Music is a decisive factor of the everyday life and the core focus of human being of any culture. People of all ages, races and ethnicities prefer to listen to it and play it. But music is not only entertainment because scientific research has shown that it can also create an impact on the physiological processes that can be used to enhance physical and mental illnesses. The current study analyzes the ways in which the violin may be employed in enhancing emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being of different cultures and religions. It relies on secondary data to examine the emotional appeal of the instrument, the psychological resilience benefits, and the spiritual meaning of the instrument particularly in the intercultural and interfaith context. The sound of the violin that is very flexible and familiar in various cultural and religious practices is also a channel of emotional expression, psychological healing, and spiritual intercourse. Therapeutic interventions and educational environments have been linked to it, as a means of improving emotional control, decreasing stress and increasing resilience. Also, the violin can be used as a significant instrument of spiritual reflection in other religious practices, in the Christian church service as well as in Hindu devotional music. Findings indicate that the violin facilitates interfaith communication and social integration by way of sharing of emotions and spirituality. It is a cultural preservation and common good, that promotes inclusivity and comprehension of the multicultural societies and results in sustainable communities. The paper shows that the field of special role of the violin in promoting resilience, empathy and sustainable development of society needs more empirical studies to advance the knowledge on the topic.
Trends of incident stimulant use disorder diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia (2013-2024): a population-based study
BackgroundThere is rising detection of unregulated stimulants (e.g. cocaine and methamphetamine) in toxicology results among people who died of unregulated drug poisoning. Nevertheless, little research describes the population-level trends of incident (new) stimulant use disorder (StUD) diagnoses. This study reports on trends of incident StUD diagnoses pre- and post-Covid-19 public health emergency in British Columbia (BC), Canada.MethodsInterrupted time series analyses were conducted with BC’s COVID-19 public health emergency declaration on March 16, 2020 as the interruption point. Descriptive statistics on demographic and health service contact were conducted for the population diagnosed before (January 1, 2013 – March 16, 2020) and after (March 17, 2020 – December 31, 2024) the COVID-19 pandemic emergency declaration. Seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (sARIMA) models were used to .estimate changes to incident StuD diagnoses rates before and after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration.Results38, 217 people were identified with incident StUD diagnoses between January 1, 2013 and March 31, 2024. The average diagnosis rate of incident StUD was 5.18 per 100, 000 in the pre-pandemic period and increased by 19.9% to 6.21 per 100, 000 in the post-pandemic period. The estimated increase in slope (ramp) of incident StUD was 0.0315 cases per 100, 000 population per month (95% CI: -0.00182, 0.06482).ConclusionsWe identified a rate of increase in incident StUD diagnoses since the COVID-19 pandemic declaration in BC that was not statistically significant. Our study highlights the need for more comprehensive linked data -including, administrative health data, surveys, and other services/program data (e.g., community services, private sector) to better disentangle StUD incidence and prevalence to inform services to meet the needs of people with StUD. Stimulant use, Stimulant use disorder, pandemic, Covid-19, methamphetamines, cocaine, interrupted time series.
Newcomer anti-IL-33 makes strides in COPD
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 07 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03136-x
AstraZeneca’s IL-33 antibody tozorakimab targets two distinct signaling pathways engaged in COPD: inflammation and epithelial dysfunction.
ChatGPT Health triage advice falls short in key cases
Nature Medicine, Published online: 07 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04427-1
ChatGPT Health showed high accuracy for moderately urgent conditions but frequently overtriaged mild cases and undertriaged emergencies. These findings highlight safety risks at clinical extremes, raising concerns about the reliability of AI tools for urgent care decision-making.
Official leading CDC’s cruise ship program retires
WASHINGTON — The top U.S. official responsible for public health on cruise ships is stepping down, according to an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement obtained by STAT.
The retirement of Luis Rodríguez, who has been part of the Vessel Sanitation Program since 2010 and served as its chief since 2023, was announced internally at the CDC on Wednesday.
<![CDATA[Online tool personalizes antidepressant choice in primary care, cutting dropouts and improving 24-week depression and anxiety scores.]]>
STAT+: More political interference at the FDA?
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Former DOGE co-founder v. former state Covid-19 czar
Although most people whom DOGE fired from HHS probably don’t live in Ohio, they may feel a personal connection to the gubernatorial race there.
<![CDATA[Learn how genetics shape psych med response and dosing.]]>
<![CDATA[New psychiatry drugs target dementia agitation, ADHD, depression, TRD, and schizophrenia—see which novel mechanisms may reach the FDA next.]]>
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Sanofi and an FDA voucher, FDA rethinking a rejection, and more
Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Sunny skies and mild breezes are enveloping the Pharmalot campus once again. And to celebrate, we are brewing still more cups of stimulation and inviting you to join us. Our choice today is Jack Daniel’s. Yes, this is a real thing. And remember, a prescription is not required. So no need to mess with rebates, coupons, or TrumpRx. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Hope you have a smashing day and conquer the world. And of course, do stay in touch. We appreciate feedback, criticism and tips. …
Sanofi asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pull its type 1 diabetes drug, teplizumab, out of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s new speedy review program, STAT reports. The move comes after acting Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Director Tracy Beth Høeg disagreed with a staff decision to approve the drug. The agency missed its April 21 goal date to deliver a decision to Sanofi. Such decisions are typically made by career scientists. It is rare for a center director to become involved in scientific review of a single drug, and particularly a political appointee like Høeg. Makary recently said that he stands behind review teams, and that “disaster” occurs whenever political leaders overrule scientific staff.
An experimental drug from Revolution Medicines that nearly doubled survival time for patients with advanced pancreas cancer in clinical trials comes with a high rate of mostly low-grade side effects, Reuters tells us. A report by researchers from a first-in-human trial of daraxonrasib is the first peer-reviewed paper to show safety data for what analysts say could become the next standard of care for previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. Among the 168 patients with previously treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who received daraxonrasib in the early trial, treatment-related adverse side effects of any grade occurred in 96%, while severe or life-threatening events were reported in 30%.