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Rising prescription and supplement use poses health risks for seniors

Older Americans are increasingly taking multiple prescription medications and dietary supplements. Although the prevalence of potentially major drug-drug interactions has declined slightly, more than 1 in 5 older adults are potentially at risk, according to a USC-led study published September 24 in JAMA.

24 Sep 2026

New multimodal AI model improves breast cancer screening accuracy

Breast cancer screening must balance diagnostic accuracy with workflow throughput. DM remains the traditional cornerstone, but its two-dimensional projection creates tissue-overlap noise, particularly in dense breasts, leading to false positives and obscured lesions.

24 Sep 2026

First foods bring an early functional shift in the infant gut microbiome

Researchers analyzing paired gut microbiome samples from 125 Irish infants found that complementary feeding was associated with early changes in microbial composition and metabolic potential, including an increased capacity for complex carbohydrate metabolism. Breastfeeding duration was more closely associated with microbial community development than the timing of solid-food introduction, while formula-fed infants showed more extensive functional pathway changes after solids were introduced.

24 Sep 2026

Sudden unexpected infant deaths drive widening Black-white mortality gap

After years of declines in sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID), rates have been ticking up again, particularly among babies born to Black mothers, new research shows.

23 Sep 2026

Global appendicitis study reveals major inequalities in surgical care

A new global study into appendicitis has found that there are major inequalities in care, with some countries having little access to CT imaging or minimally invasive surgery - resulting in poorer patient outcomes.

23 Sep 2026

Nearly 60% of hypertension cases remain undetected in England

Researchers from Oxford Population Health analyzed clinic blood pressure measurements collected by Our Future Health, the UK's largest health research programme, from participants who enrolled between 2022 and 2025.

23 Sep 2026

Industry ties widespread among authors challenging ultra-processed food classification

A growing body of research links higher consumption of ultra-processed foods with poorer health. Much of that research relies on a food classification system called Nova, which categorizes foods by the degree and purpose of industrial processing.

23 Sep 2026

NIH funds national center to advance root canal alternatives

Which would you rather have: a root canal or a pulpotomy? Even if you're not familiar with a pulpotomy, you might be inclined to learn more.

23 Sep 2026

Early childhood BMI trajectories predict later cardiometabolic health risks

Childhood obesity predicts later cardiometabolic disease, but single-time weight measures may miss dynamic growth information.

23 Sep 2026

Feeling lonely at work? How often you see your colleagues may matter

In a nationally representative sample of 7,798 employees in Germany aged 25 to 65, about 26% reported lacking companionship from colleagues, 17% felt excluded, and 8% felt lonely at work at least sometimes. Less frequent direct contact with colleagues was consistently associated with all three facets of workplace loneliness, although the cross-sectional study cannot establish cause and effect.

23 Sep 2026

A hidden measles signal may reveal how large the next outbreak could be

Researchers used historical measles surveillance and demographic data from pre-vaccination England and Wales to reconstruct how the susceptible population changed between epidemics. Their model linked susceptibility at the start of an epidemic year with the magnitude of the following outbreak, pointing to a potential route for one-year-ahead forecasting that requires further development for modern surveillance settings.

22 Sep 2026

A 30-day benznidazole regimen offers safer Chagas disease treatment option

A 30-day course of benznidazole taken once a day could offer people with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection a safer and more practical option than the current standard treatment, taken twice a day for 60 days.

22 Sep 2026

Higher BMI linked to brain differences in preschool children

Children as young as 4 with a higher body mass index (BMI) showed differences in several brain regions involved in reward, taste and hunger, according to a new study from Florida International University.

22 Sep 2026

Loneliness and social isolation cost people years of healthy life

The numbers paint a grim picture. Roughly half of all U.S. adults are lonely, according to a 2023 report, and nearly as many feel socially isolated.

22 Sep 2026

Childhood trauma linked to risky health behaviors in late adolescence

Experiencing childhood trauma appears to increase a young person's likelihood of smoking, substance use and developing unhealthy eating habits by contributing to behavioral problems during adolescence, such as impulsivity and poor self-control.

22 Sep 2026

Waist-to-height ratio reliably detects chronic liver disease risk in children

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is now the most common chronic liver disease in children and adolescents, closely mirroring the global rise in childhood obesity.

22 Sep 2026

Mpox study reveals high rate of false-positive PCR tests

In August 2024, the WHO declared the mpox upsurge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and its spread to neighboring countries, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

22 Sep 2026

Poor sleep health in late pregnancy linked to higher childhood obesity risk

New research has found that mothers with poor sleep quality in late pregnancy had babies with lower weight in the first 6 months of life, but higher weight after age 1-2 years.

22 Sep 2026

Prenatal cannabis exposure linked to subtle brain and behavioral differences in children

A large ABCD study of 10,838 children found that prenatal cannabis exposure was associated with small differences in resting-state brain connectivity, higher behavioral and emotional problem scores, and lower performance on several cognitive measures in late childhood. PCE-related connectivity patterns partly overlapped with those linked to psychopathology and cognition, although the cross-sectional observational design cannot establish causality or mediation.

22 Sep 2026

Interactive dashboard helps identify agricultural injury patterns and risks

Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Each year, vehicles, machinery, environmental hazards, and other incidents cause thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities.

21 Sep 2026