Heparin, an anticoagulant first discovered in 1916, remains one of the most widely used drugs in hospitals today. It plays a crucial role in preventing and treating blood clots, especially in patients undergoing surgery, dialysis, or those dependent on intravenous lines for nutrition or medication. Its rapid action and reversibility make it a go-to option for doctors when managing clot-related complications.

Unlike other anticoagulants, heparin is typically administered intravenously or through injections. This makes it irreplaceable for patients who cannot tolerate oral medications. For many, including those with complex health conditions and central lines, it can mean the difference between life and death.

The Global Supply Chain Behind Heparin

Heparin is primarily derived from the mucosal lining of pig intestines. While several countries are involved in its production, China dominates the supply chain due to its large pig population and established infrastructure for processing animal tissue. After collection, the raw material undergoes purification and rigorous testing before it is ready for medical use.

Because of this dependence on Chinese-sourced ingredients, any disruption—whether due to disease outbreaks, policy changes, or geopolitical tensions—can ripple through the entire supply chain. A notable example occurred in 2008 when tainted heparin led to dozens of deaths in the U.S. after a shortage pushed suppliers to cut corners.

The Tariff Threat

Recently, concerns have mounted that new tariffs on pharmaceutical imports from China could drive up the price of drugs like heparin. Though exact tariff rates are yet to be confirmed, the mere threat has raised alarms among health professionals.

Tariffs could increase manufacturing costs for generic medications, including heparin, which typically operate on thin profit margins. Unlike branded drugs, the prices of generics are regulated under U.S. laws, meaning manufacturers have limited flexibility to pass on the increased costs. In some cases, suppliers may withdraw from the market altogether if production becomes unprofitable.

A Fragile Domestic Backup Plan

The U.S. currently lacks the infrastructure to fully meet its own demand for heparin. Building a domestic supply chain would require major investments in facilities, sourcing animal tissue locally, and streamlining regulatory approvals. Efforts to diversify sourcing—such as reintroducing bovine-based heparin—have been discussed, but such measures are still in early stages and not yet viable at scale.

Even if temporary stockpiles exist, experts warn they wouldn’t last long in the event of a supply squeeze. Hospitals might be forced to seek alternative anticoagulants, which may not be suitable or effective for every patient.

Potential Impact on Patients and Hospitals

For hospitals, a shortage or price spike in heparin would strain operations and complicate patient care. Making heparin in-house, while possible, is time-consuming and less efficient. More concerning, however, is the risk to patients who depend on this drug daily and for whom no alternatives exist.

Tariffs may appear to be about economics or trade leverage, but in the case of heparin, the real cost could be measured in lives.

Over the past two decades, a lot has changed in psychiatry. The field has embraced many unexpected tools, including electricity. Once largely the realm of pharmaceuticals and talk therapy, the field is undergoing a technological evolution powered by devices that target the brain's circuitry. This is known as electroceuticals. These approaches offer new hope for people with severe, treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

The Rise of Electroceuticals

These usually refer to therapies that use electrical stimulation to modulate nervous system activity. These technologies aim to correct misfiring circuits in the brain, much like how a pacemaker regulates the heart. The therapies now being studied or offered include:

• Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
• Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation

While many of these interventions are still being evaluated for efficacy in psychiatric care, they are already in use for neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease. It lend credibility to the crossover.

Chemical Imbalance And Beyond

Historically, psychiatry has operated on the assumption that mental illnesses stem primarily from chemical imbalances. This led to a focus on medications like SRRIs. However, recent research began shifting the focus from brain chemistry to brain circuitry. Neurosurgeons and psychiatrists alike now see disorders like depression not as chemical shortages but as network dysfunctions - where certain brain circuits fall to properly connect or regulate mood and behavior.

The shift is also shown in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) with DBS. Electrodes implanted deep in the brain deliver high-frequency pulses to specific regions believed to be involved in mood regulation. Though still considered experimental for depression by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), DBS is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant OCD and shows promise in clinical trials.

Treatment-Resistant Disorder - Searching For The Solution

As per reports, an estimated 30% of people with depression and up to 60% with OCD do not respond to traditional treatments. For these individuals, electroceutical may also represent the only available hope. The access, however, is still very limited. The reason is cost and insurance coverage. However, with devices like VNS and TMS, which have now gained FDA clearance and some insurance support, the accessibility has been better. Though DBS and focused ultrasound remain largely available only through clinical trials.

The emotional and physical toll on patients can be considerable. Surgeries carry risks—such as infection, hemorrhage, or hardware complications—and require significant recovery time. Even successful cases often need supplementary treatments like medication or psychotherapy to sustain benefits.

What Technologies Are Available?

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): Involves implanting electrodes in the brain to stimulate key regions. It has shown success in regulating mood in patients with severe depression and OCD. Some report life-changing relief after decades of suffering, although results vary.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS): Sends signals via the vagus nerve to influence brain activity. Approved for treatment-resistant depression, its effectiveness is debated, with mixed outcomes in clinical trials.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): Uses magnetic pulses delivered through a coil placed on the scalp. It’s non-invasive and increasingly accessible, though it requires multiple sessions and benefits may fade over time.

Focused Ultrasound: The newest contender, it uses sound waves to either ablate or modulate deep brain tissue. Still in early research stages, it’s entirely non-invasive and could become a game-changer due to its precision and safety profile.

Have you ever felt so tired that you had your joints aching, shaky hands, recurring headaches, and excessive weariness. Did you feel like you were just having a bad day and your body felt too tired? They are not only symptoms of a bad day. These are small but persistent symptoms of a larger problem: chronic pain. What is chronic pain? Pain that persists for more than three months is no longer considered transient or situational. It causes a condition that lowers not only one's physical health but also one's whole quality of life.

Chronic pain is a widespread issue, impacting nearly 30 percent of people globally. It can arrive slowly or after an injury, and once it settles in, it often refuses to leave. Over time, it can dull not just physical strength, but emotional resilience. The discomfort starts to bleed into other areas — your sleep, energy levels, social life, and mental well-being.

The Link Between Pain and Mood

It’s no surprise that ongoing physical pain can be emotionally draining. But recent research points to something deeper: a strong biological link between chronic pain and depression. When pain is felt in multiple areas of the body — known as multisite chronic pain — the risk of developing depression rises sharply. In fact, people with this type of pain are nearly four times more likely to experience depressive symptoms.

What makes this connection particularly important is that it’s not just psychological. New scientific methods have revealed that chronic pain and depression might share genetic roots. Inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) — commonly elevated in those with ongoing pain — are also linked to mental health issues. In other words, the pain-depression link may not just be coincidental. It could be caused by underlying biological processes.

When Pain Spreads, So Does Its Impact

Not all types of pain affect mental health equally. Some forms — like facial pain, stomach pain, and chronic headaches — have been found to carry a stronger link to depression. As pain spreads across the body, the emotional toll deepens. It’s not just the pain that becomes unbearable — it’s the sense of being worn down physically and mentally, day after day.

Even simple tasks can become overwhelming. Chronic pain can make everyday actions feel exhausting, while also disrupting sleep and making recovery more difficult. The longer it lasts, the more likely it is to impact work, relationships, and overall identity.

Why Treating Pain Means Treating the Mind Too

One of the key takeaways from the research is that chronic pain and depression often need to be treated together. Focusing only on physical relief without addressing the emotional damage can leave recovery incomplete. Similarly, treating mental health without easing physical symptoms may not be effective.

The emerging mind-body approach encourages healthcare providers to look at both aspects — helping patients manage pain while also supporting their emotional well-being. Whether through therapy, lifestyle changes, medication, or a mix of all three, the goal is to offer holistic care that treats the whole person.

What You Should Know

• Pain in multiple areas raises the risk of depression. The more widespread the discomfort, the greater the emotional burden.
• Inflammation plays a role. Markers like CRP may explain the physical-mental connection.
• Genes can make a difference. Some people may be more genetically prone to both conditions.
• There may be causation, not just correlation. Advanced studies suggest that chronic pain might lead to depression biologically.
• Mind and body are connected. A comprehensive approach is essential to truly heal.

In an breakthrough scientific discovery, scientists have found that a common diabetes medication taken by millions globally—metformin, may provide unexpected protection against acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing and frequently fatal type of blood cancer. This has been established by a new study by the University of Cambridge, which has been published in the highly-respected journal Nature. The study suggests metformin to be a low-cost, safe preventative therapy for individuals who are at high risk of developing AML.

This finding may represent a paradigm change in the approach to cancer prevention in medicine—particularly in hematological malignancies where early intervention is usually restrictive.

In contrast to solid cancers like breast or prostate cancer, which at times may be removed surgically, blood cancers are more difficult to localize and destroy. As Cambridge Stem Cell Institute Professor George Vassiliou describes it, "With blood cancers, we must first find people at risk and then apply medical treatments to halt cancer growth across the body." AML, which begins in the bone marrow and develops quickly, is an example of this difficulty.

Approximately 3,100 individuals in the UK are diagnosed with AML every year. It has a poor prognosis and few treatment options, especially in the elderly. Although the latest advances in blood testing are able to indicate individuals at risk years earlier than before, to date, there has not been a sure way to stop AML from forming.

How Diabetes Drug Interrupts Cancer Development at the Cellular Level?

Scientists targeted their research on DNMT3A, a gene commonly mutated in AML patients. This one mutation is thought to trigger as much as 15% of all AML. Metformin seems to break the energy metabolism of these pre-leukemic cells, targeting their aberrant growth pathways. By disabling the cells' capacity to produce energy, metformin stops them from developing into full-blown leukemia.

Additional analysis of health information from more than 412,000 UK Biobank participants reinforced the link. Metformin users had a significantly lower incidence of damaging mutations in the DNMT3A gene, whether or not they had diabetes. The results indicate a protective effect that is independent of the drug's initial purpose.

What is Metformi?

The origins of metformin trace back to medicinal plants used during medieval Europe. Isolated from Galega officinalis, a plant used in traditional medicine to cure urinary and metabolic problems, its active ingredient—guanidine—was discovered to lower blood sugar in the early 20th century. Although it was disfavored for a period, metformin was re-released and approved in Europe in the 1950s and subsequently by the FDA in 1995. It's now most commonly prescribed diabetes medication globally, especially in patients who have type 2 diabetes and are unable to regulate blood sugar levels by diet and exercise alone.

How Metformin Works?

Decreasing the level of glucose absorbed by the intestines through food.

Suppressing the liver's release of glucose.

Increasing insulin sensitivity, so that the body can utilize glucose more effectively.

These metabolic actions are not only helpful for controlling diabetes, but potentially for stopping or slowing other disease processes—such as cancer.

Benefits of Metformin

What's even more amazing is how metformin's benefits go beyond controlling blood sugar. According to Harvard Health and other medical centers, the medication has been linked with:

• Reduced cardiovascular mortality among diabetics
• Moderate weight loss
• Decreased risk for type 2 diabetes in persons with prediabetes
• Help with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Lower risk for cancers such as breast, colon, and prostate
• Possible diminishment of risk for dementia and stroke

Off-label prescriptions have also been used for some of these indications in metformin, highlighting the drug's versatile utility and solid safety profile.

One of the main advantages of metformin is its long history of safety. Taken by millions of people over many decades, it tends to have only minor side effects—e.g., nausea, bloating, or altered taste. Serious side effects, such as lactic acidosis, are infrequent and typically only occur in those with existing kidney disease.

As Blood Cancer UK's Director of Research Dr. Rubina Ahmed put it, "Repurposing existing, safe drugs such as metformin allows the possibility that new treatments might get to people earlier, without going through the extensive drug development pathways."