Breakthrough invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) remains rare (<10%) but varies by vaccine type, schedule, serotype, and host factors. Booster doses significantly reduce breakthrough risk. Serotypes 3, 19A, and 19F cause most failures. High herd immunity mitigates schedule differences. Ongoing surveillance and optimised vaccination strategies are essential to sustain IPD control.

In adults with obesity, H. pylori-negative gastritis was linked to lower microbial diversity and higher levels of Streptococcus, Weissella, and Cryptobacterium. Gastritis cases showed enriched pathways for toluene degradation and metabolite biosynthesis, and had higher cholesterol 1 year post-surgery. Findings suggest a distinct gastric microbiota signature contributing to inflammation independent of H. pylori.

A genetic study reinforced the correlation between vitiligo and autoimmune disease. It found a bidirectional link between vitiligo and rheumatoid arthritis (RA; OR 1.19), along with causal associations with alopecia areata (OR 1.14) and type 1 diabetes (OR 1.14). The study also identified three shared genes—FCRL3, FADS1, and FADS2—tied to both vitiligo and RA.

Nearly 20% of children in India received antibiotics without medical supervision, according to a meta-analysis of 17 studies. The practice was more common in northern India (30%), often due to financial issues, perceived mild illness, and poor access to healthcare. The major antibiotic sources were pharmacies, leftover medications, and family advice, with most children taking antibiotics for just 2.5 days.

Recent research highlighted the impact of BMI alteration during early childhood on asthma risk at school age, with patterns differing by sex and asthma type. Boys who transitioned from low to high BMI had a 47% and 56% increased risk of bronchial and nonallergic asthma, respectively (OR 1.47 and OR 1.56). Girls with persistently high BMI had had 78% higher risk of allergic asthma (OR 1.78).

A U-shaped relationship was seen between the hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) & diabetic nephropathy (DN) risk in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. The highest HGI quartile was linked to a 54% increase, while the lowest quartile was linked to a 40% higher risk near a threshold of -0.648. Fasting glucose & HbA1c showed no link. C-reactive protein mediated 11.1% of this effect.