Medical Bulletin 10/November/2025 - Video

Here are the top medical news for the day

India Ranks Second Globally With 138 Million Kidney Disease Cases in 2023: Study

Scientists have revealed alarming new data on the rising burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) globally, with India holding the second-highest number of cases worldwide as of 2023. According to a comprehensive study published in The Lancet and led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, India had approximately 138 million people living with CKD in 2023, second only to China’s 152 million cases.

CKD, a progressive condition characterized by the gradual loss of kidney function, was the ninth leading cause of death globally in the same year, responsible for nearly 1.5 million deaths. It plays a significant role in cardiovascular health, accounting for about 12% of worldwide cardiovascular mortality and ranking as the seventh leading cause of heart-related deaths, surpassing diabetes and obesity.

The research team analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, encompassing health trends, disease burdens, and risk factors across 204 countries between 1990 and 2023. Using advanced epidemiological methods and extensive healthcare databases, researchers tracked CKD prevalence, mortality, and associated risk exposures.

Regions with the highest CKD prevalence included North Africa and the Middle East (18%), South Asia (nearly 16%), and Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America (over 15%). Fourteen major risk factors were identified, with diabetes, hypertension, and obesity leading in contributions to the loss of healthy life years from CKD.

Most individuals with CKD remain in early disease stages, emphasizing the urgent need for widespread screening programs and robust preventive interventions. Early identification can reduce heart-related complications and delay progression to end-stage kidney failure, which necessitates costly and resource-intensive treatments like dialysis and transplantation. However, access to such replacement therapies remains inequitable and limited globally.

Senior author Professor Theo Vos highlighted the growing but often overlooked impact of CKD, especially in regions burdened by health disparities. The study underscores the critical importance of improving diagnostic access, affordability of care, and addressing modifiable risk factors to stem the rapidly escalating global CKD crisis.

These findings serve as a clarion call for healthcare policymakers, clinicians, and researchers to prioritize CKD prevention and management within public health agendas, aiming for equitable, early-stage interventions to save lives and reduce healthcare burdens worldwide.

Scientists Uncover How Hair Cells Accelerate the Skin’s Natural Healing Process

Scientists have discovered a cellular “switch” that could revolutionize skin healing: a drop in the amino acid serine signals hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) to halt hair growth and mobilize for wound repair. Published in Cell Metabolism, this groundbreaking research from Rockefeller University reveals how stress-triggered nutrient cues can guide stem cell behavior, opening potential avenues to accelerate tissue regeneration through dietary or pharmacological strategies.

The skin is home to two main types of adult stem cells—epidermal and hair follicle stem cells—each traditionally carrying specialized roles in maintaining the skin or growing hair. However, these cells display remarkable adaptability when the skin is injured. The new study shows that falling serine levels activate the integrated stress response (ISR), a molecular alarm that prompts HFSCs to “switch gears,” slowing energy-intensive hair production and committing resources to urgent tissue repair. This dynamic response not only increases survival but also speeds skin healing after superficial wounds.

The Rockefeller team conducted experiments in mice, manipulating dietary serine or genetically blocking its synthesis in HFSCs. When serine became scarce—either from the diet or molecular blocks—ISR signaling increased, hair regeneration slowed dramatically, and HFSCs pivoted to wound healing. Conversely, supplementing dietary serine could partially rescue hair growth in genetically impaired mice, though serine levels remained tightly regulated by the body.

Further investigations revealed that while depriving stem cells of serine curbs their proliferation for hair growth, it is essential in directing them to sites of injury for rapid skin repair. Notably, wounds typically destroy the upper pool of stem cells in the skin, forcing HFSCs from deeper in the follicle to take over tissue regeneration duties—a flexibility crucial for healing.

Lead author Jesse Novak asserts that these findings illuminate how adult stem cells make fate decisions based on environmental stress and resource availability, hinting at novel ways to harness metabolism for therapeutic healing. Their work suggests a future where dietary management or ISR-modulating drugs could optimize tissue regeneration, with broad applications in wound care and recovery from injury.

New Review Links Gut Microbes to Sleep Disorders Like Insomnia and Apnea

Scientists have uncovered compelling evidence highlighting the critical role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in regulating sleep and contributing to sleep disorders. A recent comprehensive review published in Brain Medicine synthesized findings on how gut microbiota composition and function intersect with sleep disturbances, offering new insights into mechanisms, biomarkers, and potential microbiome-targeted interventions.

Sleep, essential for physical and mental well-being, is influenced not only by brain circuits but also by the trillions of microbes residing in the gastrointestinal tract. These microbes communicate with the brain through metabolic, neural, and immune pathways, comprising a bidirectional network known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Disruptions in this axis are consistently associated with diverse sleep disorders—including insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and circadian rhythm disturbances—as well as neuropsychiatric conditions marked by sleep problems.

The review highlights convergent alterations in gut microbial diversity and metabolite profiles across multiple sleep disorders. For example, chronic insomnia is linked to reduced microbial alpha-diversity and shifts in bile acid metabolism, with elevated primary bile acids and decreased secondary bile acids correlating with cardiometabolic risks. OSA studies indicate decreased abundance of beneficial short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria like Ruminococcaceae and mixed changes in Faecalibacterium, aligned with disease severity.

Communications along the microbiota-gut-brain axis involve numerous pathways: microbial metabolites such as SCFAs, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, and melatonin influence sleep regulation. Neural circuits, including vagal pathways and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, mediate signals between the gut and sleep centers in the brain, influencing sleep-wake cycles and responses to stress.

Emerging interventions aiming to modulate gut microbiota—such as prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation—have shown promising improvements in sleep quality metrics in preliminary trials, including insomnia and autism spectrum disorder with sleep problems. However, larger, controlled studies are needed to confirm efficacy and develop standardized treatment protocols.

For patients and families, practical strategies like fiber-rich diets, consistent sleep schedules, and supporting gut health may complement medical treatments for sleep disorders. These findings open new avenues for holistic, microbiome-informed therapies that address underlying biological disruptions common to sleep and neuropsychiatric disorders.