A baby is considered premature if they arrive before 37 weeks of pregnancy. In the United States, roughly one out of every ten babies is born early.

Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that babies who survive premature birth can face a range of health challenges.

For example, they may experience breathing issues, delays in development, trouble feeding, as well as hearing or vision problems, and conditions like cerebral palsy.

The study focuses on two substances, DEHP and DiNP, which belong to a group of man-made chemicals known as phthalates.

These chemicals are known to disrupt hormones in the body. They can interfere with the endocrine system and have been linked to problems involving reproduction, immunity, brain development, and overall health.

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences note that even slight changes in hormone levels can lead to serious biological and developmental effects.

Dr. Leonardo Trasande, one of the study’s senior authors, described phthalates as a particularly harmful group of chemicals.

The American Chemistry Council’s High Phthalates Panel says the US Environmental Protection Agency carried out a full risk review of DiNP under the Toxic Substances Control Act and found it does not present an “unreasonable risk” to human health.

The group did not comment on DEHP.

About Phthalates

Phthalates are often referred to as “everywhere chemicals” because they show up in a wide range of everyday items. For example, they can be found in food containers, kids’ toys, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, medical equipment, and even garden hoses.

They’re also used in personal care products, where they act as lubricants and help scents last longer in things like deodorant, perfume, shampoo, and hair gel.

You can also find them in plastic wrap commonly used for packaging food.

Some research has linked phthalates to reproductive issues, including undescended testes and genital abnormalities in baby boys. In adult men, they’ve been associated with lower testosterone levels and reduced sperm counts.

Other studies suggest possible connections to asthma, obesity in children, heart-related conditions, and even certain types of cancer.

The good news is that phthalates have a short half-life; they tend to leave the body within a few days.

If you’re trying to cut back on exposure, a simple step is to go for personal care products labeled “phthalate-free.” It’s also a good idea to steer clear of ingredients like dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP).

Having said that, labels aren’t always straightforward. Some products don’t list these chemicals clearly. For example, they may be grouped under general terms like “fragrance” or “parfum,” which can make them harder to see.

The post Plastic Additives Tied to Millions of Premature Births and Thousands of Infant Deaths appeared first on Gazette Review.

Researchers say it’s the most in-depth global study on meningitis so far; it shows that about one-third of the deaths are children, with many cases happening in parts of Africa.

Published in The Lancet Neurology, the study follows recent news of an outbreak in the United Kingdom, where two individuals died after contracting the illness at a nightclub in England earlier this month.

Meningitis is a condition involving inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord; it can result from infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

In Kent, a bacterial strain led to a surge in vaccinations, with more than 10,000 people receiving shots over a two-week period.

Worldwide, both infection rates and deaths have declined since 2000, due to increased access to vaccines.

Despite this, estimates suggest that over 259,000 people died from the disease in 2023.

The region known as the African meningitis belt, stretching from Ethiopia to Senegal, saw the greatest number of cases.

Countries such as Niger, Chad, and Nigeria were among those most severely affected.

Researchers also pointed to a few main risk factors, like being born prematurely, exposure to air pollution, and having a low birth weight.

The report warned that the World Health Organization isn’t on track to hit its 2030 meningitis targets – the goal is to reduce cases by half and reduce deaths by 70 percent.

Even so, cases and deaths are only dropping at about half the speed needed to hit those targets.

It emphasized that faster progress will depend on stronger action, such as better access to healthcare, wider vaccination coverage, and improved monitoring and diagnostic systems.

Researchers also pointed out that many deaths linked to meningitis are not officially recorded, particularly in lower-income countries. As a result, the true number is likely much higher than current estimates.

The post Meningitis Kills a Quarter Million People a Year, According to New Study appeared first on Gazette Review.

The strain, called BA 3.2, has shown up in nasal swabs from four travelers returning to the U.S., along with samples from five patients across five different states, though those states haven’t been identified.

It’s also been picked up in 132 wastewater samples across over 20 states, as well as in wastewater from airplanes; this suggests there may be broader spread than what scientiests are seeing.

BA 3.2 was first identified in South Africa in 2024, then appeared in the U.S. in June 2025 in a traveler arriving from the Netherlands.

By September 2025, cases linked to the variant started rising, and it has since been reported in 23 countries worldwide.

Researchers note that its evolution follows a pattern similar to the BA 3.8.6 variant from 2024, which eventually evolved into JN.1, the dominant strain that year.

That said, scientists emphasize that BA 3.2 is genetically different from the JN.1-related variants that have been spreading throughout the U.S. since early 2024.

The spread of the new variant could warrant an update to the current vaccines, which only target the JN.1 subvariants.

BA.3.2 has around 70 to 75 percent changes in its spike protein, which is the part that helps the virus get into human cells; because of that, it may be better at getting around the immune system.

Up to now, cases tied to the variant have been identified in a long list of states, including Connecticut, Florida, California, Idaho, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Maryland, Maine, Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Ohio, Louisiana, Michigan, and Wyoming.

That said, it’s still unclear what kind of impact this variant will have.

Data from a CDC tracker shows BA.3.2 isn’t currently a dominant strain in the U.S.

The variant has been spotted in hospitalized patients between December and January.

Those cases included two older adults with pre-existing health issues, along with a young child who was treated without being admitted.

Experts say respiratory illnesses like RSV and the flu have actually been spreading more than COVID during this winter’s seasonal surge.

They also expect another possible uptick in cases over the summer, a pattern that’s been showing up in the years since the beginning of the pandemic.

The good news is that COVID-related deaths have gone down since 2025. Positive COVID tests and emergency room visits have also decreased.

However, many people are still dying from the virus, according to CDC data.

The post New COVID-19 Variant Identified and Spreading In 25 States appeared first on Gazette Review.

A report released Thursday said 153 people in total reported symptoms; 104 were passengers and 49 were crew members.

The ship, the Star Princess, had been on a week-long trip that wrapped up Sunday. Those who became sick experienced symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea.

Princess Cruises said the crew stepped up cleaning and sanitation efforts; sick passengers and crew were also kept isolated until they were able to leave the ship.

Company officials said they also worked with CDC experts to address the virus, which spreads easily and can linger on surfaces.

The outbreak was officially reported Wednesday to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which then sent investigators to the ship to look into what happened.

According to CruiseMapper, a site that tracks cruise ships, the vessel carrying more than 4,300 passengers arrived back in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.

Later that evening, it set sail again on another trip to Princess Cays in the Bahamas.

In the United States, Norovirus is the most common cause of outbreaks involving vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other symptoms include stomach pain, headache, body aches, and fever. Symptoms typically develop 12 to 48 hours after an individual is exposed to the virus and last for up to three days.

Norovirus can also make it difficult for people to eat or drink due to inflammation in the stomach and intestines.

For people who become sick, treatment usually focuses on staying hydrated, getting adequate rest, and sticking to simple, easy-to-digest foods.

The virus can spread in several ways, including close contact with infected individuals, eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated liquids, or contaminated surfaces.

Frequent handwashing with soap and water can help lower the risk of infection; disinfecting commonly used surfaces such as tables is also recommended.

While using hand sanitizer helps, it doesn’t kill the virus as effectively as washing your hands with warm water and soap.

The Star Princess, which features a concert venue topped with a clear dome along with about 30 dining venues, first launched service from Europe in October.

The following month, actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey officially christened the ship after being named its godparents.

The post Norovirus Outbreak Infects 153 Aboard Princess Cruise Ship in Caribbean appeared first on Gazette Review.

Her mother, Katelynn Jensen, said the health problems first started in September.

At the beginning, Valerie complained that her legs were hurting. Katelynn assumed it was just typical growing pains.

However, the pain got worse – to the point where she was crying out in pain nearly every night.

Her parents had no idea what was happening.

Just months earlier, Valerie had spent the summer outside enjoying family time, going camping, riding her bike, and taking walks with her mom, dad, and her eight-year-old brother.

Then a few months ago, something more alarming happened while Valerie was getting ready to shower.

Katelynn noticed that Valerie’s right big toe had turned a strange purple color- almost as if circulation had been cut off. She also spotted bruises scattered along Valerie’s legs from the knees downward.

Concerned, Katelynn quickly arranged a visit with the family’s doctor, Dr. Craig Steiner, who ordered blood tests.

By that point, the unusual purple discoloration had already started spreading farther up Valerie’s body.

Surprisingly, the test results showed nothing abnormal. Doctors ran additional exams; once again, everything appeared normal.

During a later checkup, Steiner measured Valerie’s legs and found something unusual.

Her right leg was about a centimeter shorter than the left.

Within weeks, her foot also began to change; it started to waste away and looked noticeably thinner and more bony.

An X-ray later confirmed the troubling discovery – Valerie’s right foot had physically become smaller than the other.

The family also reached out to several other doctors, but none of them have been able to explain what’s happening.

Meanwhile, Valerie continues to deal with severe pain, crying throughout the day and night.

Her parents eventually decided to take her to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is about a four-hour drive from their home.

During a visit on November 17, the specialist reviewed X-rays taken while Valerie was standing.

He soon noticed that the difference between her right and left legs had become even more noticeable than before.

The doctor later ordered MRIs along with a number of additional tests.

At first, he wondered if she might have an autoimmune disorder. He reached out to a rheumatologist and a dermatologist for their opinions, however, they were not able to determine the cause either.

Then in December, the dermatologist spotted another change. Valerie’s right arm had become shorter than her left, and her right leg had become even smaller compared to her left leg.

To investigate further, the dermatologist requested 45 X-rays.

The scans showed that everything on Valerie’s right side, including her fingers, hands, and ligaments, was smaller than the left; doctors still had no explanation.

Earlier this year, Valerie met with a genetics specialist who is now going through her DNA to see if it might hold any answers. However, it will likely take several months for the results.

In the meantime, the family has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser. They hope it will help cover the cost of replacing their car’s transmission so they can keep taking Valerie to her many upcoming appointments; it will also help make up for the work they have had to miss while traveling to different doctors.

The post 6-Year-Old Girl Mysteriously Shrinking, Doctors Unsure Why appeared first on Gazette Review.

Becca Lynch of Denver, learned she had advanced colon cancer last year, when she was just 29 years old.

When the first symptoms appeared, Lynch thought it was just stress.

At first, she noticed her bowel movements had become very narrow – almost “pencil thin”; she was also going to the bathroom much more often, sometimes five or six times a day.

Later on, she began seeing dark blood during nearly every bowel movement.

Lynch later came across a video from Cass Costley, who talked about having many of the same symptoms; she was later diagnosed with colon cancer.

After hearing that story, Lynch finally decided to make an appointment with a doctor.

Even so, she delayed getting a colonoscopy for several months. When the test was finally done, doctors told her she had stage 3B colon cancer.

Rebecca Siegel, the lead author of the analysis and senior director of cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, said Lynch’s story is very common.

Siegel explained that roughly three-quarters of patients under 50 already have advanced colorectal cancer when they are diagnosed.

There are a couple of reasons for this; younger adults are not routinely screened with colonoscopies, and many people dismiss the early symptoms because of their young age.

Unfortunately, many people just assume rectal bleeding is caused by hemorrhoids; it’s usually the first thing that comes up when you search the symptom online.

Costley, whose video encouraged Lynch to finally see a doctor, has since died from the condition.

Siegel says anyone who notices rectal bleeding that lasts longer than a couple of weeks should get checked by a medical professional as soon as possible.

People who are not experiencing symptoms can still take screening tests such as the FIT test or Cologuard; these tests can help detect warning signs of cancer without requiring a colonoscopy.

Interestingly, colorectal cancer rates have continued to drop quickly among adults over 65.

Among younger people, however, the disease has climbed dramatically; it has moved from the fifth leading cause of cancer death to the number one spot.

Researchers are still trying to understand why diagnoses are increasing in younger age groups. Some experts suspect shifts in diet may be a factor.

For example, higher consumption of processed meats, heavily processed foods, and meals packaged in plastic could play a role.

Risk levels also vary between populations. For instance, Alaska Native communities have the highest recorded death rates from colorectal cancer compared with other groups.

The post Colon Cancer Now the Leading Cause of Cancer Deaths Among Americans Under 50 appeared first on Gazette Review.

Health experts say the spike likely comes down to a few things – the flu shot not being a perfect match for the strains going around, fewer people getting vaccinated, and the version of the virus spreading this year being especially severe.

The number continues an upward trend. Alberta recorded 236 flu-related deaths last year and the year before that saw 171 deaths.

Experts say the impact of this year’s outbreak has been obvious inside hospitals across Canada.

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist, said she has spent much of the past few months on call, treating a steady flow of patients with influenza, some of whom were critically ill and fighting for their lives.

The surge in cases has added major strain to emergency departments, with many areas reporting long wait times.

Alberta’s minister of hospital health services, Matt Jones, said a mix of different factors made this flu season especially tough.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch said that the dominant strain this year is H3N2, which is known to cause more severe symptoms compared to other variants.

He explained that H3N2 infections typically hit harder than cases caused by H1N1.

Dr. Don Vinh, a medical microbiologist at McGill University, said flu activity has been widespread across Canada, though national numbers are slowly started to come down.

However, he pointed out that Alberta appears to be trailing behind other provinces, with infection rates still higher than much of the country.

Even with cases beginning to drop, experts caution that the health-care system could remain under pressure if seasons like this become the norm; there simply are not enough resources to handle such outbreaks.

Meanwhile, Sharif Haji, who serves as the Alberta NDP’s shadow minister for primary and preventative health services, said the government needs to do a better job communicating with the public and make it simpler for people to get vaccinated.

He said the government needs to step up, improve how it shares health information, and roll out vaccines more effectively.

The post Influenza Outbreak Leaves Hundreds Dead In Alberta appeared first on Gazette Review.

He arrived at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London, weighing 6 pounds 13 ounces, after his mother underwent a transplant using a womb donated by someone who had passed away.

It’s the first time in the UK that a birth resulted from such a procedure; only two similar cases have been reported in Europe previously.

Hugo’s mom, Grace Bell, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome, a rare condition that means the womb is missing or underdeveloped.

When she was a teenager, doctors told her she would not be able to carry a pregnancy. Because of that, she calls Hugo’s arrival a “miracle.”

She said she never believed this day would come and described holding her son as the happiest moment of her life.

A few months after undergoing the transplant in 2024, Bell started fertility treatments.

Hugo was born in December 2025.

Bell has said she thinks about her donor every single day and is deeply thankful to the donor’s family.

She shared that there are no words strong enough to express her gratitude.

Because of their generosity and compassion, she has been able to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a mom.

The same donor donated five other organs, saving the lives of several others.

The donor’s parents said the loss of their daughter completely shattered their world; however, they take comfort in knowing that through organ donation, she gave other families more time, hope, and a second chance at life.

They are incredibly proud of the legacy she leaves behind.

Bell and her partner, Steve, chose the name Richard for their son in honour of Professor Richard Smith, a consultant gynecological surgeon and the clinical lead at the charity Womb Transplant UK.

Smith was there when the baby was born; he called the whole experience an “unbelievable journey.”

He said he and his team have put in years of work to reach this point.

To prevent Bell from having to stay on immunosuppressant medication for life, doctors plan to remove the transplanted womb once the couple decide their family is complete.

The UK’s first womb transplant happened in 2023 and involved Grace Davidson, who also has MRKH; it was a living donation from her older sister, Amy.

Worldwide, around 25 to 30 babies have been born following womb transplants from deceased donors.

dataMost womb transplants, over two-thirds, come from living donors, while about a third use donors who have died.

The post Baby Boy Born to Mom Following Womb Transplant appeared first on Gazette Review.

But when her tess came back negative, her doctors were left wondering what was actually causing the inflammation. She recalls her vision being so blurry that she was barely able to see.

It was only later that they discovered the real cause was linked to an old tattoo on her back.

The condition is called tattoo-associated uveitis – it can lead to serious complications, including glaucoma and even permanent vision loss.

To reduce the risk of long-term damage, patients often have to stay on immunosuppressant medication for life.

While the condition is considered extremely rare, a study published in Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology reported 40 new cases in Australia; that’s twice the number of confirmed cases recorded worldwide since 2010.

The findings suggest the condition could be more common than previously believed, especially among those with tattoos.

Prestorius’ ophthalmologist, Josephine Richards, has treated many immune-related conditions over the years. She has seen multiple cases where the immune system mistakenly attacks the eyes.

Sometimes this happens in people with autoimmune arthritis. Other autoimmune diseases can also cause the immune system to target different parts of the body by mistake.

Early symptoms of tattoo-associated uveitis can include light sensitivity, blurry vision, and eye pain. If it is not treated, the condition can worsen and lead to glaucoma or even permanent harm to one’s vision.

In the past few years, Dr. Richards says she has noticed more and more uveitis cases linked to tattoos. In some cases, symptoms have appeared several years after the tattoo was done.

One way doctors can tell the inflammation is connected to a tattoo is that the tattoo itself often becomes raised and irritated.

Dr. Richards explained that she only learned about the condition a few years ago. Since then, she has seen a noticeable rise in cases.

She wasn’t alone either.

At a conference for ophthalmologists, many specialists shared that they were treating patients with similar symptoms, specifically eye inflammation tied to tattoos.

New research suggests most people diagnosed with tattoo-associated uveitis need ongoing treatment; of the patients included in the recent study, only three did not experience vision loss during their treatment.

Since being diagnosed, Prestorius has relied on steroid eye drops; her treatment has also cost her thousands of dollars. She also continues to see Dr. Richards regularly, especially when flare-ups happen.

Dr. Richards says one of the toughest parts is that many patients have a hard time stopping the medication.

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