Research Highlights: Adults in rural villages in China who participated in the Healthy Family Program, a family-based intervention that involved regular blood pressure monitoring, the use of low-sodium salt substitutes and educational sessions on healthy lifestyle habits, achieved an average of 10 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure compared to adults who did not participate in the program. Six months after the program ended, the average systolic blood pressure for people who lived in participating villages remained 3.7 mm Hg lower compared to people who did not participate in the program, suggesting that they maintained the healthy habits they ...

Research Highlights: Two P2Y12 inhibitors often used interchangeably, ticagrelor and prasugrel (antiplatelet medications prescribed to prevent the formation of blood clots), had different impacts on outcomes in patients with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who had undergone stent placement, a procedure done to keep an artery open, and free of clots or a blockage. While both medications help prevent platelets from clumping together and forming a clot in a stent, the study showed they may not offer the same level of benefits in the patients studied. The ...

Research Highlights: Chest pain may still be angina even when the main heart arteries look clear. Using cardiac stress MRI (a heart scan that measures blood flow with magnetic resonance imaging), testing uncovered small vessel problems in about half of participants in a study of people who had prior coronary angiography that indicated no obstructive coronary artery disease. A cardiac stress MRI led to more people being correctly diagnosed with microvascular angina and to major improvements in chest pain and quality of life after six months to one year. Note: The study featured ...

Research Highlights: Among patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), those taking a “polypill” combination of three medications typically prescribed for heart failure, once daily for six months, had improved heart function and symptoms, better quality of life, fewer hospitalizations and greater medication adherence in comparison to those who took the same medications as separate pills. This is the first study to evaluate a polypill strategy in people with HFrEF, focused on improving medication adherence and simplifying treatment. The people who took the polypill, when compared to the those who took the medications in separate pills, had increased heart ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track Designation to a new drug combination for metastatic colorectal cancer, following encouraging results from a clinical trial led in part by the University of Oklahoma Health Stephenson Cancer Center. The treatment offers potential hope for patients whose tumors lack a key DNA repair protein called ATM. The drug combination pairs alnodesertib, a targeted therapy that blocks cancer cells’ ability to repair DNA damage, and a low dose of irinotecan, a chemotherapy drug that causes that damage. Together, the drugs exploit a weakness in cancer cells that are already deficient in the ATM protein. In ...

Research Highlights: The cholesterol-lowering medication alirocumab, a PCSK9 inhibitor, along with a statin, lowered LDL cholesterol levels more than 50% in patients after a heart transplant, compared to those taking a placebo plus statin, according to the results of a new clinical trial. Researchers found alirocumab did not reduce the risk of developing cardiac allograft vasculopathy, a progressive coronary artery disease that occurs after a heart transplant. Note: This trial is simultaneously published today as a full manuscript in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Circulation. Embargoed until 10:00 a.m. CT/11:00 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025 NEW ORLEANS, Nov. ...

Research Highlights: Among 150 adults who had been recently hospitalized for heart failure, those who received deliveries of prepared meals or fresh produce along with dietary counseling reported improved quality of life compared to adults who only received dietary guidance without food delivery. There were no differences in the number of hospital readmissions or emergency department visits for heart failure between participants who received food delivery compared to those who did not. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings are ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 10 November 2025    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin              Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they ...

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia, affects nearly 40 million individuals globally, resulting in a gradual loss of memory and independence. Despite extensive research over the past decades, no treatments have been found that can halt or reverse the progression of this devastating disease. In AD, a major contributor to neuronal dysfunction is the protein tau. Tau typically plays a crucial role in keeping the internal structure of neurons stable, much like train tracks help trains stay on course. However, in some diseases, tau undergoes abnormal modifications and ...

You are having dinner with friends, and the conversation is lively. Do your hands join the chat, or do they stay focused on your knife and fork?  New research from Duke’s Department of Psychology & Neuroscience shows that gesture is not merely a matter of individual style or habit, but a reflection of cultural expression tied to racial identity.   The research also suggests that mismatched expectations about gesture may influence the dynamics of interracial communication.    “The biggest takeaway is we all clearly communicate in very different ways,” said Gaither, Nicholas J. and Theresa M. Leonardy Associate Professor ...

When scientists compared what California sea lions eat in the Channel Islands (U.S.) and the Gulf of California (Mexico), they expected to find a clear explanation for why populations were booming in California but shrinking in Mexico. Instead, they found something more complicated. The study found that what sea lions eat may matter less than where they live. Despite large regional differences in population trends, the study found that the overall energy value of sea lion diets in the Gulf of California ...

SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 10, 2025 – A simple blood test for platelet activity at middle age could one day help identify people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease decades ahead of time, allowing for possible preventive therapy. The blood-clotting process in vascular dysfunction is linked to key markers of Alzheimer’s as early as midlife, a study co-led by researchers at The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of The University of Texas at San Antonio, and the New York University Grossman School of Medicine shows. Vascular dysfunction refers to a condition ...

Research Highlights: A one-month course of dual clot-preventing therapy followed by a single clot-prevention medication for the remainder of the standard 12-month regimen in adults with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who received a coronary stent was as effective as one year of continuous dual therapy for preventing stroke, heart attack and death. Participants treated with the one-month regimen experienced fewer bleeding problems than those in the year-long dual-treatment group. This is the first study to suggest the one-month strategy is as safe and effective as the standard year-long regimen of dual clot-preventing therapy for people with AFib treated with a stent. Note: ...

Research Highlights: Successful catheter ablation resulted in a low risk of stroke associated with atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heart rhythm, according to an international study. Researchers said these findings may suggest that ongoing blood-thinning medication may not be needed after an ablation procedure. While catheter ablation is known to reduce the occurrence of AFib, it’s been unclear if it also reduces the increased stroke risk associated with the AFib.  Note: This ...

Research Highlights: Earlier blood transfusion after major surgery – when hemoglobin was below 10 g/dL rather than beow 7 g/dl - did not affect the risk of severe complications, such as death, heart attack, need for a heart procedure, kidney failure or stroke. However, the timing of the blood transfusion may be associated with a lower risk of irregular heartbeat and heart failure among people with heart disease, according to a new study of U.S. military veterans. Note: This trial is simultaneously published today as a full manuscript in the peer-reviewed scientific journal JAMA. Embargoed ...

Texas Tech University researchers have received grant funding totaling roughly $12.25 million over five years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore infrastructure necessary for large-scale computing that uses multiple energy sources. The REmotely-managed Power-Aware Computing Systems and Services (REPACSS) project will build an advanced system prototype and develop and test tools for automation, remote data control, and scientific workflow management. REPACSS will be housed at the ...

Research Highlights: Adults with atrial fibrillation and obesity/overweight (but no diabetes) who took the diabetes medication metformin after a rhythm correction procedure were more likely to stay free of AFib episodes for a year. Weight loss was not thought to be the main reason metformin helped, since there was only a modest weight change among those taking the medication. Future studies may compare the impact of metformin with other diabetes medications in treating adults with obesity and AFib.  Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not ...

DALLAS, Nov. 10, 2025 — Despite major advances in care, nearly half of U.S. adults live with some form of cardiovascular disease or stroke, according to the American Heart Association®, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. To close this gap, innovative health solutions must reach people where they live, work and play. At its Scientific Sessions 2025, the Association recognized two pioneering companies whose health technologies could help do just that. Houston-based PolyVascular was named the overall winner of the American Heart Association’s annual Health Tech Competition, earning top honors in the business category. ...

Research Highlights: During the 6 months after treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm, adults with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who were randomly assigned to drink coffee every day were 39% less likely to have a recurrence of AFib compared to participants assigned to not have any coffee or other caffeinated drinks. The results of the 200-person trial may challenge the common belief that caffeine may spur more abnormal heart rhythms such as AFib. Researchers say it is reasonable for health care professionals to let their AFib patients try naturally caffeinated drinks ...

Research Highlights: Adults with heart disease prescribed vitamin D in doses tailored to reach blood levels considered optimal for heart health (>40-80 ng/mL) had a reduced risk of heart attack by more than half (52%) compared to those who did not receive monitoring of vitamin D levels. 85% of all study participants had vitamin D levels below 40 ng/mL at enrollment, and nearly 52% of people in the treatment group needed to take more than 5,000 IU of vitamin D each day (more than six times the 800 IU daily value established by the FDA) to reach target blood ...

A team led by University of Pittsburgh’s Graham Hatfull has developed a method to construct bacteriophages with entirely synthetic genetic material, allowing researchers to add and subtract genes at will. The findings open the field to new pathways for understanding how these bacteria-killing viruses work, and for potential therapy of bacterial infections. As phages’ secrets are revealed, researchers will be able to engineer them with genomes tailor-made to attack specific bacteria, leading to new ways to combat the worsening problem of antibacterial resistance.  Contact ...

Research Highlights: For people who have experienced a heart attack or stroke, or who are at high risk of one and need further cholesterol lowering, a new daily pill may be a more convenient yet similarly effective option to injectable therapies. The oral medication, enlicitide, lowered LDL cholesterol by up to 60% and could eventually offer an option for people whose LDL levels remain above goal despite lifestyle changes and standard cholesterol medications like statins. A longer, ongoing cardiovascular outcomes study will examine whether enlicitide can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. Note: The study featured ...

Nancy Brady has been gratified to see the tool she and colleagues pioneered over a decade ago to measure the growth of infants’ pre-speech communication skills translated into several languages and referenced in more than 100 research papers, including a åçnew one published in the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. Brady, a professor in the University of Kansas Department of Speech-Lanuage-Hearing: Sciences & Disorders, and her now-former graduate student Olivia Boorom were among the co-authors of a new paper ...

Research Highlights: Standard care, which included medication for those eligible, was better than a promising minimally invasive procedure for people with irregular heart rhythms who had high stroke and bleeding risk. The procedure seals off a small pouch of heart tissue, where most blood clots form in people with irregular heartbeat. However, in older people, standard care, including the use of blood thinners when indicated, did a better job at prevention of stroke, blood clots, cardiovascular or unexplained death ...

Cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, are found almost everywhere in the world—from hot springs to arctic ice to antioxidant smoothies. Part of their extreme adaptability lies within a unique light-harvesting structure called the phycobilisome. These modular antennae both collect energy from sunlight, and adapt to changing light levels in order to provide a sort of sunscreen for the bacteria.  One important way that phycobilisomes adapt involves an accessory protein to both sense and protect against too much light. ...