Australian researchers have discovered a promising new strategy to suppress the growth of aggressive and hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a specialized molecular process known as ‘minor splicing’.
Published in EMBO Reports, the study shows that blocking minor splicing can markedly slow tumor growth in liver, lung and stomach cancers, while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed.
The research in animal models and human cells, from Australian medical research institute WEHI, demonstrates the potential of this strategy to target cancers driven by mutations in common cancer-causing genes.
At a glance New research shows that targeting minor splicing significantly reduces tumor growth in liver, lung and gastric cancers. The strategy is particularly effective for cancers driven by KRAS mutations, which are among the most common genetic changes found in cancer. The study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of minor splicing inhibition across diverse cancer models.Why minor splicing matters
Splicing is how cells turn long strands of RNA into shorter pieces called messenger RNA, which provide the template for the production of proteins.
While major splicing carries out 99.5% of this work, minor splicing is an indispensable process for the remaining 0.05% of genes, affecting about 700 of the 20,000 genes in the human genome.

The new research reveals that blocking minor splicing causes the accumulation of DNA damage in cancer cells and activates a key tumor suppressor pathway that leads to cell death. Remarkably, healthy cells are largely unaffected.
Although it affects only a small sub-set of genes, minor splicing is crucial for the correct expression of genes that drive cell growth and division – making it a potential Achilles’ heel for cancer cells.
Importantly, many of these genes are commonly hijacked by cancers driven by KRAS mutations, which are among the most frequent genetic changes found in solid tumors.
WEHI laboratory head Professor Joan Heath said scientists have long known that KRAS is central to many aggressive cancers but have struggled to turn that knowledge into broadly effective treatments.
“KRAS mutations come in a variety of flavors, making them extremely hard to treat, so even with decades of scientific effort there has been only limited progress so far,” Prof Heath said.
“But our approach is different. Instead of trying to target specific mutations that may only apply to a subset of patients, we’re disrupting a fundamental process that these fast-growing cancers rely on.

“This research offers a new way to tackle a problem that’s long resisted conventional approaches, with the potential to help a much wider group of patients.”
Striking result reveals path towards new treatments
Using zebrafish and mouse models, as well as human lung cancer cells, the WEHI-led research is the first to demonstrate the impact of inhibiting minor splicing in in vivo models of solid tumours.
The study found reducing the activity of a protein encoded by the RNPC3 gene – an essential component of the minor splicing machinery – significantly slows tumor growth in liver, lung and stomach cancers.
“Just by halving the amount of this protein, we were able to significantly reduce tumor burden,” said Dr Karen Doggett, first author of the study.
“That’s a striking result, especially given how resilient these cancers usually are.”
The study also revealed that disrupting minor splicing triggers the p53 tumor suppressor pathway, a critical defense mechanism in the body’s fight against cancer.
Dubbed the ‘guardian of the genome’, the p53 protein responds to DNA damage by stalling cell division, initiating DNA repair or triggering cell death. This well-known pathway is frequently mutated or disabled in many cancers, allowing these cells to grow unchecked.
“Blocking minor splicing leads to DNA damage and activates this critical defensive response, which means cancers with a functional p53 pathway are likely to be especially vulnerable to this strategy,” Dr Doggett said.
“This opens the door to treatments that could be both more effective and less toxic, offering hope for patients with aggressive cancers that currently have limited options.”
Drug discovery collaboration
To search for compounds that might inhibit minor splicing, the research team turned to the National Drug Discovery Centre headquartered at WEHI, with a screen of over 270,000 drug-like molecules identifying several promising hits.
“We’ve validated minor splicing as a compelling therapeutic target – now the challenge is to develop a drug compound that can safely and effectively inhibit it,” Prof Heath said.
The research draws on WEHI’s deep expertise in gene discovery and cancer biology, showcasing the power of collaboration across multiple labs and technologies.
“One of the strengths of this study is the breadth of models and tumor types we used,” Prof Heath said.
“We didn’t just test one kind of cancer or use one analysis method. This diversity in our approach gives us confidence that our strategy could be relevant across many forms of cancer, and not just in a narrow set of conditions.”
The research was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC), Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The study, “Inhibition of the minor spliceosome restricts the growth of a broad spectrum of cancers,” is published in EMBO Reports.

A new international study confirmed a significant post-pandemic rise in disorders of gut-brain interaction, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia, according to the paper published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Building on prior research, investigators used Rome Foundation diagnostic tools to analyze nationally representative samples from both 2017 and 2023 — offering the first direct, population-level comparison of disorders of gut-brain interaction prevalence before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key findings: Overall disorders of gut-brain interaction rose from 38.3% to 42.6%. IBS jumped 28%, from 4.7% to 6%. Functional dyspepsia rose by nearly 44%, from 8.3% to 11.9%. Individuals with long COVID were significantly more likely to have a disorder of gut-brain interaction and reported worse anxiety, depression, and quality of life.This is the first population-level study to directly compare rates of disorders affecting gut-brain interaction before and after the pandemic, using a consistent methodology. It adds weight to growing calls for updated care models and more research into the gut-brain axis in the post-COVID era.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that affects the large intestine, characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits such as diarrhea, constipation, or both. Although it does not cause permanent damage to the intestines or lead to more serious conditions, IBS can significantly impact quality of life. The exact cause is not fully understood, but contributing factors may include gut-brain axis dysregulation, altered gut motility, intestinal inflammation, changes in gut microbiota, and heightened sensitivity to certain foods or stress. Diagnosis is typically based on clinical criteria (such as the Rome IV criteria), and treatment often involves dietary modifications, stress management, and symptom-targeted medications.
Functional dyspepsia
Functional dyspepsia is a common chronic disorder that affects the upper digestive tract, causing symptoms such as persistent or recurring pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, early satiety (feeling full quickly), bloating, and nausea, without an identifiable structural or biochemical cause on standard diagnostic tests. It is considered a disorder of gut-brain interaction, where altered gastrointestinal motility, visceral hypersensitivity, psychosocial factors, and possibly low-grade inflammation contribute to symptom generation. Functional dyspepsia is diagnosed based on clinical criteria, such as the Rome IV guidelines, after ruling out other conditions like peptic ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Management typically includes dietary and lifestyle modifications, psychological therapies, and medications such as proton pump inhibitors, prokinetics, or antidepressants, depending on symptom profile and severity.

Just nowShareSaveShareSaveGetty ImagesResident doctors in England are heading back to work after a five-day walkout over pay.They say they haven’t had a “credible pay deal” for 2025-2026, but Health Secretary Wes Streeting argues the strike is “unreasonable” after substantial pay rises in recent years.Who are resident doctors? Resident doctors used to be known as junior doctors, but the government recently agreed to change the name of their role to better reflect their expertise. They make up around half of all doctors. As a patient you could come into contact with a resident doctor in any NHS department, including A&E and at your GP surgery. Resident doctors are qualified doctors who have completed a medical degree.Many then enter speciality training in a particular area of medicine and surgery, or train to become a GP.Full training can take a long time, meaning some resident doctors have more than a decade of practical experience and are responsible for many aspects of care.How were patients affected by the resident doctors’ strikes?The medics were on strike in England between 25 and 30 July. During the period GP surgeries were typically open as normal, and the 111 phone line remained the best option for urgent or non-life threatening issues. Patients were still advised to go to A&E or call 999 for emergency care. Unlike in previous strikes, during the latest walk-out NHS England asked hospitals to carry out routine operations where possible and to only reschedule appointments in exceptional circumstances.But the British Medical Association (BMA), a trade union for doctors, warned this risked stretching staff too thinly.Despite putting plans in place to minimise disruption, NHS chiefs said the strikes did take a toll on patients and staff, and that some appointments did not go ahead.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the walkouts threatened “to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year”.In the last wave of strikes between July 2023 and February 2024 – which involved some consultants – government analysis showed that 507,000 appointments and operations were cancelled and rescheduled. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were not affected by the latest industrial action.What is a resident doctor’s salary?During their first foundation year after finishing their medical degree, resident doctors in England earn a basic salary of £38,831. In their second year, this rises to £44,439. Medics are often expected to work night shifts, weekends and longer hours for extra payments.After eight years or more as a resident doctor, salaries can progress to around £70,000.Since 2023, resident doctors have taken part in 11 separate strikes, arguing for fairer pay and working conditions.During 2023-24, over two years, they received a 22% pay increase. From August 2025, they will get an additional 5.4% pay rise.Health Secretary Wes Streeting says resident doctors have received the largest pay rises of any public sector employees over the last three years.The government says it won’t be offering any further increases.What are resident doctors’ pay demands?The BMA says resident doctors’ pay will be 20% lower in real terms than it was in 2008, even after the August increase.It wants pay for the group to be brought back in line with the level it was at 17 years ago, when they say their value of their pay started to be eroded.The claim is based on a measure of inflation called the Retail Price Index (RPI). This includes housing costs and shows higher price increases than some other inflation measures.The BMA points out that many resident doctors have large student loans and that interest on these is calculated using RPI.However, the government says RPI is outdated. Instead, it uses the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) to calculate inflation and pay increases. CPI looks at the cost of goods and services based on a basket of household items.Using the CPI measure, the government says resident doctors’ current pay is fair.Analysis from the Nuffield Trust – a health think tank – suggests pay has fallen 5% since 2008 if CPI is used, compared with nearly 20% with RPI.What pay rises have other public sector staff had?In May, the government announced pay rises for a number of public sector workers, including:a 4% rise for other doctors, dentists, and teachers in England, as well as prison officers in England and Walesa 3.25% rise for civil servantsa 3.6% rise for some NHS staff in England, including nurses and midwivesa 4.5% rise for members of the UK armed forces, with 3.75% for senior military staffHowever, because a medical degree can take five or six years to complete – longer than most other degree courses – the BMA argues that resident doctors may have built up more student debt than other graduates. Resident doctors also say they have little control on where and when they are asked to work. And that it can be difficult to put down roots, because of the need to do placements in different parts of the country.

Immersing in virtual reality (VR) nature scenes helped relieve symptoms that are often seen in people living with long-term pain, with those who felt more present experiencing the strongest effects.
A new study led by the University of Exeter, published in the journal Pain, tested the impact of immersive 360-degree nature films delivered using VR compared with 2D video images in reducing experience of pain, finding VR almost twice as effective.
Long-term (chronic) pain typically lasts more than three months and is particularly difficult to treat. The researchers simulated this type of pain in healthy participants, finding that nature VR had an effect similar to that of painkillers, which endured for at least five minutes after the VR experience had ended.
Dr Sam Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Pain Neuroscience at the University of Exeter, led the study. He said: “We’ve seen a growing body of evidence show that exposure to nature can help reduce short term, everyday pain, but there has been less research into how this might work for people living with chronic or longer-term pain. Also, not everyone is able to get out for walks in nature, particularly those living with long term health conditions like chronic pain. Our study is the first to look at the effect of prolonged exposure to a virtual reality nature scene on symptoms seen during long term pain sensitivity. Our results suggest that immersive nature experiences can reduce the development of this pain sensitivity through an enhanced sense of presence and through harnessing the brains in-built pain suppression systems”
The study, which was funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, involved 29 healthy participants who were shown two types of nature scene after having pain delivered on the forearm using electric shocks. On the first visit, they measured the changes in pain that occur over a 50-minute period following the electric shocks and showed how the healthy participants developed sensitivity to sharp pricking stimuli in the absence of any nature scenes. The results showed that the participants developed a type of sensitivity that closely resembles that seen in people living with nerve pain — which occurs due to changes in how pain signals are processed in the brain and spinal cord.
On the second visit, they immersed the same participants in a 45-minute virtual reality 360-degree experience of the waterfalls of Oregon to see how this could change how the development of pain sensitivity. The scene was specially chosen to maximize therapeutic effects.
In the second visit, they explored the same scene, but on a 2D screen.

They completed questionnaires on their experience of pain after watching the scenes in each case, and also on how present they felt in each experience, and to what extent they felt the nature scenes to be restorative[LV1] .
On a separate visit, participants underwent MRI brain scans at the University of Exeter’s Mireille Gillings Neuroimaging Centre. Researchers administered a cold gel to illicit a type of ongoing pain and then scanned participants to study how their brains respond.
The researchers found that the immersive VR experience significantly reduced the development and spread of feelings of pain sensitivity to pricking stimuli, and these pain-reducing effects were still there even at the end of the 45-minute experience.
The more present the person felt during the VR experience, the stronger this pain-relieving effect. The fMRI brain scans also revealed that people with stronger connectivity in brain regions involved in modulating pain responses experienced less pain. The results suggest that nature scenes delivered using VR can help to change how pain signals are transmitted in the brain and spinal cord during long-term pain conditions.
Dr Sonia Medina, of the University of Exeter Medical School and one of the authors on the study, said: “We think VR has a particularly strong effect on reducing experience of pain because it’s so immersive. It really created that feeling of being present in nature – and we found the pain – reducing effect was greatest in people for whom that perception was strongest. We hope our study leads to more research to investigate further how exposure to nature effects our pain responses, so we could one day see nature scenes incorporated into ways of reducing pain for people in settings like care homes or hospitals.”
The paper is titled ‘Immersion in nature through virtual reality attenuates the development and spread of mechanical secondary hyperalgesia: a role for insulo-thalamic effective connectivity’ and is published in the journal Pain.

Respiratory infections such as COVID-19 have been responsible for numerous pandemics and have placed a substantial burden on healthcare systems. Such viruses can cause significant damage to our lungs, especially to the proximal region, or airway, and distal region, also known as the alveoli.
The responses of different lung regions to such infections are varying and complex, so accurately replicating them using traditional models, such as animals and simple in vitro systems, poses a challenge.
To solve this problem, a team of researchers at Kyoto University has developed a micro physiological system, or MPS, capable of emulating different regions of human lungs. Specifically, their device can simulate the airway and alveoli to investigate viral pathologies. Coupled with isogenic iPSCs, the team is preparing for more personalized and accurate treatment of respiratory diseases.
“Our iPSC-derived lung chips enable us to model the distinct responses of proximal and distal lung regions, derived from an isogenic source to respiratory virus infections,” states the lead author Sachin Yadav, a PhD student at Kyoto University.
The team’s research provides a more accurate platform for studying tissue- and virus-specific disease mechanisms, as well as for evaluating drug effectiveness. Moreover, their approach holds significant promise for addressing future pandemics.
“The insights gained can be used to develop models of other human organs and multi-organ systems, facilitating the study of organ interactions,” notes team leader Ryuji Yokokawa.
“The ability to accurately replicate the variations in host responses to different viruses and lung regions can significantly enhance our understanding of emerging viruses and facilitate early drug screening,” says senior researcher Takeshi Noda.
“Integrating iPSCs into our MPS offers unparalleled advantages, with the cells providing benefits such as personalized medicine and isogenic models,” adds Shimpei Gotoh, another senior team member.
This chip system has potential applications beyond viral infections, and could be used to enhance personalized medicine by enabling the use of patient-specific iPSCs to study other conditions as well.

20 minutes agoShareSaveNia PriceBBC NewsShareSaveBBCA day of retail therapy can be just the ticket for some people to help them feel better about themselves. But what happens when you can’t stop shopping?Surrounded by racks of shirts, dresses and jumpers, Lucy tells me that she could spend up to 14 hours a day searching out new clothes as an escape from reality.The 37-year-old’s life may sound like a dream, but Lucy is clear that excessive shopping damaged her life.At one point, Lucy found herself not paying her bills so she could continue to buy clothes.”It’s like a physical and an emotional drowning. I have felt like I’m just under a weight of clothes constantly,” she says.Lucy has no idea how many garments she owns, but they take up an entire room in her West Yorkshire home as well as several suitcases – and a 35 sq ft storage unit. “Clothes acted like an armour to not feel the feelings that I did in real life,” she explains.Lucy set up a fashion Instagram account and her shopping eventually “spiralled” to the point that she was spending £700 per week – eventually racking up £12,000 of debt. “It was the first thing I would think about when I woke up. “You keep looking for clothes in the same way someone might keep drinking because they haven’t quite reached the point of escapism they were hoping to reach,” she recalls as she continues to recover.’Penny drop moment’She says seeing influencers online with copious amount of clothes “normalised” her habits. It was not until a therapist told her she may have oniomania – the compulsive urge to buy things – that she realised it was possible to be addicted to shopping.She describes the second in her NHS Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) session that she heard about the disorder as a “penny drop” moment.Shopping addiction, also known as compulsive buying disorder or oniomania, is when a person feels an uncontrollable need to shop and spend, despite the negative consequences.It is not known how many people have it. A review of research suggests it affects around 5% of adults but a more recent study says it may have risen to 10% since the pandemic.Now Lucy and others across the UK are calling for a better understanding of the condition and for more support from the NHS.”I think the resources are currently lacking. The research and understanding of oniomania is just not there in the same way as addiction to substances,” Lucy says.Natalie has what she calls her “cupboard of doom” with more than 10,000 household items in her Rotherham home.For the 40-year-old, her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) “triggers” her to buy certain things – including a particular number of items and colours.The cupboard is home to 300 tubes of toothpaste and 3,000 washing pods.”It just escalated to the point where I was going out and just wasn’t settled until my boot was full of stuff,” Natalie says.At the peak of her addiction, she would be at the shops every day and could spend up to £3,000 a month – including £1,000 on toiletries.”I cannot stop – and I do not want to stop either. If I see something online, I need it. I don’t care how I get it, I need to get it.”The mother-of-one recently spent £1,000 while on a flight – mainly on perfumes – and says she has about 400 fragrances, bought in little more than two years.Natalie, who works in private nursing, says ads have a “massive effect” on her buying habits and she can spend around six hours a day watching perfume videos online when she is not working. She has undergone therapy both within the NHS and privately, but feels it was not successful as she is not yet ready to stop – but is focused on trying to cut her shopping.”I think every addiction should be treated the same and more help and therapy should be available [from the NHS] to people who want it,” she adds.HANDOUTThe BBC has spoken to 15 people who feel they have a shopping addiction.Many talked of a mental toll and feelings of guilt and shame. One said they developed an eating disorder as a result, and another said it became a “monster” in their life. All felt that social media contributed to their addiction. According to experts, the proportion of retail sales online has more than doubled in the last decade, up from 12% in May 2015 to 27% in May 2025.Digital advertising body IAB UK says advertisers’ spend on social media content grew by 20% last year – standing at a total of £8.87bn.Zaheen Ahmed, director of therapy at The UKAT Group, which runs addiction treatment centres across the country, says they have seen more people with a shopping addiction.He explains that the hormonal anticipation of a purchase could be equated to the reaction of a drug user securing a hit.Mr Ahmed says that social media use as part of smartphone ownership is “the new normal”.”Social media is impacting our lives big time and it is contributing to our urge to buy, urge to spend, urge to interact every time.”HANDOUTShopping became a coping mechanism for issues surrounding Alyce’s self-confidence and esteem.She started using Buy Now Pay Later schemes when she was aged 18 – a decision she describes as a “gateway” to other credit.In the end, Alyce, from Bristol, was saddled with debts of £9,000 after spending up to £800 each month on new items, particularly ordering clothes online.”The more I had to open, the more excitement there was.”But once I opened the parcels, the buzz would wear off and I’d be sad again – so then the cycle continues.”Social media is essentially another version of QVC, but one younger generations can watch,” the 25-year-old says.Alyce, who works in business administration, has since overcome her addiction with therapy and is now almost debt free.”If I hadn’t done that, I don’t really know where I would be,” she says.”It does genuinely change your way of thinking and creeps into everything you do – your whole life revolves around payday when you can shop again.”It just becomes so overwhelming.”If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for more support.The NHS says it is possible to become addicted to just about anything – but there’s no distinct diagnosis for a shopping addiction.One reason is because experts dispute how to classify it, with some believing it is a behavioural addiction, while others link it to mood or obsessive compulsive disorders.Professor of addiction at the University of York Ian Hamilton says shopping addiction has “caught psychiatry on the back foot”.The expert, who has worked in the field for three decades, said he believes we are still two or three years from the disorder being more widely recognised as a formal diagnosis.Prof Hamilton says the retail sector has lifted some of the strategies used by the gambling industry to keep people engaged online.”I don’t think it’s any accident that people find it difficult once they start this loop of spending, buying, feeling good then having remorse.”The academic adds the rise of influencers is not just a coincidence.”It’s one thing having an item described to you, [but that] doesn’t have the same impact as seeing a glossy well-put together video package which extols the virtue of an item and only shows the positives.”Pamela Roberts, psychotherapist at the healthcare provider Priory Group, is clear: “We need to learn different coping strategies but we can only learn [them] when it’s recognised as a problem – and that’s only done when it’s made official,” she adds.An NHS spokesperson said: “NHS Talking Therapies provides treatment for a range of conditions including OCD and provides practical skills and techniques to help cope.”They added that anyone struggling with obsessive and compulsive behaviour can contact their GP or refer themselves for therapy.More on this story

8 minutes agoShareSaveAlison HoltAdam EleySocial affairs producerShareSaveBBCTim Hull can point to many achievements during his 56 years. He’s run his own handyman business and housed Ukrainian refugees for two years. He’s even been in the Guinness Book of Records: at nearly 7ft in height, he and his brother were the UK’s tallest twins for almost two decades.But it is a life Tim has decided to end. His quality of life, he says, is “very, very low”. Tim has a medical condition – unrelated to his height – that weakens his muscles, and his health has declined rapidly over the past two years.It is the battles to get the health and care support he needs which have driven him to make the desperate decision, says Tim. He feels abandoned by health professionals, has been moved from one waiting list to another, has not been provided with the right equipment to help him and has been bed-bound for nearly seven months.In February, he stopped taking the medication that prevents his kidneys from failing. They are now beginning to give up and he knows he has months, if not weeks, to live.”I don’t feel that things are going to get any better than this,” he tells BBC News. “I just feel [ending my life] would be a better option than lying in bed 24 hours a day.”Tim’s neurological condition is rare, however, many of the difficulties he has faced feel familiar to many.Over the past two years, BBC News has been contacted by the families of more than 250 people with serious disabilities or illnesses about their struggles to access health and care services. Many described the impact of very long waits for assessments, appointments, and for vital equipment that can help them cope at home. They also highlighted the frustrations of trying to get someone to signpost the right services, being passed from department to department, and the feeling that they were only listened to when they reached a crisis. For some there were also lengthy arguments over whether their care should be paid for by the NHS or local councils.Tim, who lives on his own in Worcester, first went to his GP in 2022 because he started stumbling while walking.He was referred to a rheumatologist. He waited a year for the appointment only to be told it was the wrong specialism.He then waited several months to see a local neurologist, then several more months to see a more senior neurologist in Birmingham. In the two years this took, he lost the ability to walk and had to use a wheelchair.Tim was eventually diagnosed with a rare neurological condition, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), which causes spasms and muscle weakness. Pain, fatigue and depression are also common symptoms.It is incurable, but according to the NHS website, it does not usually affect life expectancy. There are more than 80 variants, but Tim says he has yet to be told which he has. Physiotherapy and drugs are generally used to manage the symptoms, but Tim felt after being diagnosed he was just expected to “get on with it”.In 2024, he spent two months in hospital. While there, regular physio helped him regain some mobility, but after he was discharged there was no ongoing support. His case was referred back to Worcester and its neurology therapy team.Tim received a letter dated 10 July 2024 welcoming him and saying he was on the waiting list for an assessment. Despite chasing for an appointment, he says he heard nothing. A year later, on 15 July 2025, he got another almost identical letter. It says welcome, you are on a waiting list. This time it included an information leaflet.SuppliedWhen Tim has asked his GP for help, he says he has often been told his case is too specialist and he should call 111.Tim’s height has added to his difficulties. Getting the basics right for someone who is 6ft 10in (2.08m) has seemingly been impossible.He used all his savings to adapt his home and buy equipment so he could live downstairs, but spent two years in a standard hospital bed, provided by the NHS, which was too small for him. He describes it as “hideously uncomfortable” and like “torture”. Three months ago, he was finally given a new, longer bed, but that causes him to sit up in a position that he says led to a major choking incident one mealtime. He now mostly has meal-substitute drinks.Finding a hoist to lift him in and out of bed has also been a major problem. The first two tried by the NHS were too small to be used safely.At the end of April, there was discussion about putting in a ceiling hoist. Two-and-a-half months on they are still waiting. It means Tim has not been able to leave his bed since February this year.He is also waiting to be fitted for a wheelchair that can cope with his height, but that cannot happen until there is a hoist to lift him out of bed.”Life is just lying in a bed on a day-to-day basis, feeling very uncomfortable, fighting to get support,” says Tim. “Above a certain height, you don’t exist.”I’d had enough of living the way I was. I couldn’t see myself getting any better and decided I didn’t want to be here anymore,” he says. The health and care system, he adds, “hasn’t worked. There’s no joined-up thinking. Nobody cares.”Authorities responsible for Tim’s care say they cannot comment on individual cases but that they regularly review how care is delivered to meet each person’s “unique needs”.Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust says that “where equipment, home adaptations or community nursing support are required, we aim to have these in place [before discharge] to ensure a safe, well supported transition from hospital to home”.Tim has a separate, hereditary kidney condition, called polycystic kidney disease. His twin Andy, their father Alan and sister Sue were also born with the condition.Twenty years ago, Tim had a kidney transplant from his older brother, Richard. Tim’s twice-daily tablets are supposed to stop the kidney from failing.Without them Tim knows he has months, if not weeks, left to live. He feels he has little choice but to stop taking the tablets.Sue, a retired children’s social worker, says she is devastated by Tim’s decision.”He doesn’t need to be lying here dying. He’s got so much more to give,” she says. “And I just feel that he’s been completely abandoned.”She spends nearly every day caring for him and has made endless calls to try to get him the support he needs.In February, Sue made urgent calls to Tim’s GP, local mental health services and adult social services because he was so low. Again, she says she was passed from pillar to post, and that getting help was a fight. There was “no joined-up thinking”, she says.Six months after stopping the tablets, Tim says he does not regret it.But pressed on what would make a difference, he says: “If I could be hoisted out [of bed] and sat up to have dinner, if I could be wheeled out into the garden just to get a change of scenery, that could help a lot.”A friend suggested Sue should contact the local hospice. It has now become the central point of advice, support and information that Tim desperately needed two years ago. It manages his pain medication and has helped him get NHS funding for four care visits a day. It also arranged for a psychologist to check he had capacity to make his end-of-life decision.He says he’s been asked that question by clinicians several times, but no-one has ever asked what can be done to make him rethink.The tragic irony that it took the move to end-of-life care to get them more joined-up help is not lost on Sue, but she says it is still not enough to provide the level of support he really needs.”I feel absolutely heartbroken by the situation,” she says. “I think I’ve gone beyond anger. I just can’t believe that the UK would allow this to happen.SuppliedTim’s local NHS Trust says “we work in close partnership with other health and care organisations to make sure patients experience joined‑up care. Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) bring together professionals from different specialisms to regularly review each patient’s needs”.NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) says it regularly reviews how care is delivered to “make sure it meets the needs of patients and is both safe and effective”. It also says it has “clear systems in place to respond to any concerns, learn from incidents, and continuously improve care across the whole system”.The ICB says it aims to “ensure everyone feels seen, heard, and supported – no matter their individual circumstances”.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says “it is unacceptable that Mr Hull has not received the care he deserves” and that it is working to ensure everyone has access to high-quality care.The DHSC says its 10-year health plan will “shift healthcare out of hospitals into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the right place, at the right time”. It also says it is investing an additional £100m into hospices and end-of-life care.Tim is now much frailer, and on very strong painkillers. He says in the time he has left he wants to be “as comfortable and supported as possible,” adding that “there’s a lot of fear of the unknown with the decisions I’ve made”.If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help and support in the UK are available at BBC Action Line.

A rape crisis charity at the heart of a row over whether trans women can attend support sessions for women has announced it is launching a new service for women which will exclude transgender participants.In 2022 a woman known as “Sarah” told BBC News she was suing Brighton-based Survivors’ Network because she felt uncomfortable talking about her own abuse in front of a trans woman who had joined the group.The charity, which provides support services for survivors of sexual violence in Sussex, says it will now run a new group for biological women who live as women, alongside its existing meetings that allow trans and non-binary people to take part.Earlier this year, a UK Supreme Court ruling said single-sex services should be reserved for people of the same biological sex.Sarah told the BBC in 2002 she had been sexually abused as a child and then raped when in her 20s.She had approached the group for support after coming into contact with the man she said had attacked her.”I was finding it really hard to cope,” she said at the time.She said she had found the sessions helpful and supportive at first. She called them a “safe space”.However, a trans woman – a biological male who identified as a woman – started attending the support group for victims of sexual abuse and assault.Sarah says the trans woman presented as typically male in the way she looked and dressed, and Sarah felt uncomfortable in her presence.”I don’t trust men because I was raped by a man,” she said at the time. “I don’t necessarily trust that men are always who they say they are.”Sarah stopped attending the sessions.At the time, Survivors’ Network said trans women were welcome into all its “women-only spaces”, and that it would defend the legal claim being brought against it.Now, in a joint announcement, Sarah, whose online identity is Sarah Surviving, and the Survivors’ Network, say they have come to an agreement before the case was due to go to trial in September.The new group for biological women will exclude trans men (born female but identifying as men) and trans women (born male but identifying as women) as well as non-binary people (who don’t identify as either men or women). The statement says the new peer support group in Brighton for biological women will run in addition to the original group that allows trans and non-binary people to attend.”For some biological women, such a space is imperative for their healing and acknowledges their trauma,” write the charity’s co-chairs on its website. The new service will run as a 12-month pilot scheme, funded by the Office of Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.On X, Sarah Surviving wrote “This is the best possible outcome for sexual violence survivors in our city.”

21 minutes agoShareSaveNick TriggleShareSaveBBCThe five-day doctor strike in England may be ending, but it is clear this dispute – 12 walkouts and counting – is far from over. “We’ve been let down by Wes Streeting,” says Dr Shivam Sharma, who joined one of the last picket lines of the walkout before it finishes at 07:00 on Wednesday. When Labour came to power they quickly managed to make a deal with the British Medical Association, handing them extra money and promises of improvements to working conditions.Doctors took that as a sign that the journey towards restoring pay to 2008 levels was in sight but that still requires another 25% hike in pay, on top of previous rises. “Since last year he has not delivered,” says Dr Sharma, who is six years into his training in child and adolescent psychiatry, when asked why walkouts have returned. Dr Sharma, who joined other striking doctors outside an east London hospital in Streeting’s constituency, says his years as a resident doctor, the new name for junior doctors, have been hard – harder than they should have been.He faced regular rotations through different jobs across the West Midlands in his early years. “You can be posted anywhere across large geographic areas. You have little control over your rotas, people missing weddings and important family events.”In September, he is sitting an exam which will set him back more than £1,000. “That’s just for one exam. It can cost us tens of thousands of pounds over the course of our training.”The BMA’s position remains the best way to solve this dispute is to increase pay further. But with the government adamant pay for this year cannot be revisited (resident doctors are getting an average 5.4% rise in 2025-26) attention has turned to non-pay issues.During five days of talks, which broke down on Tuesday last week, a range of topics were discussed, including exam fees, career progression and the frequency of job rotations, which for some can happen every four months.The BMA wanted to add writing off student loans (medical students can rack up £100,000 of debts) although the government refused to countenance this.’Breathing space’With the clock ticking, the dispute turned acrimonious when the BMA announced its first strike under Labour would go ahead. Streeting accused the BMA of being reckless and showing “complete disdain” for patients. The union responding by saying they were losing confidence in any of the promises being made.Tensions boiled over between NHS England and the union on Monday, with health leaders criticising the “hardline” approach of the BMA for blocking requests to let doctors return to work to deal with emergencies. The union has responded by accusing the NHS of putting patients at risk by stretching senior doctors covering for striking resident doctors too thinly.At times, a return to the negotiating table has seemed almost impossible but, with the strike ending, both sides have shown signs of softening.Senior sources at the BMA have talked about not wanting to get into a cycle of strikes and no talks, as they did in the latter months of the Tory government – there were 11 strikes in the space of 16 months. They mention creating “breathing space” in the coming days and weeks for further negotiation.It has also not gone unnoticed within the BMA that public opinion appears to have swung against resident doctors.Meanwhile, those close to Streeting stress he wants to get a deal done, although he remains disappointed the union did not at least postpone this strike to continue the talks.And in a statement to coincide with the end of the strike, the health secretary said: “My door is open to resume the talks we were having last week.”But, if they do get around the table, is there enough common ground for a deal to be reached given the BMA wants more pay rises and the government is adamant this is not an option?”It won’t be easy,” says Dr Billy Palmer, an NHS workforce expert at the Nuffield Trust think-tank. “This divisive situation is taking a toll on doctors and the wider NHS alike.”He says alongside pay, retention and wellbeing are “real problems” but he believes a series of individual changes could combine to have a potentially significant impact.Alongside covering the cost of out-of-pocket expenses like exam fees and making the system of rotas and rotations less brutal, he has other suggestions.These include student loan repayment holidays so doctors can delay, interest free, paying them off until they start earning more.He also mentions the need to tackle the shortage of speciality jobs that resident doctors move into after the first two years of training. Figures from the BMA show there were more than 30,000 doctors chasing 10,000 posts this year.In addition, he warns the government may still have to address one particular pay issue, pointing to the anomaly that means first-year resident doctors earn less than physician assistants.Would it all be enough to resolve this? Possibly, he says, but as with everything in this long-running dispute, there are no guarantees.

A groundbreaking international study, recently published in Health Data Science, analyzed objective sleep data from 88,461 adults in the UK Biobank and found significant associations between sleep traits and 172 diseases. The research, led by teams from Peking University and Army Medical University, highlights sleep regularity — such as bedtime consistency and circadian rhythm stability — as an underrecognized but critical factor in disease risk.
Using actigraphy data over an average of 6.8 years, researchers identified that 92 diseases had over 20% of their risk attributable to poor sleep behavior. Notably, irregular bedtime (after 00:30) was linked to a 2.57-fold higher risk of liver cirrhosis, while low interdaily stability increased the risk of gangrene by 2.61 times.
Importantly, the study challenges previous claims that “long sleep” (≥9 hours) is harmful. While subjective reports have linked long sleep to stroke and heart disease, objective data revealed this association in only one disease. Misclassification may be to blame: 21.67% of “long sleepers” actually slept less than 6 hours, suggesting that time spent in bed is often confused with actual sleep time.
“Our findings underscore the overlooked importance of sleep regularity,” said Prof. Shengfeng Wang, senior author of the study. “It’s time we broaden our definition of good sleep beyond just duration.”
The team confirmed several associations in U.S. populations and identified inflammatory pathways as a possible biological link. Future research will explore causality and assess the impact of sleep interventions on chronic disease outcomes.