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Moscow Threatens British Soldiers In Ukraine While Nato Chief Warns: ‘We Are Russia’s Next Target’
Russia has warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine are “legitimate targets” following the death of a British soldier.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Wednesday that Lance Corporal George Hooley had died in a “tragic accident” this week.
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He was observing Ukrainian forces testing a new defensive capability away from the frontline.
His death marks the first time a British soldier has been killed within Ukraine since the war began in February 2022.
The government praised him for being an “exceptional soldier who will be very deeply missed”.
The UK has revealed little information about what its military personnel are doing in Ukraine, partly to avoid giving Russia material for its propaganda.
But after Hooley’s tragic death was confirmed, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would regard any foreign military contingents in Ukraine as “legitimate targets”.
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She also demanded the UK reveal what its troops are doing in Ukraine, saying: “Let the UK government not lie to its subjects.
“Don’t lie about those who are being sent there from the United Kingdom. Those who are sent there, they conduct direct instructions of the UK government in Ukraine.”
Offering no evidence to back up her claims, she said: “They commit acts of sabotage, terrorist acts, extremist tasks as well.”
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It’s no secret that Britain, along with other European allies, has been helping Ukraine since Russia invaded, although officials have not declared how many UK troops are in the country.
Zakharova’s new threats come as Nato chief Mark Rutte issued a warning about the real dangers Russia poses to Europe.
Speaking at a security conference event in Berlin, he said Europe should make efforts to prevent a war which could be “on the scale of war our grandparents and our great-grandparents endured”.
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He said: “We are Russia’s next target. I feel that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don’t feel the urgency, and too many believe that time is on our side. It is not.
“The time for action is now.”
Rutte claimed Russia could be ready to use military force against Nato in the next five years.
His remarks come after a flurry of diplomatic efforts in recent weeks to secure a new peace deal to end the Ukraine war, led by Donald Trump’s US administration.
Rutte also insisted in his speech that the US and Europe can get on the same page as Ukraine amid growing fears that Washington is going to lean towards a peace plan which rewards Russia for its aggression just to end the war sooner.
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Vladimir Putin’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov also hinted at how well Russia was getting on with the US now in comments today.
According to Reuters, he said: “In our negotiations with the Americans on the Ukraine issue, I personally believe that the misunderstandings and miscommunications have been resolved,
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“We have conveyed to our American colleagues additional proposals concerning collective security guarantees.
“We understand that when discussing security guarantees, we cannot limit ourselves to Ukraine alone.”
Flu in four charts – how this year’s winter outbreak is different
NHS England says it’s facing a “worst-case scenario” after flu hospital cases jump 55% in a week.
An Expert Weighs In On ‘Menstrual Masks’ And Their Effectiveness
While it may still be taboo for some, menstrual blood appears to have more to offer than previously thought. For example, researchers discovered in 2023 that it may actually play a key role in treating Alzheimer’s Disease in the future.
As period blood becomes a little less of a forbidden topic, some social media users have been discussing their DIY skincare in the form of “menstrual masking” or “period face masks”, which are exactly what they sound like.
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Writing for The Conversation, Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University explains: “Popularised on social media, hashtags such as #periodfacemask have amassed billions of views. In most videos, users apply menstrual blood for a few minutes before rinsing it off.
“There’s no clear agreement on how much blood to use or how long to leave it on. Some call the practice healing or empowering, describing it as a spiritual ritual that connects them to their bodies and ancestral femininity.”
However, scientists do have some concerns.
Is menstrual masking actually effective?
Kamdar says: “Advocates of menstrual masking often argue that period blood contains stem cells, cytokines and proteins that could rejuvenate the skin.
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“There is currently no clinical evidence to support using menstrual blood as a topical skincare treatment.”
However, she adds, “its biological composition has shown potential in medical research.”
All is not lost.
A 2018 study found that plasma derived from menstrual fluid could significantly enhance wound healing. In laboratory tests, wounds treated with menstrual plasma showed 100% repair within 24 hours compared with 40% using regular blood plasma.
Kamdar explains: “This remarkable regeneration is thought to be linked to the unique proteins and bioactive molecules in menstrual fluid: the same substances that allow the uterus to rebuild itself every month.”
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Is menstrual masking the same as a ‘vampire facial’?
According to Kamdar, some menstrual masking advocates have compared the practice to ‘vampire facials’ which were popularised by Kim Kardashian. Vampire facials use platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) extracted from a patient’s owsn blood and inject it into the skin.
Kamdar warns: “But experts caution against comparing PRP with menstrual blood. Menstrual fluid is a complex mixture of blood, sloughed-off endometrial tissue (the uterine lining), vaginal secretions, hormones and proteins.
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“As it passes through the vaginal canal, it can pick up bacteria and fungi, including Staphylococcus aureus, a common microbe that normally lives on the skin but can cause infections if it enters cuts or pores. There’s also a risk that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) could be transferred to the skin.”
Maybe just stick to shop-bought masks…
Private flu vaccine stocks running low as cases rise
Those eligible for a vaccine can access jabs from the NHS, but experts say that people have turned to pharmacies for convenience.
Scientists uncover a hidden protein behind deadly mystery diseases
New work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that problems in a protein vital for keeping chromosomes stable may contribute to serious — and at times fatal — health conditions.
The study, recently reported in Science, offers patients and clinicians new protein mutations to examine when diagnosing certain cancers and bone marrow disorders.
Understanding Telomeres and Chromosome Protection
Our chromosomes (bundles of proteins and DNA that store all our genetic information), rely on telomeres to prevent damage. These protective caps at each chromosome end are made from repetitive DNA sequences and proteins. Telomeres naturally shorten with age, but disruptions in how they form or are maintained can reduce DNA stability, which may accelerate aging or lead to disease.
Researchers working in the laboratory of Ci Ji Lim, a UW-Madison professor of biochemistry, along with collaborators in the university’s Department of Chemistry, set out to identify proteins that interact with telomerase, the enzyme responsible for maintaining telomeres. Failures in these partner proteins could help explain diseases that arise from shortened telomeres.
“This line of research goes beyond a biochemical understanding of a molecular process. It deepens clinical understanding of telomere diseases,” says Lim, whose work is supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Discovery of RPA’s Essential Role in Telomere Maintenance
Graduate student Sourav Agrawal, research scientist Xiuhua Lin, and postdoctoral researcher Vivek Susvirkar led the search for proteins likely to work alongside telomerase. They used AlphaFold, a machine learning tool that predicts the 3D structure of proteins and protein-protein interactions. Their analysis highlighted a molecule called replication protein A (RPA) as a key factor in maintaining telomeres by stimulating telomerase. Although RPA has long been recognized for its involvement in DNA replication and repair, its importance in supporting healthy telomeres in humans had not been confirmed.
Using insights from AlphaFold, the team verified experimentally that, in humans, RPA is necessary to activate telomerase and preserve telomere length.
Implications for Patients With Short Telomere Disorders
Lim notes that these findings have direct relevance for people facing often deadly diseases caused by shortened telomeres, including aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.
“There are some patients with shortened telomere disorders that couldn’t be explained with our previous body of knowledge,” explains Lim. “Now we have an answer to the underlying cause of some of these short telomere disease mutations: it is a result of RPA not being able to stimulate telomerase.”
Global Interest and New Diagnostic Insights
Since publishing the work, Lim and his team have been contacted by clinicians and scientists from several countries seeking to understand whether their patients’ illnesses could stem from genetic mutations that interfere with this newly identified function of RPA.
“There are colleagues reaching out from France, Israel, and Australia. They just want to give a cause for their patient’s short telomere disease so that the patients and their families can understand what is happening and why,” says Lim. “With biochemical analysis, we can test their patients’ mutation to see if it impacts how RPA interacts with telomerase, and give the doctors insights into possible causes of their patients’ diseases.”
This research received support from the National Institutes of Health (R01GM153806 and DP2GM150023), the UW-Madison Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the UW-Madison Department of Biochemistry.
No.10 Dismisses Wes Streeting’s Thinly-Veiled Attack Against ‘Technocratic’ Starmer
No.10 has downplayed speculation that Wes Streeting had attacked Keir Starmer after warning against the government’s “technocratic” approach.
The health secretary is rumoured to be considering throwing his hat into the ring to replace Starmer, as his premiership looks increasingly unsteady – although Streeting has repeatedly denied any such accusations.
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But, the cabinet minister still told the New Statesman he was “pretty frustrated” right now, and believes that the “huge amount” of work Labour has done since getting into office is “not reflected in the polls” or their storytelling.
He added: “I think we sell ourselves short.”
The health secretary claimed Labour is at risk of presenting itself as the “maintenance department of the country”, too.
He added: “The problem with that kind of practical, technocratic approach is that if someone else comes along and says, ‘Well, I’ve got a maintenance company too, and mine’s cheaper,’ why wouldn’t people go, ‘OK, well, we’ll give that maintenance team a try’?”
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He notably did not mention his boss by name in the interview, but Starmer has been criticised for being too technocratic in the past.
Streeting also insisted he would not to “indulge” in questions about potentially becoming the prime minister in 2026, responding only with a pantomime style answer: “Oh no, he’s not.”
Starmer’s official spokesperson then side-stepped questions about Streeting’s dig during Thursday’s press briefing.
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“I think what the health secretary is setting out is that the public voted for change. That’s what they want to see delivered, and again, that is exactly what the government is focused on doing. The government is united behind a manifesto of change,” he said.
When pushed again on the PM’s thoughts over Streeting’s interview, the spokesperson said: “The inheritance is clear, the public services are on their knees, a stagnant economy and families facing a cost of living crisis.
“That’s what the government is determined to do in terms of the action we take,” he said.
Asked if Starmer was embarrassed about the cabinet briefing against him, his representative insisted: “The government is focused on delivering change.”
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Streeting is known for being outspoken about the direction of the government.
He caused a stir in October when he piled more pressure on the PM in the wake of Labour’s by-election defeat in Caerphilly, comparing the loss to a day in 2021 when Starmer almost quit as Labour leader.
Gene-edited CAR-T cells erase aggressive T-cell leukemia
A new treatment created by scientists at UCL (University College London) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is offering promising results for children and adults with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), a fast-moving and uncommon blood cancer. The approach uses genome-edited immune cells to target the disease in patients who often have very limited treatment options.
This first-of-its-kind gene therapy, known as BE-CAR7, relies on base-edited immune cells to attack types of T-cell leukemia that historically could not be treated effectively. Base-editing is an advanced form of CRISPR that changes individual DNA letters inside living cells with high precision.
In 2022, researchers at GOSH and UCL used this technology to treat Alyssa, a 13-year-old girl from Leicester, marking the first time a base-edited therapy had been used in a patient anywhere in the world.
Since then, the treatment has been given to eight more children and two adults at GOSH and King’s College Hospital (KCH).
Clinical trial results show strong remission rates
Findings from the early clinical trial have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and shared at the 67th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. Key outcomes reported by the research team include:
- 82% of patients reached very deep remission after receiving BE-CAR7, which allowed them to move forward to a stem cell transplant without detectable disease
- 64% remain free of leukemia, and the earliest treated patients have now been disease-free and off therapy for three years
- Side effects such as low blood counts, cytokine release syndrome and rashes were expected and manageable, although the highest risks were linked to viral infections while the immune system was rebuilding
How CAR T-cell therapy works
CAR-T cell immunotherapy has become an important option for several blood cancers. The process modifies a patient’s T-cells so they carry a customized protein called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). This receptor helps the modified cell identify unique markers or “flags” on cancer cells and destroy them.
Developing CAR T-cell therapies for leukemias that originate in T-cells has been especially difficult. The challenge is that the treatment must wipe out cancerous T-cells without triggering the engineered cells to attack one another.
Base-editing enables the creation of universal CAR T-cells
BE-CAR7 T-cells are created with a next-generation genome editing method that does not cut DNA, which lowers the chances of chromosomal damage. Using CRISPR-based tools, researchers altered single DNA letters to reprogram the cells. In 2022, these edits allowed the team to produce banked stores of “universal” CAR T-cells that can be delivered to different patients and still recognize and attack T-cell leukemia.
For this study, the universal CAR T-cells came from the white blood cells of healthy donors. The engineering steps took place in a clean room facility at GOSH using custom RNA, mRNA and a lentiviral vector in an automated system the team previously refined. Key steps included:
- Removing existing receptors so donor cells can be stored and given to any patient without the need for a match, creating “universal” T-cells
- Removing the CD7 marker that identifies cells as T-cells (CD7 T-cell marker). Without removing CD7, T-cells designed to kill T-cells would destroy one another in “friendly-fire”
- Removing CD52, a second marker. This alteration prevents a strong antibody medication used to suppress the immune system from eliminating the engineered cells
- Adding a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) that detects CD7 on leukemic T-cells. A disabled virus provided extra DNA instructions so the cells can find and attack CD7-positive leukemia
From cancer clearance to immune rebuilding
When patients receive base-edited CAR T-cells, the engineered cells quickly locate and destroy T-cells throughout the body, including the cancerous ones. If leukemia is cleared within the first month, patients then undergo a bone marrow transplant that restores a functioning immune system over the following months.
Professor Waseem Qasim, who led the research and is professor of cell and gene therapy at UCL and honorary consultant immunologist at GOSH, said: “We previously showed promising results using precision genome editing for children with aggressive blood cancer and this larger number of patients confirms the impact of this type of treatment. We’ve shown that universal or ‘off the shelf’ base-edited CAR T-cells can seek and destroy very resistant cases of CD7+ leukemia.”
He added: “Many teams were involved across the hospital and university and everyone is delighted for patients clearing their disease, but at the same time, deeply mindful that outcomes were not as hoped for some children. These are intense and difficult treatments — patients and families have been generous in recognizing the importance of learning as much as possible from each experience.”
New hope for patients who do not respond to standard therapy
Dr. Rob Chiesa, a study investigator and bone marrow transplant consultant at GOSH, said: “Although most children with T-cell leukemia will respond well to standard treatments, around 20% may not. It’s these patients who desperately need better options and this research provides hope for a better prognosis for everyone diagnosed with this rare but aggressive form of blood cancer.
“Seeing Alyssa go from strength-to-strength is incredible and a testament to her tenacity and the dedication of an array of small army of people at GOSH. Team working between bone marrow transplant, hematology, ward staff, teachers, play workers, physiotherapists, lab and research teams, among others, is essential for supporting our patients.”
Dr. Deborah Yallop, consultant hematologist at KCH, said: “We’ve seen impressive responses in clearing leukemia that seemed incurable — it’s a very powerful approach.”
Funding expands access to more T-ALL patients
The trial is sponsored by GOSH and supported by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Patients eligible for NHS care who are interested in taking part should speak with their healthcare team.
GOSH Charity has also committed funding to support treatment for an additional 10 T-ALL patients. This more than £2m investment helps broaden access to the trial and contributes to GOSH Charity’s fundraising campaign for a new Children’s Cancer Centre designed to advance cutting-edge research.
Alyssa’s recovery continues to inspire progress
Alyssa Tapley, now 16, became the first person in the world to receive a base-edited cell therapy. She shared her story in 2022, when her leukemia was undetectable but she remained under careful monitoring. She has since moved to long-term follow-up and is fully engaged in daily life with her friends.
She was diagnosed with T-cell leukemia in May 2021 after months of what appeared to be repeated viral illnesses and fatigue. Standard treatments such as chemotherapy and a first bone marrow transplant did not work, and discussions about palliative care had begun when the research team offered the experimental therapy.
Alyssa said: “I chose to take part in the research as I felt that, even if it didn’t work for me, it could help others. Years later, we know it worked and I’m doing really well. I’ve done all those things that you’re supposed to do when you’re a teenager.
“I’ve gone sailing, spent time away from home doing my Duke of Edinburgh Award but even just going to school is something I dreamed of when I was ill. I’m not taking anything for granted. Next on my list is learning to drive, but my ultimate goal is to become a research scientist and be part of the next big discovery that can help people like me.”
Research infrastructure and continued support
BE-CAR7 cells were manufactured through a long-term research program at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, led by Professor Qasim, who also serves as an honorary consultant at GOSH. Support from NIHR, Wellcome, the Medical Research Council and GOSH Charity has helped drive the development of innovative genome editing treatments.
The team now operates from the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, a partnership between UCL and GOSH made possible through a £60 million gift in 2014 from Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak in honor of her late husband, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The researchers expressed their thanks to Anthony Nolan and to the volunteer blood and stem cell donors, as well as the patients and families who chose to take part in this work.
New research reveals how everyday cues secretly shape your habits
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have identified a way the brain’s learning system can shift depending on the activity of a particular protein. Their work shows that the ability to connect cues with rewarding outcomes can be strengthened or weakened when this protein becomes more or less active. This process helps determine whether the brain responds to signals that lead to positive behaviors or ignores cues tied to harmful habits, including those involved in smoking addiction.
“Our ability to link certain cues or stimuli with positive or rewarding experiences is a basic brain process, and it is disrupted in many conditions such as addiction, depression, and schizophrenia,” says Alexey Ostroumov, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Georgetown University School of Medicine and senior author of the study. “For example, drug abuse can cause changes in the KCC2 protein that is crucial for normal learning. By interfering with this mechanism, addictive substances can hijack the learning process.”
The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was published December 9 in Nature Communications.
How KCC2 Shapes Dopamine Activity and Reward Learning
The team found that changes in learning can occur when levels of the KCC2 protein shift. When KCC2 levels are reduced, dopamine neurons fire more rapidly, which encourages the formation of new reward associations. These dopamine neurons produce and release dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for motivation, reward processing, and motor control.
To better understand this relationship, researchers studied rodent brain tissue and monitored the behavior of rats during Pavlovian cue-reward tests. In these classic experiments, a brief sound alerts the rats that a sugar cube is on the way. Beyond analyzing how KCC2 affects the pace of neuron firing, the investigators discovered that neurons firing in a coordinated pattern can amplify dopamine activity in a surprising way. Short bursts of dopamine appear to serve as potent learning signals that help the brain assign meaning and value to shared experiences.
Why Everyday Cues Can Trigger Cravings
“Our findings help explain why powerful and unwanted associations form so easily, like when a smoker who always pairs morning coffee with a cigarette later finds that just drinking coffee triggers a strong craving to smoke,” notes Ostroumov. “Preventing even relatively benign drug-induced associations with situations or places, or restoring healthy learning mechanisms, can help develop better treatments for addiction and related disorders.”
How Diazepam and Other Drugs Influence Neuron Coordination
The researchers also examined whether drugs that act on specific cellular receptors, including benzodiazepines such as diazepam, could alter learning processes. Earlier work showed that shifts in KCC2 production, and therefore in neuron activity, can change how diazepam (valium) produces its calming effects in the brain. The current study adds another layer to this understanding by showing that neurons do more than increase or decrease activity. They can coordinate their firing patterns, and when that coordination occurs, they transmit information more effectively. The team found that diazepam can support this coordinated activity in their experiments.
Methods and the Importance of Using Rats for Behavioral Tests
“To reach our conclusions, we combined many experimental approaches, including electrophysiology, pharmacology, fiber photometry, behavior, computational modeling, and molecular analyses,” says the study’s first author Joyce Woo, a PhD candidate in Ostroumov’s lab.
She explained that rats were chosen for the behavioral portion of the research because they typically perform more consistently than mice on longer and more complex tasks. Their reliability in reward-learning experiments allowed the research team to gather more stable and informative data.
Broader Implications for Brain Disorders and Treatment Strategies
“We believe these discoveries extend beyond basic learning research,” says Ostroumov. “They reveal new ways the brain regulates communication between neurons. And because this communication can go wrong in different brain disorders, our hope is that by preempting these disruptions, or by fixing normal communication when it’s impaired, we can help develop better treatments for a wide range of brain disorders.”
Additional Georgetown contributors include Ajay Uprety, Daniel Reid, Irene Chang, Aelon Ketema Samuel, Helena de Carvalho Schuch and Caroline C Swain.
Ostroumov and his co-authors report having no personal financial interests related to the study.
This work was supported by NIH grants MH125996, DA048134, NS139517, DA061493, as well as grants from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the Whitehall Foundation and the Brain Research Foundation.
Campaigners question ethics of puberty-blocker trial in legal letter to Streeting
Researchers and the UK regulator say the study is going to help improve care for children questioning their gender.
