Actress Lupita Nyong'o has become a health advocate for women by partnering with the Foundation for Women’s Health (FWH). The goal of this collaboration is to fund crucial research aimed at creating innovative treatments for uterine fibroids.
Actress Lupita Nyong'o has become a health advocate for women by partnering with the Foundation for Women’s Health (FWH). The goal of this collaboration is to fund crucial research aimed at creating innovative treatments for uterine fibroids.
The actress joined forces with FWH to provide a research grant. This grant is intended to accelerate the development of minimally invasive and non-invasive treatments for uterine fibroids. The announcement, made on July 15, emphasized that the focus is not only on raising awareness but also on finding more effective treatment options.
Fibroids are benign growths that develop in or around the uterus. Some women may experience no symptoms. However, for others, they can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, anemia, pelvic pain, dyspareunia, frequent urination, fertility issues, and a general decline in quality of life, which often revolves around pain management and blood loss.
According to FWH data, this condition affects over 15 million women in the United States alone. The organization notes that by age 50, up to 80% of Black women and 70% of white women are affected. Furthermore, Black women are more likely to develop fibroids at an earlier age and experience a more severe course of the disease.
The importance of Nyong'o's partnership lies in the fact that this condition remains understudied. The grant aims to support research that could lead to less invasive and more effective treatments, rather than leaving women with limited options that might require major surgery. Lupita Nyong'o herself was diagnosed with fibroids in 2014, the same year she won an Oscar for the film '12 Years a Slave.' At the time, she kept the diagnosis private, as she did not fully understand it.
She stated that ultrasounds and MRIs revealed nearly 30 fibroids. In November 2014, she underwent a myomectomy to have them removed. Describing her experience, Nyong'o compared her abdomen to a 'fruit basket' to illustrate the variety of fibroid sizes, from small grapes to large grapefruit.
The experience left her with questions familiar to many women: what are fibroids, why did they happen, can they return, and what can be done to prevent them? In Nyong'o's view, answers to these questions were limited. Years later, she spoke publicly about a recurrence, stating she was no longer willing to suffer in silence.
FWH points out that women can wait an average of 3.6 years before seeking help, while existing treatments can be highly invasive, and fibroids are prone to recurrence. Therefore, research is critical. While raising awareness helps women recognize symptoms, it does not solve the problem of lacking better treatment options.
The ultimate goal is a future where women receive earlier education, improved screening, more information on prevention, and access to treatments that do not force them to choose between unbearable symptoms and major surgery. This conversation is particularly vital for Black women, as racial disparities in fibroid prevalence and severity underscore the need to include the most affected groups in research.
Nyong'o, drawing on her personal journey, calls for the search for less invasive solutions for fibroids, striving to change the perception of women's reproductive health. She noted that the medical system reinforced this assumption, and she had to insist on a doctor's attention when the pain became unbearable. She also shared that after starting to share her story, she discovered that women worldwide were struggling with the same issue, feeling part of a vast collective experience despite feelings of isolation.
A new pilot study indicates that the timing of meals consumed may be a crucial factor for health, suggesting that restricting eating windows can help prevent cognitive decline in older adults.
Older overweight women who limited their meals to a specific time window showed superior performance in cognitive assessments compared to those who ate throughout the day. Specifically, those who consumed their meals between 10 am and 6 pm showed better results in cognitive tests.
During the clinical trial, 47 participants, aged between 50 and 79 and with overweight, were encouraged to reduce 500 calories from their daily diet for six months. Of this group, 26 volunteers followed the guidance to eat only within a nine-hour window, while the rest distributed their meals over 12 hours. At the end of the study, both groups achieved similar weight loss, averaging about 7 kg. However, the women who maintained limited meal consumption made fewer errors on memory and learning tests.
Although weight loss alone may slow cognitive decline, researchers argue that the difference observed between the groups suggests that paying attention to meal timing offers an additional benefit to weight reduction. Professor Wendy Hall of King's College London considers the study promising but emphasizes that the findings are preliminary and await the full, peer-reviewed version to confirm clinical significance.
Hall explains that time-restricted eating is a viable strategy to promote cognitive health in middle-aged and overweight older adults. This occurs not only by aiding in weight control but also because avoiding large late meals can optimize glycemic control, vascular function, and inflammation levels.
Researchers have been investigating the link between lifestyle and dementia risk. A survey conducted in 2024 by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP) indicated that 54% of dementia cases in Latin America may be attributable to modifiable risk factors, such as lifestyle or medical treatments. Globally, the projection is nearly 57 million affected people, concentrated mainly in low- and middle-income nations. Factors such as age and genetics are unavoidable, but conditions like midlife obesity can increase the risk of developing dementia over a lifetime by 30%.
Another author of the research, Professor Sue Shapses of Rutgers University in New Jersey (USA), classified the results as 'modest'. She and her colleagues plan to investigate the reason for the importance of meal timing, theorizing that the answer lies in a complex interaction involving circadian rhythms, metabolism, and inflammation.
Twelve-year-old Johaine Hendricks from Erste River is battling bone cancer, hoping to fulfill his football dreams once his family can raise enough money for a prosthetic leg.
A seventh-grade student, Hendricks is currently not attending school as he undergoes chemotherapy. The situation began last July when he discovered a small lump just above his ankle during a football match. Initially, the doctor suspected it was a cyst.
Later, Hendricks was referred to Tigerberg Hospital, where various tests and an MRI revealed terrible news—he had bone cancer, known as osteosarcoma. Since Hendricks loved spending time on the football field, he frequently attended hospital appointments.
Doctors determined that the cancer had spread, necessitating the amputation of his leg. In November, he underwent this life-saving surgery, resulting in the amputation of his leg. After the operation, hospital wards became his second home, and chemotherapy became part of his weekly routine, replacing school and time with friends.
The non-profit organization Kids-Can Cancer Foundation is raising funds to purchase a prosthesis and provide assistance to the family with daily needs. They noted that his dream is to kick a football again.
This journey has been an emotional and financial ordeal for the family. His mother, Jodie Daniels, is the sole provider, receiving help from her own mother to care for her son. The organization reported that his mother watched her boy cry not from pain, but because he felt his dream of football was over.
His mother writes that there are days when Johaine is exhausted and simply does not want to go back to the hospital. Nevertheless, together they find the strength to continue. Emotionally, this journey has affected the entire family, and financially, it has become almost unbearable. As the sole provider, Johaine's mother bears enormous responsibility for supporting the family while ensuring her son does not miss any doctor's visits. She is willing to make any sacrifices to ensure her son receives the best care.
Today, Johaine has overcome unimaginable obstacles, but there is one thing that can give him back some of the childhood that cancer tried to steal. The organization emphasized that the prosthesis will give him independence and self-confidence, as well as the opportunity to dream again. Kids Can Cancer Foundation appeals to the public to support this brave young warrior by helping with the prosthesis or recommending companies, organizations, or individuals who can assist.
The Molinette Hospital in Turin, located in northern Italy, announced that patient Elena, aged 67, has regained her sight following a complex operation.
Previously, Elena completely lost her sight as a result of a serious road traffic accident. This accident caused irreversible damage to the optic nerve of her left eye, preventing light from being transmitted from the eye to the brain, even though the eye structures themselves remained intact. Furthermore, her right eye was already affected by macular dystrophy, and the trauma led to irreversible damage to the retina and corneal transparency.
According to the hospital, the complete destruction of the part containing stem cells made classical corneal transplantation impossible, condemning the woman to blindness. However, this previously considered insurmountable barrier was overcome by Professor Michele Reibaldi and his medical team after performing an extremely complex intervention that lasted about six hours.
During the procedure, doctors extracted and transplanted a complete anatomical block from the left eye into the right eye, which was no longer functioning. This block included the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, and, for the first time in the world, the central part of the retina—the macula. Thanks to this 'biological transplant,' vision was restored using both affected eyes.
Michele Ribaldi, director of the university ophthalmology clinic at Molinette Hospital, commented that the evaluation of how effectively the implanted retina will function is now awaited, but the initial results look promising.
