Up to 60% of congenital and early-onset hearing loss is caused by genetic mutations in an inherited gene, and gene therapy has recently emerged as a potential treatment option. To provide a standardized framework for conducting safe, high-quality clinical trials, a group of international experts has put together guidelines on the administration of gene therapy for hereditary hearing loss. Publishing in the Cell Press journal Med on October 23, the guidelines highlight the need for patient-centered care and respect for the diversity of perspectives within the hearing loss community.  “Cochlear gene therapy ...

Coffee beans harvested from the faeces of the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) may have higher levels of fats and other key flavour-enhancing compounds than traditionally harvested beans. The results, published in Scientific Reports, may help explain why this type of coffee is so prized. Civet coffee, also known as kopi luwak, is one of the most expensive types of coffee in the world, and can sell for more than US $1,000 per kilogram of beans. The beans are harvested from the faecal matter of civets — usually Asian palm civets ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) use was associated with reduced risk of developing nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) but was not associated with progression to exudative AMD among individuals with nonexudative AMD. These findings may inform future randomized trials evaluating the ocular effects of GLP-1RAs in nondiabetic populations.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Benjamin K. Young, MD, MS, email youngbe@ohsu.edu. To access ...

About The Study: In this large cohort study, prenatal exposure to specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5) components and postnatal ozone (O3) exposure were associated with autism spectrum disorder risk. The second and third trimesters may represent sensitive exposure windows. These findings support further research on air pollution’s role in autism spectrum disorder etiology.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Eric Lavigne, PhD, email eric.lavigne@hc-sc.gc.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.38882) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, night light exposure was a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases among adults older than 40 years. These findings suggest that, in addition to current preventive measures, avoiding light at night may be a useful strategy for reducing risks of cardiovascular diseases.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Daniel P. Windred, PhD, email daniel.windred@flinders.edu.au. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.39031) Editor’s ...

A new study led by Flinders University has found that being exposed to bright light at night can significantly increase the chances of developing serious heart problems, including heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. Published in JAMA Network Open, the research is the largest study of its kind to explore how personal light exposure affects heart health using data from nearly 89,000 people in the UK. Using wrist-worn sensors, researchers from FHMRI Sleep Health tracked over 13 million hours of light exposure and followed participants for up to 9.5 years. The study found that people who were exposed to the brightest light at night were much more likely to develop ...

“These results indicate that PAI-1 is partly involved in aging-related sarcopenia and osteopenia in female mice, although the corresponding mechanisms remain unknown.” BUFFALO, NY — October 23, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 9 of Aging-US on September 11, 2025, titled “Roles of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in aging-related muscle and bone loss in mice.” In this study led by first author Takashi Ohira and corresponding author Hiroshi Kaji from Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, researchers found that female mice lacking the gene for plasminogen ...

Few actions in nature inspire more fear and fascination than snake bites. And the venomous reptiles have to move fast to sink their fangs into their prey before their victim flinches, which may be as little as 60 ms when hunting rodents. Until recently, video technology was not sufficiently sophisticated to capture the deathly manoeuvres in high definition, but recent improvements have made this possible, so Alistair Evans and Silke Cleuren from Monash University, Australia, decided to get to the heart of how venomous viper, ...

A new potential antibody therapy strategy which restricts the growth of treatment-resistant breast cancers has been developed by scientists. The King’s College London discovery, published today, could provide new treatment options for some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. This may be particularly important for patients whose cancers no longer respond to existing therapies, as well as those with triple-negative breast cancer – a subtype which lacks the receptors which are common drug targets, where treatment choices remain very limited. The team designed an antibody that not only attacks the tumour cells directly, but also harnesses the body’s own immune ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The discovery of a possible “super-Earth” less than 20 light-years from our own planet is offering scientists new hope in the hunt for other worlds that could harbor life, according to an international team including researchers from Penn State. They dubbed the exoplanet, named GJ 251 c, a “super-Earth” as data suggest it is almost four times as massive as the Earth, and likely to be rocky planet. "We look for these types of planets because they are our best chance at finding life elsewhere,” said Suvrath Mahadevan, the Verne M. Willaman Professor of Astronomy at Penn State and co-author ...

This study was led by Jinxiao Hou, Dr. Xiaolin Hou, and Dr. Yanyun Wang from the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The northern offshore region of the South China Sea hosts one of the highest densities of nuclear power plants along China’s coastline. By systematically collecting seawater samples throughout this area and applying the laboratory’s well-established ultra-trace analytical techniques for ¹²⁹I and ¹²⁷I, the team measured the concentration levels and spatial distributions of both isotopes. By integrating observed ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I atomic ...

Interventions designed to reduce loneliness can be effective, but do not yet offer a complete solution to what is becoming a worldwide public health problem, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.   “Loneliness is now widely acknowledged as a serious public health concern linked to depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease and even early mortality,” said lead author Mathias Lasgaard, PhD, of the Central Denmark Region and University of Southern Denmark. “Our findings provide strong evidence that interventions can make a difference, though their overall impact remains modest. Loneliness does not have a one-size-fits-all ...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 23, 2025) — A new study estimates that nearly one in five urinary tract infections in Southern California may be caused by E. coli strains transmitted through contaminated meat – and pose a hidden foodborne risk to millions of people not just in California but across the US. The research, published in mBio, also found that people living in low-income neighborhoods are at the greatest risk. “Urinary tract infections have long been considered a personal health issue, but our findings suggest that they are also a food safety problem,” said Lance B. Price, senior author of the ...

A study from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Sensing Institute (I-SENSE) at Florida Atlantic University reveals that foot-mounted wearable sensors and a 3D depth camera can accurately measure how people walk – even in busy clinical environments – offering a powerful and more accessible alternative to traditional gait assessment tools. Gait, the pattern of how a person walks, is an increasingly important marker of overall health, used in detecting fall risk, monitoring rehabilitation, and identifying ...

Quantum computers are computers that are much faster at performing some important types of computational tasks than many of today's machines. Sounds perfect, right? But for now, the building blocks that perform the calculations in the quantum computer, so-called quantum bits or "qubits", are too unstable to make quantum processors that are large enough to be really useful. "Quantum computers are completely dependent on qubits remaining stable in order to perform the special calculations they are designed for," says Jacob Benestad, who recently ...

LOS ANGELES — Liver disease is usually caused by one of three factors: alcohol consumption, fat buildup in the liver linked to obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol, or hepatitis B and C.   Now, a new study published in Liver International from Keck Medicine of USC reveals that tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a chemical used in dry cleaning and found in consumer products such as adhesives for arts and crafts, spot cleaners and stainless steel polish, may also be harmful to the liver.  Exposure to PCE was shown to triple the risk ...

DALLAS, Oct. 23, 2025 — Zainab Mahmoud, M.D., M.Sc., an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Zhao Zhang, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, will receive the inaugural Jack Sarver Prize in Clinical Science and Jack Sarver Prize in Basic Science, respectively, at the American Heart Association’ Scientific Sessions 2025. The meeting, to be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, in New Orleans, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular ...

Miami (October 23, 2025) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association announced today that two abstracts using Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry data were presented at CHEST 2025, held October 19-22, 2025, in Chicago. The abstracts are: “The Relationship Between Baseline Severity of Bronchiectasis and Incident Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Infection: findings from the U.S. Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry,” which examined whether increased bronchiectasis severity was associated with an increased risk of NTM ...

CLEVELAND—For decades, scientists have thought they understood the biochemical machinery that causes asthma—inflammation in the lungs that constricts airways and makes it hard to breathe. Molecules called “leukotrienes”—chemicals that get released from white blood cells when something irritates your airways or you inhale an allergen—were labeled the culprits. Medications have been developed to block the molecular cascade they initiate that leads to difficulty breathing. But ...

Nursing education is not only about clinical skills. It also shapes the values, attitudes, and sense of responsibility of those who provide care. In Japan, most nursing programs follow government-prescribed curricula that emphasize qualifications, leaving limited space for universities to articulate their own missions. Catholic universities, however, stand apart. Their nursing faculties embed spiritual and ethical perspectives, placing compassion, dignity, and service at the heart of the profession.   A study led by Professor Naoko Tsukamoto with Ms. Aya Watanabe, Ms. Yoko Takiguchi, and Ms. Yukiko Katagiri from Sophia University’s ...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition in which the kidneys gradually lose their ability to filter waste from the blood. It is a common health concern that affects an estimated 8–16% of the global population, particularly among older adults. CKD can arise from various causes, including glomerulonephritis, a group of diseases that damage the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units within the kidneys.   Now, researchers from Chiba University have identified a molecule called C-C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) as a key player in ...

Problems with the brain’s waste clearance system could underlie many cases of dementia and help explain why poor sleep patterns and cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure increase the risk of dementia. A study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge found that impaired movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) – the clear liquid that cushions and cleans the brain – predicted risk of dementia later in life among 40,000 adults recruited to the UK Biobank. Their findings are published today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. In the healthy ...

Ghent, 23 October 2025 – A mutation previously linked to skin disorders like psoriasis may also play a surprising role in gut health, according to new research published by scientists at VIB-UGent and colleagues from UGent, the University of Barcelona, and University College London. This mutation activates skin immune responses but also affects the intestine. This finding, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, reveals a new connection between genetics, the immune system, and the gut, which may have therapeutical implications.   Scientists under the leadership of Dr. Inna ...

A test deployed in many fertility clinics to assess the viability of embryos for use in IVF is likely to overestimate the number of embryos with abnormalities, suggests a study published today. Using a new technique for imaging embryos in real time, a team led by scientists at the Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, showed that abnormalities can arise at a later stage of embryo development than previously thought. This means that the tests used in some clinics may be finding errors in cells that will go on to develop into the placenta – and abnormalities in placental cells are less likely to affect the health of the fetus. When an egg has been ...

Alzheimer’s disease is notorious for scrambling patients’ daily rhythms. Restless nights with little sleep and increased napping during the day are early indicators of disease onset, while sundowning, or confusion later in the day, is typical for later stages of the disease. These symptoms suggest a link between the progression of the disease and the circadian system — the body’s internal clock that controls our sleep and wake cycle — but scientists did not know the full nature of the connection. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis ...