Day February 4, 2026

When California neighborhoods increased their number of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) between 2019 and 2023, they also experienced a reduction in air pollution. For every 200 vehicles added, nitrogen dioxide (NO?) levels dropped 1.1%. The results, obtained from a new analysis…

Analysis of the medical records of 1,269 elderly patients with advanced cancer by researchers at the University of Tsukuba has found that more than 70% were prescribed potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and that the prescription rate declined closer to the…

Characterizing the populations of periodontal tissues. Credit: Journal of Clinical Periodontology (2025). DOI: 10.1111 Millions of people worldwide suffer from gum disease, yet we still don’t fully understand how healthy gums turn into damaged, scar-like tissue. Researchers are using cutting-edge…

The count and rate of emergency department (ED) visits for alcohol-specific diagnoses increased from 2003–2004 to 2021–2022 among male and female individuals, according to a report issued by the National Center for Health Statistics. Xianghua Yin, Ph.D., M.D., from the…

Treating people who are at high risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can delay the onset of the disease for several years, with benefits also continuing well after treatment has stopped. The trial showed that one year of treatment with the…

After receiving evidence-based early interventions, roughly two-thirds of non-speaking kids with autism speak single words, and approximately half develop more complex language, according to a new study led by researchers at Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. The findings, offer…

New research suggests that a person’s overall physical and mental abilities, known as intrinsic capacity, may help predict future cognitive decline. Intrinsic capacity is a concept developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). It looks at what people can do,…

People who are colorblind may be missing a life-saving warning sign of bladder cancer. Analysis of the electronic health records of hundreds of people found that those with color vision deficiency (CVD), or color blindness and bladder cancer had significantly…

Credit: Children’s Cancer Institute Researchers at the Children’s Cancer Institute and UNSW Sydney have tested a new way of treating childhood brain cancer by combining two medicines in lab studies. They found using the two treatments together may work better…

Cytokines released by T cells after encountering cancer cells. Credit: Iosifina Foskoulo How do immune cells strike a balance, unleashing rapid attacks against pathogens or cancer, while avoiding damage to healthy cells? Research into an immune kill switch holds potential…

Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1016 The deletion of two cancer genes, CHD1 and MAP3K7, improves how well tumors respond to cancer immunotherapy and could be used as biomarkers to help predict which patients are most likely…

Credit: Ivan Samkov from Pexels A new study examines the potential impact of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (M3P)—an opt-in policy implemented in 2025 under the Inflation Reduction Act that allows beneficiaries to spread out-of-pocket (OOP) costs over the calendar…

Advances in lung cancer treatment have changed survival in ways that were unimaginable even a decade ago. Targeted drugs, immunotherapies, and emerging antibody–drug conjugates are helping many patients live longer—and live well. But these gains may come with risks, including…

A new clinical trial led by QIMR Berghofer, in collaboration with University of Sunshine Coast Clinical Trials Network has found a medication currently used for some blood disorders could help the body fight malaria more effectively. The findings mean that…

Conflict avalanches are non-heuristic, data-derived chains of conflict events linked in space and time. Here, each point represents a conflict event, with colors distinguishing distinct conflict avalanches. The green background denotes the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), highlighting underlying patterns…

Book Cover. Credit: Dr. Rachel Moseley and Professor Julie Gamble-Turner Academics at Bournemouth University (BU) have been exploring the impact of menopause on autistic people and discovered that the transition can be life-changing—and in some instances even life-threatening—in terms of…

The Red Cross is appealing to past donors and potential new donors as it says a “severe blood shortage” could result in delays for surgeries and other medical procedures. During a virtual news briefing Tuesday, officials said there was a…

A new device that tests the aging of red blood cells. Credit: Xiaoyun Ding A new, fast and easy test could revolutionize blood transfusions, giving blood centers and hospitals a reliable way to monitor the quality of red blood cells…

Researchers at University of Tsukuba examined how dog ownership and exercise self-efficacy affected physical activity among Japanese office workers before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings published in the journal Discover Public Health show that dog owners exhibited a…

Credit: Environmental Pollution (2026). DOI: 10.1016 A recent study has analyzed the relationship between different air pollutants and the main subtypes of lung cancer. The results are published in Environmental Pollution. The work was led by the Barcelona Institute for…

Children with spina bifida, a malformation of the spinal cord that can lead to mobility impairments and hydrocephalus—a buildup of fluid in the brain—face significant risk of cognitive difficulties throughout their lives. A new multi-center study led by researchers at…

Acetylation of K115 disrupts its electrostatic interaction with E118. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073 Researchers from the University of Seville have participated in research to identify the molecular details of the regulation of an…

A single platelet forming pro-inflammatory PITTs in an inflamed blood vessel. Credit: Institute of Experimental Biomedicine – Chair I, University Hospital Würzburg A team from Würzburg has fundamentally changed our understanding of platelet biology. The researchers demonstrate that the surface…

Enhanced image showing where genes are active in colon tissue, revealing neutrophils located close to pre-cancerous epithelial cells. Credit: Longman lab. A chain of immune reactions in the gut—driven by a key signaling protein and a surge of white blood cells…

What effect does it have on our well-being when we put our smartphones aside for a while or otherwise disconnect from digital media? Alicia Gilbert, a research associate at the Department of Communication at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), together…

Anteroposterior echocardiographic view. Credit: Journal of the American Heart Association (2026). DOI: 10.1161 University of California, Irvine and Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health researchers have identified fundamental structural and functional differences between two major causes of mitral valve stenosis. This narrowing restricts…

Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Metabolism (2026). DOI: 10.1016 As soon as you are wounded—whether from grabbing a hot pan or contracting the flu—you begin a unique journey through variable symptoms toward either recovery or death. This journey is called your…

New York strip steaks are on display at a Sam’s Club, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in Bentonville, Ark. Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File Protein just got a big boost from U.S. health officials. The latest federal dietary guidelines tell Americans…

A diamond-coated carbon fibre under an electron microscope. Credit: University of Melbourne What’s the first thing you did when you woke up this morning? Maybe you swung your legs over the side of your bed, placed your feet on the…

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer, most often caused by exposure to asbestos, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mesothelioma develops in the thin tissue surrounding the lungs and other internal organs. What are…

A study led by the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong–Shenzhen Hospital, has demonstrated that combining an innovative coronary imaging…

Diabetes is a lifelong disease that affects almost 12% of people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of these people are often undiagnosed, too, putting them at risk of complications. “In…

Preventing high blood glucose (pre-diabetes) from turning into type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes could more than halve the carbon footprint associated with treating the complications of the disease, suggests a modeling study, published in the journal BMJ Open. In…

Women who use water immersion during labor and birth experience better maternal and neonatal outcomes compared to those who receive epidural anesthesia, according to a study led by midwife Soledad Carreguí, in collaboration with researchers from the La Plana Health…

Credit: SHVETS production from Pexels At a recent party, another guest, a nurse, asked what I do for a living. I explained that as a health policy researcher, my work focuses on helping health-care systems coordinate care for dementia as…

Gaps in the U.S. stroke transfer system are drastically reducing survivors’ chances of receiving critical treatment and increasing the likelihood that they will leave the hospital with a disability, according to a study published in The Lancet Neurology. The paper…

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used as a tool in many health care settings, from writing physicians’ notes to making recommendations in specific cases. Research has found that AI and large language models can reflect racial biases present in their training…

Though the U.S. population is aging, nursing home capacity has declined nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine this week, one quarter of U.S. counties experienced declines of 15% or more, with…

One hundred and seventy babies, kids and teens in North Carolina died after fentanyl exposure between 2015 and 2024, new state data shows. Infants, children younger than 5 and teenagers aged 13 to 17 were the most likely to die…

A short-term oat-based diet appears to be surprisingly effective at reducing the cholesterol level. This is indicated by a trial by the University of Bonn, which has now been published in Nature Communications. The participants suffered from a metabolic syndrome—a…