Pakistan continues to be dealing with a polio outbreak as four fresh cases have emerged, pushing the national tally to 37 this year, according to health officials on October 19, 2024. Health officials said that the regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV1) in two children-one from each Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In recent cases, a girl has been affected from Pishin, and two boys from Chaman and Noshki of Balochistan, and a girl from Lakki Marwat in KP. These are the first detections of the virus within Noshki and Lakki Marwat this year; isolated cases of poliovirus were previously reported within Chaman and Pishin. The province of Balochistan was the worst hit with 20 cases, Sindh had 10, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had five, and Punjab and Islamabad had one case each.

A gigantic fight against polio has been on going in Pakistan- especially in Balochistan and southern KP-over the last two years. Immunisation campaigns have often been suspended or delayed because of local protests, insecurity, and community boycotts. Consequently, quite a number of children did not get the necessary vaccinations, making existing patches of vulnerability for the virus to flow within those pockets.

Noshki, located near Afghanistan's border, and Lakki Marwat have also recently reported some positive environmental samples that confirm the virus is present here, said a local reference laboratory official. Samples of latest cases are currently under genetic sequencing for checking spread of virus and origin.

As the threat of polio continues to grow, Pakistan has vowed to mount a nationwide campaign against it beginning from October 28. With the zeal to tackle the menace in the most effective manner, over 45 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated across the country.

Today, Afghanistan and Pakistan remain one of the few countries where polio has not yet been eradicated. The WHO said the virus remains a potential serious public health threat in areas with low vaccination coverage and weak surveillance.

India On Alert Against Polio

The country declared itself polio-free since 2014 and has kept the disease on bay almost a decade with very robust vaccination programs; however, two cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus cases reported in recent days from Meghalaya create some amount of doubts over a possible resurgence. Experts observe that in India, despite these detections taking place, strong coverage of vaccination at 90-95% and mandatory surveillance measures keep the risk of this widespread outbreak at bay.

The experts point out, however, that such stable situation in India requires continued surveillance. "Countries like Pakistan and parts of Africa remain at a high risk because vaccination rates in those areas are much lower," Dr. Siddharth, public health expert, said. Vaccination is an indispensable act in order to avoid the spread of this incapacitating disease that manifests most importantly as a nervous system affliction leading to the paralysis of a long period.

With concerted efforts from health authorities, there is hope someday that the scourge of polio will be completely eradicated from the face of the earth and future generations will never suffer from its effects.

A cancer drug that was approved in the US just last week for pancreatic cancer is also showing promise in lung cancer treatment.

The drug, daraxonrasib (Rasonque), showed encouraging results in patients with previously treated RAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on September 2.

Rasonque is not approved for lung cancer yet. The new findings are early-stage evidence, and a larger Phase 3 trial is now underway.

More About This Drug

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most RAS-driven cancers, with more than 90% of patients carrying tumours driven by RAS protein mutations.

RAS mutations are found in about 30% of non-small cell lung cancers, making them among the most common cancer-driving alterations in the disease. Yet, apart from treatments targeting the specific KRAS G12C mutation, patients with other RAS mutations have had few treatment options.

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

What Did The Lung Cancer Trial Find?

The most relevant results came from 38 patients with NSCLC who received doses of 160 to 220 mg. These patients had already been treated with chemotherapy and immunotherapy but had not received docetaxel.

The tumours shrank in about 42% of patients. The duration of response was 11.5 months, while progression-free survival was 8.3 months and overall survival was 16 months.

For comparison, earlier studies of docetaxel in this treatment setting have reported response rates of around 9% to 14%, with progression-free survival of roughly 3 to 4.5 months.

As these results come from a small, early-stage study and are not a comparison with docetaxel, they need to be interpreted further cautiously.

Also read: Blocked Ears After Flight Turned Out To Be Rare Head And Neck Cancer In 22-Year-Old

Researchers React

David Hong, M.D., deputy chair of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at MD Anderson and the study's lead investigator, said, “Immunotherapy has improved outcomes for many patients with non-small cell lung cancer, but the majority of these cancers eventually progress.”

“At that point, the few treatment options available to these patients often have modest clinical benefit and substantial toxicities, so these early results are encouraging.”

The drug did cause side effects. At the Phase 3-selected dose, 51% of patients experienced a grade 3 or higher adverse event, while 71% required dose modifications and 10% discontinued treatment. Rash was particularly common, affecting 90% of patients, while diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting were also reported.

Hong noted that “the toxicities are largely manageable compared to the alternatives available.”

The Drug Is Already Approved For Pancreatic Cancer

The interesting development comes shortly after the US FDA approved Rasonque on August 26, 2026. It is first targeted therapy in this new class for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

In a 500-patient pancreatic cancer trial, median overall survival was 13.2 months with daraxonrasib versus 6.7 months with standard chemotherapy. Similar RAS-targeting drugs are now being developed by other companies for pancreatic, lung and colon cancers.

The Pentagon has implemented a new policy requiring US service members aged 30 and older to undergo annual testosterone screening. The hormone is often associated with ageing, muscle and sexual health.

The policy, announced by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July, is meant to identify testosterone deficiency and assess whether it could affect the health and performance of service members. The latest Pentagon guidance means the screening is now set to begin immediately.

But being over 30 automatically does not mean you need to get your testosterone levels checked. Medical guidelines generally distinguish between simply having a low testosterone reading and having clinically significant testosterone deficiency.

What Is Low Testosterone?

Testosterone levels naturally change with age, but a lower reading does not automatically mean a person has a hormone disorder.

The Endocrine Society recommends diagnosing hypogonadism only when a man has symptoms or signs consistent with testosterone deficiency as well as consistently low testosterone levels. It also recommends confirming a low result with a repeat morning fasting testosterone test.

Also read: GLP-1 Drug Semaglutide Extends Lifespan In Healthy Older Mice By 12%, Study Finds

What Are The Symptoms Of Low Testosterone?

Possible symptoms of low testosterone include:

• Reduced sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction or fewer spontaneous erections
• Reduced energy
• Lower sperm count or infertility
• Loss of muscle mass
• Breast enlargement or tenderness
• Changes in mood or concentration

Poor sleep, obesity, stress, medications and other medical conditions can also contribute to fatigue, low libido or changes in physical performance. That is why a blood test alone should not be used to diagnose the condition.

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Everyone Over 30 Does Not Need A Testosterone Test

This is where the Pentagon's approach differs from conventional clinical practice. The Endocrine Society's guideline recommends against routine screening of men in the general population for hypogonadism. Instead, testing is generally considered when symptoms and clinical circumstances suggest testosterone deficiency.

That distinction has sparked questions from doctors about the evidence behind universal screening of military personnel aged 30 and above.

According to Reuters, four of six doctors consulted questioned whether there was strong evidence that testing every service member in this age group would improve combat readiness.

Also read: Nearly 8 In 10 US Young Adults Show Signs Of Heart, Kidney Risk: Why Early Checks Matter

How To Treat Low Testosterone?

The Endocrine Society also recommends evaluating the underlying cause of low testosterone before treatment. That is important because testosterone levels can sometimes be affected by an underlying illness or other reversible factors.

The symptoms, repeated hormone measurements and the reason behind the low level of testosterone play a key role in deciding whether someone actually has testosterone deficiency and needs treatment.

While the GLP-1 drug semaglutide (marketed under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy) has established its benefits in treating diabetes, supporting weight loss and improving heart health, a new study has found that it may also have the potential to extend lifespan in older, healthy mice — by 12%.

GLP-1 drugs have previously been found to delay the onset of several age-related diseases in animals. However, the new study, published in Nature, provides evidence in healthy older mice that these drugs may slow physiological aging itself.

“Most chronic diseases are deeply rooted in the aging process. If GLP-1 agonists do indeed slow it down, then a wide range of clinical benefits is exactly what you’d expect to see,” said Rafael de Cabo, a senior investigator at the NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA).

How Did Semaglutide Extend Lifespan In Healthy Mice?

The NIH-funded study found that semaglutide extended lifespan in older, healthy mice by tempering some of the detrimental effects of aging.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, directly compared the effects of semaglutide with those of reduced food intake.

They found that the drug mimicked some of the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction, while providing greater benefits in some areas.

To understand the impact of GLP-1 treatment at a time when the effects of aging are most pronounced, the study authors, led by Danica Chen, administered semaglutide to 20-month-old female mice for three months.

Also read: Can Ozempic-Like GLP-1 Drugs Slow Aging, Boost Longevity?

Compared with a control group, mice treated with the drug showed improved muscle and cognitive function. Gene expression analysis also showed that several hallmarks of natural aging, including increased inflammation and reduced regenerative capacity, were reduced in the treated animals.

Animals treated with the GLP-1 drug semaglutide, had a median lifespan of 834 days — 12% longer than mice in the control group, which lived for a median of 742 days.

Semaglutide Vs Calorie Restriction

Another group of mice was treated with semaglutide until the end of life and were compared with calorie restriction to determine whether the drug’s benefits were simply due to reduced food intake or involved other effects.

Over five months, scientists administered semaglutide to one group of 20-month-old female mice, while another group received a 24% calorie-restricted diet that matched the treated animals’ feeding pattern.

The researchers found that semaglutide-treated mice showed improvements in activity, spatial memory and blood-sugar control.

The groups also differed in metabolic rate. It was reduced in the calorie-restricted animals but remained largely unchanged in the semaglutide-treated mice.

“These differences point to the possibility that GLP-1 drugs tap into a biological pathway independent of calorie restriction. Uncovering this potential route and the benefits that may specifically stem from it is an important direction for future research into the development of longevity-enhancing interventions,” said Chen, corresponding author of the study and professor of metabolic biology and nutrition at UC Berkeley.

Read More: GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro Tied To Over 60 Reported Deaths In Australia

What Does This Mean For Humans?

While these findings may guide future research, they do not mean that similar results can immediately be expected in humans.

Additional clinical studies will be needed to determine whether GLP-1 drugs can improve longevity in human patients.

Future clinical investigations may also explore potential benefits in healthy older adults, Chen explained, which could broaden the application of GLP-1 drugs.