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Native Americans want to avoid past Medicaid enrollment snafus as work requirements loom

Jonnell Wieder earned too much money at her job to keep her Medicaid coverage when the covid-19 public health emergency ended in 2023 and states resumed checking whether people were eligible for the program.

22 Aug 2025

Research examines how cancer may invalidate forensic age-estimation tools

Patients with solid tumors, including breast and lung cancers, showed only slightly less accurate results. In contrast, individuals with blood cancers, particularly chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), sometimes had large errors, with ages overestimated by as much as 50 years.

22 Aug 2025

The HBsAg/HBV DNA ratio's potential for predicting disease progression

Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the immune-tolerant phase may still experience hepatic inflammation and disease progression, and could benefit from early antiviral treatment.

22 Aug 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed landmark legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid. Sixty years later, the programs represent a fifth of the federal budget and provide coverage to nearly 1 in 4 Americans.

21 Aug 2025

Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program boosts food security and diet but benefits fade when funding ends

A lottery-based cohort study of Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program found that providing a $40 monthly fruit and vegetable benefit improved food security by 5.5 percentage points and increased daily produce consumption by 7.5 percentage points, while disenrollment reversed these gains. These findings highlight the potential of healthy food benefit programs to reduce nutrition-related disparities in low-income populations.

21 Aug 2025

Gut bacteria and insomnia influence each other in small but significant ways, study shows

Scientists used Mendelian randomisation to explore the two-way relationship between gut microbiota and insomnia, analyzing GWAS data from over 386,000 individuals and two major microbiome cohorts. The study found only limited taxa surviving strict correction, suggesting small but causal links that highlight the gut–brain axis in sleep health.

21 Aug 2025

Evidence review questions ketamine’s role in chronic pain treatment

A Cochrane review assessed ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic non-cancer pain. The evidence was low to very low certainty, showing no clear pain relief and potential adverse effects with intravenous ketamine.

21 Aug 2025

Can AI help you eat healthier?

Researchers developed and validated an AI-based nutrition recommendation system (AINR) that generates weekly Mediterranean meal plans tailored to individual needs and dietary restrictions. Tested on 4,000 simulated users, the system achieved high accuracy in calorie and nutrient targets but struggled with profiles involving milk and nut allergies.

21 Aug 2025

Improving COPD care by enhancing communication and education

Prioritizing communications between patients and health care providers and increasing patient education about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could help improve patient care, according to a new study.

21 Aug 2025

How early maltreatment impacts social and cognitive development

Research shows that early childhood maltreatment is associated with significant delays in social and cognitive development. Unfortunately, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, children under age one face the highest risk of maltreatment, particularly neglect. The Child Protective Services (CPS) system is responsible for responding to maltreatment and preventing its recurrence.

21 Aug 2025

Scientists explore hookworm proteins as potential treatment for inflammation

It's been a long-accepted reality that with age comes increased inflammation – so widely accepted it's been dubbed "inflammaging."

21 Aug 2025

How dietary formaldehyde links to worsening diabetes and memory loss

A new review reveals how everyday foods and hidden exposures to formaldehyde may fuel insulin resistance and chip away at memory, but also points to dietary patterns and emerging therapies that could help reduce the risk.

20 Aug 2025

Rethinking chronic disease management in older adults

Effectively managing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension can greatly improve quality of life, reduce complications and extend longevity for older adults.

20 Aug 2025

Elevated TMAO levels linked to higher risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered a connection between elevated blood levels of TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) - a byproduct of gut bacteria digestion of nutrients found in red meat and other animal products - and a higher risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

20 Aug 2025

Cancer cells break down nerve covers causing immune exhaustion and therapy resistance

Cancer cells can break down the protective covers around nerves, causing nerve injury that triggers chronic inflammation leading to immune exhaustion and eventual resistance to immunotherapy, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

20 Aug 2025