A cutting-edge bronchoscope that is guided with the help of a robot can reach very small tumours growing in hard-to-reach parts of the lung, according to results of a gold-standard randomised-controlled trial that will be presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The robot-assisted bronchoscope also uses a specialised CT scanner to find tumours buried in the lungs, enabling doctors to take a biopsy and confirm whether they are cancerous. Being able to find and test these very early cancers gives patients the highest chances of being cured.

From influenza and COVID-19 to HIV, viruses continue to pose a serious danger to global health. But just as pressing are threats from other disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria—especially the deadly strains that are becoming resistant to antibiotic medicines. And increasingly, scientists are discovering how viruses and bacteria are closely interconnected, influencing health and disease in ways that we’re only beginning to understand. To reflect these realities, the Gladstone Institute of Virology has taken on a new name: the Gladstone Infectious Disease Institute. 

Tropical cyclones pose an important risk of death for children under five in low- and middle-income countries, reports a new study led by Renjie Chen of Fudan University, China, published September 25^th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.