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Living near a dry cleaner may come with an unexpected Parkinson’s disease link

A nationwide case-control study of older U.S. Medicare beneficiaries found that living closer to a dry-cleaning establishment was associated with higher odds of incident Parkinson’s disease, with the strongest association among people living within 0.1 mile.

7 Aug 2026

Fine particle pollution raises rheumatoid arthritis flare risk and disease activity

Higher ambient PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased rheumatoid arthritis disease activity and a greater likelihood of flares in a four-year South Korean cohort of 1,070 patients. The association appeared stronger with sustained exposure over approximately two weeks or longer, while women and nonsmokers showed more pronounced links between PM2.5 and DAS28-CRP.

7 Aug 2026

Nighttime light linked to conflicting signs of biological aging

Higher residential nighttime light exposure was associated with contrasting biological aging patterns in nearly 300,000 UK Biobank participants, depending on the aging algorithm used. PhenoAge and homeostatic dysregulation suggested a potentially adverse aging pattern, while KDM-BA showed the opposite association, underscoring uncertainty about how nighttime light relates to biological aging.

6 Aug 2026

Healthy midlife habits linked to longer dementia-free years

Having normal blood pressure, no diabetes, and not smoking from age 48 to 68, are associated with nearly 13 additional years on average of dementia-free life, a new study shows.

6 Aug 2026

Global surveys reveal little progress in tobacco risk awareness over two decades

Across 46 countries, adults who smoked showed high awareness that tobacco causes lung cancer but substantially lower knowledge of cardiovascular and secondhand smoke harms. Knowledge changed little overall across two decades, supporting stronger health warnings, mass media campaigns and enforced smoke-free policies.

5 Aug 2026

People with eczema face higher risk of developing shingles

An analysis in JDDG: Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft found that people with eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) face an elevated risk of developing shingles (or herpes zoster).

5 Aug 2026

Air pollution may worsen rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and flare risk

A novel study shows that exposure to air pollution, especially fine particulate matter like dust, soot, and smoke (PM2.5), is associated with increased disease activity and flare risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

5 Aug 2026

Tadalafil may increase glaucoma risk in men with enlarged prostates

An erectile dysfunction drug that is also used to treat symptoms like sudden urgency and frequency, which are associated with an enlarged prostate in men, may heighten the risk of the serious eye condition, glaucoma, finds a large comparative study published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

4 Aug 2026

Exercise helps protect Hispanic adults from late life cognitive decline

Previous studies have examined the associations between adherence to LS7 and cognitive outcomes, with findings suggesting that higher LS7 scores are associated with better cognitive performance, reduced dementia risk and improved brain health.

4 Aug 2026

Perilla oil may curb platelet reactivity and inflammatory signaling in smokers

An eight-week randomized trial found that daily perilla oil increased plasma and red-cell ALA, plasma EPA, and platelet closure time in healthy smokers. Perilla oil also reduced TNF-α and TBX21 gene expression, but it did not improve broader coagulation, lipid, endothelial, or postprandial markers.

3 Aug 2026

Sensitive parenting buffers against child ADHD risks from pregnancy

Research from Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Mental Health Innovation provides new evidence that the way caregivers interact with children when they're very young can protect against the negative effects of inflammation during pregnancy, including increased attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, symptoms in children.

3 Aug 2026

A 10-country survey finds an unexpected air pollution awareness gap

Researchers surveyed 10,618 adults across 1,372 localities in the world’s 10 most populous countries and matched their responses with average 2019-2021 PM2.5 concentrations. Higher PM2.5 exposure was associated with lower air-quality knowledge but greater concern and more frequent protective behaviors, with patterns differing across demographic groups.

2 Aug 2026

Daily tomatoes lowered a key marker of liver fat in MASLD trial

An exploratory randomized trial found that 200 g of raw tomatoes plus 50 g of tomato sauce daily for six weeks produced a greater reduction in CAP-defined hepatic steatosis than a tomato-free diet in adults with MASLD. The improvement occurred without major weight or metabolic changes, but larger and longer trials are needed to confirm its clinical significance.

2 Aug 2026

Study links higher body fat to lower sperm counts despite normal BMI

Among 1,058 Danish men, higher body fat percentage was associated with lower total sperm count and altered reproductive hormone levels, but not testicular volume. Body fat percentage showed stronger links with several semen measures than BMI or waist-to-height ratio, with the sperm-count association strengthening among men with normal BMI.

2 Aug 2026

Secondhand smoke alters tooth enamel development in early life

Exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke during the first days of life can cause changes in tooth enamel mineralization without causing visible changes to the teeth.

31 Jul 2026

Soy lysolecithin reduces salt-induced hypertension and cognitive decline

High salt (HS) intake is a major global health concern, closely linked to hypertension and growing evidence of cognitive and emotional decline.

31 Jul 2026

Ten-million-person study links semaglutide to lower COVID-19 mortality

Researchers analyzing claims from more than 10.1 million commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage enrollees found that semaglutide use was associated with a 49% lower adjusted hazard of COVID-19-related death. The observational findings corroborate earlier SELECT trial results but do not establish causation, making further prospective research essential.

30 Jul 2026

Perilla oil improves blood flow and reduces inflammation in healthy smokers

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In South Korea, it is the second leading cause of death, and its incidence has continued to rise in recent years.

30 Jul 2026

Cigarette smoke extract primes airway cells for greater nanoplastic damage

Researchers found that cigarette smoke extract weakened epithelial barriers and increased the proportion of human airway cells that were polystyrene nanoparticle-positive. Sequential treatment caused greater metabolic disruption and increased mucus-producing cells, suggesting heightened epithelial vulnerability, although the findings are limited to in vitro models.

30 Jul 2026

Controlled breathing shows promise for reducing substance use cravings

Controlled breathing interventions can reduce cravings in people who use substances, including alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, according to a new review published in the scientific journal Addiction.

29 Jul 2026