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A new tool that predicts obesity-related disease risk beyond BMI

OBSCORE is a data-driven tool that identifies high-risk individuals for obesity-related diseases, enhancing treatment targeting beyond traditional BMI metrics.

5 May 2026

Study links microplastics in arterial plaque to fourfold increase in stroke risk

In a Perspective published today in the inaugural issue of Brain Health (https://doi.org/10.61373/bh026p.0006), an international team of investigators argues that the human microplastic burden has crossed the threshold from environmental concern to brain health emergency. The article appears alongside the launch of Brain Health, a new peer-reviewed journal from Genomic Press dedicated to the science of lifelong brain resilience.

5 May 2026

CDC HoSt-TT certification for Siemens Healthineers total testosterone test expands patient access to gold standard equivalent results

Siemens Healthineers announced its Atellica IM Testosterone II (TSTII) assay has achieved certification through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hormone Standardization Program for Total Testosterone (HoSt-TT).

From Siemens Healthineers 5 May 2026

Nose attractiveness influences how people view overall facial features

Attractiveness of the nose affects how people view the face – with attractive noses actually drawing less attention than unattractive noses, reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

4 May 2026

Study finds weak penalties for Medicare Advantage rule violations

A new study from health policy researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health suggests that while regulators have several tools at their disposal to penalize insurance plans that break the rules, they rely mostly on relatively small financial penalties that may do little to deter violations.

4 May 2026

ASPIRE trial explores survival benefits of adding chemotherapy to standard prostate cancer treatment

The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is now enrolling patients in the ASPIRE trial (A032302)-a large-scale, phase III clinical study investigating whether adding chemotherapy to current standard treatments extends survival for men with advanced prostate cancer.

4 May 2026

Study uncovers overlooked crisis of paternal deaths after childbirth

It took the better part of a century for maternal mortality to be recognized, forgotten and finally recognized again as an urgent public health crisis in the United States.

4 May 2026

Cannabis leads microdosing trends among U.S. adults, study finds

Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that microdosing - taking very small amounts of psychoactive substances - is more common among U.S. adults than previously recognized, with cannabis leading by a wide margin.

4 May 2026

Protective brain pathway may slow Parkinson’s progression in females

Scientists have identified a protective brain pathway that may help slow the progression of Parkinson's disease by strengthening the brain's own dopamine‑producing neurons, but the positive effect was only observed in females.

4 May 2026

EVALI outbreak reshaped public perceptions of e-cigarette harm

Cigarettes are one of the deadliest products on the market – but the risks of alternatives are not always clearly understood.

4 May 2026

NIH awards $3.9 million grant to develop a non-opioid pain treatment

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $3.9 million grant to a multi-institutional team led by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute to develop a non-opioid pain therapeutic and advance it into a Phase 1 clinical trial.

4 May 2026

Climate change likely to drive rodent-borne arenaviruses into parts of South America

Climate change is likely to drive rodent-borne arenaviruses into parts of South America that have never faced these diseases, putting new communities of people at risk, finds a study from the University of California, Davis.

4 May 2026

Combining cannabis edibles and alcohol significantly increases driving impairment

In a study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers added to evidence that using cannabis edibles and alcohol together worsens driving impairment compared with consuming either substance alone.

4 May 2026

Food baskets for tuberculosis patients could save thousands of lives

Undernutrition is the single greatest modifiable risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), contributing to immune suppression, treatment failure, and death.

4 May 2026

New research identifies stress response as trigger for heart inflammation

After a heart attack, the body rapidly floods the injured heart with neutrophils - white blood cells that help repair damage but can also make it worse when too many arrive too quickly.

4 May 2026

New technique uses electronic jolt and nanoparticles to reveal early signs of pancreatic cancer

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University have developed a new technique using an electronic jolt and nanoparticles to reveal the telltale signal of an insidious form of cancer.

4 May 2026

Finding new ways to mimic ketamine’s antidepressant effects

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have "reverse engineered" ketamine's antidepressant effects to identify potential new strategies for treating depression.

4 May 2026

Sickle cell disease care is unevenly distributed across regions in New York State

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States. Approximately 10 percent of people with SCD in the US live in New York State, with the majority residing in New York City.

4 May 2026

New Canadian guidelines streamline screening for high-risk drinking

An update to Canadian guidance on screening for high-risk drinking and alcohol use provides streamlined recommendations in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) that authors hope will make it easier for health care professionals to talk to patients about alcohol use.

4 May 2026