Extreme cold increases risk of cardiac arrest by almost 20%, new study finds

Temperatures below -9°C increase the risk of cardiac arrest by 18.9% for over two weeks, new research from Corvinus University of Budapest has revealed.

Alongside Semmelweis University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the University of Pannonia, and the National Ambulance Service, researchers analysed temperature data with over 116,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases over a five-year period.

The lowest risk for cardiac arrest was observed at 19°C, with the number of cases increasing as the temperature grew hotter or colder. 

While there was notable risk above 27°C, the largest rise in risk was linked to cold spells (-9°C and below) lasting at least two days. This impact did not differ between men and women.

The researchers also identified an important difference in how heat and cold affect the body. Heat acts quickly and only up to a week, while cold spells place a longer-term strain on the body, with effects appearing after three days and increasing the risk of cardiac arrest for over two weeks after the cold period has ended.

“Although the effect of the weather is weak, it affects us all. In recent decades, climate change has made our weather more variable, and our bodies must adapt to this. This is particularly challenging for those who are unwell. While we have learned to pay attention to heatwaves, research shows that we must also consider the effects of cold weather,” Brigitta Szilágyi, Associate Professor at Corvinus University and co-author told That's Health.

The researchers offer practical implications; during heatwaves, healthcare services need to respond rapidly, while cold periods require heightened readiness over longer periods. 

By incorporating these findings into regional warning systems, healthcare practices could also provide greater support, emphasising hydration during heat, and blood pressure management and appropriate clothing during cold periods.

These findings were first published in the journal Resuscitation Plus. The full paper is open access here 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666520425003315?via%3Dihub

Local housing charity raises £20,000 for Cornwall Blood Bikes

Colleagues at Coastline Housing have presented £20,000 to Cornwall Blood Bikes to help the local charity in its lifesaving work.

The money is the result of a year’s worth of fundraising by colleagues at the Cornish housing charity and this year they raised a record amount.

CEO Allister Young, who was proud to help hand over the cheque, told That's Health: “Coastline colleagues clearly felt very passionately about Cornwall Blood Bikes to raise such a fantastic amount. 

"Any of us living in or visiting Cornwall never know when we might need the services of this fantastic charity and its hard-working volunteers so we’ve been proud to fundraise for them across the past 12 months.”

Colleagues at Coastline raised the funds thanks to a number of events including their big annual marathon challenge in September where colleagues between them clocked up just over 3,000 miles in one day and raised £5,128. 

Participants walked, ran and cycled the miles, and one small group of colleagues even did a special motorbike ride to add some miles to the total, in tribute to Cornwall Blood Bikes and the many miles volunteers cover each year.

Across the year, staff at Coastline also held events such as BBQs, a quiz night, raffle, big breakfasts and a VE day celebration.

Cornwall Blood Bikes is a volunteer-run charity providing a free, "out of hours" courier service for the NHS, transporting blood, plasma, urgent samples, medication, and donor breast milk between hospitals, hospices, and care homes. They operate weekday nights (5pm–7am) and 24 hours on weekends/bank holidays to save the NHS money on courier fees.

Jayne Penlerick, Chair of Cornwall Blood Bikes, told us: “We're really just blown away by this £20,000 donation. We are all volunteers and Cornwall Blood Bikes gets busier each year. 

"Last year the team undertook around 7,800 jobs and rode a total of around 244,000 miles doing so. We also celebrated our 10th anniversary. 

"We really wouldn’t be able to do any of this without people like the team at Coastline Housing who fundraise so hard for us. It means so much to be able to use this money to keep these bikes on the road for the people of Cornwall.”

Assistant Director of Finance at Coastline Zoe Field, who organised the Coastline charity marathon challenge, added: “Every year I think to myself that we won’t beat our previous total in terms of miles and money – but then we seem to manage it. I’m so proud of the way colleagues get involved and really push themselves to make a difference and we know this money will make a real difference to Cornwall Blood Bikes.”

https://www.coastlinehousing.co.uk

https://cornwallbloodbikes.org

Gipsy Hill family’s fundraising in memory of kind-hearted 18 year old helps fund vital new leukaemia research

A Gipsy Hill, London, family’s fundraising in memory of their teenage daughter has helped fund a major new research project into children’s blood cancer.

Ruby Fuller, 18, died during the COVID 19 lockdown in May 2020, just under a year after she was diagnosed with a rare type of lymphoma. 

During that time, she spent over 200 nights in hospital and endured incredibly intensive treatments. However, they weren't enough to save her when the cancer transformed into leukaemia.

After Ruby died, her parents, Emma Jones and Dylan Fuller, were told how few treatment options exist for patients when T cell blood cancers relapse.

This prompted them to launch a Special Named Fund at CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association called Ruby’s ‘Live Kindly, Live Loudly’ Fund to fundraise for research into childhood leukaemia and lymphoma.

Emma told That's Health: “Hearing there simply aren’t effective treatments yet made it very clear to us that if anything is going to change, it has to start with research.

“Setting up Ruby’s fund felt like a way to turn our heartbreak into something hopeful, something that could improve outcomes for other young people in the future.”

The fund has since raised over £290,000 and contributed to a new research project exploring better treatments for childhood leukaemia.

Emma feels the new project embodies Ruby’s motto of ‘live kindly, live loudly.’ She said: “This project is about kindness, developing safer, less brutal treatments, and it’s loud because it challenges the status quo and pushes for change where it’s badly needed.

“Supporting bold, innovative research like this feels exactly the kind of legacy Ruby would have wanted.”

The project, funded through a collaboration between CCLG and Children with Cancer UK, is led by Dr Maarten Hoogenkamp and Dr Vesna Stanulovic at the University of Birmingham.

Dr Stanulovic said: “We are making a new drug that will interfere with the metabolism of leukaemia cells – basically, it will kill cancer without affecting the rest of the body.”

The new drug aims to treat T cell blood cancer both at diagnosis and after relapse. While it's excellent at fighting leukaemia in the lab, the drug currently breaks apart too easily in the body. 

With this funding, the researchers hope to refine their drug to ensure it can survive long enough to effectively fight the cancer cells.

Dr Stanulovic added: “By only targeting the cancer cells with this treatment, we hope to prevent the huge toxicities that are normally seen in leukaemia treatment. 

"Our drug should be very friendly for patients and not require any further hospitalisation.”

Because of the expected lack of side effects, the researchers hope that their treatment could eventually be taken at home as a tablet.

Emma said that funding the project “means everything” to her family. And, despite Ruby’s ‘Live Kindly, Live Loudly’ Fund now having supported five research projects in total, she has no plans to stop fundraising.

This year’s plans include a London Tube Challenge, visiting all 272 tube stations in London as quickly as possible, and an auction to commemorate what would have been Ruby’s 25th birthday in October.

Vicki Brunt, Head of Fundraising at CCLG, said: “Ruby’s family and supporters have achieved an extraordinary amount in such a short time, and we are incredibly grateful for everything they’ve done.

“Their dedication is enabling vital work that could lead to kinder, more effective treatments for young people diagnosed with blood cancer.”

Gavin Maggs, Chief Executive of Children with Cancer UK, said: “Working together with CCLG allows us to achieve more for children and families affected by cancer.

“Between us, we can fund research that pushes boundaries and brings us closer to safer, more effective treatments, maximising impact and accelerating progress. Co-funding like this has to be the way forward, for our donors, for the academics, and most importantly, for the children.”

If you would like to donate a prize for the Ruby’s ‘Live Kindly, Live Loudly’ Fund auction, please contact emmacjones1000@gmail.com or, to support the fund, please visit specialnamedfunds.cclg.org.uk/rubys-live-kindly-live-loudly-fund

Dover mum’s fundraising helps launch major new childhood leukaemia research projects

A young Dover mum’s fundraising in memory of her 9-year-old son who died from leukaemia has helped leading cancer charities fund new research into the disease.

Josh Harber tragically died just two days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in 2019. 

Shockingly, Josh had been an apparently healthy, active child only days before his diagnosis and loved playing football. 

Since losing their son, Josh’s family have raised over £30k for research through Josh’s Gold Star Fund, a Special Named Fund at CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association.

Josh’s mum Danielle, told That' Health: “Josh was football-mad and lived and breathed the game, but what everyone remembers most is his smile – so constant that he was lovingly nicknamed ‘Smiler.’ He could light up a room just by walking into it.

“More than anything, he was an amazing son and brother, and he is missed beyond words.

“Josh’s experience with AML changed our family forever. The speed and severity of his illness opened our eyes to how vulnerable children with cancer are, and how desperately more research, funding, and support are needed. We chose to fundraise in Josh’s name to honour his life and to help create a future where other families don’t have to endure the same heartbreak.”

Now, alongside other CCLG Special Named Fund families, Danielle’s fundraising has contributed to a £600,000 research-funding collaboration between CCLG and Blood Cancer UK, launching two pioneering research projects.

The projects, based at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow, aim to tackle some of the biggest challenges in childhood blood cancer, developing safer and more effective treatments for babies with leukaemia and children with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

The joint funding from Blood Cancer UK and CCLG will allow Dr Karen Keeshan at the University of Glasgow, to lead a project focused on AML, an aggressive blood cancer affecting around 100 children and young people in the UK each year. Dr Keeshan’s research will investigate a protein found on the surface of AML cells that is linked to more aggressive disease and treatment resistance but is not present on healthy blood stem cells.

Dr Keeshan told us: “For many children with AML, current treatments are simply not good enough. This project is about taking a clear biological signal we see in aggressive disease and testing whether we can turn it into a more precise, less toxic way of treating children whose cancer doesn’t respond well to standard therapies.”

Meanwhile, Dr Samanta Mariani at the University of Edinburgh aims to better understand why leukaemia in babies under one year of age is so difficult to treat. This is rare but extremely aggressive, and sadly only around half of babies diagnosed before their first birthday are successfully treated.

Dr Mariani will study a type of immune cell called a macrophage, which recent adult studies suggest can be ‘reprogrammed’ by leukaemia cells to help the cancer survive and resist treatment. These so-called leukaemia-associated macrophages have never before been studied in babies with leukaemia.

Dr Mariani said: “Leukaemia in babies behaves very differently to the disease we see in older children and adults, but we still know surprisingly little about what’s driving it.

“By studying how immune cells interact with leukaemia in babies for the first time, we hope to uncover biological mechanisms that could be exploited to make existing treatments work better and reduce harm for these very young patients.”

Ashley Ball-Gamble, Chief Executive of CCLG, said: “These projects have only been made possible thanks to the determination and fundraising of families who know first-hand the devastation caused by childhood cancer. Our Special Named Funds are driving forward research that could change outcomes for children in the future.”

Dr Richard Francis, Deputy Director of Research at Blood Cancer UK, added: “Thanks to decades of research, survival from the most common form of childhood leukaemia has been transformed - from just one in ten children surviving in the 1960s to around nine in ten today. 

"But for babies and children with aggressive forms of the disease, those gains have not been shared equally. 

"Every child like Josh deserves the best possible chance of survival, and that’s why funding innovative research like this in Scotland is so vital. It’s only possible because of the determination of families and supporters who refuse to accept that current treatments are good enough.”

Josh’s mum Danielle told us: “For our family, funding these two research projects means that Josh’s story didn’t end with his passing. His fund is helping move research forward, and knowing that his name is attached to work that could one day save other children’s lives brings us comfort and purpose.

“Our hope is that these research projects lead to better, kinder treatments for children with AML and other childhood cancers - treatments that give families more time, more options, and better outcomes. If this research can spare even one family the pain we’ve experienced, it will mean everything.”

https://www.cclg.org.uk

Grünenthal licenses exclusive Australian rights to Qutenza® to Clinect

Grünenthal, a global leader in pain management and related diseases, and Clinect Pty Ltd ("Clinect"), an Australian based company focussed on supporting access to unique products, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Clinect will have the exclusive Australian rights to Qutenza®, a topical, non-systemic, non-opioid patch indicated for the management of peripheral neuropathic pain. 

Under the agreement, Clinect will be responsible for obtaining marketing authorisation for Qutenza® in Australia and, upon approval, marketing and distributing the product in Australia.

"We firmly believe in the benefits that this non-opioid treatment option can provide to people suffering from peripheral neuropathic pain and continue to work on expanding its footprint to reach more patients worldwide," Jan Adams, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Grünenthal told That's Health.

"Clinect is an experienced specialist with a strong presence in Australia, and I look forward to joining forces with their team to bring our brand to Australia, a major market of the Asia-Pacific region."

"We value the opportunity to work alongside Grünenthal, a global leader in pain management, to introduce Qutenza® to the Australian market,” said Merryn Wallace, General Manager at Clinect. “This agreement reflects our shared commitment to improving patient outcomes and aligns with Clinect’s strategy of partnering with companies who bring truly differentiated therapies to our region."

Grünenthal acquired the global rights to Qutenza® in 2018 as part of its M&A-driven growth strategy. Since 2017, the company has invested more than €2.3 billion in successful M&A transactions, diversifying its portfolio, enhancing its profitability, and driving business growth. Grünenthal continues to expand the footprint of the acquired brands and to create synergies throughout Grünenthal's infrastructure, including manufacturing, supply, logistics, and commercial activities.

In Europe, Qutenza is indicated for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in adults, either alone or in combination with other medicinal products for the treatment of pain. For further information, please visit www.grunenthalhealth.com.

www.grunenthal.com

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Medi-Globe Launches mAI Companion® World’s First Real Time AI Assistant for Pancreatic EUS, Co Developed with IHU Strasbourg —Now MDR CE Marked and Available for Clinical Use in Europe

Medi-Globe has today announced the launch of mAI Companion®, a real-time medical AI solution designed to assist physicians in detecting pancreatic lesions during endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), addressing one of the deadliest and most difficult-to-detect cancers, where earlier identification can dramatically change patient outcomes.

Developed through a multi‑year collaboration with IHU Strasbourg, mAI Companion® has received MDR CE Mark certification, becoming the first‑of‑its‑kind AI assistant for pancreatic EUS approved for clinical use in Europe.

Addressing One of Medicine’s Toughest Imaging Challenges

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies worldwide, and early detection can significantly improve survival. EUS provides high‑resolution, close‑up imaging and allows targeted biopsy confirmation—but the technique demands years of experience, and subtle lesions can still be difficult to detect.

mAI Companion® functions as an intelligent “second set of eyes” during EUS, automatically analysing the head, body, and tail of the pancreas in real time to highlight solid and cystic lesions that may otherwise go unnoticed. 

The expected result: greater diagnostic confidence, more systematic exams, and fewer missed findings supporting earlier identification of pancreatic lesions including stages when treatment options and survival outcomes are significantly improved.

Built on Expert Knowledge — at Unprecedented Scale

AI performance depends on data quality. mAI Companion® was created in collaboration with leading European expert centres and trained on hundreds of real‑patient EUS videos containing more than five million expert‑annotated images. Each annotation was validated by experienced endoscopists, enabling the software to act like a trusted expert advisor beside the clinician.

First‑in‑Human Use, Clinical Evidence

mAI Companion® underwent first‑in‑human clinical use ahead of market introduction—a milestone Medi-Globe first reported in 2022. Patents covering key elements of the technology have been filed.

A tandem randomised EUS video trial involving 57 endoscopists—currently under peer‑review—demonstrated significantly higher diagnostic accuracy and a marked reduction in missed‑lesion rates when using AI compared with standard assessment.

Clear Clinical and Institutional Benefits

The MDR CE‑Marked mAI Companion® is expected to deliver practical value across all levels of clinical practice — improving confidence, consistency, and clinical quality in pancreatic EUS:

Experienced Endoscopists: Greater reassurance in complex or ambiguous cases with real‑time AI support by providing an extra set of eyes e.g. for small, hard‑to‑spot lesions .

Departments & Teams: Standardized EUS quality across operators, reduced variability, and faster development of junior staff.

Hospitals & Institutions: Stronger reputation, academic prestige and leadership in pancreatic cancer care.

Together, these benefits drive more confident exams, more consistent results, and better patient outcomes — reinforcing trust and institutional excellence in pancreatic EUS. Earlier and more reliable lesion detection supports faster diagnosis, earlier treatment decisions, and ultimately improved patient pathways in a disease where time is critical.

Expert Voices

“This product will revolutionize pancreatic care going forward – saving patients’ lives and making our job as physicians easier. Medi‑Globe moved faster to market than any similar effort I’ve seen, and deserves kudos for bringing the first in the world AI augmented EUS product to market. The collaboration with our R&D team and the preeminent Scientific advisory board has been excellent from start to finish. 

"The development of mAI Companion® should serve as a model for the future introduction of AI medical devices into interventional endoscopic practice.” — Prof. Dr. Lee Swanstroem, Interventional Endoscopist, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland Oregon USA and Director Emeritus, IHU-Strasbourg Institute of Image Guided Surgery, Strasbourg, France, told That's Health.

“When we started the research project at the IHU in Strasbourg seven years ago, it was a dream to develop a product that would help endosonographers to do a complete pancreatic evaluation. Now that dream has become reality. 

"I see mAI Companion as a great opportunity in medicine for more gastroenterologists to offer their patients high and consistent quality in the performance of pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound that will lead to a early diagnosis of pancreatic diseases and cancer, and I am convinced that this AI will help us doctors save patients' lives. mAI Companion will be my companion.” — Dr. Leonardo Sosa Valencia, Clinical Gastroenterologist, Digestive Echo Endoscopist, Medical Staff Manager at IHU, Strasbourg, France

"This is a major milestone for Medi-Globe. Turning mAI Companion® from concept to clinical reality required close collaboration with our partners at IHU Strasbourg and a broad international medical advisory network. Our goal is to provide clinicians with practical, workflow-integrated AI support that increases quality, confidence and consistency in pancreatic EUS." — Marc Jablonowski, Managing Director, Medi-Globe, Rohrdorf, Germany

"Delivering this programme on time and on budget reflects our disciplined approach from early prototype through MDR CE Mark, combining rigorous engineering, close clinical collaboration, and a strong focus on quality and compliance." — Dr. Markus Schönberger, President, iGlobe Scientific, Strasbourg, France

A New Era for Evidence-Based AI in Endoscopy

The launch of mAI Companion® represents a key milestone in Medi-Globe’s commitment to clinically validated, evidence-based AI solutions that can be safely integrated into routine practice, supporting earlier intervention and improved patient pathways.

With CE-marked approval, mAI Companion® is now cleared for clinical use across the EU, with initial deployments underway at leading European centres and broader rollout planned. For demonstrations or purchasing inquiries, contact Medi-Globe.

https://www.medi-globe.de/en/products/details/mai-companion