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.

The FDA on Friday revised the safety information for Sarepta Therapeutics’ Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy, Elevidys, adding a boxed warning to alert patients and doctors about the risk of severe liver damage and possible death. This highest-level warning outlines the chance of serious liver injury and acute liver failure in people who receive Elevidys, with both complications carrying the possibility of being fatal.

The agency has also limited the therapy’s use to ambulatory Duchenne patients who are at least 4 years old and have a confirmed mutation in the DMD gene. With these changes, Elevidys is no longer permitted for patients who cannot walk.

What Is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a serious inherited condition that leads to steady muscle weakening and loss, affecting boys far more often. It stems from a defect in the dystrophin gene, which prevents the body from making a key protein that protects muscle fibers.

Signs usually show up in early childhood and include trouble walking or climbing, frequent falls and a noticeable waddling walk, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

What Is The Duchenne Gene Therapy?

Gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy delivers a corrected or shortened form of the dystrophin gene into muscle cells using a modified virus. This allows the cells to produce a working version of the protein. The single intravenous infusion is designed to slow the disease by restoring some dystrophin, with the aim of improving movement and daily functioning. While the FDA has cleared a therapy that creates a reduced “micro-dystrophin,” researchers are still working on ways to provide the full-length gene for potentially stronger results, as noted by the Food and Drug Administration.

What Is Elevidys?

Elevidys is a gene-based treatment designed for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It is given only once and relies on an adeno-associated virus to carry a modified form of the dystrophin gene into the body. This shorter micro-dystrophin version is meant to take the place of the faulty or absent dystrophin that leads to the condition.

FDA Tightens Duchenne Gene Therapy After Deaths Of Two Teens

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is tightening control over a Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy after two teenagers died from liver failure linked to the treatment. The agency has restricted Elevidys, made by Sarepta Therapeutics, to boys aged 4 and older who are still able to walk.

It can no longer be given to boys who have already lost the ability to move independently, something that usually occurs around age 12 in Duchenne. A safety review confirmed that both teenagers developed severe liver damage after receiving the infusion and later died.

The FDA is also adding its strongest boxed warning to call attention to the risks of serious liver injury, acute liver failure and death. Sarepta, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with offices in several countries, told regulators earlier this year that it had already stopped supplying the therapy to non-ambulatory patients. The company stated that Elevidys has been used in 1,100 patients worldwide.

These updates “will ensure that families and health-care professionals have clear information” to support treatment choices, Louise Rodino-Klapac, Sarepta’s head of research and development, told The New York Times.

The FDA’s new label comes at the end of a difficult year for Sarepta, marked by weak clinical trial results, safety questions surrounding Elevidys and declining sales.

Liev Schreiber, American actor, best known for his role in Spotlight, and latest seen at the Stranger Things promotional events alongside his daughter Kai Schreiber, was rushed to hospital on Sunday. The actor said that he was suffering from a "brutal headache".

The TMZ reported the health scare after he was being hospitalized in the New York City, and stayed overnight Sunday in the hospital on the advice of his doctor. The doctors have also run tests on him. However, his diagnosis still remains unclear, though as per the TMZ report, doctors have said to him that his ability to walk and speech has not be affected.

Liev Schreiber Health Scare In Past

In April 2024, Schreiber revealed that he had a rare condition called transient global amnesia, while he was starring in Doubt: A Parable on Broadway during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

“The worst nightmare that an actor could possibly ever experience. I was in my dressing room and I had a terrible headache. I thought it was maybe a fast-food headache, but it felt a little stronger than that. I am walking down the stairs, and I am thinking, 'This is not normal. I don't feel okay'," he said.

He said that his condition got worse when he was on stage, as he would completely forget his lines. "It all vanishes. The play is gone from my head...I know I am in a play, but I do not know what play I am in," he said.

He added, "My doctor, who’s a friend, shows up, and he had a terrified expression. My wife shows up, and she looks terrified. I think, ‘Okay, I’ve had a stroke. This is it.'” Although it was not a stroke, but the symptom of transient global amnesia, the actor did not believe it.

He recalled the doctor telling him that he may have the same experience again "it will be gone in 8 to 24 hours", however, he did not believe it. "You know, as a typical sort of Jewish hypochondriac person, I’m convinced that I had a stroke and they just didn’t find it," he said.

“I go to sleep, I wake up, I remember the whole play. I never had another problem with it. I was embarrassed and thought everyone would think I was lying and taking a night off from the theater,” he added.

What Is Transient Global Amnesia?

Transient Global Amnesia or TGA is a sudden, temporary episode of confusion and memory loss, where a person cannot form new memories (anterograde amnesia) and may have trouble recalling recent past events (retrograde amnesia).

Individuals with TGA often repeatedly ask the same questions because they forget the answers, but they retain their sense of self and recognize close friends and family. Episodes are usually benign, resolve within 24 hours, and do not result in lasting neurological damage.

While the cause of transient global amnesia is not known, experts believe that there could be a link between TGA and a history of migraines. However, the factors that contribute in the link of these two conditions are still not fully understood.

Common Signs Of Transient Global Amnesia

• Sudden onset of confusion and memory loss
• Inability to form new memories
• Repetitive questioning about their situation
• Disorientation regarding their location and recent events
• Retention of personal identity and recognition of familiar people
• Preserved ability to perform complex tasks, language, and other cognitive functions

Ethiopia has confirmed its first Marburg Virus outbreak after reports began to circulate from last week. The reports showed cases of a viral hemorrhagic fever in the southern part of the country, as confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

As of now, 16 cases have been identified in the region of Jinka city in the south, and 129 additional case contacts are being monitored. The Ethiopian Ministry of Health have also confirmed that three people have died

"Genetic analysis by the Ethiopia Public Health Institute revealed that the virus is of the same strain as the one that has been reported in previous outbreaks in other countries in East Africa. A total of nine cases have been reported in the outbreak that has affected Jinka town in the South Ethiopia Region," the WHO said.

What Is Marburg Virus?

With the fatality rate of 8% it is the same virus family as Ebola. The main carrier is from fruit bats which spreads to humans then through the contact of bodily fluids of infected individuals, it spreads to others.

As per the WHO, this virus is capable of killing half of the people it infects. This was for the first time detected in 1976 after 31 people were infected. Out of them, seven died in simultaneous outbreak in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade in Serbia. The virus is also named after the location it was first detected.

The source was traced to African green monkeys who were imported from Uganda. However, other animals too are linked to the virus spread, including bats.

In the past, the virus outbreaks have happened in countries like Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda. In 2005, this virus killed 300 people in Angola.

Last year in Rwanda, Marburg killed 15 people, and affected at least 66 people.

Read: Marburg Virus Outbreak In Rwanda

However, for the rest of the world, only two people have died from the virus in the rest of the world, with one of them being in Europe, and the other in the US. These both have been on expeditions to caves in Uganda.

What Are The Common Signs And Symptoms Of Marburg Virus?

The common signs and symptoms of the Marburg virus include fever, pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and in the case of extreme blood loss, death too can happen.

So far, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus. However, treatments like drugs and immune therapy are being developed as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).

No Vaccine For Marburg

While it may have the similar fatality rate, but unlike Ebola, there is no vaccine against Marburg. On X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he commended Ethiopia for its "rapid and transparent response to the outbreak, and the work of the Ethiopia Public Health Institute and regional health authorities. This fast action demonstrates the seriousness of the country's commitment to bringing the outbreak under control quickly."