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Smell-based test taken at home could predict cognitive impairment in older adults

When it comes to early detection of cognitive impairment, a new study suggests that the nose knows. Researchers from Mass General Brigham developed olfactory tests-in which participants sniff odor labels that have been placed on a card-to assess people's ability to discriminate, identify and remember odors.

24 Mar 2025

Current PSA monitoring guidelines may lead to overtreatment after prostate surgery

After surgical removal of the prostate to treat prostate cancer, clinicians monitor Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels.

13 Mar 2025

Study links Doomsday Clock to mortality and mental health

Since 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) has used the metaphor of the Doomsday Clock as a means of communicating how close the human species is to self-imposed annihilation, represented as midnight.

12 Mar 2025

Sent home to heal, patients avoid wait for rehab home beds

After a patch of ice sent Marc Durocher hurtling to the ground, and doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center repaired the broken hip that resulted, the 75-year-old electrician found himself at a crossroads.

12 Mar 2025

Nursing homes and the AMA, once Medicaid defenders, hang back as GOP mulls big cuts

When congressional Republicans in 2017 pushed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and slash Medicaid, dozens of physician groups, patient advocates, hospitals, and others rallied to defend the law and the safety-net program.

11 Mar 2025

Study investigates genetic mutations linked to occupational exposures

Occupational and environmental exposures can put specific groups of people at higher risk of cancer, including firefighters. A new study by investigators at Mass General Brigham examines a cancer rarely studied in firefighters: gliomas-a type of tumor that forms in the brain or spinal cord.

11 Mar 2025

Swapping butter with plant-based oils in daily diet could lead to significant health benefits

People who consume plant-based oil instead of butter may experience beneficial health effects and even have a lower risk of premature death, according to a new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

7 Mar 2025

Phase 1 trial examines safety and feasibility of stem cell treatment for Parkinson's

A recently launched Phase 1 clinical trial at Mass General Brigham is examining the safety and feasibility of a groundbreaking treatment approach for Parkinson's disease in which a patient's stem cells are reprogrammed to replace dopamine cells in the brain damaged by the disease.

6 Mar 2025

Menopausal hormone therapy may accelerate tau buildup in older women

A new study from Mass General Brigham researchers has found faster accumulation of tau-a key indicator of Alzheimer's disease-in the brains of women over the age of 70 who took menopausal hormone therapy (HT) more than a decade before.

5 Mar 2025

Surgery first strategy could lead to better weight loss outcomes

Mass General Brigham researchers found that total weight loss did not increase for patients who took semaglutide before having weight loss surgery, suggesting that a surgery first strategy could lead to better outcomes.

5 Mar 2025

Nasal spray may offer new hope for traumatic brain injury patients

A new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests a nasal spray developed to target neuroinflammation could one day be an effective treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI).

27 Feb 2025

Republicans once wanted government out of health care. Trump voters see it differently.

Like many Americans who voted for Donald Trump, Jason Rouse hopes the president's return will mean lower prices for gas, groceries, and other essentials.

27 Feb 2025

Iowa Medicaid sends $4M bills to two families grieving deaths of loved ones with disabilities

Collection agents for the state of Iowa have sent letters seeking millions of dollars from the estates of at least two people with disabilities who died after spending most of their lives in a state institution.

18 Feb 2025

Internal body clock influences eating habits of obese teens

Researchers found that teens with obesity ate more later in the day than their peers of healthy weight, and that their eating behaviors were strongly influenced by their internal body clock.

17 Feb 2025

Groundbreaking ALS platform trial accelerates research and drug testing

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with few treatment options. Since 2018, the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, has been working with national and international stakeholders to accelerate ALS research by launching the first platform trial in ALS to simultaneously test multiple drugs using shared trial infrastructure and placebo data.

17 Feb 2025

Study reveals brain circuit linked to human creativity

A new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests that different brain regions activated by creative tasks are part of one common brain circuit.

13 Feb 2025

Granzyme K identified as key trigger of complement system in autoimmune diseases

Our immune system is armed with an array of defenses designed to detect and eliminate harmful threats. One of its most powerful defense mechanisms is the complement system-a group of proteins that patrols our body, ever vigilant for signs of infection or injury

6 Feb 2025

New Factor XI inhibitor shows superior safety in treating atrial fibrillation

Patients with atrial fibrillation are typically prescribed an anticoagulant, or blood thinner, to reduce the risk of stroke, but many may discontinue them or never receive a prescription due to concerns of increased risk of bleeding complications.

22 Jan 2025

New technique identifies SARS-CoV-2 in blood and other fluids with high sensitivity

Investigators from Mass General Brigham have found that a method originally designed for cancer detection can also identify and monitor even tiny amounts of SARS-CoV-2 intact viral particles in blood and other fluids from patients with acute COVID-19 infections, creating the potential for guiding future treatment of patients.