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Researchers build prognostic model to guide end-of-life care in metastatic breast cancer

Oncologists know that intensive treatment rarely helps patients in their final days but recognizing when someone is entering that stage is difficult, especially in metastatic breast cancer, where an increasing number of effective treatments has helped prolong life and given patients and oncologists more treatment options.

16 Sep 2026

Study explores pregnancy risks from heat and wildfire smoke

Wildfire smoke and extreme heat – increasingly the new norm – each have their own harmful effects on pregnant people and babies, including preterm birth and low birthweight.

15 Sep 2026

Male contraception has barely changed in a century. What comes next?

A review traces more than 5,000 years of male contraception, from early penile sheaths and the development of modern condoms and vasectomy to today's search for reversible alternatives. Researchers are now testing hormonal gels, non-hormonal compounds and vas-occlusive technologies, although these approaches remain at different stages of preclinical and clinical development.

15 Sep 2026

Why frailty and heart health may be more closely connected than we thought

A narrative review proposes cardiovascular frailty as a distinct phenotype that brings together blood pressure regulation, vascular aging, oxi-inflammaging, and clinical frailty deficits. The authors argue that a validated cardiovascular frailty index could support earlier detection and personalized care, although longitudinal studies are needed before the concept can be used clinically.

15 Sep 2026

Harvard scientists design evolutionary traps to stop viral mutations

When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS‑CoV‑2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed.

15 Sep 2026

Interaction with miniature animals improves the mood of adolescents

Interacting with animals can make people feel calmer and less lonely and anxious. A new study from the University of California, Davis, shows that animals play an active role in shaping these interactions and their outcomes.

15 Sep 2026

Reading for pleasure linked to better mental health and greater empathy

Reading for pleasure – from tucking into a Jane Austen classic to devouring a Heartstopper graphic novel – is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, say researchers.

15 Sep 2026

Cardiovascular disease surpasses cancer as top killer of Hispanic populations in the U.S.

Cardiovascular disease has surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death among Hispanic adults in the U.S., driven by rising rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other risk factors that often begin earlier in life for Hispanic people.

15 Sep 2026

Study uncovers how interferon-alpha treats rare blood cancers

The biologic drug interferon-alpha can benefit patients with blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms by forcing mutant blood stem cells to become shorter-lived white blood cells, according to a study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

15 Sep 2026

Study explains why Amazonian Indigenous populations show low dementia prevalence

In two Indigenous communities living pre-industrial lifestyles in the Bolivian Amazon, dementia is remarkably uncommon.

15 Sep 2026

FDA outlines key tips for safe tampon usage

If you use tampons during your period, it's important to know how to use them safely, and to understand how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration evaluates their safety and effectiveness.

15 Sep 2026

Nighttime coughing could be due to air pollution levels, research suggests

Has your partner ever woken you up at night with their coughing? Has your coughing ever woken them up? New research suggests it could be due to air pollution levels in your area, even if those levels are low.

15 Sep 2026

Menopause may not drive rising pulse pressure and midlife aortic stiffness in women

Contradicting conventional wisdom, menopause may not be the driving force behind an increase in aortic stiffness in women after midlife, according to new, independent research published today in Hypertension, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Heart Association journal.

15 Sep 2026

Air pollution linked to higher risks of glaucoma and cataract

People who live in areas with higher levels of air pollution are more likely to develop glaucoma and cataract, according to a large study presented today (Monday) at the 44th Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS).

15 Sep 2026

Eye scans detect signs of atrial fibrillation years before diagnosis

People with atrial fibrillation have signs of the condition in the retinas of their eyes that can be detected as early as four years before diagnosis, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) and Moorfields researchers.

14 Sep 2026

Tirzepatide vs semaglutide for asthma: the difference was smaller than researchers expected

In a US multicenter electronic health record study, researchers compared tirzepatide with semaglutide in adults with asthma and type 2 diabetes, matching 8,176 patients in each treatment group. Asthma exacerbation risk was similar between treatments, while tirzepatide was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving a short-acting beta-agonist prescription.

14 Sep 2026

Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease can be identified in young children

Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, a health condition made up of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity, can be identified in children as young as 8, UTHealth Houston researchers discovered.

11 Sep 2026

Proteomic signatures reveal early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt Health, UTHealth Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease (CKMD) in children as young as 8 years old that potentially can be reversed with a new class of weight loss drugs used widely by adults

11 Sep 2026

McMaster researchers discover molecular switch causing dangerous blood clots

A cross-campus team of McMaster University researchers has identified why some patients develop dangerous blood clots after exposure to a common blood thinner – and a potential way to prevent it.

11 Sep 2026

Liberian women face long waits for urgent fistula surgery

For more than three years, Lorpu has lived with the constant leakage of urine and faeces caused by obstetric fistula, a debilitating childbirth injury.

11 Sep 2026