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Prior COVID infection increases kidney disease risk

Approximately one in seven adults in the United States has kidney disease, where the organs responsible for filtering waste and excess water from the blood are damaged, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

25 Feb 2026

COVID-19 initially reduced asthma attacks but widened socioeconomic disparities, study finds

A large retrospective study of more than 162,000 asthma patients in the Bronx found that asthma exacerbations dropped sharply after the onset of COVID-19 before rebounding in children but remaining lower in adults. Socioeconomic disparities widened during the pandemic, particularly among Medicaid recipients, certain income groups, and patients with documented unmet social needs, while racial and ethnic gaps persisted without significantly expanding.

25 Feb 2026

Meningococcal B vaccine fails to prevent gonorrhea, trial shows

Contrary to existing evidence from observational studies, the meningococcal B vaccine (4CMenB) has no effect on preventing the acquisition of gonorrhea, according to the results of the world's largest randomized control trial (RCT) into possible efficacy, conducted by Griffith University's Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics and the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.

25 Feb 2026

Study confirms long-term effectiveness of HPV vaccination

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is associated with a significantly reduced risk of invasive cervical cancer, with no indication of waning protection up to 18 years after vaccination, finds a study from Sweden published by The BMJ today.

25 Feb 2026

Combining healthy lifestyle and GLP-1 therapy reduces heart risks in diabetes

Individuals living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) had a significantly lower risk of poor cardiovascular health when they used a GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) in combination with adhering to healthy lifestyle habits, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System.

25 Feb 2026

Long-term cola intake weakens immune cell counts in controlled rat study

Replacing drinking water entirely with sugar-sweetened or sugar-free cola for eight weeks altered gut microbiota composition and immune-related indices in rats, despite no changes in body weight or blood glucose. Both beverages were associated with leukocyte reductions and organ-related biochemical shifts, with sugar-sweetened cola more strongly linked to renal markers and diet cola to elevated liver enzymes.

25 Feb 2026

Opioids offer limited short-term relief for acute pain

The world's largest review of opioid pain relievers prescribed for acute pain found these medicines provide only small, short-term relief for some acute conditions and are ineffective for some others.

25 Feb 2026

Nearly 6 in 10 women in the U.S. may have cardiovascular disease in the next 25 years

Driven by rising rates in high blood pressure, nearly 6 in 10 women in the U.S. will have some type of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the next 25 years, according to a new scientific statement published today in Circulation, the peer-reviewed, flagship journal of the American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all.

25 Feb 2026

Democrats decry meager medical care for detainees in funding fight

Fernando Viera Reyes needed a biopsy for possible prostate cancer when the Trump administration sent him to an immigration detention center in California's Mojave Desert.

25 Feb 2026

High-risk patients account for majority of postoperative deaths and readmissions

A major new study, led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has been published in The Lancet Public Health.

25 Feb 2026

Lingering brain inflammation found after mild COVID infection

Even a mild case of COVID-19 or the flu can impact the body long after the fever and cough fade, according to new Tulane University research that may help explain why some people struggle to feel fully recovered weeks or months later.

25 Feb 2026

ARPA-H-funded PROSPR program focuses on the biological hallmarks of aging

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health has received an award as part of the PROactive Solutions for Prolonging Resilience (PROSPR) program within the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to accelerate research on the biological hallmarks of aging.

24 Feb 2026

Untreated sleep apnea may cost the UK and US billions annually

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea may be costing the UK and US economies billions of pounds/dollars in lost productivity every year, with a considerable proportion of working age adults experiencing symptoms indicative of the breathing disorder, suggests an analysis published online in the journal Thorax.

24 Feb 2026

Teen cannabis use trends mirror established alcohol consumption patterns

A new study published in the journal Addiction shows that cannabis use among Swedish adolescents appears to follow the same population-level pattern previously observed for alcohol.

24 Feb 2026

US measles and pertussis outbreaks expose policy failures, not just vaccine hesitancy

A recent commentary argues that US measles and pertussis outbreaks are not simply the result of vaccine hesitancy but reflect weakened immunization policies, permissive exemptions, and underfunded public health systems. The authors contend that policy environments determine whether pockets of low coverage escalate into large-scale, preventable outbreaks.

24 Feb 2026

Neuroticism may influence adolescents' well-being through sleep disruption and reduced mindfulness

Up to 75% of adolescents experience sleep-related problems, including insufficient duration and poor sleep quality.

24 Feb 2026

ChatGPT Health fails critical emergency and suicide safety tests

ChatGPT Health, a widely used consumer artificial intelligence (AI) tool that provides health guidance directly to the public-including advice about how urgently to seek medical care-may fail to direct users appropriately to emergency care in a significant number of serious cases, according to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

24 Feb 2026