Israeli Health Ministry Raises Alert Level to Highest for Hospitals

Israel's ministry of health says its director-general has instructed all hospitals to raise their alert level to the highest possible, move to protected areas, and descend to protected underground complexes.
The ministry asks the public to avoid coming to hospitals in non-urgent cases.

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• Medscape

Fast Five Quiz: Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder remains a significant public health challenge in the United States, affecting more than 29 million individuals and contributing to more than 140,000 deaths each year. Despite its high prevalence and devastating health consequences, alcohol use disorder often goes underdiagnosed and undertreated. A widely accepted heuristic framework conceptualizes alcohol use disorder as a 3-stage cycle, binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation, offering clinicians a lens through which to understand its complex neurobiological underpinnings and diverse clinical presentations. Although effective behavioral therapies and several US Food and Drug Administration-approved medications are available for the treatment of alcohol use disorder, these interventions remain markedly underused, contributing to a substantial treatment gap. How much do you know about alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz. Alcohol misuse in alcohol use disorder can vary, from a pattern of intermittent episodes of binge drinking, to a pattern of prolonged heavy drinking over longer periods of time, to a continual drinking pattern due to fear of alcohol withdrawal. A heavy drinking day is defined as consuming 4 or more drinks for females and 5 or more drinks for males in a single day. In the United States, a standard drink is defined as 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, and 1.5 oz of a distilled beverage. This definition helps identify patterns of alcohol misuse that might indicate alcohol use disorder. Learn more about alcoholism guidelines. Alcohol use disorder is more common in males, although the gap is narrowing. Although males are more likely to engage in frequent and heavy consumption, have a greater consumption of spirits, and experience higher rates of alcohol use mortality, females are at greater risk for certain health complications from alcohol, such as liver damage and experiencing higher blood alcohol concentrations at the same level of intake. Learn more about alcoholism presentation. The most frequent central nervous system consequence of persistent alcohol consumption is alcoholic cerebellar degeneration. This condition results from alcohol toxicity leading to damage of the cerebellum, the brain area responsible for coordination and balance. It commonly presents with gait instability, and balance problems, affecting 10%-25% of individuals with chronic alcohol use. Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute, reversible condition caused by thiamine deficiency; it is not the most frequent long-term central nervous system consequence of alcohol consumption. Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder that often follows untreated Wernicke's encephalopathy and is caused by malnutrition in combination with prolonged drinking. Although chronic alcohol use can lead to alcohol-related dementia, it occurs less frequently than alcoholic cerebellar degeneration. Learn more about Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Alcoholic polyneuropathy, caused by prolonged alcohol use and often associated with nutritional deficiencies like thiamine deficiency, typically presents as a symmetrical sensory neuropathy. Females have a greater rate of alcoholic polyneuropathy. The most common symptoms of alcoholic polyneuropathy are ataxia, pain, and paresthesia. Other frequent symptoms include burning pain in the arms, soles of the feet and toes, and cramping in the calves and hands. Skin alterations do occur in alcoholic polyneuropathy, but they are considered secondary or less common symptoms compared with the hallmark neurological signs. The muscle weakness seen in alcoholic polyneuropathy primarily affects distal muscles, like the feet and hands. Hair loss can happen as a minor trophic change, but it is not a defining or common symptom of alcoholic polyneuropathy. Learn more about alcoholic neuropathy. Benzodiazepines are the recommended class of medication for treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome because they are effective in preventing severe complications of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, such as seizures and delirium tremens, and are considered the criterion standard treatment due to their fast onset, long duration, and safety profile. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors do not target the GABAergic or glutamatergic systems involved in alcohol withdrawal syndrome, making them ineffective for managing withdrawal symptoms. Beta-blockers can help control some autonomic symptoms like tremors or tachycardia but do not prevent seizures or delirium tremens, so they are not appropriate as primary treatment. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists can modulate glutamate activity but lack enough evidence to be first-line therapy for alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Learn more about alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

Nearly 600 heat-related deaths expected in UK heatwave, researchers estimate

Nearly 600 people in England and Wales are predicted to die as a result of this week's heatwave, researchers have found. Experts at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London used decades of UK data to predict excess mortality during the hot temperatures from Thursday to Sunday. Their study, released on Saturday, forecasts that around 570 people will die because of the heat over the four days. The excess deaths are estimated to peak at 266 on Saturday when the heat will be at its most intense. London is predicted to have the greatest number of excess deaths with 129. The researchers said their assessment highlights how extreme heat poses a growing threat to public health in the UK. It follows a World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group study published on Friday which found the heatwave has been made about 100 times more likely and 2-4C hotter due to climate change. Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, lecturer at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, said: 'Heatwaves are silent killers – people who lose their lives in them typically have pre-existing health conditions and rarely have heat listed as a contributing cause of death. 'This real-time analysis reveals the hidden toll of heatwaves and we want it to help raise the alarm. 'Heatwaves are an underappreciated threat in the UK and they're becoming more dangerous with climate change.' Dr Konstantinoudis warned that people should follow heat-health advice this weekend and check on older people, particularly those living alone. Temperatures had been forecast to hit 32C across the South East on Saturday and had already reached that level on Thursday in London. The UK Health Security Agency issued an amber heat-health alert covering all of England to warn vulnerable populations of the health risks, including 'a rise in deaths'. Dozens of people required treatment for heat-related illness at Royal Ascot on Thursday. The researchers used findings from published research on the relationship between heat and the number of daily deaths, regardless of the cause, in 34,753 areas of England and Wales. They combined these with high-resolution weather forecasts from the Copernicus climate change service to estimate how many heat-related deaths will occur. They estimated that 114 excess deaths would have occurred on Thursday, 152 on Friday, 266 on Saturday and 37 deaths on Sunday, when temperatures will fall to the mid-20s. People above 65 are expected to be hardest hit, with 488 of the estimated excess deaths, the report said. But the experts also warn that heat can be life-threatening for all ages, with 82 deaths estimated for people aged under 65. They also note that the analysis does not account for the effect of the heatwave occurring early in summer before people are acclimatised to hot temperatures, meaning deaths could be underestimated. A recent report by the UK Climate Change Committee estimated that heat-related deaths could rise to more than 10,000 in an average year by 2050 if fossil fuel burning causes warming to reach 2C. UN scientists warned this week that the world is in 'crunch time' to limit warming and has three years left to prevent global average temperature rises exceeding 1.5C. Professor Antonio Gasparrini, of the LSHTM, said: 'Increases of just a degree or two can be the difference between life and death. 'Every fraction of a degree of warming will cause more hospital admissions and heat deaths, putting more strain on the NHS.' Dr Malcolm Mistry, assistant professor at the LSHTM, said: 'Exposure to temperatures in the high 20s or low 30s may not seem dangerous, but they can be fatal, particularly for people aged over 65, infants, pregnant people and those with pre-existing health conditions. 'Unless effective mitigation and adaptive measures are put in place in the coming years, the risk of large heat-related death events is set to increase in the UK – we have a large ageing population and warming is expected to increase to 2C by 2050 and as high as 3C this century.' Dr Lorna Powell, an NHS urgent care doctor in east London who was not involved in the study, said: 'We are seeing cases of heat-related illnesses rising in our urgent care departments. 'Heat exhaustion can quickly trigger more serious illnesses as dehydration sets in and the cardiovascular system becomes overwhelmed.'

Business Upturn

5 hours ago

• Business Upturn

Saudi Arabia Concludes Landmark BIO 2025 Debut as Kingdom Opens Doors to Global Biotech Collaboration

BOSTON, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Saudi Arabia has concluded its landmark debut at the BIO International Convention 2025, having signed more than a dozen partnerships, launched a national biotech accelerator program with Biolabs and established the Kingdom as a global hub for life sciences. Over four days, Saudi delegates showcased an ecosystem ready for collaboration across scientific discovery, clinical research, and advanced therapeutics. The Kingdom's presence spanned the entire biotech value chain – from early research to manufacturing, from regulatory frameworks to commercialization pathways. 'Saudi Arabia is stepping into biotech with intention and scale,' said His Excellency the Vice Minister of Health for Planning and Development, Eng. Abdulaziz AlRamaih. 'Biotech sits at the intersection of our health transformation and economic ambition, and we are investing with that dual mandate in mind.' Partnerships and Programs Take Center Stage Throughout the week, Saudi Arabia hosted one of the most active national pavilions at the conference, convening more than 25 entities across government, research, investment and innovation. More than a dozen new memoranda of understanding were signed with international partners, including leaders in genomics, AI-enabled diagnostics, gene therapy, and biomanufacturing. The Ministry of Health also formally launched its national biotech accelerator program in collaboration with BioLabs, welcoming an inaugural cohort of eight Saudi-founded biotech startups in areas ranging from protein engineering to precision genomics. The launch event brought together venture capitalists, researchers, and biotech executives to discuss the Kingdom's innovation momentum. The Kingdom's Super Session at BIO 2025 featured senior representatives from the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), the Saudi National Institute for Health (SNIH), the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC), and the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The panel revealed how Saudi Arabia is coordinating across policy, clinical infrastructure, and public investment to create a biotech ecosystem built for scale and scientific depth. In parallel, the delegation held more than 50 one-to-one meetings with global biotech firms and visited U.S. innovation hubs to explore collaboration in research, manufacturing, and translational medicine. The Kingdom also participated in a dedicated gathering for Saudi research talent studying in the United States, underscoring the Kingdom's long-term commitment to human capital in health and life sciences. Advancing Genomics and Genetic Medicine The Kingdom's ambition in genomics also drew significant interest. Through the Saudi Genome Program, the Kingdom has developed one of the region's most comprehensive population-specific genomic datasets, paving the way for earlier diagnosis, localized drug development, and new therapeutic approaches for inherited diseases. National screening efforts – led by Saudi Arabia's Public Health Authority, Weqaya – are expanding access to genetic risk detection through prenatal and newborn programs. Institutions like KFSH&RC and KAIMRC continue to drive forward clinical trials and translational research, supporting a growing pipeline of personalized treatments rooted in real-world data. Already, over 130 peer-reviewed publications have leveraged Saudi genomic data to inform rare disease research and advance precision diagnostics. The Kingdom's cell and gene therapy readiness now spans regulation, clinical trials, and talent development, with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority's fast-track approval of advanced therapies positioning it as one of the world's most agile regulators. A Platform for the Future Under the National Biotechnology Strategy, with the continued support of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Saudi Arabia is making biotech central to its national transformation, and the health and economic prosperity of its people. The Kingdom concludes BIO 2025 with a clear message: Saudi Arabia is open for collaboration, primed for innovation, and committed to lasting partnerships. About Saudi Biotech The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proud to debut its first-ever national pavilion at BIO International, being held in Boston June 16-19, 2025. Rooted in Vision 2030, this initiative showcased a fully integrated life sciences ecosystem – combining a future-ready lifestyle, world-class research institutions, streamlined regulation, and digital infrastructure built for speed, scale, and scientific impact. The Kingdom offers a seamless environment for biotech innovation with fast-track clinical trial approvals, robust regulatory alignment via its ML4-designated Food and Drug Authority, and nationwide digital platforms like NPHIES and the world's largest Virtual Hospital. Saudi Biotech brings together the Kingdom's leading health and science entities, including the Ministry of Health, Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Saudi National Institute of Health, Public Health Authority, and the Saudi Health Council, all of whom play vital roles in enabling a regulatory environment that supports clinical innovation. It also features institutions powering translational research and IP protection, such as the Research, Development and Innovation Authority, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center. Funding and investment facilitators were also present, including the Ministry of Investment, Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, and the Saudi Business Center, alongside localization powerhouses like Lifera, Lean, and the Public Investment Fund. Visitors had the opportunity to explore how talent and livability are central to the Kingdom's strategy through participation from the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Premium Residency Center. Finally, NEOM showcased the Kingdom's most ambitious vision – a purpose-built frontier for biotech, precision medicine, and future health. Visit to learn more. Contact:Saudi Biotech [email protected]