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Study links thymus radiation to worse lung cancer outcomes

Until recently, the thymus was thought to be of little use beyond puberty, but new research has shown that radiation to the organ is associated with worse outcomes in patients being treated for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

25 Aug 2026

Physical activity declines significantly with age despite good initial health

A recent study from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, shows that physical activity declines substantially with age, even among older adults who are in good physical condition.

25 Aug 2026

Mitochondrial transplantation helps repair donor organs during machine perfusion

Transplant medicine still depends on a limited supply of donor organs, while many retrieved grafts are discarded because ischemia, cold storage, and reperfusion can rapidly damage their cells.

25 Aug 2026

What decades of wine research can, and cannot, tell us about health

A narrative review found that moderate wine intake has repeatedly been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with proposed mechanisms involving ethanol and grape-derived polyphenols, but the evidence remains largely observational and cannot establish causation. The authors argue that drinking pattern, beverage type, age, cancer risk, and risk-modeling choices all influence how the J-shaped association should be interpreted and how alcohol guidelines are developed.

25 Aug 2026

Could a daily vinegar drink help with constipation? A small trial offers a clue

A randomized, double-blind trial found that adults with mild constipation who drank a vinegar beverage daily for four weeks had more frequent bowel movements than those receiving placebo. Exploratory findings also suggested earlier improvements in bowel habits, although the small feasibility-based trial requires confirmation in larger and more diverse populations.

24 Aug 2026

New study makes progress in understanding the mechanisms behind severity of HFpEF

Approximately 3 million people in the United States are living with a condition called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF.

24 Aug 2026

Type 2 diabetes incidence increases 10-fold among American youth

Type 2 diabetes has traditionally been a disease that has developed mostly in middle-aged and older adults.

24 Aug 2026

Semaglutide’s heart benefits may partly involve reduced inflammation

A prespecified analysis of 17,604 SELECT participants found that higher baseline hsCRP was associated with greater risks of major cardiovascular events and death in people with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease. Semaglutide produced rapid and sustained reductions in hsCRP, with changes emerging before substantial weight loss, although the study could not establish whether reduced inflammation directly mediated its cardiovascular benefits.

24 Aug 2026

These simple fitness tests revealed which older adults had the lowest death risk

Objective fitness tests in 13,423 Taiwanese adults aged 65 years or older linked better balance, agility, lower-body strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness with lower all-cause mortality over a median seven years. A multidomain fitness index showed the strongest association, suggesting that simple performance tests may add useful information to conventional geriatric risk assessment.

24 Aug 2026

Scientists uncover tRNA changes driving Chagas parasite transformation

The Chagas disease parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) undergoes a major transformation throughout its life cycle in order to infect humans and other mammals.

21 Aug 2026

Study highlights strengths and barriers of remote heart failure care

Interviews with patients hospitalized for heart failure, caregivers, providers, and organizational leaders highlighted several strengths of Mighty Heart (a major clinical trial examining the effectiveness of in home and telehealth-enabled visits from paramedics) that may support its adoption and implementation across health systems, a Columbia Nursing-led study finds.

21 Aug 2026

UC Berkeley researchers find new potential treatment for obesity and diabetes

Over the past five years, medications called GLP-1s have revolutionized the treatment of metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes and fatty liver diseases.

21 Aug 2026

Oxford study identifies brain mechanisms behind our sense of control

A study led by the University of Oxford has identified the brain mechanisms that help us work out whether the consequences we experience are caused by our own actions or by circumstances beyond our control.

21 Aug 2026

Machine learning model can identify likely non-responders to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation

Exercise training is a cornerstone of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and current guidelines rate it as a top-tier recommendation for reducing the risk of future cardiovascular events.

21 Aug 2026

AI-powered DANDELION identifies overlooked genes linked to asthma

One of the most important goals of studying genetics is to find genes that are involved with diseases. The problem is that most diseases aren't caused by a single gene or mutation.

20 Aug 2026

Capillaries drive new collateral artery formation after heart blockage

New research in mice challenges a long-standing view of how the heart builds backup blood vessels after a coronary artery blockage, showing that new collateral arteries arise primarily from capillaries rather than existing arteries.

20 Aug 2026

Digital program reduces anxiety and depression in adults with chronic medical conditions

A digital program combining guided movement, breathing and meditation exercises, and coping-skills training reduced anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with chronic medical conditions, according to a new study published August 20th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Puneeta Tandon of the University of Alberta, Canada, and colleagues.

20 Aug 2026

Study: Nearly 8 out of 10 young adults have cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome

A new scientific study found that nearly 8 out of 10 young adult participants, average age 23 years, had cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM syndrome), according to new independent research published today in Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes, a peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Heart Association.

20 Aug 2026

This 29-year heart study tracked what happens after smokers quit

Long-term data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study linked both current and former smoking with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, with risk rising alongside cumulative smoking exposure. Among former smokers, risk generally declined with longer time since quitting and approached that of never smokers only after prolonged abstinence.

20 Aug 2026

Intravenous iron before heart surgery cuts transfusion needs

Giving intravenous iron to patients with anemia before heart surgery reduces the need for a red blood transfusion and results in an extra day at home in the first 90 days after surgery, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

19 Aug 2026