Photo: Erik Mclean/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition: England rolls out 10-minute emergency mental health clinics, lung cancer death rates among women in the EU level off after decades of increase, and how artificial intelligence might improve ultrasound imaging.
With an increasing number of patients experiencing mental health crises presenting themselves at A&E, NHS emergency departments are feeling the strain. The new services provide 24/7 support, pledge to see patients within ten minutes, and aim to address the root causes of the mental health needs, such as homelessness or substance use.
Source: Good Good Good
After rising for over 25 years, new data suggests that with the exception of Spain, lung cancer rates among women in European Union countries are finally levelling off. In the UK, lung cancer death rates among women are predicted to fall by 13.4% compared to 2020-2022, with 14.85 deaths per 100,000 women.
Source: Medical Xpress
Current prenatal ultrasounds can miss up to half of fetal abnormalities, but the new AI-powered tool just cleared by the United States’ FDA could help lower this number. The tool, developed by BioticsAI, works with existing machines to analyse images in real-time, flagging issues for doctors during scans of pregnant women.
Source: Euronews
Louisiana is one of the worst-performing states when it comes to health outcomes of new babies and their mothers. Now, the biggest city in the region is hoping to get families off to an easier start by adding extra health visits in the first few months of life.
Source: NPR
Nick Varley was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder in November 2024. After his diagnosis, Varley recorded himself speaking, using this data to train an AI model to produce an accurate copy of his voice.
Source: BBC News
The long-awaited Warm Homes Plan pledges to give £15bn to households across the UK over the next five years, alongside introducing new rights for renters. For an average three bedroom semi-detached home, installing solar panels, heat pumps and batteries could save approximately £500 annually on energy bills.
Source: BBC News
Bangladesh has seen big spikes in mosquito-borne diseases, especially dengue and chikungunya in recent years, with the insects thriving in warm, humid environments rich in the kind of organic matter found in much of Dhaka’s waste. Bangladesh Clean has become a model showing how residents are taking matters into their own hands.
Source: Grist
While siPhuthi remains under threat from the dominant Sesotho in Lesotho and Xhosa across the border in South Africa, it has undergone a big revival. Concentrated among 1,000 people in the remote Daliwe valley, siPhuthi has gained a dictionary, a Bible translation and official recognition thanks to intrepid linguists and activists.
Source: The Guardian
From pledges to ban oil drilling across Colombia and slowing deforestation in Brazil, optimism surrounding the health of the Amazon rainforest is growing.
Source: Context
In the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve in Brazil’s western Amazon, livelihoods remain closely tied to the forest. Named for Chico Mendes, the rubber tapper and labour leader killed in 1988 for defending forest communities, the reserve reflects an idea now re-embracing Brazil’s conservation policy: forests are best protected when the people who live in them can earn a sustainable living.
Source: Mongabay
