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.

People working night shifts were nearly twice as likely to develop long COVID, according to a new study.

Researchers at Spain’s ISGlobal said no previous study had examined whether disruption of the body’s biological clock could increase the risk of developing long COVID.

“Our findings suggest that circadian disruption plays a role in the transition from acute infection to persistent symptoms,” said Manolis Kogevinas, an ISGlobal researcher.

Published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, the study also found that chronic insomnia further increased the risk, highlighting the potential importance of healthy sleep habits in preventing long COVID and other post-acute infectious syndromes.

Night Shift Raises Long COVID Risk

Also read: Long COVID Patients May Face Brain Fog & Fatigue Due To Reduction In Dopamine? New Study Explains

The research team followed 2,941 adults in Catalonia between 2021 and 2023. Among the 1,899 participants who became infected with SARS-CoV-2, 284 developed long COVID during the two-year follow-up.

Long COVID was defined as persistent symptoms lasting more than three months after infection.

Compared with day workers, people who worked night shifts had an 88% higher risk of developing long COVID. This was after accounting for other factors, including vaccination history and chronic diseases.

The association was stronger among night workers with obesity.

Importantly, the increased risk was seen in both current and former night workers, suggesting that it may reflect longer-term effects of circadian disruption rather than short-term changes.

However, night-shift work was not associated with a higher risk of infection. This suggests that disruption of the biological clock may influence how the body recovers from infection rather than the likelihood of catching the virus.

Chronic Insomnia Further Raises Risk

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The researchers found that chronic insomnia independently increased the risk of long COVID by 42%, regardless of night shift work.

The two factors also appeared to have a synergistic effect. Night shift workers with chronic insomnia were 2.7 times more likely to develop long COVID than day workers without insomnia.

The biological mechanisms behind the association are not yet fully understood. Researchers noted that the time of day when the body encounters a pathogen may influence the immune response. Disruption of the biological clock may also impair the immune system’s ability to clear an infection.

Could Better Sleep Help Prevent Long COVID?

With insomnia becoming increasingly common, the researchers highlighted the need to better understand the short- and long-term effects of disturbed sleep on infection-related outcomes.

The findings suggest that sleep may be a potentially modifiable factor in reducing the risk of long COVID and other post-infectious conditions.

“Promoting healthy sleep habits and minimizing circadian disruption could represent simple, low-cost strategies to reduce the long-term consequences of viral infections, particularly among people who work night shifts,” Kogevinas said.

What is Long COVID?

Long COVID is a debilitating condition that can persist for months or even years after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long COVID is an infection-associated chronic condition marked by fatigue, cognitive impairment, exercise intolerance, and multisystem dysfunction.

It has affected an estimated 400 million people worldwide and continues to have significant health, social, and economic consequences. Despite the ongoing risk, prevention strategies have received relatively little attention.

Indian scientists have developed tiny, light-responsive nanobots that could pave the way for more precise breast cancer treatment. The findings indicate that this approach could potentially reduce damage to healthy tissues during therapy.

Researchers from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, in collaboration with scientists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, have developed multifunctional nanobots that can move towards a light source and destroy cancer cells using a combination of heat and reactive oxygen species. The findings were published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

How Do The Nanobots Work?

The experimental nanobots are made of upconversion nanoparticles, which can respond to near-infrared (NIR) light. Unlike conventional light-driven systems that may require ultraviolet, NIR light has greater potential to penetrate tissue.

When exposed to a 980-nanometre NIR laser, the nanobots generate heat and show directional movements towards the light source. This is called phototaxis.

The researchers reported that the nanobots reached speeds of around 27 ± 7 micrometres per second under the tested conditions.

The team also coated the nanobots with folic acid. This helps them recognise breast cancer cells that have higher levels of folate receptors, improving their ability to target tumour cells.

At the tumour site, the nanobots use two mechanisms to attack cancer cells. Photothermal therapy generates localised heat, while photodynamic therapy produces reactive oxygen species that can damage and kill cancer cells.

“The field of fuel-free light-powered nanobots and microbots with stimulus-responsive behaviour can have crucial implications for biomedical research,” the researchers said in the study.

Also read: The Office Actress Lucy Davis Reveals Incurable Stage 4 Breast Cancer: 'It’s Too Late For Chemo'

Why Is This Important For Breast Cancer?

Chemotherapy remains an important part of breast cancer treatment, but its effects go beyond targeting tumour cells. Drugs circulating through the body can also affect healthy tissues, leading to side effects. Tumours may also develop resistance to the treatment.

The researchers say conventional nanomedicines often depend on passive accumulation inside tumours, which can limit penetration and control over exactly where treatment acts. The new method attempts to work with a navigation system managed externally by light.

Also read: Breastfeeding Can Help Reduce Mothers' Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Breast Cancer and More

What Did The Study Find?

The technology has so far been tested in laboratory cancer-cell models and in mice carrying breast tumours. The researchers reported significant inhibition of tumour-growth when the nanobots with folic acid function were combined with 980 nm laser irradiation.

Researchers say that this is still preclinical research and may need further examination and clinical trials.

The nanobots have not been established as a treatment for breast cancer patients, and a lot more research will be needed to gauge their safety, effectiveness, dosing and ability to successfully work in humans.

Also read: Don't Fear The Biopsy, Fear The Delay

Global Breast Cancer Burden

Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, with steady increases in incidence over the last few decades. It accounts for around one in four cases of cancer and 15 per cent of cancer deaths in women, and is one of the leading causes of death in women under 50.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with around 59,400 new cases diagnosed annually and roughly 11,200 deaths each year. About one in seven women in the UK develops the disease in their lifetime, though survival rates are high, with nearly 90% surviving for five years or more.

A Chhattisgarh police constable who died during hospital treatment received an automated Ayushman Bharat message 42 days later congratulating him on his recovery and saying he was returning home. The incident left his family shocked who raised questions over patient-record updates.

What Happened?

Devnarayan Ram, 39, a police constable from Jashpur district, was admitted to Government Medical College Hospital in Ambikapur on June 26. He died during treatment on June 30. His family subsequently received his death certificate and performed his last rites.

However, on August 6, his wife Seema Kujur received an automated message on her husband’s registered mobile number under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

The message said, “We are happy that you have recovered and are returning home,” and thanked him for using the free healthcare services under Ayushman Bharat.

The portal showed June 26 as his admission date and August 6 as his discharge date, effectively keeping his hospital record active for 42 days after his death.

Also read: Healthcare's Biggest Challenge Is Not Clinical, It's Human

Family Seeks Probe

For Kujur, who is herself a nurse at a government hospital, the message was particularly distressing.

She said in a video message, “You can imagine what it means for a family to receive such a message for a person who has died. It causes immense pain.”

She also questioned how the system could remain unaware of her husband’s death for 42 days.

“I am a hospital employee, and even then, this happened to me. You can easily imagine what could happen to ordinary people, particularly poor and tribal families,” she said, demanding an inquiry.

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Hospital's Response

Hospital authorities have denied that Ram’s Ayushman card was used to claim treatment benefits for 42 days after his death

According to the hospital, Ram was treated in the ICU from June 26 to June 30. Only ICU and blood-transfusion-related packages worth about ₹16,700 were blocked under Ayushman Bharat, and no additional package was blocked after his death.

Dr Shailendra Gupta of the Surguja district health department said allegations that the card had been used for 42 days were “completely incorrect.”

He said, “The amount was deducted only for the treatment provided during the patient's actual stay in the hospital. No additional amount was deducted."

Hospital officials said the problem occurred because the Ayushman claim was not closed promptly due to human error.

A data-entry operator allegedly delayed the process, and when the claim was finally closed on August 6, the system automatically generated the recovery and discharge message. The officials said that the operator has since been dismissed.

Also read: 'Let's Fix Our Food': India Launches New Policy To Fight Childhood Obesity, Boost Nutrition

What Is Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY?

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is Centre’s government-funded health assurance scheme, launched in 2018.

It provides health cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation for eligible poor and vulnerable families.

The scheme is designed to provide cashless and paperless treatment and protect families from major out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.

After the incident raised questions about timely update of patient's records, the hospital has reportedly written to the state seeking safeguards so that automated messages relating to discharge, referral or death are sent only after the patient’s actual status is verified.