As per the latest data released by Transforming Access to Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) and the Policy Institute at King's College London, the number of UK students reporting mental health difficulties tripled. The estimate reveals that around 300,000 students could now be experiencing mental health struggles. Of the total, 18% of students reported some kind of mental health issue in 2024.

As per the reports, this estimate is triple what was reported in 2017, where it was at 6%. Experts also say that Covid-19 pandemic is "often considered to have contributed to this, it does not explain the ongoing rise in mental health difficulties." Another reason could also be the "changing definition and increasing openness about mental health" which has led to a rise in numbers. The report notes, "This trend pre-dates the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Although these factors play a part in students' deteriorating mental health, they cannot therefore be the only explanation."

How Did The Report Conclude?

The report drew data collected over the latest Student Academic Experience Survey of 93,212 students. From the survey, it was found that there exist significant disparities between demographic groups, with women being twice as likely to report mental health difficulties, about 22% as compared to men, at 11%.

What Did The Results Reveal?

The results revealed that students who identified as LGBTQ experienced the highest rates of mental health challenges. This has actually lessened the hope that conditions for LGBTQ students are improving, which may not have been a positive case.

Of them, 42% are bisexual and lesbian students, whereas last year it was 35% and 32% respectively. The report also noted that mental health difficulties among lesbian women and gay men rose three times the rate of straight people, and among bisexual and asexual people, it was twice as high. For trans students, the number jumped from 25% in 2023 to 40% in 2024.

Is The LGBTQ+ Prone To Mental Health Crisis?

As per the Child Mind Institute, being LGBTQ+ does not cause mental health problems, but because these kids often face factors like rejection, discrimination and violence, they are at a higher risk of challenges including depression, anxiety, and even attempting suicide.

A UTAH Health study quotes Anna Docherty, PhD, LP, assistant professor of psychiatry at Huntsman Mental Health Institute that, "likely with any identity, feeling different - or worse, unaccepted as you are is a significant risk factor of mental health struggle." The data reveals that LGBTQ+ teens are six times more likely to experience symptoms of depression than non-LGBTQ+ identifying teens. They are also more than twice as likely to feel suicidal and more than four times as likely to attempt suicide. In the US alone, 48% of transgender adults report that they have considered suicide in the last year, compared to 4% of the overall population.

What Do These Findings Mean?

TASO's academic lead and professor of public policy at King's College London, Michael Sanders said, "LGBTQ students and women bear the brunt of the rise in declining mental health and urgent action is needed to understand and address these trends."

Endometriosis does not usually present with typical symptoms. Due to this, getting a diagnosis can take years.

This may change soon as a team of Australian researchers recently developed an artificial intelligence tool that can identify two major imaging signs of advanced endometriosis in just 18 milliseconds.

Called EndoFusion, the tool was developed by researchers at Adelaide University as part of the IMAGENDO research programme. The findings were published in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

The 18-millisecond figure refers to how quickly the AI analyses a scan and produces its assessment. It does not mean that a woman can currently walk into a clinic and receive a confirmed diagnosis in 18 milliseconds.

The technology is still in development and requires further testing before it can become part of routine clinical diagnosis.

Endometriosis May Take Years To Diagnose

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, commonly affecting areas such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

It can cause severe period pain, pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue, pain during sex and difficulty becoming pregnant.

Diagnosis is challenging as symptoms can vary, and some women have little or no visible symptoms on conventional imaging.

Research has consistently found substantial diagnostic delays. A systematic review found delays ranging from months to as long as 12 years.

In Australia, women reportedly wait an average of around six and a half years for a diagnosis, according to Endometriosis Australia.

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More About The AI Tool Work

EndoFusion was trained using four datasets containing more than 9,000 pelvic MRI scans and over 800 transvaginal ultrasound scans as they can identify different signs of endometriosis effectively.

A patient who receives only one type of scan may therefore have some symptoms of the disease missed.

Associate Professor Jodie Avery of Adelaide University's Robinson Research Institute said, “Current scanning methods each have their own strengths when it comes to detecting two common markers that indicate the likelihood of endometriosis and patients will often only have access to one of them.”

She added, “This means that some patients could be disadvantaged if they are scanned by the less optimal option for their particular signs. Some of the imaging tools also rely on operator experience and can be costly.”

In its early evaluation, EndoFusion correctly distinguished positive and negative cases 83% of the time, performing better than the other AI models researchers compared it with.

Lead author Dr Yuan Zhang said, “This is a positive step forward and moves us closer to a future where an AI tool can help clinicians to provide a faster, more accurate diagnosis without the need for surgery.” However, 83% accuracy is not enough to replace clinical diagnosis.

The researchers say the next step is to expand the dataset and incorporate additional markers of endometriosis to improve classification accuracy.

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Could It Reduce The Need For Surgery?

Endometriosis diagnosis has historically relied heavily on imaging and, in some cases, laparoscopy, in which a camera is inserted through a small abdominal incision to look for lesions.

A reliable non-invasive tool could help doctors identify women who need specialist assessment sooner and potentially reduce unnecessary invasive investigations.

As Avery said, “The development of accurate, non-invasive early diagnostic methods is critical to shorten the diagnostic timeline and reduce associated costs.”

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to detect in its early stages. By the time it is diagnosed, the disease may have already spread, limiting treatment options and lowering survival.

Now, a novel blood test called Panxeon, developed by researchers at City of Hope, could offer a way to detect pancreatic cancer earlier.

Panxeon is an investigational liquid biopsy designed to detect pancreatic cancer, including stage 1 and 2 disease, using a blood sample.

The test also showed potential for identifying high-grade dysplasia, a precancerous condition sometimes considered “stage 0” pancreatic cancer.

In a study of nearly 1,800 patients across the US, Europe and Asia, published in Nature Medicine, the blood test correctly identified stage 1 and 2 pancreatic cancer in 87% of cases. Its false-positive rate was 3% among people in low-risk groups and 16% among those in high-risk groups.

Panxeon also detected high-grade dysplasia more than 64% of the time. This could help doctors identify which pancreatic cysts may require closer monitoring or further intervention before invasive cancer develops.

Also read: Meet Audrey Zheng: 17-YO Who Developed Blood Test For Pancreatic Cancer That Correctly Identified 87% Of Patients

How Does Panxeon Detect Pancreatic Cancer?

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates among cancers. Only 14% of patients survive five years after diagnosis, according to the US National Cancer Institute.

Panxeon assesses three biological signals associated with pancreatic cancer: circulating microRNAs, exosomal microRNAs and a protein called CA19-9.

The test then uses artificial intelligence to combine these measurements into a single score estimating a person's risk of pancreatic cancer.

“Pancreatic cancer remains so deadly largely because we find it after the window for cure has begun to close,” said senior author Ajay Goel, chair of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at City of Hope.

“For patients, these findings represent progress toward finding pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear and while more treatment options remain available,” he added.

According to the researchers, Panxeon is the first investigational test to combine these three biomarkers into a single blood test.

However, Panxeon is not intended to replace imaging or other diagnostic tests. Instead, it could potentially help identify people at higher risk who need further evaluation, said Goel.

Who Could Benefit From the Test?

Read More: Former US Senator Ben Sasse Opens Up About Battle With Terminal Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

Early detection of pancreatic cancer has been a longstanding research challenge, with previous blood-based tests failing to provide sufficient accuracy.

The researchers said Panxeon's approach differs by combining multiple biomarkers and evaluating the test in people with risk factors such as inherited or familial risk, pancreatic cysts and chronic pancreatitis, rather than relying only on healthy controls.

“Most biomarkers tell you one part of the story. Combining multiple biological signals gives us a clearer picture of what may be happening in the pancreas,” Goel said.

People who may potentially benefit from such testing include those with an inherited risk or family history of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cysts or chronic pancreatitis.

These groups are often monitored using imaging and other tests. A reliable blood test could eventually help identify who needs further evaluation.

“A stage shift is not just a statistic,” Goel said. “The earlier we find pancreatic cancer, the greater the chance that meaningful intervention is still possible.”

Pancreatic Cancer: Know The Warning Signs

READ: Daraxonrasib: US FDA Approves Once-Daily Pill for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer can begin with few or nonspecific symptoms, making early diagnosis difficult. Symptoms may become more apparent as the disease progresses.

Symptoms that should not be ignored include:

• Abdominal or back pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Jaundice
• Changes in urine or stool.

Newly released national sexual health data shows that Australia is seeing an alarming rise in STIs like syphilis and gonorrhoea. The data from Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney shows that diagnoses have increased by more than 50% over the past decade.

In 2025, Australia recorded 5,986 syphilis diagnoses and 42,393 gonorrhoea diagnoses, with rates of both infections shooting up by more than 50% since 2016.

Apart from the sharp rise in cases, one pattern that has drawn attention is the difference in the number of infections between men and women. Syphilis diagnoses among women increased 167% over the past decade, compared with a 39% increase among men.

Health experts say the rise is especially alarming as syphilis, when left untreated, can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, congenital syphilis and infant death.

Signs Of Syphilis Can Vanish Without Actually Leaving The Body

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Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and the infection unravels in stages. The first stage causes a painless sore, called a chancre, typically at the site where the bacteria entered the body. The sore can occur around the genitals, anus, rectum, lips or mouth and may disappear on its own within weeks.

The disappearance of that sore could be misleading because when it heals, it does not mean that the infection has not necessarily gone away.

Without treatment, syphilis can progress to a second stage, which comes with a rash, swollen lymph nodes, fever, fatigue, and other symptoms. These symptoms can also eventually disappear.

If left untreated, the infection can then enter its latent stage, when a person has no visible signs or symptoms. This is what makes syphilis particularly difficult to detect.

During latent syphilis stage, the bacteria remain in the body even though the person may feel completely well. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, untreated syphilis can remain in the body for years.

Rising Syphilis Cases In Women Women May Impact Pregnancy

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The latest Australian data show men accounted for 78% of syphilis diagnoses in 2025, but the much faster increase among women is raising particular concern because an infected pregnant woman can pass the bacteria to her unborn baby.

Dr Skye McGregor, an epidemiologist at the Kirby Institute said, “It’s really concerning because the rise among women has contributed to syphilis in pregnancy, which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, congenital syphilis and infant deaths,” McGregor said. “These are really substantial impacts on infants, but also the community as a whole. Across that same 10-year reporting period, there were 113 congenital syphilis cases and, tragically, 40 of those infants died.”

Australia recorded 14 cases of congenital syphilis in 2025. Over the past decade, there have been 113 reported congenital syphilis cases, with 40 resulting in infant deaths.

The infection is preventable from reaching the baby when it is identified and treated during pregnancy. To curb the same, Australia has recently updated national guidelines to recommend at least three syphilis tests during pregnancy, reflecting concern about rising infections.

What Happens If Syphilis Is Left Untreated For Years?

Not everyone with untreated syphilis develops latent-stage disease. But in some people, the infection can eventually damage multiple organs.

Tertiary syphilis can affect the heart and blood vessels, brain and nervous system, and several other organs. It can emerge 10 to 30 years after the original infection and can cause severe disability or death.

Syphilis can also affect the nervous system, eyes or ears at different stages of infection. Neurosyphilis can cause headaches, weakness, problems with movement, confusion or cognitive changes.

Ocular syphilis can cause vision problems and potentially permanent vision loss, while otosyphilis can cause hearing loss, tinnitus or dizziness.