The current measles outbreak has gripped US states like Texas and New Mexico leaving people worried whether it would become a new pandemic. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services as of February 21, 90 cases were diagnosed in the last month in the South Plains area, with at least 77 of them were reported in children and teens under 17.

Measles is highly contagious and can be deadly. The outbreak, which started spreading in late January, has resulted in multiple hospitalizations, with at least nine confirmed cases and three probable cases as of early February. Health officials caution that at least one in five infected individuals will have to be hospitalized, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Misinformation surrounding vaccines and with the new Trump administration anti-vaccine campaigs, has causing parents to hesitate or refuse vaccination.

Furthermore, the country down under Australia is also witnessing a surge in measles cases as health officials in Sydney have issued an urgent alert, urging residents to watch for measles symptoms after an infected individual visited several places in Sydney over the last seven days.

Authorities report that the traveller had returned from South East Asia where there are ongoing outbreaks of measles.

What Are The Symptoms Measles?

Key symptoms of measles include fever, a runny nose, sore eyes, and a cough. Typically, a red, blotchy rash appears three to four days later, spreading from the head down to the body. Symptoms can manifest between 7 and 18 days after exposure.

Anyone who experiences these symptoms after potential exposure should immediately contact their doctor or emergency department. It is crucial to call ahead before visiting to avoid potentially exposing others in the waiting room. Dr. Selvey also highlighted that ongoing measles outbreaks are occurring in various parts of the world, making awareness and prompt action essential.

Why It Is Important To Get Vaccinated?

According to CDC everyone should get the MMR vaccine. It protects you from measles, mumps, and rubella. Getting vaccinated helps stop these diseases from spreading. There are two safe MMR vaccines available. They work the same way, so it doesn't matter which one you get. Kids can also get a shot that protects against chickenpox too, but this is only for children.

Who Should Get Vaccinated?

Kids Need Two Shots

All children should get two MMR shots. The first shot should be given when they are between 12 and 15 months old. The second shot should be given when they are between 4 and 6 years old. If needed, the second shot can be given earlier, but it must be at least 28 days after the first shot.

College Students Need to Be Protected

Students going to college or other schools after high school, need two shots if they are not already immune. The shots must be at least 28 days apart.

Adults Need at Least One Shot

Most adults need at least one MMR shot. Some adults need two shots, especially those who work in healthcare, travel a lot, or go to college. These people should get two shots, with 28 days between them.

Travelers Need to Be Extra Careful

Anyone traveling to other countries should make sure they are protected. Babies 6 to 11 months old should get one shot before traveling. Kids 12 months and older, teens, and adults need two shots, with 28 days between them.

Healthcare Workers Must Be Immune

People who work in healthcare should have proof that they are immune to measles, mumps, and rubella. If they are not immune, they need two MMR shots, spaced 28 days apart.

Women Thinking About Having Babies

Women who might get pregnant should talk to their doctor about the MMR vaccine. It's safe to get the shot while breastfeeding.

India continues to battle one of the world's highest burdens of preterm births. Early identification of critically ill newborns remains crucial for improving survival rates, particularly in hospitals with limited resources.

A new Indian study says that Clinical Risk Index for Babies-II (CRIB-II) score is an effective tool for predicting mortality risk among preterm newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

The research, conducted by doctors at JK Lone Hospital in Jaipur and published in the International Journal of Paediatric Research, can help preterm babies receive faster treatment and enable better use of neonatal intensive care resources.

What Is The CRIB-II score?

• Birth weight
• Gestational age
• Baby's body temperature at admission
• Blood acid-base status
• Sex of the baby

The higher the score, the greater the risk of severe illness or death.

What Did The Study Find?

Researchers studied 181 premature newborns admitted to the tertiary care hospital. The babies had an average gestational age of 28.88 weeks and an average birth weight of 1.01 kg. The analysis showed a clear relationship between CRIB-II scores and outcomes:

• 0 to 5: Low risk
• 6 to 10: Moderate risk
• 11 to 15: High risk
• Above 15: Very high risk

Babies with higher CRIB-II scores were significantly more likely to die than those with lower scores, suggesting that the scoring system can accurately identify newborns requiring immediate intensive care.

Early Risk Assessment Can Save Lives

Also read: Beyond The Bump: Why Preconceptions And Antenatal Care Are Key To A Healthy Pregnancy

Dr. Yogesh Yadav, paediatric specialist and one of the study's researchers, said the score enables doctors to make critical treatment decisions within the first few hours after admission.

"If we calculate the CRIB-II score at the time of admission, we can understand the seriousness of the baby's condition. This helps doctors decide the right treatment direction early and increases the chances of saving the baby."

He added that the score is more than simply a predictor of mortality. "CRIB-II is not just a score to predict death risk, but an important scientific tool for decision-making in the NICU. In the first few hours, we can identify which newborn is at high risk."

The researchers believe the scoring system could be particularly valuable across India, where NICUs often face shortages of beds, ventilators and trained neonatal staff.

According to Dr. Yadav: "When beds, ventilators or trained staff are limited, babies with higher scores can be given priority in the NICU. It also helps in deciding which newborns need to be referred immediately to higher centres."

The score can also improve communication with families by helping clinicians provide clearer information about a baby's condition and expected prognosis.

"Through CRIB-II, we can give parents a clearer and more accurate understanding of the baby's condition, possible outcomes and treatment needs."

Although CRIB-II has been used internationally for years, the latest Indian findings add to growing evidence supporting its use in neonatal intensive care.

A newly identified brain protein may help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to new research that sheds light on how the disease spreads through the brain.

Scientists have found that a protein called SORLA acts as a natural defense against the toxic tau protein, limiting the brain damage that causes memory loss and cognitive decline.

The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that boosting SORLA activity could become a therapeutic strategy.

SORLA Can Help Regulate Tau

The study found that SORLA regulates how tau proteins move between neurons. While amyloid plaques have long dominated Alzheimer's research, mounting evidence suggests that the spread of tau in the brain is more closely linked to the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

When SORLA levels were low, toxic tau spread more easily from one brain cell to another. In contrast, increasing SORLA significantly reduced tau accumulation, protected brain tissue from shrinking, and preserved memory in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.

"Our findings identify SORLA as a potent endogenous suppressor of tau propagation," the researchers wrote, adding that enhancing SORLA function "could represent a promising therapeutic strategy for limiting the progression of Alzheimer's disease."

Also read: Alzheimer's Drug Leqembi Helps Over 75% Of Patients Remain Stable Or Improve: Real-World Study

How Can This Discovery Help?

Current Alzheimer's drugs like Leqembi primarily target amyloid-beta plaques. Although these treatments can slow disease progression in some patients, they do not directly stop the spread of tau, which drives the loss of brain cells which worsens dementia.

The discovery of SORLA offers a different approach by targeting one of the disease's most dangerous aspects: tau propagation.

Can This Lead To Effective Alzheimer's Treatments?

The SORLA findings were demonstrated primarily in laboratory models, meaning much more research is needed before therapies can be tested in people.

However, researchers say identifying the brain's own protective mechanisms provides an important roadmap for developing treatments that not only remove harmful proteins but also prevent them from spreading.

If future studies confirm these findings in humans, therapies that boost SORLA could potentially be combined with existing anti-amyloid medicines to slow Alzheimer's progression more effectively.

The SORLA discovery comes amid growing momentum in tau-based Alzheimer's research.

Just this month, researchers reported encouraging results from diranersen, an experimental therapy designed to reduce production of the tau protein itself.

In a mid-stage clinical trial involving around 400 people with early Alzheimer's disease, the drug lowered tau levels and showed signs of slowing cognitive decline in some participants, although larger studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness.

Also read: Excessive TV Watching In Midlife May Shrink Brain Areas Essential For Memory, Study Finds

What Is SORLA?

SORLA (Sorting Protein-Related Receptor with LDLR Class A Repeats) is a receptor protein naturally present in brain cells.

Scientists have known for years that low SORLA levels are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease because the protein helps process amyloid precursor protein.

Why Is Tau Considered Dangerous?

Tau is a normal protein that helps stabilize the internal structure of nerve cells. In Alzheimer's disease, however, tau becomes abnormally folded and forms neurofibrillary tangles.

These tangles spread through interconnected brain regions, disrupting communication between neurons, and eventually causing them to die.

Researchers believe the progression of tau pathology closely mirrors the progression of memory loss and cognitive impairment seen in Alzheimer's patients.

Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)—formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)—face a significantly higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases, according to a large study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health.

PMOS affects an estimated 10–13% of women of reproductive age. Researchers analyzed data from more than 2 million women and found that those with PMOS had a substantially higher risk of serious cardiovascular events, even after accounting for established risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and high cholesterol.

The findings, by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Rochester, suggest that PMOS should be recognized not only as a reproductive health condition but also as a major cardiometabolic disorder, underscoring the need for routine cardiovascular monitoring in affected women.

What Did The Study Find?

Also read: PCOS Is Now PMOS: What The Name Change Means For Millions Of Women

Women with PMOS were significantly more likely to develop atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), including heart attacks and strokes.

After adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, researchers found that women with PMOS were:

• 2.5 times more likely to experience a heart attack or stroke.
• 3.4 times more likely to have a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or "mini-stroke."
• Nearly four times more likely to develop peripheral artery disease (PAD), in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs.

"Our work shows that it is imperative for clinicians to closely track and evaluate cardiovascular health in patients with PMOS," said Dr. Anuja Dokras, senior author of the study and Founders Professor of Women's Health at the University of Pennsylvania.

She advised women with PMOS to lower their cardiovascular risk by:

• Avoiding smoking
• Staying physically active
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Regularly monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar

What Is PMOS?

PMOS is the new name for PCOS, adopted following an international consensus announced in May 2026 by the World Health Organization, the Endocrine Society, and other leading organizations.

The new name reflects the understanding that the condition affects multiple body systems—not just the ovaries. PMOS is a complex hormonal and metabolic disorder linked to an increased risk of:

• Infertility
• Type 2 diabetes
• Endometrial cancer
• Cardiovascular disease

The condition can affect:

• Endocrine health
• Metabolic health
• Reproductive health
• Dermatological health
• Psychological health

Why Was PCOS Renamed?

Experts said the term PCOS was misleading because many patients believed it referred to ovarian cysts, whereas the condition is characterized by increased ovarian follicles rather than true cysts.

"My patients often assumed they had cysts on their ovaries, but instead, people with PMOS have increased follicles that can resemble cysts," said Dr. Dokras. "The effects of PMOS extend far beyond gynecologic health. The new name better reflects the multiple hormonal and metabolic systems involved and encourages more comprehensive care."

The new name aims to explain the condition more accurately and comprehensively.

• Polyendocrine means it affects multiple hormones in the body.
• Metabolic refers to issues linked to weight, insulin, blood sugar, and heart health.
• Ovarian highlights its impact on ovulation and reproductive health.
• Syndrome refers to a group of symptoms occurring together.