find?

The researchers analyzed 37 studies that included 9,341 participants out of which nearly half had taken had taken GLP-1 medications. This included 1,776 people who received the newer, more effective drugs semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and ‌Wegovy by Novo Nordisk , and tirzepatide, sold ‌as Mounjaro and Zepbound by Eli Lilly.

Apart from discovering that patients could regain all their weight in 1.7 years, the scientists also found that those who lost weight using semaglutide ‍and tirzepatide, cwould gain 0.8 kg per month.

Dimitrios Koutoukidis, Oxford University researcher and senior study author, “But because people on semaglutide or tirzepatide lose more weight ‍in the first place, they all end up returning to baseline at approximately the same time".

Heart health risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, that benefited ⁠from the drugs were projected to return to pre-treatment levels within 1.4 years after stopping the medications.

Why Does The Weight Come Back?

Dr Adam Collins, an expert in nutrition at the University of Surrey, told the BBC that when the body stops receiving a regular dose of appetite suppressants such as GLP-1 drugs, hunger returns and can lead to overeating.

He told the publication, "Artificially providing GLP-1 levels several times higher than normal over a long period may cause you to produce less of your own natural GLP-1, and may also make you less sensitive to its effects.

"That's not a problem when taking the drugs, but as soon as you withdraw this GLP-1 'fix', appetite is no longer kept in check and overeating is far more likely.

"This is further exacerbated if the individual in question has relied solely on GLP-1 to do the heavy lifting... artificially suppressing their appetite without them establishing any dietary or behavioural changes that would help them in the long run."