Low-dose CT chest scans could help detect pneumonia in at-risk patients while exposing them to only small amounts of radiation, a new study has found. The research, published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, shows that ultra-low-dose scans can effectively detect pneumonia in patients with compromised immune systems, enabling doctors to treat the infection before it becomes life-threatening. According to the researchers, these scans expose patients to just 2% of the radiation dose used in a standard CT scan.

"This study paves the way for safer, AI-driven imaging that reduces radiation exposure while preserving diagnostic accuracy,” lead researcher Dr Maximiliano Klug, a radiologist with the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, said in a news release. He added that CT scans are the gold standard for detecting pneumonia but there are concerns regarding the risk posed by repeated exposure to radiation. There is a solution- ultra-low-dose CT scan. However, the problem is that these scans can be grainy and hard to read, researchers said.

Study Gives Solution To This

To overcome that, Klug's team developed an AI program that could help "de-noise" low-dose scans, making them sharper and easier to read. Between September 2020 and December 2022, 54 patients with compromised immune systems who had fevers underwent a pair of chest CT scans -- a normal dose scan and an ultra-low-dose scan. The AI program cleaned up the low-dose scan, and then both sets of images were given to a pair of radiologists for assessment. Radiologists had 100% accuracy in detecting pneumonia and other lung problems with the AI-cleaned low-dose scans, but 91% to 98% accuracy in examining the scans that hadn’t been improved through AI, results show.

"This pilot study identified infection with a fraction of the radiation dose," Klug said. "This approach could drive larger studies and ultimately reshape clinical guidelines, making denoised ultra-low dose CT the new standard for young immunocompromised patients.

How Can You Detect Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes the air sacs in the lungs to fill with fluid or pus and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. The symptoms can range from milk to severe, which includes:

Coughing with or without cough

Fever

Chills

Trouble breathing

Chest pain, especially when breathing deeply or coughing

Sweating or chills

Rapid heart rate

Loss of appetite

Bluish skin, lips, and nails

Confusion.

How to detect Pneumonia in coughing newborns and toddlers?

Pneumonia can severely affect newborns and young children as their lungs are comparatively more sensitive. As per Dr Goyal, young children can cough for various reasons including seasonal infections and tonsillitis, which is very common in this age group. But if they look visibly irritable and have poor sleep patterns, then parents must reach out to an expert. "I am not saying that parents must visit a hospital but any local paediatrician would be able to detect pneumonia in your kid.

Nearly 94% of tuberculosis (TB) patients in an Indian study conducted in Bengaluru reported anxiety symptoms, while 77.3% showed signs of depression. The findings focus on the mental health toll that comes with TB. It also sheds light on the need to include psychological support in routine treatment of tuberculosis.

The cross-sectional study, conducted with 66 adults at the Yeshwanthpur Tuberculosis Unit in Bengaluru, found that 56.1% had moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, while 46.9% had moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Nearly half of the participants experienced symptoms of both conditions.

The study was conducted by Dr. Pavithra Cheluvaraj, Dr. Vishnu C. Sudhakaran, Dr. Babitha Rajan and Anjana Sasikumar Nair from the Department of Community Medicine at Ramaiah Medical College.

The researchers examined the patients using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales.

Why Are TB Patients May Experience Anxiety And Depression?

Stigma linked with TB, fear of transmitting the infection to family members and existing health conditions may contribute to anxiety and depression among patients, Dr. Pavithra told Bangalore Mirror.

TB treatment can also entail a prolonged course of medication and regular follow-up. Psychological distress may make it harder for patients to continue treatment or seek timely care.

According to Dr. Pavithra, anxiety and depression if left untreated could affect the course of TB treatment. Patients experiencing psychological distress may delay starting treatment or stop taking their medication, which could compromising recovery and increasing the risk of drug resistance.

“If there is delay in diagnosis or treatment, the person can spread the disease,” she said.

Also read: You May Be Carrying TB, And Not Know Until It Gets Worse

How Was Mental Health Assessed In The Study?

The researchers used two standardised screening tools to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The PHQ-9 measures depressive symptoms, while the GAD-7 tests for symptoms of anxiety. The study found that 51 of the 66 participants had symptoms linked with depression, and 62 had symptoms that indicated anxiety.

Moderate to severe symptoms were found in 31 participants for depression and 37 for anxiety. These screening results indicate the need for further clinical assessment. The findings are merely observations and they do not mean that every participant had a confirmed psychiatric diagnosis of anxiety and depression.

Additionally, the study was based on 66 adults in one tuberculosis unit in Bengaluru, so its findings cannot represent all TB patients in India.

But the high percentage of participants who reported symptoms of anxiety and depression suggest that there is need for better integration of mental health screening into TB treatment.

The researchers recommended routine screening for depression and anxiety when patients are diagnosed with TB and during follow-up visits. They also called for counselling and referrals for patients with more severe symptoms.

They say that identifying psychological distress early may help doctors connect patients with appropriate support while they receive treatment for the infection.

TB Is A Global Health Crisis

Even though this study is based on a small sample, it speaks about the long-term effects of the disease on mental health. TB is a global health crisis, which means this study warrants further investigation and action.

According to the WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, in 2024, more than ten million people across the globe developed TB while more than 1.2 million lost their lives to the disease.

Currently, India bears the lion's share of TB burden compared to other countries. Uneven access to drug-resistant TB treatment, financial hardships, stigma, prolonged treatment are some of the factors that may contribute to deteriorating mental health of TB patients.

GLP-1 medications, widely prescribed for diabetes and weight loss, may also be associated with a lower risk of serious complications after surgery, a new study suggests.

The study, involving more than 2 million adults undergoing surgery, found that people taking GLP-1 medications had lower rates of major cardiovascular complications and postoperative infections than those not taking the drugs. Researchers from the University of Texas Health Houston presented the findings at the Anesthesiology 2026 annual meeting.

"GLP-1 medications have become part of everyday care for many people with diabetes or obesity, but physicians still need more evidence about how these drugs affect patients around the time of surgery," said lead author Josephine Tolan, an anesthesiologist at the Center for Outcomes Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Tolan added that although the results are encouraging, more research is needed to determine if the medications themselves are driving these benefits and how best to manage them before and after surgery.

What Are The Key Findings

Also read: Exclusive: GLP-1 Drugs Are The ‘New Statins’, Says University Hospital Birmingham Professor

Researchers analyzed data from the Epic Cosmos database, a de-identified electronic health record database covering more than 1,700 hospitals and 40,000 clinics.

The study included US adults aged 18 and older who underwent elective surgeries lasting more than 60 minutes and stayed in the hospital for at least 24 hours after surgery between January 2016 and December 2024. Of the 2,028,601 patients included, 145,610, or about 7%, were taking GLP-1 medications.

After matching GLP-1 users with similar patients who were not taking the drugs, researchers found that GLP-1 use was associated with:

• 11% lower odds of major cardiovascular complications, including heart attack, heart injury, stroke or death.
• 8% lower odds of postoperative infections, including surgical site infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and sepsis.

How Might GLP-1 Drugs Affect Surgical Outcomes?

Read More: GLP-1 Drugs May Offer Mental Health Benefits, Reduce Schizophrenia Relapses: Lancet Study

Previous research has shown that GLP-1 medications can lower the risk of cardiovascular problems in some patients. However, their effects during and after surgery remain less clear.

Surgery places stress on the body, can trigger inflammation and may cause changes in blood pressure, blood sugar and circulation, potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications and infections, the researchers explained.

Further, they suggest that GLP-1 medications may be associated with fewer cardiovascular complications because they support weight loss, improve blood pressure and blood sugar control, reduce inflammation and may protect heart muscle during periods of stress.

These medications may also help reduce infection risk by improving blood sugar control. High blood sugar can weaken the body's immune response, making it harder to fight infections.

GLP-1 Drugs And Cardiovascular Health

READ: Ozempic Baby: Can GLP-1 Drugs Help Women With PMOS Conceive?

Research has found that people taking GLP-1 medications to treat diabetes, overweight or obesity have fewer major cardiovascular events, like heart attack or stroke, compared to people not taking GLP-1 medications.

In fact, the American College of Cardiology now recommends GLP-1 drugs as a way to reduce cardiovascular disease risk through weight loss.

When weight decreases, so does blood pressure, inflammation, LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, and protective factors like good (HDL) cholesterol increase. In other words, overweight or obese individuals who are prescribed a GLP-1 for weight loss may experience positive changes to their heart health, especially if they are at risk of heart disease.

Smokeless tobacco accounted for 57.3% of mouth cancers among men in India, while tobacco in any form estimated to be at least 73.4% of mouth cancers among women, according to a new study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.

The study, Head and Neck Cancer Burden Attributable to Tobacco Use in India: National and Region-wise Estimates, sheds light on the differences in tobacco-related cancer risks by sex, cancer site and region. The findings also bring attention to the role of smokeless tobacco products and their contribution to head and neck cancer burden in India.

The researchers estimated that eliminating tobacco exposure could prevent a bulk proportion of these cancers.

Smokeless Tobacco Linked To Mouth And Lip Cancers

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Ex-CDC Vaccine Advisor Says Measles Outbreak Bigger Than Reported, Slams RFK Jr’s ‘No-See Evil’ Approach

Researchers studied records of 11,285 patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers and 7,154 people with non-cancerous conditions who visited the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India between 2019 and 2024.

Among men, smokeless tobacco accounted for 61.8% of lip cancers, 30.7% of tongue cancers and 57.3% of mouth cancers.

On the other hand, almost 40.2% of cancers of the base of the tongue, tonsils and oropharynx, 45.7% of hypopharyngeal cancers and 38.4% of laryngeal cancers were attributed to smoking.

The authors highlighted how smoking and smokeless tobacco expose oral tissues to carcinogens. The authors wrote, “This may be because smokeless tobacco directly contacts the oral cavity, causing prolonged exposure of the tongue to carcinogens, whereas smoking produces more diffuse and less concentrated exposure.”

The study also found that 55.3% of men with mouth cancer used smokeless tobacco, compared to 17.5% of men in the comparison group. Among men diagnosed with hypopharyngeal cancer, 85% smoked.

High Burden Of Tobacco-Related Mouth Cancer Among Women

Also read: Breast Cancer Awareness Day: Experts Explain Most Overlooked Breast Changes That Can Delay Diagnosis In Men

Among women, smokeless tobacco accounted for around 68.8% of lip cancers and 68% of mouth cancers. Smoking accounted for 41% of oropharyngeal cancers and 34% of hypopharyngeal cancers.

The researchers estimated that the odds of mouth cancer among women who used smokeless tobacco were 17.6 times those among non-users. Among men, the corresponding odds ratio was 5.5.

Tobacco Cancer Risks Across States

The study also shows differences in tobacco-related cancer risks between states. Among men, the estimated proportion of mouth cancers due to smokeless tobacco was 71% in Jharkhand and 70.3% in Odisha.

In southern India, the estimates were 50.2% in Karnataka, 35.1% in Tamil Nadu, 33.9% in Telangana, 25.6% in Andhra Pradesh and 25.1% in Kerala.

Among women, the estimated proportion of mouth cancers due to smokeless tobacco exceeded 80% in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and several Northeastern states. In Tripura, it was around 90.4%.

The authors said that these differences could be due to regional variations in tobacco consumption and the products used.

However, the study used cancer risk estimates derived from hospital-based data in Kerala and applied them nationally because state-specific risk estimates were unavailable.

The authors addressed this limitation, stating, “In this study, due to limited State-specific data, cancer risk from tobacco exposures was assumed uniform nationwide.”

The researchers stressed the need for prevention by improving access to tobacco cessation services, especially in regions with high estimated burdens of tobacco-related cancers.

“The findings emphasise the need to strengthen tobacco cessation services, especially for high-risk men in regions with elevated population attributable fractions,” the authors wrote.