The new tool to stop poaching rhinos in South Africa
The project, led by the University of the Witwatersrand, nuclear energy officials, and conservationists, aims to make trafficked horns detectable by customs agents using radiation detectors at airports and borders.
Initial trials confirmed the process is completely safe for the animals and effective, with even low levels of radioactivity successfully triggering alarms in detection systems.
The global rhino population has significantly declined to around 27,000, with South Africa, home to an estimated 16,000 rhinos, losing approximately 500 annually to poaching.
Authorities are urging private and public rhino owners to participate in what is hoped to become a mass injection programme to protect the nation's rhinos.
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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Researchers issue ‘early warning' over antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria spread rapidly among children being treated for severe malnutrition in a hospital facility in Niger, according to a new study. Researchers have issued an "early warning" that this could reach the UK, highlighting how quickly antimicrobial resistance can spread globally. The study, involving over 1,300 children, found that 76 per cent carried bacteria with ESBL genes, and 25 per cent carried carbapenemase genes, with many acquiring resistance during their hospital stay. This situation provides stark evidence that humanitarian crises amplify the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, putting vulnerable children at risk of untreatable infections. Experts are calling for urgent global investment in antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance, and improved hygiene infrastructure, while the UK government recognises AMR as a major threat and is committed to tackling its spread.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Urgent warning issued over spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could reach UK
An urgent warning has been issued over the spread of antibiotic -resistant bacteria that has the potential to reach the UK. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria is spreading rapidly among children being treated for severe malnutrition in a hospital facility in Niger, a new study has found. The researchers described the concerning findings as an 'early warning' to the world and a 'stark reminder of how fast antimicrobial resistance can spread', including to Britain. Antibiotics are life-saving medicines that are becoming ineffective due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – a process in which bacteria, fungi and parasites have developed the ability to resist the action of medicines. Professor Owen B Spiller, head of medical microbiology at Cardiff University and co-author of the new paper, told The Independent: 'Due to increased international travel, antibiotic-resistant bacteria can and do reach the UK. 'What we're seeing in Niger is a stark reminder of how fast antimicrobial resistance can spread when surveillance projects are under-resourced. AMR surveillance isn't just about tracking bacteria locally, it's a global early warning system. Without it, we're flying blind as these superbugs evolve and cross borders. 'The UK government needs to sustain investment in monitoring resistance, not only to protect vulnerable populations in places like Niger, but to safeguard public health here in the UK.' A UK government spokesperson said it recognises AMR as a 'major threat' and is committed to urgently tackling its spread, with progress already made, including on reducing antibiotic use in meat. Professor Spiller also said the new research on malnourished children 'provides stark evidence that humanitarian crises amplify the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance'. Globally, 45 million children under the age of five are estimated to be severely malnourished, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), with these children also at a higher risk of developing life-threatening infections like tuberculosis, or sepsis due to their weakened immune systems. There is currently a worsening starvation crisis in Gaza. Medics there say dozens have died of malnutrition in recent days as hunger sets in, after Israel cut off all supplies to the enclave for nearly three months from March-May, and restricted supplies since. Professor Spiller called on the international community to take action to prevent vulnerable children from dying from infections that should be easy to treat. He said: 'Without coordinated international action, combining antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance, and improved hygiene infrastructure, resistant bacteria will continue to spread unchecked. We urgently need global investment to safeguard antibiotics for children facing severe malnutrition in resource-limited settings.' The new study, led by the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), involved analysing over 3,000 rectal swabs from 1,371 children under the age of five being treated for severe malnutrition between 2016 and 2017. Their findings, published in Nature Communications on Friday, showed that more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of children carried bacteria with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes, which can break down many commonly used antibiotics. One in four children carried bacteria with carbapenemase genes like blaNDM, which can cause resistance to some of the most powerful and last-resort antibiotics called carbapenems. More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of children who did not carry bacteria that was resistant to this strong class of antibiotics upon admission were found to carry them when they were discharged. If antibiotic-resistant bacteria remain in the gut, these children could be at risk in the future of developing infections such as pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhoea and urinary tract infections that do not respond to antibiotic treatment, warned the researchers. Dr Kirsty Sands, scientific lead at IOI and lead author, said: 'These are some of the most vulnerable children in the world, and we're seeing them pick up bacteria that don't respond to life-saving antibiotics. 'While our study was focused in one treatment facility in Niger, this situation is likely mirrored in many more hospitals around the world. As AMR continues to increase globally, concurrent humanitarian crises such as wars and climate change are exacerbating malnutrition, leading to overcrowded treatment centres.' Dr Céline Langendorf, a lab coordinator at MSF, added: 'Our latest findings highlight the urgent need to prioritise infection prevention and control measures in hospitals to protect the most vulnerable patients. In crowded hospitals with limited resources, these bacteria can spread easily from child to child. Without urgent action, more children could die from infections that used to be easy to treat.' A UK government spokesperson said: 'Our 10 Year Health Plan recognises antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a major threat and commits to urgently tackle its spread, including through new vaccines. "We have made important progress – reducing antibiotic use in meat and pioneering a world-first subscription model to incentivise the development of new treatments. We also continue to work closely with international partners to influence global efforts to limit the spread of AMR.' They said the government's 2024-29 UK AMR National Action Plan includes commitments to strengthen surveillance to improve the UK's capabilities to measure, predict, and mitigate the evolution and transmission of drug-resistant infections, locally, nationally and internationally. They added that the government has galvanised global support at the UN, including the agreement of a political declaration on AMR, which included targets to reduce AMR deaths by 10 per cent by 2030.
Medical News Today
7 hours ago
- Medical News Today
Mediterranean, DASH, or AHEI: Which diet lowers diabetes risk the most?
The Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the AHEI diet can all lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new researchers who conducted it analyzed the medical histories of over 800,000 people across 33 studies to arrive at its three diets share one common principle: reducing the consumption of unhealthy fats, sugars, and processed to a new meta-analysis, or study of studies, following any of three healthy diets can reduce the risk of developing type 2 whose food consumption closely adhered to the eating patterns established in the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the AHEI diet had lower chances of developing greatest reduction of diabetes risk, 23%, came for those closely following the DASH diet, followed by the AHEI diet, 21%, and the Mediterranean diet, 17%.The researchers analyzed the findings of 33 reports describing associations between diet and diabetes, encompassing the medical histories of over 800,000 important finding of the meta-analysis is that its conclusions applied across a broad range of populations, including African, Asian, European, and Hispanic ethnic groups. This is noteworthy because these groups have different food cultures and different levels of diabetes limitation of the analysis is that the decrease in risk, though apparent, did not reach a level of statistical significance for Hispanic people or mixed ethnic groups. The researchers suggest that this may be due to having less data for these populations in the original studies. They say further investigation, particularly for these populations, is results of the meta-analysis will be presented in September 2025 at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria. They are yet to appear in a peer-reviewed do the Mediterranean, DASH, and AHEI diets have in common?Perhaps the best-known of the three diets cited in the meta-analysis is the Mediterranean diet. This diet is based on the eating patterns practiced by long-lived people living in the vicinity of the Mediterranean is characterized by an emphasis on unprocessed foods, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and lean sources of DASH diet, as its full name — Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension — suggests, helps a person reduce their intake of sodium and to increase their consumption of magnesium, calcium, and potassium to help maintain a healthy blood pressure. It is in many ways not very different from the Mediterranean the least familiar diet mentioned in the metastudy is Harvard University's AHEI Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, a preventive cardiology dietitian and heart health expert at Entirely Nourished, not involved in this research, explained what the AHEI diet is:'The AHEI (Alternative Healthy Eating Index) diet is a research-based scoring system developed to assess diet quality based on how well it aligns with dietary patterns that have been shown to lower chronic disease risk. It encourages high consumption of fiber-dense foods like vegetables, whole fruits excluding juice, whole grains, nuts, legumes; healthy fats like polyunsaturated fats, and lean proteins, specifically fish and poultry. It limits red and processed meats, refined grains, sodium, and sugar-sweetened beverages.'All three diets share some underlying concepts, said Jason Ng, MD, BA, who teaches endocrinology and metabolism in the Department of Medicine at the University of all, 'contain the common theme of focusing on healthy fats, more plant-based foods like vegetables and fruits, and staying away from processed foods and keeping away from high sugar and added sugars to foods, which are all cornerstones of type 2 diabetes management,' said Ng, who was likewise not involved in this does diet contribute to diabetes?The foods people consume are a major driver of diabetes, said Ng. 'Type 2 diabetes is caused by increasing insulin resistance.''Carbohydrates,' he explained, 'especially processed sugars, for example, lead to extra work for the body to process. Over time, potential insulin resistance increases, which forces the pancreas to make more insulin to compensate. When the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to manage blood sugars, you develop [type 2 diabetes].'Routhenstein noted that some popular foods are particularly likely to cause this to occur, citing sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains such as white bread and pastries, processed and red meats, and fried and fast addition, she said, 'diets high in added sugars and sodium but low in fiber-rich whole foods significantly increase diabetes risk by promoting inflammation, impairing insulin sensitivity, contributing to weight gain, and disrupting gut health, all of which play a role in poor glucose regulation.'Why the DASH diet may decrease diabetes risk the most'The DASH diet has a slightly higher emphasis on sodium intake that may indirectly worsen insulin resistance,' Ng hypothesized, 'so an emphasis on low sodium may indirectly help insulin sensitivity and, thus, improve [type 2 diabetes].'Routhenstein was drawn to another aspect of the DASH diet, pointing out that it 'has the unique offering of honing into certain micronutrients.''For example,' she explained, '[the DASH diet] is abundant in both potassium and magnesium that not only supports healthy blood pressure but also plays a key role in glucose metabolism, enhancing insulin sensitivity, facilitating cellular glucose uptake, and reducing systemic inflammation, creating a metabolic environment less prone to diabetes development.'Will these diets help if you already have diabetes?Ng suggested it is unclear if these diets can reverse diabetes once it has developed, but suggested it makes sense to give one a noted that 'although reversing [type 2 diabetes] is a complex process, any diet that emphasizes healthy eating, which all of these do, can only help reduce the progression of [type 2 diabetes] and obtain better sugar control and improved insulin sensitivity.'
