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Healthy hearts prior to pandemic reduced severe COVID-19 risk

Better heart health before the pandemic was linked to a lower risk of severe COVID-19 events, according to research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2026

Women who sleep less may face more irregular menstrual cycles

A study on 42,759 menstrual cycles shows that sleep quality affects menstrual health, with implications for physiological stability and individual variability.

27 May 2026

Efficient pitching mechanics can help avoid career-threatening elbow injuries

As professional baseball sees another high-profile elbow injury with Toronto Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos having undergone ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests many pitchers may be able to reduce stress on their elbows without sacrificing velocity.

27 May 2026

Why blood pressure rises faster in women after midlife

This review examines how sex-specific blood pressure trajectories are shaped by genetics, hormones, metabolic risk factors, lifestyle exposures, environmental stressors, and medical treatments. It highlights that women generally have lower blood pressure earlier in life but may experience steeper increases with aging, especially around and after menopause, with exogenous stressors appearing to have a greater impact in women than in men.

27 May 2026

Climate change could expand chikungunya into temperate regions worldwide

Chikungunya ('to become contorted' in the Kimakonde language, named after the characteristic joint ache) is classified as one of the neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization.

27 May 2026

How the right diet could support the gut bacteria that matter most

This review examines how gut keystone bacteria shape microbiome stability, disease risk, and responses to diet. It highlights why better identification methods, experimental validation, and precision diet-probiotic strategies are needed to restore gut homeostasis.

26 May 2026

Study finds many hikers remain unprepared for wilderness emergencies

With the arrival of warmer weather across the United States, outdoor enthusiasts are returning to America's parks and forests to hike and run on the country's beautiful, often remote, networks of trails.

26 May 2026

One-time gene editing cuts LDL cholesterol in early hypercholesterolemia trial

A phase 1 NEJM interim analysis found that a single infusion of the investigational base-editing therapy VERVE-102 produced dose-dependent reductions in circulating PCSK9 protein and LDL cholesterol in adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or premature coronary artery disease.

26 May 2026

ICU pneumonia mortality rates remain elevated in developing nations

A scientific review published today in the NEJM Evidence journal, coordinated by the D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), evaluated outcomes of adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in middle-income countries.

26 May 2026

Retatrutide reshapes metabolism in obesity and type 2 diabetes, study finds

Retatrutide altered circulating metabolites and lipids linked to fatty acid oxidation and insulin resistance in people with obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes. These biomarker changes suggest improved metabolic health, but the post-hoc analysis remains hypothesis-generating and does not prove direct clinical benefit.

26 May 2026

Macrophage location within tumors may influence cancer progression outcomes

Cancer tumors are surrounded by immune cells, but not all of those cells help the body fight back. Some support anti-cancer immunity, while others can unexpectedly help tumors survive.

26 May 2026

Study links fathers’ preconception stress to altered offspring development

Research from the University of Colorado Anschutz suggests that stress experienced by a father before conception may influence an offspring's growth by altering small molecular signals in sperm.

26 May 2026

Early multidisciplinary care speeds concussion recovery in children

Children recover significantly faster from concussion after receiving early, multidisciplinary care designed to treat persistent symptoms, according to a new study.

26 May 2026

Nerve freezing technique reduces pain after surgical repair for microtia

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is the first in the world to eliminate months of pain after surgical repair for microtia – a rare condition where a child is born with underdeveloped or missing outer ear.

26 May 2026

Researchers uncover possible cause of pain in neurofibromatosis type 1

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's have identified a potential new way to relieve chronic pain linked to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic condition best known for causing tumors to grow along nerves.

26 May 2026

In-person prayer reduced pain and anxiety more than music

This randomized controlled trial focused on in-person prayer, known as proximal intercessory prayer (PIP), for another person's well-being.

26 May 2026

Adults with developmental disabilities or cerebral palsy face earlier fall injury risks

Falls are a common cause of injury, especially for adults over age 65. But adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities or cerebral palsy may also be at higher risk.

26 May 2026

Minority patients report confusion about Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

Medicare Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs) are free, yearly preventive checkups available to all Medicare and Medicare Advantage enrollees.

26 May 2026

Guava juice boosts hemoglobin levels in women with anemia

Regular guava juice consumption may prove a readily accessible and affordable addition to helping lower the risk of anemia in women in low and middle income countries, suggests a synthesis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.

26 May 2026

Special yoga intervention helps cancer survivors manage psychological side effects

University of Rochester Medicine is in the spotlight at a national meeting for a new discovery in integrative oncology: A special yoga intervention, the study shows, goes a step further than other side-effect therapies to improve four domains of physical and psychological side effects that most patients experience, including lifting mood and easing anxiety.

26 May 2026