UK health authorities are testing a groundbreaking device that is designed to improve the way progesterone is absorbed in women at risk of miscarriage. Named Callavid, the small, tampon-shaped device could soon replace the current use of vaginal pessaries, which are often uncomfortable and messy, in administering this vital hormone.

Why Is Progesterone Important?

Progesterone plays a crucial role in early pregnancy, helping to prepare and support the womb for a growing baby. For women who have previously experienced miscarriage and early bleeding in subsequent pregnancies, progesterone treatment is recommended. However, the current delivery method is far from ideal—prone to leakage and often uncomfortable—leaving many women feeling distressed during an already anxious time.

That is where Callavid comes in. Developed by Calla Lily Clinical Care, the device is designed to deliver progesterone more effectively and with greater comfort. Experts hope it could significantly ease the emotional and physical burden faced by thousands of women every year. "At a time when women are going through one of the most distressing moments of their lives, we want to offer something that feels dignified, supportive, and effective," said Lara Zibners, co-founder of Calla Lily Clinical Care. She called the recent £1 million funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research a major step forward. The grant will allow the device to enter in-person trials, moving it closer to being widely available for use.

Over 1, 00,000 Women Could Benefit

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust is leading the clinical trial. According to their estimates, more than 150,000 women in the UK could benefit from this alternative method of progesterone delivery.

Beyond the emotional impact, the innovation also holds promise for reducing costs to the healthcare system. Current methods are not only inefficient for some women but also contribute to an estimated £236 million annual burden on the NHS, according to health economists.

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Professor Siobhan Quenby, a specialist in obstetrics and reproductive health at UHCW, emphasised the broader importance of the trial. “We know how frightening and heartbreaking it can be to experience early bleeding in pregnancy, especially for those who have experienced miscarriage before,” she said. “Through this innovation, one which is being pioneered right here in the UK, I believe there is potential to transform women's experiences—not just physically, but emotionally too.”

More Research Is Needed

While more research and testing are needed before Callavid becomes widely available, the early promise it shows is encouraging. With progesterone therapy being such a vital component of care for women at risk of miscarriage, a more efficient and compassionate delivery method could not only improve clinical outcomes but also bring some peace of mind during a deeply vulnerable time.

As trials progress, both healthcare professionals and women alike are watching with hope that Callavid might soon become a new standard in early pregnancy care.

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Autism is defined as a spectrum disorder which happens due to conditions related to development of the brain. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 out 100 children have autism, and its characteristics can be detected from early childhood. When you are on the spectrum, there are various symptoms and signs which can sometimes lead to misdiagnoses or difficulty in outlining the correct issue.

However, with new research happening all over the world, there are better tools to help us with various mental health sectors. A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, points to an interesting way we might be able to spot signs of autism early on. Researchers looked at how young kids pay attention to things that move. They found that children with autism often like watching movements that repeat in the same way more than movements that are all mixed up and random. This difference in what catches their eye could become a helpful clue for doctors and parents to identify autism at a younger age than we often do now.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The study itself involved a small group of children. There were 17 kids who had some signs that they might have autism, and 11 kids who were developing as expected. All the children watched videos with simple shapes like circles and squares being drawn. On one side of the screen, the shapes were drawn in a smooth, repeating way. On the other side, the shapes appeared in a jumbled, unpredictable order. The eye trackers showed that the kids without suspected autism looked at both sides about the same amount. However, the other group clearly preferred the predictable movements, and their interest in that side even grew as they watched.

Predictable Movements Can Be An Indicator

To figure this out, the researchers used special technology that tracks where kids look – it's called eye-tracking. They showed videos to two groups of children: some who doctors thought might have autism and others who were developing typically. What they saw was quite telling. The kids who were suspected of having autism spent a lot more time watching the parts of the video where the movements were predictable and followed a pattern. This suggests that this focus on repeated motion could be a key characteristic.

Because of what they found, the researchers think we could create a simple test to help identify autism early. Imagine a short video, maybe just two minutes long, that shows both predictable and unpredictable movements side by side. By watching which side a young child looks at more, especially during their regular check-ups, we might be able to spot kids who could be at risk for autism as young as three years old. This could be a much quicker way to find these children compared to how we usually do it, which can sometimes take longer.

How Does This Imply An Autism Diagnosis

One sign of autism that has been noticed is the preference to do similar things over and over again. Often, people with autism show repetitive behaviors. So, this study suggests that this preference might be an early sign of that. Right now, when doctors look for early signs of autism, they mainly focus on how kids interact with others and how they communicate, like if they make eye contact or talk on time. Adding this new way of looking at how they respond to movement could give us another useful tool to help diagnose autism earlier.

US President Donald Trump's recent physical examination results were released by the White House on Sunday and it declared him "Fully Fit" to serve as Commander-in-Chief. the report also holds significance, not just because Trump is the oldest man to be ever elected to the presidency, but also because it has arrived in such a time and age when health as become a hot topic in American politics.

Here is what is physical examination says:

Doctor Says Fit For Duty

Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella who is Trump's physician conducted this medical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The report released was three-page-long, which declared Trump "fully fit to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State", and it also added that he remains in "excellent health". He has a "robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and general physical function."

Barbabella also noted that Trump's "active lifestyle", including golf games have contributed in his overall well-being. While this may come as a surprise to many, but playing golf indeed helps you burn calories. In a June 2023 article by Harvard Health Publishing, run by Harvard Medical School, Julie Corliss, their Executive Editor notes that "if you walk the course, playing 18 holes of golf may benefic your heart even more than an hour of either brisk or Nordic walking."

Weight Loss And Improved BMI

One of the noticeable changes in his report, especially from last presidency in 2020 is his weight. He now weighs 224 pounds, which has come down from 244. This also brought his Body Mass Index (BMI) to 28.0, which has placed him under the "overweight" category. Previously, his BMI was 30.5, which placed him as an obese man.

This drop in weight could be reflected from his healthy and active lifestyle as per his doctor.

The Vitals: Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, and Heart Health

Trump’s cholesterol levels have steadily improved over the years, thanks in part to medications like rosuvastatin and ezetimibe. His total cholesterol has decreased from 223 in 2018 to 140 today, which is well within the healthy range (below 200).

His blood pressure reads 128/74—slightly elevated but not in the hypertensive range. His resting heart rate is 62 beats per minute, indicating good cardiovascular health.

Trump also takes aspirin regularly, which helps lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.

How Is Trump Doing Mentally?

Trump has also passed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which is a screening tool for various brain functions like memory and attention. He also boasted in 2018 about recalling a list of words from the test: "Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV."

In his latest checkup, he also underwent mental health screenings for depression and anxiety and scored within the normal limits.

Other Health Measures

The exam summary noted that Trump had previously undergone cataract surgery on both eyes, a routine procedure for aging individuals. He also had a colonoscopy in July 2024, which revealed a benign polyp and diverticulosis—a common age-related intestinal condition that’s usually harmless.

The exam also confirmed minor sun damage and benign skin lesions, along with scarring on his right ear from a July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

More than three million children around the world are thought to have died in 2022 as a result of infections that are resistant to antibiotics, new research has found. While these infections impact kids across the world, those in Africa and Southeast Asia are most at risk. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) develops when the microbes that cause infections evolve so that antibiotic drugs no longer work. As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is "one of the top global public health and development threats."

A new study now reveals the toll that AMR is taking on children. Using data from multiple sources, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, researchers calculated that there were more than three million child deaths in 2022 linked to drug-resistant infections. Experts say this new study highlights a more than tenfold increase in AMR-related infections in children in just three years. Experts opine that these numbers could have been made worse by the impact of the COVID pandemic.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.

Antimicrobials - including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics - are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.

As antibiotic resistance increases, even common infections could become difficult to treat. For example, some doctors have already reported patients needing hospitalization for simple urinary tract infections. This rise in resistance could lead to more complications in hospitals, longer stays, and higher medical costs.

For their study, the researchers examined over 858,000 bacterial isolates collected between 2004 and 2021 from 83 countries, with more than 100,000 samples from children. The study was published in the journal SSRN. The study highlights significant geographic and temporal variations in pediatric AMR, underscoring the need for targeting several countries as compared to others.

What Is AMR?

Antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis, reducing the effectiveness of treatments for common infections. The 2022 GLASS report revealed alarming resistance rates: 42% for cephalosporin-resistant *E. coli* and 35% for methicillin-resistant *Staphylococcus aureus*. In 2020, 1 in 5 urinary tract infections caused by *E. coli* were resistant to standard antibiotics. Resistance in *Klebsiella pneumoniae* and rising use of last-resort drugs like carbapenems are further worsening the situation, with projections indicating a twofold increase in resistance by 2035.

Drug resistance isn’t limited to bacteria. WHO is closely monitoring resistant fungal infections, notably *Candida auris*, which is difficult to treat and linked to high mortality. HIV drug resistance, often due to poor treatment adherence or drug interactions, compromises antiretroviral therapy. Similarly, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains a severe public health threat, with limited access to effective treatments. Only 40% of those needing treatment for drug-resistant TB received it in 2022.

Malaria control is challenged by resistance to artemisinin-based therapies in Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, drug resistance in neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) like leprosy and leishmaniasis threatens global eradication efforts. Strengthened surveillance, stewardship, and development of second-line treatments are essential to curb this growing menace.