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Journal articleEbi KL, Haines A, Andrade RFS, et al., 2026,
Correction to: The attribution of human health outcomes to climate change: transdisciplinary practical guidance (Climatic Change, (2025), 178, 8, (143), 10.1007/s10584-025-03976-7)
, Climatic Change, Vol: 179, ISSN: 0165-0009The original article has been corrected. In this article Kathryn Bowen at affiliation ‘Melbourne Climate Futures; and Environment, Climate, and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia’ was missing from the author list. The section “Conflicts of Interest” was also missing and should have read: “Select authors declare potential interests arising from funding from Wellcome, NIH, NIHR, Oak Foundation, CDC, CSTE, WHO, Green Climate Fund, World Bank, Asia Development Bank, CIHR, SSHRC, NSF, NovoNordisc (sponsored travel), and honoraria for academic engagement from US universities. One author is a Wellcome employee. One author (KLE) is a Deputy Editor for Climatic Change.”
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Journal articleBerden J, Hanley-Cook GT, Chimera B, et al., 2026,
Synergies between food biodiversity, processing levels, and the EAT-Lancet diet for nutrient adequacy and environmental sustainability: a multiobjective optimization using the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.
, Am J Clin Nutr, Vol: 123BACKGROUND: Diets have become increasingly monotonous and high in ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), contributing to poor health outcomes and environmental degradation. Although sustainable diets, food biodiversity, and food processing levels have each been linked to nutritional and environmental outcomes, their combined impact has not been assessed. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine whether food biodiversity, intakes of UPFs, and adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet can simultaneously optimize nutrient adequacy while reducing environmental impacts. METHODS: Using data from 368,733 adults in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, we assessed associations and interactions between dietary species richness (DSR) (disaggregated into DSRPlant and DSRAnimal), food processing levels (Nova categories; % g/d), and adherence to EAT-Lancet recommendations [healthy reference diet (HRD) score; 0-140 points] with the Probability of Adequate Nutrient Intake Diet (PANDiet) score, dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe; kg CO2-eq/d), and land use (m2/d). Regression models subsequently informed multiobjective optimization to identify optimal dietary patterns balancing nutritional and environmental outcomes. RESULTS: Compared with observed diets, optimal diets showed a mean HRD score increase of 13.91 (95% confidence interval: 13.89, 13.93) points; DSRPlant increased by mean of 1.36 (1.35, 1.37) species, and a mean substitution of 12.44 (12.40, 12.49) percentage points of UPFs with unprocessed or minimally processed foods. Correspondingly, the mean PANDiet score increased by 4.12 (4.10, 4.14) percentage points, whereas GHGe and land use reduced by 1.07 (1.05, 1.09) kg CO2-eq/d and 1.43 (1.41, 1.45) m2/d, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Diets that adhere to the EAT-Lancet diet, are more biodiverse, and prioritize unprocessed and minimally processed foods over UPFs, have the potential to synergistically enhance nutrient adequacy while minimizing environmental impacts. T
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Journal articleMicrosoft Research Project Silica Team, 2026,
Laser writing in glass for dense, fast and efficient archival data storage.
, Nature, Vol: 650, Pages: 606-612Long-term preservation of digital information is vital for safeguarding the knowledge of humanity for future generations. Existing archival storage solutions, such as magnetic tapes and hard disk drives, suffer from limited media lifespans that render them unsuitable for long-term data retention1-3. Optical storage approaches, particularly laser writing in robust media such as glass, have emerged as promising alternatives with the potential for increased longevity. Previous work4-16 has predominantly optimized individual aspects such as data density but has not demonstrated an end-to-end system, including writing, storing and retrieving information. Here we report an optical archival storage technology based on femtosecond laser direct writing in glass that addresses the practical demands of archival storage, which we call Silica. We achieve a data density of 1.59 Gbit mm-3 in 301 layers for a capacity of 4.8 TB in a 120 mm square, 2 mm thick piece of glass. The demonstrated write regimes enable a write throughput of 25.6 Mbit s-1 per beam, limited by the laser repetition rate, with an energy efficiency of 10.1 nJ per bit. Moreover, we extend the storage ability to borosilicate glass, offering a lower-cost medium and reduced writing and reading complexity. Accelerated ageing tests on written voxels in borosilicate suggest data lifetimes exceeding 10,000 years.
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Journal articleSangkaew S, Daniels BC, Ming DK, et al., 2026,
Early individualized risk prediction using clinical data for children during the febrile phase of dengue in outpatient settings in Vietnam and Thailand.
, PLOS Digit Health, Vol: 5Dengue severity prediction models are usually developed using hospitalized patient data, but triage and hospital admission are mainly evaluated in outpatient settings. This study developed models using clinical and laboratory data from patients in outpatient settings during the febrile phase. Data from two cohort studies in Vietnam and Thailand were used to develop and validate six models: logistic regression with warning signs, Lasso-selected logistic regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosted classification, support vector machine, and artificial neural network. Models predicted dengue shock syndrome (DSS) as the primary endpoint and moderate plasma leakage and/or DSS as the secondary endpoint. We assessed model performance, discrimination, and calibration, using sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, Brier score, AUROC, CITL, calibration slope, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis. The optimal model was the Lasso-selected logistic regression for predicting DSS and the combined endpoint of moderate plasma leakage and/or DSS (Brier score: 0.044 [95% CI 0.043, 0.044] and 0.104 [95% CI 0.104, 0.105]; AUROC: 0.789 [95% CI 0.787, 0.791] and 0.741 [95% CI 0.740, 0.742]). We identified hematocrit, platelet count, lymphocyte count, and aspartate aminotransferase as predictors for DSS, and abdominal pain or tenderness, vomiting, mucosal bleeding, white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, platelet count, aspartate aminotransferase, and serum albumin as predictors for the secondary endpoint. Logistic regression and machine learning models using clinical and laboratory data during the febrile phase can support early prediction of severe disease in outpatient settings. Integrating risk prediction models into a decision support system could improve triage and optimize healthcare and resource allocation in endemic and resource-limited areas.
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Journal articleGrégoire V, Zhu AW, Brown CM, et al., 2026,
Public reporting guidelines for outbreak data: Enabling accountability for effective outbreak response by developing standards for transparency and uniformity.
, Public Health, Vol: 251OBJECTIVES: There are few standards for what information about an infectious disease outbreak should be reported to the public and when. To address this problem, we undertook a consensus process to develop recommendations for what epidemiological information public health authorities should report to the public during an outbreak. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a Delphi study following the steps outlined in the ACcurate COnsensus Reporting Document (ACCORD) for health-related activities or research. METHODS: We assembled a steering committee of nine experts representing federal and state public health, academia, and international partners to develop a candidate list of reporting items. We then invited 45 experts, 35 of whom agreed to participate in a Delphi panel. Of those, 25 participated in voting in the first round, 25 in the second round, and 25 in the third round, demonstrating consistent engagement in the consensus-building process. The final stage of the Delphi process consisted of a hybrid consensus meeting to finalize the voting items. RESULTS: The Delphi process yielded nine core reporting items representing a minimum standard for public outbreak reporting: numbers of new confirmed cases, new hospital admissions, new deaths, cumulative confirmed cases, cumulative hospital admissions, and cumulative deaths, each reported weekly and at Administrative Level 1 (typically state or province), and stratified by sex, age group, and race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: This minimum reporting standard creates a strong framework for uniform sharing of outbreak information and promotes consistency of data between jurisdictions, enabling effective response by promoting access to information about an unfolding epidemic.
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Journal articleJamieson L, Rosen S, Meyer-Rath G, et al., 2026,
Age, sex-and what else? Rethinking priorities to close gaps in the HIV care cascade.
, J Int AIDS Soc, Vol: 29INTRODUCTION: Many countries with high HIV burden have made substantial progress towards UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and ending AIDS, but gaps in some sub-populations hinder overall achievement, even as programmes face potentially diminished resources. While certain broad groups defined by age, sex or large geographic regions are commonly labelled as "high-risk" for being out of care, most individuals within these groups are in care and virally suppressed. Characteristics beyond age and sex (e.g. behavioural, socio-economic, smaller geographic areas) may differentiate those requiring targeted intervention strategies. Our Closing The Gap project aims to characterize unreached and disengaged sub-populations for targeted HIV interventions across Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, countries selected for their varied target achievement and diverse populations. We discuss overarching themes from the first Closing The Gap workshop, convening government stakeholders, implementers, researchers and community representatives in February 2025. DISCUSSION: Key themes emerged from the workshop: (1) the importance of considering absolute sub-population size, alongside percentages, when assessing service gaps; (2) limitations of existing data and analytic paradigms beyond age-and-sex categories, highlighting the need for richer, contextual data linked to care cascade outcomes (e.g. clinical markers, mobility, socio-economic circumstances) and analyses incorporating additional factors for identifying more granular sub-populations; (3) need to identify individuals who do not require differentiated care to better prioritize resources to those not served by existing models; and (4) in the context of decreasing funding, the need to balance the cost and complexity of differentiated interventions with the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of standardized approaches, including self-selection strategies. CONCLUSIONS: It is critically important to generate more efficient strategie
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Journal articleClaro IM, Manuli ER, da Silva CAM, et al., 2026,
Genomic characterization of Sabiá virus in Brazil, 2019-2020: Implications for diagnostics, virus evolution, and receptor binding.
, PLoS Negl Trop Dis, Vol: 20Between December 2019 and January 2020, two patients suspected of having severe yellow fever were admitted to a tertiary healthcare facility in São Paulo, Brazil, presenting with acute hemorrhagic syndrome and neurological alterations; both cases had fatal outcomes. Upon admission, both tested negative for yellow fever viral RNA, and Sabiá virus (SABV), a New World arenavirus, was identified as the causative pathogen. To date, only four humans naturally acquired SABV infections have been confirmed, all fatal and linked to rural settings. We applied next-generation sequencing to generate complete and near-complete genomes from two patients (SP17 and SP19). Existing molecular diagnostics failed to detect SABV; therefore, new molecular tests were developed. Genetic analyses of SP17 and SP19 genomes along with other arenaviruses, revealed that the new cases were genetically diverse, showing 93-98.2% amino acid identity at the NP level among SP17, SP19, and the 1990 reference strain (SPH114202). Time-scaled phylogenetic analyses confirmed that SP17 and SP19 were not epidemiologically linked and suggested that SABV has been circulating undetected in Brazil for over a century. Additionally, homology modeling and structure-based mapping provided insights into SABV receptor-binding sequence conservation, suggesting that SABV shares similar receptor binding structure to other clade B arenaviruses, despite some amino acid variation around receptor binding site. Our findings underscore the need for retrospective and prospective surveillance of undiagnosed hemorrhagic fever cases to assess the public health impact of SABV in Brazil.
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Journal articleShah A, 2026,
CFTR modulators partially restore the epithelial interferome in Aspergillus infection to improve clinical outcome
, EBioMedicine, ISSN: 2352-3964BackgroundThe impact of CFTR modulator therapy on host immunity and outcomes in people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF)-related Aspergillus lung disease is poorly defined. We aimed to characterise fungal-relevant clinical outcomes post-CFTR modulators and assess effects on the Aspergillus-dependent Type I/III interferome.MethodsBiomarkers of Aspergillus-related lung disease (Aspergillus-specific IgE/IgG), anti-fungal and corticosteroid therapy were analysed in a retrospective cohort of people with CF pre and post Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (ETI) modulator therapy. Homozygous F508del (CF) and CFTR TALEN-corrected bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) were challenged with Aspergillus conidia and hyphae in the presence or absence of ETI CFTR modulator therapy with bulk RNA transcriptomics and RT-PCR used to analyse Type I/III interferon genes. Effects of exogenous type I and III interferons on CF-neutrophil antifungal effector function was further characterised. FindingsCFTR modulator (ETI) therapy was associated with a significant reduction in Aspergillus biomarkers alongside use of corticosteroid and anti-fungal therapy. In vitro Aspergillus stimulation enriched the Type I/III interferome in CFTR-corrected BECs compared to CF BECs, with ETI therapy partially restoring type I/III interferon gene expression in CF BECs. Administration of exogenous IFN𝝀1 increased anti-fungal killing in CF neutrophils without increased reactive-oxygen species or neutrophil extracellular trap production.InterpretationCFTR modulators have led to improved clinical outcomes in CF related Aspergillus-related lung disease potentially due to partial restoration of the host antifungal epithelial type I/III interferon response. Exogenous IFNλ1 further improved antifungal killing capacity of CF-neutrophils presenting a plausible future therapeutic strategy.Funding: This study was funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust (SRC015).
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Journal articleThompson RN, Bansal S, Clapham H, et al., 2026,
Infectious disease outbreak controllability: biological, social and public health factors.
, Proc Biol Sci, Vol: 293Early in an infectious disease outbreak, key policy questions include whether and how the outbreak can be brought under control. In the epidemiological modelling literature, analyses of outbreak controllability have often focused on metrics such as reproduction numbers (which quantify the number of infections generated by each infected individual). However, whether an outbreak can be controlled is a complex question, depending on both the precise definition of 'under control' used and numerous factors affecting decision-makers' ability to implement transmission-reducing measures. Here, based on discussions at the Isaac Newton Institute's 'Modelling and inference for pandemic preparedness' programme (5-30 August 2024), we describe a wide range of factors affecting outbreak controllability in practice. Programme participants came from institutions in ten countries, enabling discussions to reflect experiences of using models to inform policy in different settings. We divide the factors according to whether they relate predominantly to characteristics of the pathogen, host population or available interventions, and describe policy considerations when assessing whether an outbreak is controllable.
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Journal articleHemmings S, Varaden D, Barnes J, et al., 2026,
Diversity analysis of indoor and outdoor fungal bioaerosols in UK households: a longitudinal study
, The Lancet Microbe, ISSN: 2666-5247BackgroundProlonged exposure to indoor fungal bioaerosols is a recognised risk factor for respiratory illness, particularly in damp and poorly ventilated housing. However, the diversity and seasonal variability of these communities are poorly understood. This study as part of WellHome, aimed to characterise the composition, diversity, and temporal dynamics of indoor fungal bioaerosols in urban UK homes compared with outdoor air, to inform future exposure baselines and policy development.MethodsIn this prospective, community-based observational study, 118 households were recruited across West London, UK, via community networks and partner organisations, prioritising families with children aged 5–17 years with asthma or allergies from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Sampling occurred between 3rd October 2022 and 14th June 2024. Participant data was collected via questionnaires completed by household members, capturing demographics, building characteristics, and respiratory health. Passive air samplers were deployed in living rooms for 28 days during two seasonal campaigns, with concurrent outdoor sampling at four fixed community sites. Fungal bioaerosols were identified by ITS2 amplicon sequencing and quantified using broad-range qPCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene. Diversity indices and temporal dynamics were analysed using ecological statistics and generalised additive models.Findings118 households were enrolled, comprising 504 residents (263 female, 237 male, 4 not reported). Of these, 104 households completed both seasonal campaigns and 14 completed one, yielding 262 air samples (222 indoor, 40 outdoor). DNA was successfully recovered from all samples, identifying 2,027 fungal genera. Indoor environments showed significantly higher richness (mean 646 vs 495 ASVs; p<0.0001) and Shannon diversity (4.21 vs 3.53; p<0.0001) than outdoors. Community composition differed markedly (PERMANOVA p<0.0001), with Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Wallemia enriched in
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