Liver fluke infection caused by Opisthorchis viverrini is a significant public health challenge in the Lower Mekong Basin, affecting over 10 million people and leading to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a fatal bile duct cancer. Traditional control efforts often fail due to complex socio-cultural and ecological factors. The Lawa model, implemented in the Lawa Lake region of Khon Kaen, Thailand, adopts a One Health framework to integrate human health interventions, environmental modifications, and animal reservoir management, addressing the transmission cycle comprehensively. This approach respects the cultural context of Isan communities and leverages evidence-based, community-driven strategies. Over 15 years, the model has achieved remarkable success, reducing human infection rates from 60% to below 5% and eliminating infections in intermediate hosts. Key lessons include the importance of systems thinking, transdisciplinary collaboration, and community engagement in achieving sustainable health outcomes, despite challenges like cultural dietary practices and environmental disruptions such as flooding.

Women diagnosed with breast cancer who carry particular BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants are offered surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes as this dramatically reduces their risk of ovarian cancer.  Now, Cambridge researchers have shown that this procedure – known as bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) – is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of early death among these women, without any serious side-effects.

Scientists have discoverd that nucleosomes have their own biophysical properties that influence gene expression and 3D genome architecture.