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Expanded HIV treatment dramatically reduced orphanhood rates in Uganda

The scale-up of HIV treatment and prevention programs has led to remarkable declines in orphanhood rates in Rakai, Uganda, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

7 Jan 2026

Day case surgery linked to significant readmission and chronic pain risks

Two new studies published in Anaesthesia (the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists) analyzing pain and other factors connected with day surgery in the UK show that around 1 in 8 patients having day-case surgery end up not going home and instead are admitted to hospital for various complications.

7 Jan 2026

Strengthening primary health care to reduce NCD burden in the Americas

The Pan American Journal of Public Health, the scientific publication of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recently published a special issue dedicated to strengthening primary health care to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Americas.

7 Jan 2026

Pain-sensing neurons in the gut spark inflammatory immune responses

Pain sensing neurons in the gut kindle inflammatory immune responses that cause allergies and asthma, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine.

7 Jan 2026

Replenishing mitochondria significantly reduces chronic nerve pain, research shows

For millions living with nerve pain, even a light touch can feel unbearable. Scientists have long suspected that damaged nerve cells falter because their energy factories known as mitochondria don't function properly.

7 Jan 2026

Gene therapy breakthrough could provide hope for millions living with chronic pain

A preclinical study uncovered a new gene therapy that targets pain centers in the brain while eliminating the risk of addiction from narcotics treatments, a breakthrough which could provide hope for the more than 50 million Americans living with chronic pain.

7 Jan 2026

$AGA's new update urges caution before surgical treatment of refractory constipation$

AGA's new update urges caution before surgical treatment of refractory constipation

A new update from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is calling for greater caution before surgery is considered for patients with refractory constipation, a severe, chronic form of constipation that does not respond to standard treatments.

7 Jan 2026

Light daily movement linked to lower mortality risk in people with CKM syndrome

Light intensity activities, like walking or household chores, were linked to a lower risk of death for people with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Jan 2026

Blood biomarkers predict risk of multimorbidity in older adults

A small set of common blood biomarkers predicts which older adults will develop specific combinations of chronic diseases - and how quickly, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Medicine reports.

7 Jan 2026

Homeless shelters for seniors pop up, catering to older adults’ medical needs

Just outside Salt Lake City sits an old, two-story, brick hotel. It's been given new life as a homeless shelter for seniors. The Medically Vulnerable People shelter — or MVP shelter, as it's known — is for people 62 and older or for younger adults with chronic health issues.

7 Jan 2026

Inside the battle for the future of addiction medicine

Elyse Stevens had a reputation for taking on complex medical cases. People who'd been battling addiction for decades. Chronic-pain patients on high doses of opioids. Sex workers and people living on the street.

7 Jan 2026

One in three women miss postpartum check-ups

Findings from a Norwegian study reveal that comprehensive postpartum care by GPs improves women's satisfaction and addresses key health concerns effectively.

7 Jan 2026

Parkinson’s disease may stem from iron starvation rather than iron overload

This perspective argues that Parkinson’s disease may involve functional iron deficiency, where bioavailable iron is limited despite normal or elevated total iron in the brain. The authors propose that iron sequestration, not iron toxicity alone, may impair dopamine synthesis and neuronal survival.

6 Jan 2026

Enveda’s third asset to the clinic with US FDA IND clearance: What it means for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Enveda, a multi-asset clinical-stage biotech company pioneering the discovery and development of a new generation of small-molecule drugs derived from life’s chemistry, has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ENV-6946.

From Hanson Wade Group - 4th Precision Medicine in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Summit 6 Jan 2026

The gut is not just digestive and new evidence shows it actively controls brain function

This comprehensive review synthesizes a decade of human and animal research to explain how the gut and brain communicate through hormonal, neural, immune, and microbial pathways. It highlights how disruptions in these pathways contribute to gastrointestinal, metabolic, and neurological disorders, and how modern therapies are beginning to exploit gut–brain signaling for clinical benefit.

6 Jan 2026

A single immune protein may help explain why kidney and heart disease often develop together

This review synthesizes clinical, genetic, and mechanistic evidence showing that suPAR and related uPAR fragments are strongly associated with kidney, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease risk. It highlights suPAR as a stable biomarker of innate immune activation with potential pathogenic roles, while underscoring major gaps in assay standardization and therapeutic validation.

6 Jan 2026

Asexual Giardia lineage spreads across hosts at the cost of survival

Australian researchers have uncovered how a particular strain of a diarrhea-causing parasite managed to infect more animal species, offering new insights into how parasitic infections emerge and spread to people.

6 Jan 2026

Study reveals bioactive compounds driving Borage's diverse therapeutic benefits

For centuries, Borago officinalis - commonly known as Borage or the Starflower - has been a staple of traditional medicine.

6 Jan 2026

Researchers report rising rates of Chagas parasite in kissing bugs

Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have found unusually high levels of parasitic infection in the insects that transmit Chagas disease in the Borderlands.

6 Jan 2026

New database targets hidden causes of chronic urinary tract infections in children

A new database targeting chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) – a long-overlooked condition that may begin in childhood – is set to help researchers uncover why millions of women and girls worldwide suffer from infections that defy treatment and stump microbiologists.

6 Jan 2026