Is your teenager skipping breakfast? Why is that happening and what can you do? As per the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which surveyed adolescent health and well-being found that 1 in 4 students in high school ate breakfast, which means 3 in 4 high school students are not eating their breakfast. This data is as per the 2023 survey.

What Did The Study Intend?

The report describes a 10-year long trend and also recent changes among the two years. The study delved deeper into adolescents' dietary, physical activity and sleep behaviors. The study is also based on a national youth risk behavior survey of a representative sample of students from grade nine to 12.

What Did The Study Find?

The study found that while high school students drank slightly less soda and sports drinks and consumed more water, other healthy eating habits declined. In 2023, only 27% of students ate breakfast every day in the past week. The numbers were even lower for female students, with just 22% eating breakfast daily, compared to 32% of male students. Boys were also more likely to eat fruits and vegetables daily and drink water at least three times a day. Poor mental health and lack of physical activity have also been linked to skipping breakfast.

The other findings included a survey across 10-year period, where a decrease in the percentage of students eating fruits from 65% to 55%, eating vegetables, from 61% to 58%, and having breakfast daily from 38% to 27% was noted.

However, there was a positive trend among this, which was in children drinking plain water at least three times a day, which increased from 49% to 54% from when the survey began in 2015.. There were fewer students who also said that they drank soda in 2023 than in 2013. On an average, in 2013, around 22% students avoided soda, whereas in 2023, 31% students avoided it.

The report also emphasized that a healthy diet, along with daily physical activity and sufficient sleep further contributes to a healthy lifestyle. “The 10-year trends from 2013 to 2023 also show a decline in healthy dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors,” the survey reported.

Why Do High School Students Skip Breakfast?

While there is no one straightforward answer to it, psychologists and those who study children, believe that for many high school going kids, it is the easiest time to skip a meal. This is because they are caught between rushing to school, or not just that hungry in the morning. So for them, to sit down to have a breakfast may seem hassle and something they would have to take time out from their busy schedule. They at this age also prioritize their extra-curricular activities.

There has also been a shift in their circadian rhythm, and most teens cannot fall asleep before 11 pm, or even at midnight. Which means they wake up tired and struggle to do things right in the morning, which is why they choose to skip breakfast or give extra minutes to any other activities.

There is of course another, more popular reason, to lose weight. While experts and studies, like the one published in the Journal of Nutrition that found skipping breakfast leads to higher levels of hunger hormones, the students still feel the need to do this. However, it could lead to a slow metabolism, prompt the body to conserve energy and burn fewer calories, weight gain and deprive yo off the essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin D.

Without a morning breakfast, your blood sugar might drop too, which can increase irritability and stress, along with including the risk of depression in teenage.

Russia has reported a milestone in its experimental personalised cancer vaccine development. The first patient to complete treatment with the country's mRNA-based cancer vaccine is reportedly doing well as the follow-up scans showed no new tumour growth in the four months after completing therapy.

The update was shared by Alexander Gintsburg, scientific director of Moscow's Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

According to a report published by Kursiv, the patient is undergoing monthly examinations at Russia's National Medical Research Centre for Radiology, including high-resolution CT scans. Doctors are paying attention to the lymph nodes where cancer is most likely to spread.

The patient will remain under medical observation for the next three years. While the early findings are promising, they are based on a single patient's experience, which is a major limitation.

Russia's Personalised mRNA Cancer Vaccine

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The treatment, known as NeoOncovac, is a personalised cancer vaccine developed with the help of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.

Unlike preventive vaccines that protect people against infections, therapeutic cancer vaccines are designed to help the immune system recognise and attack existing cancer cells.

The vaccine is customised using the genetic characteristics of an individual's tumour. Researchers analyse tumour samples to identify specific mutations that could help distinguish cancer cells from healthy cells.

The mRNA is then designed to instruct the body to produce these targets related to tumour, prompting the immune system to recognise and attack the cancer cells. It aims to make the immune response more specific to the patient's cancer rather than targeting all cancer cells.

Six Patients Received The Vaccine

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According to reports citing Gintsburg, six patients with melanoma have received the personalised vaccine so far. The first has completed the treatment course, while the second is reportedly halfway through a course involving 10 administrations. Four other patients have also begun treatment.

Russian specialists expect to treat around 20 patients at the Herzen Moscow Research Institute of Oncology by the end of 2026. The country's Health Ministry has reportedly allocated funding for the treatment and follow-up of 120 patients during 2026 and 2027.

Even though the findings are promising, they should not be interpreted as evidence of a cancer cure. The current update concerns one patient with melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Although doctors have reported no new tumour growth during the follow-up period, four months is too short to establish whether the response will last or whether the cancer could return.

There are also currently no results from a large controlled clinical trial that could establish the vaccine's effectiveness, long-term safety or survival benefit.

Outcomes across more patients will be essential to determine whether the treatment can consistently produce similar results.

Personalised cancer vaccines are an active area of research internationally. In October 2026, Moderna and Merck reported positive late-stage trial findings for their experimental personalised mRNA melanoma vaccine, used alongside the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda).

The trial involved more than 1,100 patients and found a reduction in the risk of melanoma recurrence or death compared with Keytruda alone. However, this is a different vaccine and treatment from Russia's NeoOncovac.

In a major milestone in fetal and paediatric neurosurgery in India, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, have performed the country's first open fetal surgery to repair myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida.

The six-hour procedure was carried out at 25 weeks of pregnancy, in which surgeons were able to repair the baby's spinal defect before birth. The surgery, performed on November 12, entailed repairing a cerebrospinal fluid leak in the lower back while the baby was still in the uterus.

According to AIIMS press release, the operation followed more than five weeks of preparation in multiple disciplines, including detailed fetal imaging, counselling, planning anaesthesia and surgical simulations.

The procedure was done by more than 30 clinicians and nurses from neurosurgery, maternal-fetal medicine, obstetrics, anaesthesia, plastic surgery, radiology and neonatology.

Professor PS Chandra, Head of Neurosurgery at AIIMS, who facilitated the entire surgical execution by the neurosurgery team, said that prenatal surgery could help reduce the incidence of hydrocephalus and Chiari malformations linked with spina bifida.

What Is Myelomeningocele?

Myelomeningocele is an open neural tube defect in which the spinal cord and its protective coverings protrude through an opening in the developing spine. It occurs when the neural tube, which eventually develops into the brain and spinal cord, does not close completely during early pregnancy.

The condition can cause permanent nerve damage, muscle weakness or paralysis, loss of bladder and bowel control, and complications involving the brain and spinal cord. Some affected babies also develop hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain.

In many cases, surgery to close the spinal defect is performed after birth. However, exposure of the spinal cord to the surrounding amniotic fluid during pregnancy can contribute to further neurological injury.

India continues to face a burden of neural tube defects. A 2024 review of 27 Indian studies estimated their pooled prevalence at 9.46 per 1,000 births.

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Is Fetal Surgery The Way Forward?

Unlike conventional postnatal surgery, open fetal repair involves operating on the fetus while it is still inside the uterus. The surgeon accesses the uterus, exposes the affected area of the baby's spine and closes the defect, protecting the exposed spinal cord and its coverings. The aim is to limit further damage to the developing nervous system and improve certain neurological outcomes.

Professor Deepak Gupta, who led the neurosurgical part of the procedure, said, “This establishes an important new capability for fetal care and paediatric neurosurgery in India. In rigorously selected cases, prenatal repair seeks to limit ongoing injury to exposed neural tissue, reduce the subsequent need for cerebrospinal-fluid diversion for hydrocephalus, and improve selected neurological outcomes. It is not a cure, and long-term multidisciplinary care remains essential.”

Evidence for prenatal repair comes from the landmark Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), an international clinical trial. It found that 40% of children who underwent prenatal surgery required a cerebrospinal fluid shunt by 12 months of age, compared to 82% of those who underwent surgery after birth. Prenatal repair also helped with better motor outcomes and a lower incidence of hindbrain herniation linked with Chiari II.

But fetal surgery comes with its risks. It can increase the chances of premature delivery. It also carries risks related to the opening and subsequent healing of the mother's uterus. It is therefore performed only on carefully selected pregnancies at specialised centres equipped with resources.

Milestone In Fetal Surgery

The AIIMS procedure brings a complex fetal intervention, which is already done in other countries, to India's public healthcare system.

Professor Neena Malhotra, who led the maternal-fetal medicine and obstetric part of the surgery alongside Professor K Aparna Sharma, said, “This accomplishment reflects the collective commitment of an exceptional multidisciplinary team.”

Professor Sharma added, “Fetal intervention in this case is a very well-reasoned and planned decision to optimise the outcomes of both the baby and the mother. The safety of both mother and fetus depends on detailed counselling, high-quality anaesthesia, and coordinated surveillance before and after surgery.”

AIIMS said the procedure was performed free of cost under the Government of India's Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK). The mother and fetus will continue to receive close monitoring throughout the remainder of the pregnancy, delivery and newborn period.

Also read: First Human Spinal Cord Transplant Reported In Russia But Can It Reverse Paralysis?

Can Spina Bifida Be Prevented?

Prevention of spina bifida remains essential even though the option of fetal surgery is available. Neural tube closure takes place within the first 28 days after conception, often before a woman realises she is pregnant.

Adequate folic acid intake before conception and during early pregnancy can significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Preconception counselling, folic acid intake and dietary interventions with folate are therefore important to prevent spina bifida.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first-ever guidelines for the diagnosis and management of type 1 diabetes in adults. The recommendations aim to improve insulin access and blood glucose monitoring in countries where healthcare resources are limited.

Released on November 14 to mark World Diabetes Day 2026, the guidelines cover insulin treatment, blood glucose monitoring and care in emergency and humanitarian settings. They are meant to help healthcare providers deliver safer treatment, regardless of the resources available.

The guidelines come as the global burden of type 1 diabetes continues to grow. In 2025, 500,000 people were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, adding to an estimated 9.5 million people living with the condition worldwide in 2025, according to the WHO. Although type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed during childhood, it can develop at any age, including adulthood.

WHO Guidelines On Type 1 Diabetes

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A primary recommendation is intensified insulin treatment through multiple daily injections, along with the doses adjusted according to blood glucose levels. People with type 1 diabetes cannot produce enough insulin and therefore need lifelong insulin therapy to survive.

The guidelines recognise insulin as an effective and affordable treatment option. Insulin analogues, which are modified forms of insulin designed to alter how long the medicine works, may also be used when needed. The guidelines also address how treatment and monitoring can be adapted in low-resource settings and during emergencies.

The recommendations also emphasise regular blood glucose monitoring.

• HbA1c testing: A blood test that provides an estimate of average blood glucose levels over the previous two to three months.
• Finger-prick testing: Allows people to check their blood glucose levels at home at different points during the day.
• Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM): Uses a small sensor worn on the skin to track glucose levels throughout the day.
• Urine glucose testing: May be considered when blood glucose testing is not available.

Importance Of WHO Guidelines

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More than a century after insulin was discovered, access to affordable treatment remains a challenge for many people with type 1 diabetes. Interruptions in insulin supply can be life-threatening because the body depends on externally administered insulin to regulate blood glucose.

Without enough insulin, blood glucose can rise dangerously and lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a fatal complication.

“Insulin is a lifesaving treatment, discovered more than 100 years ago. Yet many people with type 1 diabetes do not have access to affordable and high-quality insulin,” said Dr Søren Brostrøm, WHO Director of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.

“The new WHO guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations to help countries deliver the best possible care, including in settings where resources are limited and health services are disrupted.”

The WHO guidelines aim to reduce these gaps by providing recommendations that can be implemented across different healthcare systems, including those with limited resources. They also support the organisation's bigger target of ensuring universal access to affordable insulin treatment and blood glucose self-monitoring by 2030.

The WHO has encouraged countries to involve people living with type 1 diabetes in designing diabetes programmes, so that they reflect practical challenges patients face.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Unlike type 2 diabetes, it is not primarily caused by insulin resistance or lifestyle factors.

People with the condition need lifelong insulin treatment, alongside regular glucose monitoring and medical follow-up. Without appropriate management, diabetes can lead to complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, nerves and cardiovascular system.