Medicare drug plans are increasingly excluding coverage of new specialty drugs that treat complex conditions like cancers and autoimmune diseases. New research from the USC Schaeffer Center shows how these barriers may come at a cost to patients’ health. In a large study of Medicare beneficiaries with multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers found those in plans with broader coverage of MS treatments had significantly lower risk of developing new or worsening symptoms months later. The findings, published Aug. 1 in JAMA Network Open, suggest that plans with narrower coverage of MS treatments may be linked to worse health ...

A new paper published today in Cell highlights how researchers have leveraged AI-based computational protein design to create a novel synthetic ligand that activates the Notch signaling pathway, a key driver in T-cell development and function. These so-called soluble Notch agonists can be broadly applied to optimize clinical T-cell production and advance immunotherapy development. Notch signaling is central to many cellular differentiation processes and is essential in transforming human immune cells into T-cells that target ...

About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that when adolescents had their phones at school, they spent nearly an hour per school day on smartphones, with most of this time on social media. The results extend prior work indicating that smartphone use during instructional hours, especially social-specific use, is not trivial. These results also highlight developmental differences, with younger adolescents using smartphones and social media less than older adolescents. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Scott H. Kollins, Ph.D., email scott@aura.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi: ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional analysis, negative patient experiences frequently centered on quality of communication and administrative issues. Negative feedback centered on unmet expectations, whereas positive reviews emphasized supportive staff interactions. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Neil K.R. Sehgal, M.E., email neilsehgal99@gmail.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.24505) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional ...

The earliest warning signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) may emerge more than a decade before the first classical neurological symptoms occur, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. Published today in JAMA Network Open, the study analyzed the health records of more than 12,000 people in British Columbia and found that those with MS began using healthcare services at elevated rates 15 years before their first MS symptoms appear. The findings challenge long-held assumptions about when the disease truly begins, offering the most comprehensive ...

A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool could make it much easier—and cheaper—for doctors and researchers to train medical imaging software, even when only a small number of patient scans are available. The AI tool improves upon a process called medical image segmentation, where every pixel in an image is labeled based on what it represents—cancerous or normal tissue, for example. This process is often performed by a highly trained expert, and deep learning has shown promise in automating this labor-intensive task. The big challenge is that deep learning-based ...

The University of Copenhagen is excited to announce XPRIZE Healthspan as Tier 5 Sponsor of the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the world's largest conference on aging research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online. ARDD has grown to become the largest and most important conference in longevity biotechnology. Each year, ARDD brings together a unique mix of academic luminaries, biotech innovators, investors, top pharmaceutical executives, physicians, and related health care professionals to discuss ...

The University of Copenhagen is excited to announce Immortal Dragons as Tier 4 Sponsor of the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the world's largest conference on aging research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online. Immortal Dragons is a purpose-driven longevity fund headquartered in Singapore, supporting 15+ portfolio companies in longevity and radical life extension technologies. Immortal Dragons values impact rather than economic return, supporting moonshot longevity startups in radical life extension, key areas include: Wholebody replacement, ...

About The Article: The rise in chatbot health advice studies is accompanied by heterogeneity in reporting standards, impacting their interpretability. This article provides reporting recommendations for studies evaluating the performance of generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven chatbots when summarizing clinical evidence and providing health advice. This article is being published jointly in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Annals of Family Medicine, BJS, BMC Medicine, BMJ Medicine, JAMA Network Open, The Lancet, NEJM-AI, and Surgical Endoscopy.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding ...

The University of Copenhagen is excited to announce Mitra Bio as Tier 3 Sponsor of the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the world's largest conference on aging research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online.   “ARDD sits at the intersection of frontier longevity science and real-world impact—exactly where Mitra Bio wants to be,” said Shakiba Kaveh, PhD, co-founder & CEO of Mitra Bio. “By sponsoring this year’s meeting, we hope to support the longevity science community and share our insights ...

Terrestrial plants drove an increase in global photosynthesis between 2003 and 2021, a trend partially offset by a weak decline in photosynthesis — the process of using sunlight to make food — among marine algae, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change on Aug. 1. The findings could inform planetary health assessments, enhance ecosystem management, and guide climate change projections and mitigation strategies. Photosynthetic organisms — also known as primary producers — form the base of the food chain, making most life on Earth possible. Using ...

A two-drug combination for treating advanced kidney cancer had sustained and durable clinical benefit in more than five years of follow-up, according to a study published Aug. 1 in Nature Medicine. The study reports final clinical data and biomarker analyses from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-426 trial, which compared the drug combination pembrolizumab plus axitinib versus the single drug sunitinib for patients with previously untreated advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer. “KEYNOTE-426 was the first trial to combine a PD-1 ...

A new study led by researchers at the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) has found that antimicrobial resistant bacteria is spreading rapidly among children being treated for severe malnutrition in a hospital facility in Niger. The findings have been published today (1 August) in Nature Communications Globally 45 million children under the age of five are estimated to be severely malnourished. These children are also at a higher risk of developing life-threatening infections such as tuberculosis or sepsis due to their weakened immune systems. Working with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), researchers analysed over 3,000 ...

Most U.S. households could reduce their electricity costs and endure power outages by installing rooftop solar panels and battery packs, according to a new Stanford University study, though people may need to buy the equipment by Dec. 31. About 60% of families could reduce their electricity costs by 15% on average by installing a solar-battery system. That’s after accounting for annualized capital and operating costs of the equipment. Some 63% of U.S households could also weather local or regional blackouts with such systems, able to meet about half their electricity needs on average. These households would either save money on electricity or ...

AI-based medicine will revolutionise care including for Alzheimer’s and diabetes, predicts a technology expert, but it must be accessible to all patients. Healing with Artificial Intelligence, written by technology expert Daniele Caligiore, uses the latest science research to highlight key innovations assisted by AI such as diagnostic imaging and surgical robots. From exoskeletons that help spinal injury patients walk to algorithms that can predict the onset of dementia years in advance, Caligiore explores what he describes as a ‘revolution’ ...

Intestinal bacteria are important for human health as they help digest food and regulate immune function. Thus, in recent years, it has become clear that gut microbiota dysbiosis, an imbalance in types and composition of intestinal bacteria, is associated with digestive disorders and other diseases. However, the mechanism by which bacteria interact in the intestine to maintain the microbiota balance remains unclear. A research group led by Associate Professor Koji Hosomi at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Veterinary Science studied two bacteria: Fusobacterium varium (F. varium), an oral and intestinal bacterium linked to inflammation and colon ...

Hearing loss is the most common form of sensory disability. Approximately 1.6 billion people around the world currently live with from some degree of hearing loss, and the WHO has forecast that this number will rise to 2.5 billion by 2050. People with hearing loss tend to experience more stress and anxiety at school or work, and as a result take more days off sick. The annual global cost of unaddressed hearing loss may run to $1 trillion. Now, a long-term observational study has found that young adults with hearing difficulties in the US have less educational ...

Dr. Jung-Dae Kwon's research team at the Energy & Environmental Materials Research Division of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Chul-Jin Choi) has successfully developed an amorphous silicon optoelectronic device with minimal defects, even using a low-temperature process at 90°C. Notably, the team overcame the limitations of high-temperature processing by precisely controlling the hydrogen dilution ratio—the ratio of hydrogen to silane (SiH₄) gas—enabling the fabrication of high-performance ...

Trigger warnings may not help students feel more supported, but safe space messages do. A new study found that being told they were in a ‘safe space’ made students feel more comfortable, trusting, and positive toward the person delivering them. Researchers from Flinders University and collaborators in the United States studied the responses of 738 U.S based university students. Each student watched a short trauma-related lecture introduced by an instructor with either a trigger warning, a safe space message, both, or neither. Students ...

A synthetic opioid 1000 times more potent than morphine is infiltrating the street drug trade in Adelaide, Australia, sparking fears of a wave of overdoses that could be lethal. In the first study of its kind in South Australia, University of South Australia researchers have detected traces of nitazene in samples of discarded injecting equipment, plastic bags, vials and filters from public disposal bins at local needle and syringe program sites. Their findings are published today in the Drug & Alcohol Review. Using highly sensitive ...

Researchers from RMIT University have developed a wearable wound monitoring device with integrated sensors that could reduce infection risks by minimising the need for frequent physical contact. Standard methods require regular removal of wound dressings for assessments, often delaying crucial interventions, whereas this invention monitors healing remotely via a Bluetooth connection. The proof-of-concept device is designed for reuse, making it more cost-effective and practical than disposable smart bandages ...

A new study by Bournemouth University (BU) and University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) has revealed the benefits of spinning for patients with hip osteoarthritis. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and will be published in Lancet Rheumatology at 23:30 UK time on Thursday 31st July 2025.  Participants within the study who took part in the weekly cycling and education sessions reported better recovery outcomes compared to participants who undertook regular physiotherapy. The results reveal that better outcomes for patients can be achieved in a group setting using the cycling and ...

LA JOLLA (July 31, 2025)—Proteins sustain life as we know it, serving many important structural and functional roles throughout the body. But these large molecules have cast a long shadow over a smaller subclass of proteins called microproteins. Microproteins have been lost in the 99% of DNA disregarded as “noncoding”—hiding in vast, dark stretches of unexplored genetic code. But despite being small and elusive, their impact may be just as big as larger proteins. Salk Institute scientists are now exploring the mysterious dark side of the genome in search of microproteins. With their new tool ShortStop, researchers ...

Researchers at The City College of New York have linked chemotherapy treatment to lasting cognitive changes in rats – potentially shading light, for the first time, on cognitive problems some cancer survivors experience long after treatment ends. Entitled “Chemotherapy treatment alters DNA methylation patterns in the prefrontal cortex of female rat brain,” the study appears in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports. “Our study explored how chemotherapy affects the brain at the molecular level using an animal ...

Heart attacks remain a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The permanent loss of heart muscle cells—known as cardiomyocytes—and the heart’s limited regenerative capacity often led to chronic heart failure. Current treatment strategies manage symptoms but do not repair the underlying damage. Now, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have identified a new strategy that may help repair damaged heart tissue by reactivating an important developmental gene. In a study published in Theranostics, a multidisciplinary team led by Raj Kishore, PhD, Laura H. Carnell Professor, Vera J. Goodfriend ...