Public Health Weekly News – October 10th 2025

Public Health Update: Vaping Surge, Liver Risks, Pain Pathways, and More

From WHO’s warning on a global vaping boom exceeding 100 million users—including 15 million adolescents—to new links between sugary drinks and liver disease, this week’s findings span behavior, biology, and prevention. Uganda’s permethrin-treated baby wraps cut infant malaria, while U.S. data show rising invasive lobular carcinoma cases demanding focused research. Advances include a xenotransplant milestone with a pig liver sustaining a patient for months, brainstem Y1R neurons emerging as chronic pain targets, and Alzheimer’s and depression genetics revealing key ancestry and sex-specific insights.

In Today’s Newsletter

💨 WHO flags global vaping surge [1] [06 Oct 2025]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kwxjzeez3o
Context: WHO’s 2025 report estimates over 100 million global e-cigarette users, including at least 15 million children aged 13–15. Many countries lack policy.
Key point: WHO warns e-cigarettes are driving new nicotine addiction among youth, with children noted as much more likely to vape where data exist.
Implication: Regulatory/generics — Introduces competition that may affect pricing and formulary access, and signals urgent need for policy action.

🛌 Sleep profile study links multi-dimensional sleep to brain, mood, function [2] [Canada • 06 Oct 2025]

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/sleep-profile-sheds-light-health-lifestyle-cognition-new-study-shows-rcna235901
Context: Young-adult cohort analysis identified five sleep profiles defined by mental health, sleep-aid use, duration, and disturbances.
Key point: Distinct profiles correlated with mood, cognition, social function, and resilience despite similar sleep duration.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy — May influence personalized sleep interventions and clinical assessment strategies.

👶 Uganda trial — insecticide-treated baby wraps cut infant malaria [3] [Uganda • 07 Oct 2025]

https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/10/07/g-s1-91950/malaria-babies-bed-net-baby-carrier
Context: Randomized trial in Uganda, 400 mother-infant pairs, treated wraps plus bed nets versus untreated wraps plus bed nets, six-month follow-up. Minor increases in mild rash reported.
Key point: Permethrin-treated wraps reduced infant malaria infection substantially versus untreated wraps.
Implication: Access programs — May expand screening, initiation, and follow-up at scale, offering daytime protection where bed nets underperform.

🥤 One sugary or diet drink daily linked to higher MASLD risk [4] [UK • 08 Oct 2025]

https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/10/08/just-one-sugary-or-diet-drink-a-day-may-raise-risk-of-liver-disease-study-finds
Context: Prospective analysis of 123,788 people across ~10 years, examining sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and MASLD outcomes.
Key point: Even one daily sugary or diet drink associated with higher MASLD risk and greater liver-related mortality.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy — May influence prescriber choice and public-health dietary guidance pending full mechanistic data.

🎗️ Invasive lobular carcinoma incidence rising in US [5] [US • 08 Oct 2025]

https://www.newsweek.com/lesser-known-breast-cancer-surging-in-us-report-warns-10847301
Context: ACS projects ~33,600 ILC diagnoses this year, with incidence rising ~2.8% annually; ILC comprises ~10% of breast cancers.
Key point: ILC incidence is increasing faster than other breast cancers, with distinct biology and worse long-term survival in late-stage disease.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy — May influence screening priorities and spur ILC-specific trial design and biomarker work.

🐖 First pig-to-human liver transplant achieves months-long survival [6] [China • 09 Oct 2025]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/pig-human-liver-transplant-b2842205.html
Context: 71-year-old man received a pig liver with 10 gene edits. The graft functioned for ~38 days before removal for xTMA; patient survived 171 days overall.
Key point: Xenotransplant provided substantial, time-limited metabolic support, highlighting graft compatibility advances and ongoing clotting/immune barriers.
Implication: Partnerships/BD — Signals pipeline investment and modality expansion, while underscoring remaining translational challenges.

🧠 Y1R brainstem neurons encode persistent pain, potential target [7] [US • 08 Oct 2025]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-neurons-brainstem-key-chronic-pain.html
Context: Real-time calcium imaging identified Y1 receptor–expressing brainstem neurons with tonic activity during chronic pain and during survival-priority states.
Key point: These neurons may suppress pain when other priorities arise, suggesting network-level encoding of chronic pain.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy — May influence development of network-targeted therapies and biomarkers for chronic pain.

🧬 Alzheimer’s genetics in African American brain tissue spotlights ADAMTS2 [8] [US • 08 Oct 2025]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-alzheimer-disease-brain-tissue-african.html
Context: Largest post-mortem prefrontal cortex gene-expression analysis in African American donors, 207 samples. ADAMTS2 expression higher in AD cases across ancestries.
Key point: Study identifies novel, population-specific expression signals and highlights ADAMTS2 as a shared candidate gene.
Implication: Observational/RWE — Could inform research priorities and therapeutic target selection; interpretation depends on replication.

♀️ Women show higher genetic risk for major depression [Australia • 07 Oct 2025]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/oct/07/women-carry-a-higher-genetic-risk-of-depression-new-study-says
Context: Analysis of >195,000 women and 130,000 men found 16 female-specific variants versus 8 male-specific, with many shared variants overall. Stronger female links to metabolic traits.
Key point: Female-specific genetic burden may explain part of higher depression prevalence in women, supporting sex-aware biology.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy — May influence sex-stratified therapeutic development and clinical trial design.

🔊 Histotripsy and ultrasound expand noninvasive cancer options [10] [08 Oct 2025]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251007-how-ultrasound-is-ushering-a-new-era-of-surgery-free-cancer-treatment
Context: Histotripsy uses focused ultrasound pulses to create mechanical tissue disruption via microbubbles, approved for liver cancer in US and UK; also used to open blood–brain barrier.
Key point: Histotripsy offers same-day, noninvasive tumour ablation with lower collateral heat damage versus HIFU, and synergies with immunotherapy and drug delivery.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy — May influence treatment algorithms by reducing reliance on surgery and improving multimodal therapy delivery.

Why it matters

• Vaping growth [1] could reverse decades of tobacco-control gains, especially among adolescents.
• Sleep is multi-dimensional [2], suggesting clinical assessments should move beyond duration-only metrics.
• Daytime mosquito protection for infants [3] addresses a major residual transmission risk not covered by bed nets.
• Re-evaluating “diet” beverages [4] affects population-level disease prevention messaging.
• Rising ILC rates [5] demand distinct research and diagnostic attention to improve outcomes.
• Xenotransplant advances [6] may ease organ shortages but require solutions for clotting and immune complications.
• Targeting brain networks [7] offers a conceptual shift for chronic pain treatment beyond peripheral interventions.
• Diverse-ancestry AD studies [8] are essential to avoid missing population-specific mechanisms and therapeutics.
• Sex-specific genetic signals in depression [9] support tailored prevention and therapy strategies.
• Noninvasive tumour ablation [10] could reduce healthcare burden and improve patient recovery times.

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FAQ

Does the WHO report recommend banning e-cigarettes?

The WHO report highlights rising youth vaping and weak regulation, urging stronger policy and age limits; it does not prescribe a single global ban in the summary provided [1].

Are the permethrin-treated baby wraps a replacement for bed nets?

In the Uganda trial, treated wraps plus bed nets reduced infant malaria compared to untreated wraps plus bed nets, suggesting wraps are an additive daytime protection rather than a bed-net replacement [3].

Should people stop drinking diet sodas because of MASLD risk?

The UK cohort linked both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks to higher MASLD risk and liver mortality, and researchers recommended replacing sweetened beverages with water as part of broader lifestyle changes [4].

Is the pig liver transplant proof xenotransplants are ready for routine clinical use?

The case shows meaningful graft support and survival, but complications like xTMA and immune barriers remain, so xenotransplantation is not yet ready for routine practice [6].

Do the sleep profiles imply one-size-fits-all sleep recommendations are wrong?

Yes, the study argues sleep is multidimensional and that profiling may enable personalized interventions for cognition and mental health [2].

Entities / Keywords

WHO, e-cigarettes, vaping, adolescents; permethrin-treated wraps, malaria, bed nets; MASLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC); xenotransplantation, pig liver, xTMA; Y1 receptor (Y1R), neuropeptide Y (NPY); ADAMTS2, Alzheimer’s disease; sex differences, major depression; histotripsy, ultrasound ablation.

References