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Puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones rarely prescribed to transgender youth

Puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones are rarely prescribed to U.S. transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents, according to a new study from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and FOLX Health.

6 Jan 2025

Sugary beverages contribute to millions of diabetes and heart disease cases

A new study from researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, which published in Nature Medicine on January 6, estimates that 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year globally due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

6 Jan 2025

DoxyPEP reduces chlamydia and syphilis rates in routine care

A new study has found that rates of chlamydia and syphilis plummet among people prescribed doxycycline for sexually transmitted infection prevention in routine clinical care.

6 Jan 2025

Listen: NPR and KFF Health News explore how racism and violence hurt health

KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony and Emily Kwong, host of NPR's podcast "Shortwave," talk about Black families living in the aftermath of lynchings and police killings in their communities.

6 Jan 2025

Human protein MxA restricts H5N1, but virus mutations raise alarms

Human MxA protein suppresses mammalian H5N1 virus replication, but emerging mutations may enable partial evasion, raising concerns for human transmission.

5 Jan 2025

Urban sprawl hampers intergenerational mobility and reinforces inequality

Urban sprawl is not just unsightly. It could also be impeding intergenerational mobility for low-income residents and reinforcing racial inequality, according to a series of recent studies led by a University of Utah geographer.

3 Jan 2025

Professor Alison Elliott honored with OBE for contributions to global health

Leading clinical researcher Professor Alison Elliott has been honoured with an OBE in the King's New Year Honours for services to medicine and global health.

3 Jan 2025

Study highlights the importance of diagnostic tests in pandemic response

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how crucial testing is for disease preparedness and response, and new research from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and a team of collaborators underscores that principle.

3 Jan 2025

Social connections may boost immunity and reduce disease risk

Interactions with friends and family may keep us healthy because they boost our immune system and reduce our risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.

3 Jan 2025

Stimulant users are caught in fatal ‘fourth wave’ of opioid epidemic

In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, near a storefront advertising "free" cellphones, J.R. sat in an empty back stairwell and showed a reporter how he tries to avoid overdosing when he smokes crack cocaine.

3 Jan 2025

Syringe exchange fears hobble fight against West Virginia HIV outbreak

More than three years have passed since federal health officials arrived in central Appalachia to assess an alarming outbreak of HIV spread mostly between people who inject opioids or methamphetamine.

3 Jan 2025

Unveiling the role of gene inactivation in human disease

New work by Columbia researchers has turned a textbook principle of genetics on its head and revealed why some people who carry disease-causing genes experience no symptoms.

2 Jan 2025

Mild avian flu cases in US spark safety warnings for poultry and dairy sectors

Researchers identify 46 mild cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) in U.S. poultry and dairy workers, highlighting low PPE adherence and potential outbreak risks.

2 Jan 2025

CDC study highlights growing tularemia threat in central U.S.

Tularemia cases in the U.S. rose by 56% from 2011 to 2022, with central states and American Indian communities most affected, highlighting diagnostic advancements and health disparities.

2 Jan 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Francis Collins on supporting NIH and finding common ground

This week, KFF Health News' "What the Health?" presents a conversation with Francis Collins, former National Institutes of Health director and White House science adviser.

2 Jan 2025

Study reveals how fatty liver disease leads to liver cancer

Scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shed new light on the development of liver cancer, the sixth most frequently diagnosed cancer and fourth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

2 Jan 2025

Public health experts outline critical steps in handling HPAI H5N1 spread

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus (HPAI H5N1) remains a low risk to the general public, and public health experts in the United States believe that available treatments and vaccines, as well as those in development, are sufficient to prevent severe disease.

2 Jan 2025