Obesity is a growing global health challenge, necessitating effective treatment options beyond lifestyle interventions. This narrative review explores established and emerging pharmacotherapies for weight management, including parenteral agents like Liraglutide, Semaglutide, Setmelanotide, and Tirzepatide, as well as peroral medications such as Phentermine, Phentermine/Topiramate, Bupropion/Naltrexone, Orlistat, and Metformin. Newer treatments like Cagrilintide and Bimagrumab show promise for enhancing weight loss outcomes. Parenteral GLP-1 receptor agonists demonstrate superior efficacy compared to traditional peroral medications, with gastrointestinal side effects being the most common. Artificial intelligence presents intriguing opportunities to enhance weight loss strategies; however, its integration into clinical practice remains investigational and requires rigorous clinical validation. While current anti-obesity medications deliver significant benefits, future research must determine the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of AI-driven approaches. This includes exploring how AI can complement combination therapies and tailor personalized interventions, thereby grounding its potential benefits in robust clinical evidence. Future directions will focus on integrating AI into clinical trials to refine and personalize obesity management strategies.

Legislative moves to legalise assisted dying in the UK have renewed discussion on future clinicians’ preparedness for new potential responsibilities. This study examined medical students’ ethical attitudes, legal understanding and curricular exposure. VOICE was a national cross-sectional survey of UK and Ireland medical students in 2025 (n = 896). The questionnaire assessed ethical views, confidence, legal knowledge and teaching exposure. Descriptive statistics, thematic analysis and multivariable logistic regression explored predictors of ethical agreement, curriculum coverage and legal knowledge. Most students (64.5%) believed that assisted dying can be ethically justified, yet legal knowledge was limited; only 7.6% correctly identified all eligibility criteria. Nearly 70% reported minimal curricular coverage. Formal teaching was associated with higher confidence and greater ethical agreement. Regional variation and concerns about coercion and inequalities were common. Students show broad ethical support but have very limited confidence, legal understanding and curricular preparation, highlighting the need for structured education.

Dual-console robotic systems represent a paradigm shift in surgical education, allowing real-time shared control and instructor intervention. Although increasingly adopted, their impact across specialties, educational effectiveness, and implementation barriers are not fully established. To perform a systematic review to provide a comprehensive overview of dual – console training in robotic surgery by synthesizing available evidence regarding training outcomes, implementation strategies, educational effectiveness, and the broader impact of dual – console systems on surgical education and surgical performance. A systematic search was performed as per PRISMA guidelines. Descriptive statistics were recorded and analysed using SPSS v26.0. Overall, 12 studies including 1,267 participants were included. These included residents from gynecology, urology, colorectal surgery, general surgery, and hepatopancreatobiliary surgery. Dual consoles consistently increased trainee operative exposure, autonomy scores, and skill acquisition, with improvements in suturing times and procedural step completion. Safety outcomes were preserved or improved, however operative efficiency varied with some studies demonstrating reduced operative times, while others reported neutral or slightly prolonged procedures due to greater trainee participation. Trainee and instructor satisfaction was uniformly high, citing improved communication, confidence, and educational quality. Implementation barriers included cost, curriculum integration, and faculty development needs. Dual-console systems significantly enhance robotic surgical training by improving technical skill acquisition, trainee engagement, and perceived educational quality, while maintaining patient safety. Operative efficiency outcomes are variable and context-dependent. Despite clear educational advantages, widespread adoption is limited by financial and curricular barriers. Future efforts should focus upon the integration of dual-console training into surgical training curricula.