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Telemedicine visits cost far less than in-person care

Telemedicine visits are five times less costly than in-person appointments for the most common conditions able to be treated by both forms of visits, new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows.

25 Feb 2026

Daily aspirin not reliable for preventing bowel cancer

Daily aspirin use does not offer a quick or reliable way to prevent bowel cancer in the general population and carries immediate risks of serious bleeding, a new Cochrane review finds.

25 Feb 2026

Experimental antibiotics disrupt bacterium that causes tuberculosis

Researchers from the University of Sydney and the Centenary Institute have discovered how a promising class of experimental antibiotics disrupts the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), paving the way for urgently needed new treatments.

25 Feb 2026

Study finds sharp drop in benzodiazepine use among older adults

Benzodiazepine treatment declined among U.S. adults between 2018 and 2022, with the steepest drop among adults ages 56 and older, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

25 Feb 2026

Reducing miRNA levels helps rescue vascular defects in Rett syndrome

MIT researchers have discovered that two common genetic mutations that cause Rett syndrome each set off a molecular chain of events that compromises the structural integrity of developing brain blood vessels, making them leaky.

25 Feb 2026

Vitamin B3 shows promise for treating rare genetic disorder

Scientists at Gladstone Institutes have flipped the traditional approach to finding potential treatments for deadly diseases.

25 Feb 2026

RSV and COVID-19 trigger different immune responses in infants

Young infants hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) often become much sicker compared to those infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

25 Feb 2026

Ketogenic diet alters brain signaling to reduce epileptic seizures

A ketogenic diet - one that is high in fat and extremely low in carbohydrates - has been known for decades to reduce seizures in some epilepsy patients.

25 Feb 2026

Morning chronotype and exercise associated with reduced ALS risk

Being an early bird, also called a morning person, and being more physically active are associated with lower risks of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a preliminary study released February 25, 2026, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 78th Annual Meeting taking place April 18-22, 2026, in Chicago and online.

25 Feb 2026

Brain rhythms may explain modern digital distraction susceptibility

Scientists may have new answers to why pop-ups or notifications grab our attention. Turns out our attention is on a cycle, shifting seven to ten times per second.

25 Feb 2026

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

Smoking status influences Parkinson's disease risk and mortality outcomes

A new study of smokers finds that currently smoking is associated with a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, but quitting smoking was associated with a lower risk of death.

25 Feb 2026

Study finds brain changes related to worse memory in football players with repetitive head impacts

In former college and professional football players, a new study has found higher levels of inflammation were associated with worse brain structure, which in turn was related to worse memory.

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

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

Road traffic noise linked to immediate heart and blood vessel stress

A new study published in the journal Cardiovascular Research shows that a single night of road traffic noise, at levels that are typical of those living in a city, causes stress to the heart and blood vessels.

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

Having “hasslers” in your network linked to faster aging and poorer health

Researchers analyzed a state-representative US sample to examine whether negative social ties, termed “hasslers,” are associated with epigenetic age acceleration and faster biological aging. Each additional hassler was linked to roughly nine months higher biological age and a 1.5% faster pace of aging, with particularly strong associations for mental health outcomes.

25 Feb 2026

Could a rare gene variant help reduce smoking? New study suggests it might

An exome-wide association study of nearly 38,000 smokers from the Mexico City Prospective Study identified rare coding variants in CHRNB3 that are associated with substantially fewer cigarettes smoked per day. Cross-ancestry analyses in European and East Asian datasets support a role for the β3 nicotinic receptor subunit in modulating smoking intensity.

25 Feb 2026