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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

Common chemical exposures in pregnancy may be linked to early attention and memory

Researchers examined whether prenatal exposure to aromatic amines and cotinine was associated with attention, processing speed, and memory in 250 infants assessed at 7.5 months. The study found mixed patterns across cognitive measures, with several estimates suggesting poorer attention or memory but carrying substantial statistical uncertainty.

23 Sep 2026

Cancer-related DNA changes may appear in blood years before diagnosis

Researchers found that genome-wide plasma cfDNA methylation profiles collected before diagnosis contained early molecular signatures associated with future prostate and breast cancer, with prostate silencer methylation providing the stronger risk stratification. Breast enhancer signals were weaker and varied by subtype and disease stage, indicating that cfDNA methylation may have greater value for risk assessment and surveillance than as a standalone diagnostic test.

23 Sep 2026

What links smoking, body fat, mental health, genes, and heart risk? Inflammation may be part of the answer

In a large UK Biobank study, higher levels of the chronic inflammation marker GlycA were associated with smaller heart chambers, thicker heart walls, impaired diastolic function, reduced stroke volume, and a 43% higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in the highest versus lowest GlycA group. Genetic susceptibility also modified the associations between environmental exposures, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk, while inflammatory proteins in the IL-1, TNF, and IL-6 pathways statistically mediated several of these associations.

23 Sep 2026

Children of single mothers by choice show favorable birth outcomes

The children of single mothers who conceive through medically assisted reproduction (MAR) have similar outcomes to babies of partnered mothers who had conceived naturally, a UCL-led study has found.

22 Sep 2026

Simple prompts may improve cancer screening compliance among high-risk groups

People getting recommended screening tests for one cancer can be reminded about other relevant screenings. It's a simple way to increase compliance for potentially life-saving tests.

22 Sep 2026

UF professor wins federal grant to develop technology for detecting early-stage endometriosis

Armed with a prestigious federal grant, University of Florida engineering professor Laura Kim, Ph.D., and her research team will develop technology to detect early-stage endometriosis.

22 Sep 2026

CAR T-cell therapy enables safe pregnancies in autoimmune patients

Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus mainly affect young women, often in a phase of their lives where they would like to have children.

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

Simple test could take the pain out of womb cancer check

A new test to identify cells collected from urine and vaginal fluid could help rule out womb and other cancers in most women who experience bleeding after the menopause, find University of Manchester researchers.

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

Regular exercisers show distinct metabolic and immune signatures in blood

Researchers compared blood samples from 40 regular exercisers and 46 sedentary adults and found differences in metabolites, blood chemistry, and immune cell gene activity. The patterns suggested greater fatty acid use and altered immune signaling among exercisers, but the study could not establish that exercise caused these differences.

21 Sep 2026

Several cups of coffee a day showed no clear diabetes link over 10 years

Researchers followed 1,158 adults in Italy for 10 years, comparing those who drank at least two to three cups of coffee daily with those who drank none. They found no statistically significant difference in new cases of impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes, but the small non-consumer group limits how confidently the study can rule out a difference in risk.

21 Sep 2026

Looking for GLP-1 advice online? Likes may tell you less than you think

Researchers assessed 128 videos about GLP-1 medications on Douyin and Bilibili and found that Bilibili videos scored higher on two measures of reliability and transparency. Longer videos received higher quality scores, while popularity did not consistently reflect information quality.

21 Sep 2026

German researchers aim to completely degrade breast cancer protein

Simply switching off a protein that helps breast cancer cells to grow? That is not enough for researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

21 Sep 2026

Sugary drinks stood out in this stomach cancer study, but diet drinks did not

In two large US prospective cohorts, consuming more than one sugar-sweetened beverage a day was associated with higher gastric cancer incidence compared with consuming less than one serving a month. Artificially sweetened beverages were not associated with gastric cancer incidence, and the authors called for further studies to confirm the findings and clarify possible biological mechanisms.

21 Sep 2026

Measles outbreaks may reveal more than gaps in vaccination

A commentary in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics argues that measles outbreaks can serve as a sensitive indicator of weaknesses in vaccination coverage, surveillance, health equity, community trust, and broader immunization systems. The authors contend that pursuing measles eradication could also strengthen routine immunization, laboratory capacity, outbreak preparedness, and health-system resilience.

21 Sep 2026

Why wanting alcohol may matter more than liking it

Researchers found that self-reported wanting was more strongly associated with drinking motives than liking, with the strongest links seen for coping motives and higher alcohol-use severity. The cross-sectional study of 446 adults also linked greater wanting, coping motives, and higher AUDIT scores with stronger intentions to quit or reduce drinking, but it could not establish cause or direction.

21 Sep 2026

Older adults with higher polyphenol intake were less likely to have mild cognitive impairment

In a cross-sectional study of 92 older Italian memory-clinic patients, higher habitual intake of total dietary (poly)phenols and several specific subclasses was associated with a lower likelihood of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Total (poly)phenol intake was not associated with cognitive test performance or circulating inflammatory biomarkers, and the authors cautioned that the small observational study cannot establish causality.

20 Sep 2026

Mifepristone offers effective emergency contraception with fewer side effects

Emergency contraception containing mifepristone prevents more pregnancies with fewer side effects than some other common emergency contraceptive pills such as levonorgestrel, according to a new Cochrane review involving 87 trials.

20 Sep 2026