Researchers from Turku Bioscience Centre at the University of Turku, Finland, have developed a new computational method to interpret complex single-cell data. The method helps researchers identify and group cell types across samples.

A research team from the INMA Project (Childhood and Environment), which includes professor Marisa Rebagliato from the Predepartmental Unit of Medicine at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, has analysed how pet ownership during early childhood may be related to emotional and behavioural well-being in children. The results suggest that both the type of pet and the timing of coexistence may have different effects on emotional development.

The INMA Project, coordinated by the Spanish Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), is a Spanish multicentre cohort designed to study the impact of environmental factors (air, water, diet, surroundings) on child development. The study was conducted by researchers from Fisabio Foundation (Valencian Regional Ministry of Health), CIBERESP, Universitat de València, University of Oviedo, University of the Basque Country (EHU), Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), supported by Fundación “la Caixa”, and IIS Biogipuzkoa.

Published in the World Journal of Pediatrics under the title “Impact of pet ownership in early childhood at ages 1 and 4–5 years on mental health at ages 7–8: findings from the INMA project”, the study analysed data from 1,893 Spanish families from the Valencia, Sabadell, Asturias, and Gipuzkoa cohorts.

In a major step forward for cancer care, researchers at ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute have shown that disabling the NRF2 gene with CRISPR technology can reverse chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer. The approach restores drug sensitivity and slows tumor growth. The findings appear today in the journal Molecular Therapy Oncology.

World COPD Day is organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in collaboration with health care professionals and COPD patient groups throughout the world. Its aim is to raise awareness, share knowledge, and discuss ways to reduce the burden of COPD worldwide. The 2025 theme for World COPD Day is “Short of Breath, Think COPD.” World COPD Day takes place on November 19th. This year's theme aims to emphasize that although COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide, it is often not diagnosed correctly. COPD is a common, preventable, and treatable disease, but extensive under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis lead to patients receiving no treatment or incorrect treatment. Appropriate earlier diagnosis of COPD can have a very significant public health impact. Earlier diagnosis and treatment results in better clinical outcomes, including improvements in symptoms, lung function and quality of life.  A diagnosis of COPD should be considered in any patient who has shortness of breath, chronic cough or sputum production, a history of recurrent lower respiratory infections and/or a history of exposure to risk factors like tobacco, cooking fuels, or occupational hazards.