Disability News and Research

RSS

Blood protein biomarkers predict future disability risk in very old adults

Japan has one of the world's fastest-aging populations, but maintaining independence into very old age remains a growing public health challenge.

21 Aug 2026

Scientists create brain organoids with distinct cortical regional identity

The human brain is often described as one of the most complex structures in biology, and much of its power comes from how it's organized.

20 Aug 2026

Only three of 1,357 FDA-cleared AI devices tested patient outcomes

Researchers found that among 1,357 FDA-cleared or approved AI/ML-enabled medical devices, only 34 were linked to registered clinical trials and just three had been evaluated for patient-centered outcomes. The study highlights major gaps in prospective testing, demographic representation, transparency, and evidence showing whether medical AI meaningfully improves patients’ health.

20 Aug 2026

Paternal valproate use not linked to offspring neurodevelopmental risks

Use of the antiseizure drug valproate by fathers before conception is not associated with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their children, according to a new study published August 19, 2026, in Neurology®, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Aug 2026

Global study reveals rising chronic kidney disease burden in women

Chronic kidney disease is now the seventh leading cause of death among noncommunicable diseases globally, affecting 11–13% of the adult population.

19 Aug 2026

International task force outlines roadmap for precision stroke recovery

An international task force co-led by a Georgetown University stroke expert has outlined a bold new roadmap for stroke recovery, positioning genetic and blood biomarkers to drive the next generation of precision neuro-rehabilitation and biotherapy.

19 Aug 2026

Fluctuating work hours increase health risks for workers

Workers who juggle volatile work hours that change from week to week may experience adverse health effects that impact their ability to work, although the limitations vary by gender, say researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who conducted a recent study.

18 Aug 2026

Early-onset epilepsy tied to lower academic achievement

Childhood epilepsy is linked to significantly poorer exam grades and long term educational attainment, with the lowest levels of academic prowess among those whose neurological disorder started when they were very young, finds a large, long term Danish study, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

18 Aug 2026

Good sleep in midlife may extend working life expectancy

Healthy sleep patterns in mid life are linked to longer working life expectancy, suggest the findings of a large study of working age men and women, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

18 Aug 2026

Shifting expectations of unpredictability could help treat schizophrenia delusions

New research has found that improvements to the severity of delusions in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder recovering from an acute psychotic episode were significantly associated with reductions in volatility priors—someone's expectations about the unpredictability of their environment.

18 Aug 2026

Alliance highlights the importance of clinical research on World Breast Cancer Research Day

This World Breast Cancer Research Day, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is highlighting the importance of clinical research in advancing better treatments and improving early detection to ultimately help prevent and cure breast cancer.

18 Aug 2026

Global epilepsy burden shifts expose widening healthcare access gaps

Epilepsy remains a major public health challenge, but its burden is changing in ways that reveal health inequalities.

14 Aug 2026

Studies link traumatic brain injury to high mortality in Pakistan

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Pakistan is associated with a high risk of death and disability long after the initial injury, even in mild to moderate cases, according to two new studies in JAMA Network Open led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

13 Aug 2026

Healthy lifestyle cuts hearing impairment risk by 14%, metabolism is key driver

Hearing impairment ranks as the third largest contributor to global disability among sensory disorders, with prevalence rising across younger and middle-aged populations alongside older adults.

12 Aug 2026

Machine learning uses gene neighborhoods to identify harmful poultry bacteria

When it comes to identifying harmful bacteria, it helps to look at the company their genes keep.

12 Aug 2026

How much do nuts matter for blood pressure? This study points to about a handful a day

A meta-analysis of eight prospective studies involving 143,380 participants found that higher nut consumption was associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension. Each 28 g/day increment was associated with a 20% lower relative risk in the linear analysis, while the modeled association appeared to level off at around one handful per day.

12 Aug 2026

IOC urges routine mental health screening for elite athletes

Sports bodies should prioritize routine screening and regular monitoring of elite athletes' mental health to tackle the high prevalence of mental health issues among this group, concludes an International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

11 Aug 2026

$Bone loss alone fails to explain diabetes-related fracture risk$