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One in six people worldwide affected by loneliness, WHO report reveals

The World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Social Connection has released its global report revealing that 1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness, with significant impacts on health and well-being.

30 Jun 2025

Genetic bottlenecks limit the rise of pandemic cholera strains

A new study by the Genomics and Microbial Evolution Group at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) together with the Department of Host-Microbe Interactions at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, USA, sheds light on one of the great enigmas of microbiology: why only certain strains of common bacteria become pandemic pathogens.

30 Jun 2025

A Texas boy needed protection from measles. The vaccine cost $1,400.

In the early days of the West Texas measles outbreak, Thang Nguyen eyed the rising number of cases and worried. His 4-year-old son was at risk because he had received only the first of the vaccine's two doses.

30 Jun 2025

Urine-based DNA test predicts bladder cancer recurrence after immunotherapy

In a multi-institutional study published in Science Direct, researchers revealed that testing urine-based tumor DNA (utDNA) can help predict which bladder cancer patients are at higher risk for recurrence after treatment.

30 Jun 2025

Vegetables and dairy may lower endometriosis risk

A major umbrella review shows that higher intake of vegetables and dairy products is linked to a lower risk of endometriosis, while butter and high caffeine intake appear to increase risk. However, the evidence remains weak due to limitations in existing observational studies.

30 Jun 2025

Coffee’s hidden compounds could help fight type 2 diabetes

A comprehensive review of nearly 150 studies reveals that coffee polyphenols may help regulate blood sugar and reduce inflammation linked to type 2 diabetes. However, most evidence comes from preclinical research, and robust clinical trials are needed to confirm benefits.

29 Jun 2025

Just 150 minutes of exercise a week could reverse prediabetes

Engaging in more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week quadrupled the odds of reversing prediabetes to normal glucose levels in Colombian adults. Higher BMI and HbA1c remained strong barriers to reversal, highlighting the power of lifestyle interventions.

29 Jun 2025

Early therapy for preschool depression shows long lasting benefits

Depression affects 1%-2% of children younger than 13 in the U.S. and can arise as early as age 3, but a specialized therapeutic intervention can help preschool-aged children find relief from this condition - with benefits lasting at least four years, according to a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

27 Jun 2025

Prenatal checkups linked to healthier birth weights in West Africa

In The Gambia, a small country in West Africa, 1 in 10 newborns have a low birth weight — less than 5.5 pounds — and face daunting challenges.

27 Jun 2025

Most Medicaid plans cover naloxone but barriers still exist

A new study found that almost all plans in 40 states and Washington, DC covered at least one form of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, although certain restrictions and quantity limits may still prevent people from accessing this life-saving drug.

27 Jun 2025

New insights into exercise physiology through enduromics and resistomics

Exercise has been recognized as an extremely effective tool to improve human health— it can have a preventative and even therapeutic effect on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

27 Jun 2025

Kennedy’s vaccine advisers sow doubts as scientists protest US pivot on shots

As fired and retired scientists rallied outside in the Atlanta heat, an advisory panel that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handpicked to replace experts he'd fired earlier met inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's headquarters to plan a more skeptical vaccine future.

27 Jun 2025

State abortion bans lead to longer waits and higher costs for care

People in states that have banned abortion were more than twice as likely to receive them later in pregnancy, according to a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco.

26 Jun 2025

Is plastic packaging putting more than just food on your plate?

Researchers systematically mapped the evidence on micro-, meso-, and nanoplastics migrating from plastic food-contact articles (FCAs) into food. While most studies report migration, only a small number provide highly reliable proof linking typical FCA use to MNP presence in food.

26 Jun 2025

America slashes heart attack deaths but faces surge in deadly heart failure and arrhythmias

U.S. heart disease mortality has dropped 66% since 1970, mainly due to fewer ischemic heart disease deaths. However, deaths from heart failure, arrhythmias, and hypertensive heart disease have risen sharply, signaling a new public health challenge.

26 Jun 2025

Fire smoke exposure found to alter immune system at the cellular level

Exposure to fire smoke-which can be composed of particulate matter, gases, materials from buildings such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), toxic metals, and carcinogenic compounds-may alter the immune system on a cellular level, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

26 Jun 2025

New U.S. poll shows strong backing for routine childhood vaccines

In the midst of a multi-state measles outbreak, a new poll by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation finds that most U.S. adults (79%) say parents should be required to have children vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to attend school.

26 Jun 2025

Study finds multimorbidity in nearly half of hospital patients in Malawi and Tanzania

The Multilink Consortium, a NIHR-funded partnership between the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Programme, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, has published the first-of-its-kind research in sub-Saharan Africa to examine the scale and impact of 'multimorbidity' in patients admitted acutely to hospital.

26 Jun 2025

Sleep patterns change with geography, seasons, and daily schedules

A new international study drawing on 73 million nights of data reveals that our sleep patterns are seriously shaped by the day of the week, the season, and where we live.

26 Jun 2025

More people survive heart attacks but face ongoing cardiac risks

In 1970, someone over the age of 65 hospitalized for a heart attack in the United States had about a 60% chance of leaving the hospital alive. Today, the survival rate is over 90%, with even better outcomes for younger patients.

26 Jun 2025