Researchers at the University of Cincinnati, US have developed a portable "lab-on-a-chip" device that offers a rapid, objective method to assess stress and mental health risks by measuring cortisol levels from saliva. This innovative device consists of a disposable saliva collector and a handheld reader that transmits the results to a smartphone in minutes.

Unlike conventional mental health questionnaires that rely on self-reporting, this device provides biochemical data, allowing clinicians to make timely and accurate mental health interventions. It also has potential applications beyond stress detection, such as identifying cardiac biomarkers like troponin, which could aid in diagnosing heart attacks.

The device, developed by UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Research Professor Chong Ahn and his team, was recently featured in the journal Biomedical Microdevices. The study highlights how elevated cortisol levels can indicate chronic stress and mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, even in patients who do not report feeling stressed in standard assessments.

Doctoral student Supreeth Setty is further exploring how another hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), interacts with cortisol. Research indicates that a high cortisol-to-DHEA ratio is a potential marker for chronic stress, making it a critical factor for clinicians in diagnosing mental health conditions.

The device’s user-friendly design enables patients to conduct the test themselves and share results with doctors via a smartphone app. This point-of-care testing approach not only facilitates quicker interventions but also reduces the subjectivity associated with mental health assessments.

Beyond mental health, UC researchers are investigating the device’s potential to detect heart conditions. In another study published in Analytical Chemistry, the team developed a blood test to measure cardiac troponin levels. Elevated troponin levels indicate heart damage and could signal a heart attack in progress. The researchers aim to use this rapid test to monitor troponin levels in heart attack survivors, potentially preventing subsequent cardiac events.

UC doctoral graduate Vinitha Thiyagarajan Upaassana, a lead author of the study, emphasizes the significance of immediate test results in critical care settings. “The test provides immediate results, which is vital when a patient is in need of urgent care,” she said.

The research was partially funded by UC’s Technology Accelerator Project, and the team plans to collaborate with psychiatrists to conduct clinical trials to validate the platform’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios.

If successful, the lab-on-a-chip technology could revolutionize mental health and cardiac care by providing rapid, point-of-care biochemical tests that deliver immediate, actionable data to clinicians.

In 2001, Uzbekistan was far from a model of public health. The country was grappling with high hepatitis B infection rates and a fragmented healthcare system, few would have predicted that it would one day be celebrated for near elimination of the disease in children.

Yet today, reports Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, the country stands among just nine in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region to meet hepatitis B control targets. A recent nationwide survey revealed that only 0.2% of Uzbek children carry the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)—well below WHO’s 0.5% threshold.

What is Hepatitis B and Why It’s Dangerous

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver. While some infections are brief and symptom-free, others can become chronic, quietly progressing over years to cause liver failure or cancer. The risk of chronic infection is especially high in infants whose immune systems are still developing.

Fortunately, the hepatitis B vaccine is highly effective, offering 98–100% protection after a full three-dose series. WHO recommends that all infants receive the first dose within 24 hours of birth, followed by two or more doses at spaced intervals.

What Are Gavi Countries?

Gavi supports lower-income and transitioning middle-income countries to strengthen immunisation systems and increase vaccine access. Countries that receive support are commonly referred to as “Gavi countries.”

Uzbekistan introduced universal hepatitis B vaccination in October 2001, supported by US$4.5 million in funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

From 2001 to 2008, Uzbekistan provided the hepatitis B birth dose followed by two additional doses.

In 2009, the country upgraded to the pentavalent vaccine—offering protection against hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and Haemophilus influenzae type B—while still delivering a standalone birth dose. Gavi extended further funding of US$32 million for the next decade.

Vaccination coverage has remained impressively high—above 95% since 2002. However, until recently, the real-world impact of the programme on hepatitis B infection rates had not been comprehensively measured.

Proof of Progress In Uzbekistan’s Healthcare

In 2022, a team led by Dr Nino Khetsuriani from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with local researchers, conducted a nationwide survey.

They tested blood samples from 3,753 children in grades one to three and reviewed their immunisation records. Their findings, published in Vaccine, showed that just 0.2% of the children tested positive for HBsAg—proof of the vaccine’s long-term effectiveness.

With consistently high coverage, experts expect the burden of hepatitis B in Uzbekistan to decline further as vaccinated children grow into adulthood, replacing older, unvaccinated cohorts.

Uzbekistan graduated from Gavi’s financial support in 2022. Today, its national immunization programme is fully self-funded and regarded as one of the most efficient in the region.

“Uzbekistan stands as a model of excellence in immunization,” said Jan-Christopher Castilhos França, Gavi’s Senior Country Manager for Middle-Income Countries.

Not too long ago, a second-year woman DNB resident doctor at Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini’s gynaecology department, was allegedly brutally attacked. This happened in broad daylight. The doctor was responsible for delivering a baby via caesarean section, and had informed that the baby had an Asphyxia score of three at birth, which meant the baby had a poor chance of survival. Despite seven days of ventilator support, the baby could not be saved. The consequence? The relatives allegedly attacked the doctor.

“Violence against doctors is not rare—it’s routine,” says Dr Dilip Bhanushali, National President, IMA. Rightly so, doctors have been facing violence at the hands of their patients and their families. “We’ve seen mobs arrive with kerosene, petrol, even swords, burning down hospitals. There was a law during COVID promising seven years imprisonment and non-bailable warrants for attacks on doctors, but it hasn’t been enforced. Most states still have weak three-year, bailable punishments,” points out Dr Bhanushali.

This is why this year’s theme for National Doctors’ Day is hard-hitting, but fits in perfectly with the ongoing scenarios.

National Doctor’s Day 2025 Theme

Behind The Mask: Who Heals The Healer?

Amid all the pressure and often walking on eggshells, how do doctors cope? This is something we have not thought about. This is why this year’s theme, Who Heals The Healer, is important. It compels us to think about the other side, the doctor’s side.

To answer how doctors cope, Dr Bhanushali says, “Doctors have been doing this for ages, they have been coping up, facing these hurdles. Still, they are doing their services. They sacrifice their lives.”

ALSO READ: Healers, But Human Too: The Quiet Burdens Our Doctors Carry

Despite it all, We Uphold Our Hippocratic Oath

He points out how doctors have become soft targets for everything, including the laws, which should ideally support them. Dr Bhanushali also points towards the RG Kar Medical College’s case where a female postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered and her body was found in a seminar room on campus. Doctors across the nation went on a strike, demanding justice. “But we cannot go to the roads and do strikes every time. Despite it all, we uphold our Hippocratic oath,” points out Dr Bhanushali.

“Doctors continue to run medical camps, offer charity treatment—up to 30% of our practice is free. We don’t want anything bad to happen to our patients. Our profession is to heal.”

This year’s theme thus works as a reflection on the mental and emotional toll that doctors and other healthcare professionals face. The theme also asks the society to recognize doctors not just as medical professionals, but as humans, who, too, need support.

National Doctor’s Day 2025: History and Significance

Why is the day observed? The intent is to honor and acknowledge doctors’ and medical staff’s contributions to society. Furthermore, the theme asks for empathy from people.

The origin of Doctor’s Day came in 1991, when it was observed for the first time. The Government of India declared July 1 as National Doctors’ Day in honor of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who has shown compassion and laid the foundation of same for many doctors to come. Dr Roy was born on July 1 1882, and died on the same day in 1962. He was also the personal physician of Mahatma Gandhi, and dedicated his life to people, which earned him the Bharat Ratna.

ALSO READ: Why Is It Important To Observe A Day For Doctors?

Why This Year’s National Doctor Day Theme Is So Important?

Not just the violence, points out Dr Bhanushali, but there are many other problems that doctors face. Mixopathy, he points out, is a “maniacal idea”. He says, “Training doctors for just one and a half years to perform 50 surgeries? That’s dangerous. Becoming a surgeon takes a decade of rigorous study. You can’t make a khichdi out of medical systems like Ayurveda, Allopathy, and Homoeopathy. Let each system stand on its own merit, not blur the lines for convenience."

He also pointed out that the government has only spent 1.9% of the country’s GDP on health, whereas “it should be at least 5%.”

“We produce over a lakh doctors annually. WHO recommends one doctor per 1,000 people. We’re at 1 per 850—but there’s no infrastructure, especially in rural areas. We are ready to serve there if the basics exist,” he notes. He further added that while schemes like Ayushman Bharat are promising, “the payments are delayed by months”. What he pointed out was that doctors are fighting a battle at almost every front, which is why it is important that people show compassion towards them.

The fight is not just for doctors and their rights alone; their fight is also for people. Dr Bhanushali pointed out that doctors have asked for HPV vaccination to be part of immunization programs and to be given for free to women aged 9 to 14. “Evidence clearly shows it helps prevent cervical cancer—the leading cancer among Indian women,” he points out.

The fight, too, is against the quacks, who have outnumbered qualified doctors. “Quackery is rampant. They prescribe high-end antibiotics and steroids irresponsibly. Telangana has made progress by identifying hundreds of them, but most get bail the same day. Without strict laws, this menace won’t stop,” he says.

In return for it all, what doctors ask for is support, which makes this year’s theme more important.

‘Don’t these issues frustrate the doctors?’ one might ask. While the answer to it is yes, they do. Dr Bhanushali, however, reminds doctors that “at the end of the day, we are here for the people.”

“Doctors keep going, even after everything. During COVID, so many doctors died. Still, we didn’t stop. And we won’t. My message to fellow doctors is: don’t lose your empathy and sympathy. Keep serving.”

For many women, miscarriage is a silent heartbreak—a traumatic experience often dismissed as mere bad luck. The emotional toll of pregnancy loss can be devastating, especially when it happens repeatedly. Traditionally, women who experience miscarriage are told it’s a matter of “bad luck,” and many never receive a clear reason for their loss. But new research is changing that narrative, offering hope to women who long for answers—and for a healthy pregnancy.

A recent study published in Science Advances has revealed that an experimental test can predict a woman’s risk of miscarriage by identifying problems in the womb lining before pregnancy even begins. This innovation not only promises to transform how we understand miscarriage but also opens the door to targeted treatments that could help prevent it.

How Does The Test Work?

The process of preparing the womb lining (endometrium) for implantation is called the "decidual reaction." This process enables the endometrium to morph into a receptive environment for embryo implantation. When this transformation doesn’t progress adequately, it can lead to pregnancy loss.

Researchers analyzed over 1,500 biopsies from more than 1,300 women to study the decidual reaction during menstrual cycles. They found that a stalled or abnormal reaction reduced the likelihood of a live birth by 48% to 58%. More importantly, this problem recurred in some women across multiple cycles, suggesting a consistent, underlying cause rather than random chance.

Researchers found that abnormalities in this process can increase miscarriage risk, and that a prior miscarriage significantly raises the odds of such abnormalities in future menstrual cycles. These findings suggest that recurrent miscarriages are not necessarily random or purely genetic but could be linked to persistent issues with the womb lining.

The test is designed to detect whether the endometrium is ready for pregnancy by evaluating specific biological markers. If the reaction is abnormal, targeted treatments can be offered before conception, increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy.

Dr. Joanne Muter, lead investigator of the study, states, “Many women are told they’ve just had 'bad luck', but our findings show that the womb itself may be setting the stage for pregnancy loss, even before conception takes place.”

Link Between Previous Miscarriages and Future Risk

One of the study’s most significant findings is that a prior miscarriage can increase the odds of abnormal womb lining responses in future menstrual cycles. This explains why some women experience multiple miscarriages: the underlying issue may persist from one cycle to the next, making each new pregnancy vulnerable to the same fate.

Senior researcher Professor Jan Brosens explains, “This study shows that each miscarriage increases the risk of an embryo implantation in an abnormal womb lining, regardless of age.” Chromosomal errors in embryos remain a factor, but the health of the womb lining is now recognized as a critical, and potentially preventable, contributor to pregnancy loss.

Holly Milikouris and her husband Chris were nearly resigned to a future without children after five unexplained miscarriages. "Being given the opportunity to take part in this trial was life changing," she says. The test identified that her womb was not adequately preparing for pregnancy. After targeted treatment, Holly now has a three-year-old son George and a 17-month-old daughter Heidi.

Dr. Tajinin Islam, a psychiatrist from Chester, also participated in the trial after several failed pregnancies. Today, she is the proud mother of a 16-month-old son, Mivaan. “If I can have a baby over 40, then other women with my condition can too,” she affirms.

Until now, miscarriage has often been attributed to genetic abnormalities in the embryo. While chromosomal errors do account for some cases, this research emphasizes the role of the maternal environment. According to Brosens, “The frequency of one of two events — abnormal embryo or abnormal decidual reaction — determines miscarriage likelihood. We now have the tools to screen for risk and improve womb conditions before pregnancy.”

How It Aligns With Early Fetal Development Monitoring?

The earliest stages of fetal development are delicate and require a stable, supportive environment. From the moment of conception, the embryo relies on the womb lining for nutrients and protection. If the endometrium is not properly prepared, the risk of bleeding and pregnancy loss increases—even if the embryo implants successfully.

Doctors use a combination of blood tests (to monitor hCG and progesterone levels) and ultrasounds to track early fetal development. These tests help confirm that the pregnancy is progressing as expected, but until now, there was no way to assess the womb’s readiness before conception.

The diagnostic test based on this research is already being used in clinical care, with over 1,000 patients benefiting from its insights. By identifying women at risk before pregnancy, doctors can offer targeted therapies—such as hormonal treatments or interventions to improve the endometrial environment—potentially preventing miscarriage before it happens.

Lead investigator Dr. Joanne Muter emphasizes, “This is about identifying preventable miscarriages. Many women are told they’ve just had ‘bad luck’, but our findings show that the womb itself may be setting the stage for pregnancy loss, even before conception takes place.”

Miscarriage will always be a complex and deeply personal experience, but advances like this new test are bringing us closer to understanding—and preventing—many cases of pregnancy loss.