Merck Foundation Marks World Hypertension Day with Push to Expand Specialist Training Across Africa

The Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, has marked World Hypertension Day 2025 by reinforcing its commitment to building health systems capacity for cardiovascular and diabetes care in Africa and beyond. The Foundation is working in partnership with Africa’s First Ladies, ministries of health, medical societies, and academic institutions through its “Nationwide…

Air Pollution During Pregnancy Linked to Changes in Fetal Brain Structures, Study Finds

A groundbreaking study has found that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may alter the structure of the developing fetal brain, even in pregnancies that appear otherwise healthy. The research, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), analyzed over 700 pregnancies and provides the most detailed look yet at how pollutants like nitrogen…

New Study Finds Lung Function Declines Earlier Than Previously Thought

Lung Function Begins to Decline in Early 20s, Landmark Study Reveals  A major international study has upended longstanding assumptions about how our lungs age, revealing that lung function begins to decline shortly after its peak in the early twenties — much earlier than previously believed. The research, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health…

New Study Finds Sleep-Wake Perception Intact in Many Insomnia Patients, Supporting Behavioral Therapy Over Medication

New research led by Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and the Universitäre Psychiatrische Dienste Bern (UPD) at the University of Bern (UNIBE) suggests that sleep-wake perception and regulatory systems remain largely intact in people with insomnia disorder. The findings, published in Scientific Reportsunder the title “Preserved perception of sleep–wake states in…

Africa Launches a New Era in Healthcare with the Opening of African Medical Centre of Excellence

Africa took a monumental leap toward healthcare sovereignty today with the official opening of the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) in Abuja, Nigeria. Developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with King’s College Hospital, London, the US$300 million tertiary care facility is the largest specialised private hospital in West Africa. It signals…