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Bioluminescent fungi reveal pathways for advanced biotechnology and medical applications

Like fireflies and many deep-sea creatures, certain fungi can naturally emit light through bioluminescence pathways in which specialized enzymes convert chemical energy into visible light.

21 May 2026

Study defines realistic performance goals for pediatric emergency departments

A large, multi-center study led by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago derived "achievable benchmarks of care" (ABCs) using electronic health record data, which allows pediatric emergency departments across the country to set high yet realistic performance goals.

21 May 2026

Oral AD109 improves sleep apnea severity but tolerability remains a challenge

AD109, an investigational once-daily oral combination of aroxybutynin and atomoxetine, significantly improved airway obstruction and oxygenation in adults with mild-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea who could not use PAP therapy. However, symptom improvements did not clearly differ from placebo, and about one in five AD109 recipients discontinued treatment due to adverse events.

21 May 2026

Polymer-based immunotherapies enhance tumor targeting and immune activation

Conventional immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, can reinvigorate T cells but typically benefit less than 30% of patients.

21 May 2026

Smoking cessation may reduce dementia risk for people who avoid major weight gain

Quitting smoking may be associated with a lowered risk of dementia, especially for people who avoid major weight gain after quitting, according to a study published May 20, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 May 2026

Minimal exposure to modern medicine rapidly alters the human microbiome

Even minimal exposure to modern medicine can rapidly change the human microbiome. In a new study publishing May 20 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, researchers reveal that the gut microbes of remote Amazonian Indigenous communities began shifting toward patterns more commonly seen in urban, industrialized populations after only a few medical visits.

20 May 2026

Brain cell division errors may drive cancer and developmental disorders

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have revealed how mistakes in the final step of cell division can have dire consequences for developing brain cells.

20 May 2026

ChatCPR instructor delivers near-perfect CPR guidance in proof-of-concept study

A proof-of-concept JAMA Internal Medicine study found that widely available AI models could deliver many guideline-concordant CPR instructions in simulated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest scenarios. A purpose-built AI agent, ChatCPR, achieved higher checklist-based adherence than baseline AI models and dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions, but prospective real-world validation is still needed.

20 May 2026

Pregnancy magnifies heart risk, but age alone does not explain why

A large U.S. cohort-crossover study found that pregnancy and the postpartum period were linked to about a seven-fold higher relative risk of major adverse cardiovascular events compared with patients’ nonpregnant baseline risk. This relative risk increase did not vary by maternal age, suggesting pregnancy broadly amplifies existing cardiovascular risk rather than making older age itself the driver of pregnancy-specific cardiovascular complications.

20 May 2026

Home healthcare safety events affect more than one in 10 children with medical complexity

More than one in 10 children with medical complexity had an incident reported by home care agency staff, according to a multi-state study recently published in JAMA Network Open.

20 May 2026

Study paves way for earlier pancreatic cancer diagnoses in patients with low-risk pancreatic cysts

Catching pancreatic cancer early can increase the five-year survival rate from 15% to 80%. Patients with pancreatic cysts, frequently detected during unrelated abdominal CT or MRI imaging, can develop malignant pancreatic cancers.

20 May 2026

Fatty liver disease linked to higher risk of heart attacks

Researchers at Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute found that people with hepatic steatosis, commonly called "fatty liver disease," have a higher amount of noncalcified, rupture-prone coronary plaque and face nearly twice the rate of cardiovascular events compared to those without steatosis.

20 May 2026

Anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab shows promise for difficult-to-treat depression

Immunotherapy could be a promising new treatment option for patients with difficult-to-treat depression. This is a key finding from a University of Bristol-led pilot randomised controlled clinical trial, published in JAMA Psychiatry today [20 May].

20 May 2026

Longevity science and public health must unite for aging populations

A new editorial was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on May 18, 2026, titled "Public health in the age of longevity interventions: from prevention to system-wide resilience."

20 May 2026

Tumor microenvironment markers forecast immunotherapy response in rare cancers

A new study in Cell Reports Medicine from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center identified key features that may help predict which types of rare cancers are likely to respond to immunotherapy.

20 May 2026

Real-time memory tests identify alcohol-induced blackouts as they happen

It's not surprising if someone experiences memory loss, or a 'blackout,' while drinking alcohol. While common, blackouts are considered a public health concern linked to injury, arrest, assault and overdose.

20 May 2026

Fluid viscosity drives mechanical memory and invasion in glioblastoma

Most cancer studies focus on chemical signals or stiff tumor surroundings, but the stickiness of the fluid itself has received little attention.

20 May 2026

Engineered nanomaterials optimize delivery barriers in cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy works by mobilizing the body's own immune system to recognize and destroy malignant cells.

20 May 2026

Blood protein biomarkers predict psychosis risk in Asian youth

A new study by researchers from NHG Health's Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore's (NTU Singapore) Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) has identified blood-based proteomic biomarkers that may help predict who among the at-risk group is at increased risk of developing psychosis.

20 May 2026

Diverse AI foundation models transform universal eye care imaging

Artificial intelligence (AI) has already changed many aspects of medical imaging, but traditional ophthalmic AI systems are often built for a single disease, dataset, or task.

20 May 2026