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Adopted children face unequal access to health coverage based on adoption type

People in America adopt hundreds of thousands of children every year, but not all of them receive health insurance once adopted into their second home. A study by University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health, out today in Health Affairs, reveals major differences in coverage depending on adoption type (domestic or international) and citizenship status of the adoptive parent.

4 Aug 2025

New analgesic shows promise as opioid alternative

Opioids like morphine are widely used in medical practice due to their powerful pain-relieving effects. However, they carry the risk of serious adverse effects such as respiratory depression and drug dependence.

4 Aug 2025

Preterm birth shown to impact health decades later

The stress preterm infants experience at birth can carry on throughout a lifetime and cause negative health impacts later in life, necessitating the routine inclusion of birth history in medical records and the development of clinical guidelines for adults born preterm, the longest continuously running study of individuals born preterm in the United States has shown.

4 Aug 2025

Sleep strengthens motor learning through targeted brain rhythms

When faced with difficult tasks, sometimes people hit a mental wall and make the decision to "sleep on it." Returning to the task after sleeping, they often perform better. Why? Rhythmic brain activity during sleep transforms task-related information into stronger, longer-term memory.

4 Aug 2025

Targeted botox delivery shows promise for treating jaw disorder

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) limits jaw function and is so painful that it lessens the quality of life.

4 Aug 2025

Mouth and gut microbes talk to each other - here’s why it matters for disease

Researchers reviewed nearly 250 studies to uncover how the oral and gut microbiomes communicate through multiple pathways, influencing the risk of diseases such as IBD, colorectal cancer, and cardiovascular disorders. The review highlights that maintaining oral health and dietary habits is crucial for overall systemic wellbeing.

4 Aug 2025

Scientists reveal how rare gene mutations drive schizophrenia risk

Researchers analyzed the largest exome-sequencing dataset to date and identified new rare coding variants and genes linked to schizophrenia risk. The study highlights converging genetic pathways, implicating chromatin organization and GABAergic signaling in schizophrenia neurobiology.

4 Aug 2025

Impulsivity shapes diet and gut bacteria in healthy adults, study finds

Impulsivity in healthy adults is linked to unhealthy dietary choices, such as higher intake of alcohol and sugary drinks and lower fiber consumption. These dietary behaviors, in turn, are associated with changes in specific gut bacterial genera, highlighting an indirect pathway between personality traits and the gut microbiome.

4 Aug 2025

HIV trial points to semaglutide as a new anti-aging contender

Once-weekly semaglutide significantly slowed epigenetic aging in adults with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, as measured by multiple DNA methylation clocks in a randomized controlled trial. These exploratory findings suggest GLP-1 receptor agonists could impact biological aging but require further validation in broader populations.

4 Aug 2025

UCLA study shows stem cells can be reprogrammed to fight cancer

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, UCLA scientists have shown it's possible to reprogram a patient's blood-forming stem cells to generate a continuous supply of functional T cells, the immune system's most powerful cancer-killing agents.

4 Aug 2025

Double lung transplant patient completes 32-mile Manhattan walk

Just one year after receiving a lifesaving double lung transplant, a 58-year-old Cobble Hill resident accompanied and encouraged by his care team from Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn met his personal goal of completing "The Great Saunter," a one-day, 32-mile walk tracing the perimeter of Manhattan that is organized by the nonprofit environmental group Shorewalkers.

4 Aug 2025

Weight loss doubles when eating minimally processed foods over ultra-processed alternatives

When given nutritionally matched diets, participants lost twice as much weight eating minimally processed foods compared to ultra-processed foods, suggesting that cutting down on processing could help to sustain a healthy weight long term, finds a new clinical trial led by researchers at UCL and UCLH.

4 Aug 2025

New treatment shows greater success in reducing binge eating among veterans

Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that a novel treatment called regulation of cues combined with behavioral weight loss (ROC+BWL) was more effective than standard cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing binge eating among veterans with overweight or obesity.

4 Aug 2025

Long-term care communities can boost social engagement in older adults

A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus finds that older adults become more socially active after moving into long-term care communities like nursing homes or assisted living facilities but we might not all benefit equally.

4 Aug 2025

Programmable Chromosome Engineering systems enable precise DNA manipulations

A team of Chinese researchers led by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed two new genome editing technologies, known collectively as Programmable Chromosome Engineering (PCE) systems.

4 Aug 2025

Cognitive shift explains children’s growing understanding of emotions

Why do young children often miss the emotions behind adult expressions? A pioneering study led by researcher Xie Wanze from Peking University's School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, in collaboration with professor Seth Pollak from the University of Wisconsin, reveals that the answer lies in a cognitive shift.

4 Aug 2025