Background and Goal:  Although body mass index (BMI) is widely used in clinics as the standard measure of body composition, it can potentially misclassify muscular individuals as overweight and miss cases of "normal-weight obesity," masking serious metabolic and heart disease risks. This study examined BMI vs body fat percentage for 15-year mortality risk among adults aged 20-49 years. Study Approach: Researchers from the University of Florida analyzed data from 4,252 participants in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition ...

Background and Goal: Clinical integration involves coordinating ongoing health care services across health professionals, facilities, and support systems to meet patient care needs. Researchers aimed to map out barriers and facilitators perceived by family physicians in clinical integration to guide future intervention development.  Study Approach: Researchers examined systematic review studies published from 2010 to 2022. Researchers adopted a “best-fit framework approach” to organize findings into themes and subthemes. They then validated the framework with another 21 reviews published between 2022 and 2024.  Main Results: ...

Primary care is often the first or only contact point for human trafficking survivors. In the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, professionals from the health, social services, and justice sectors collaborated to adapt and translate the U.S.-based HEAL Trafficking Protocol Toolkit to the Brazilian context. The toolkit equips health care professionals with the knowledge and tools to identify, and respond to, potential victims of human trafficking in a trauma-informed and patient-centered manner. Since September 2023, the Brazilian Protocol Toolkit page on the HEAL website has received ...

Background and Goal: The Enhanced Primary Care Diabetes (EPCD) model is a nurse-led care delivery model that leverages multidisciplinary support to improve diabetes care quality in primary care settings. This study assessed whether patients of different racial and ethnic groups benefited equally. Study Approach: The authors reviewed health records for 1,749 adults aged 18 to 75 years from 13 family medicine and internal medicine practices in Mayo Clinic Rochester who joined the EPCD program from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020. They ...

Editorial Background: This editorial reviews Decker et al’s study of more than 100,000 veterans experiencing homelessness who were overdue for colorectal or breast cancer screening. About 57,000 secured housing during a 24-month window and were more than twice as likely to get screened after doing so.  Editorial Stance: The author calls the findings from Decker et al a “rare, measurable improvement” in care for people who have experienced homelessness. Although causality cannot be claimed from this observational work, the author praises the ...

Background and Goal: This study explores the geographic distribution of family physicians providing maternity care and identifies opportunities for family physicians to expand access to maternity care.  Study Approach: The study merged county-level counts of OB-GYNs, certified nurse-midwives, and hospitals offering obstetric services from the 2021–2022 HRSA Area Health Resource File with 2013–2021 American Board of Family Medicine data on family physicians who reported delivering babies.  Researchers used ...

Editorial Veterans Experiencing Homelessness Who Secure Housing More Likely to Get Cancer Health Screenings Background: This editorial reviews Decker et al’s study of more than 100,000 veterans experiencing homelessness who were overdue for colorectal or breast cancer screening. About 57,000 secured housing during a 24-month window and were more than twice as likely to get screened after doing so.  Editorial Stance: The author calls the findings from Decker et al a “rare, measurable improvement” in care for ...

As technology advances, photonic systems are gaining ground over traditional electronics, using light to transmit and process information more efficiently. One such optical system is laser beam scanning (LBS), where laser beams are rapidly steered to scan, sense, or display information. This technology is used in applications ranging from barcode scanners at grocery stores to laser projectors in light shows. To process a wider range of signals or enable full-color output, these systems utilize multiplexers that merge the red, green, and blue (RGB) laser beams into a single beam. Traditionally, this was achieved ...

Florida’s Avon Park bombing range is teeming with life. Over 40 at-risk species occupy this 106,000-acre expanse used by the U.S. Air Force for training exercises.  Conservation biologists from Michigan State University are using the range to test something other than weapons: innovative strategies to save threatened species.  Using decades’ worth of monitoring data, researchers are looking back through time to understand the outcome of interventions designed to rescue a population of imperiled red-cockaded woodpeckers.  What they’ve found is a promising story of success.   Their results, published ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new study, scientists used nearly every tool in their toolkit — genomics, transcriptomics, greenhouse experiments and advanced statistical methods — to gain new insight into the complex chemical interactions that take place in underground root nodules, where legumes like soybeans exchange vital nutrients with soil microbes called rhizobia. Reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, their study identified clusters of rhizobial genes that appear to move rapidly through bacterial populations and drive greater plant biomass ...

Embargo 28 July 2025 20:00 UK / 15:00 US Eastern Times Peer-reviewed / Experimental / Insects   REMAPPING THE EVOLUTIONARY TREE OF BUTTERFLIES   Some butterflies can smell others of the same species, allowing them to identify each other in areas where multiple species all look the same, new research finds. A large international team has genetically mapped glasswing butterflies found across Central and South America, rewriting the evolutionary tree and highlighting six new species. The ...

Two new studies find that leaders are less likely to empower followers who raise concerns about workplace decisions, even though these “challenging voice” employees play a critical role in highlighting problems and identifying solutions. The studies also outline what drives these decisions. “We know that employee performance improves and employee turnover declines when employees are empowered – that’s good,” says Bradley Kirkman, co-author of a paper on the two studies. “We also know that having employees who use challenging voice are also beneficial to the bottom line – because ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Living within miles of the ocean breeze may be linked to a longer life, but you shouldn’t count on the same benefits if you live in a riverside city, suggests a recent study. Researchers from The Ohio State University analyzed population data — including life expectancy — in more than 66,000 census tracts throughout the U.S. and compared it based on proximity to waterways. Their study was published online in the journal Environmental Research. A correlation between longer life expectancy and water was clear for those who live within about 30 miles of an ocean or gulf. But for those who live in urban settings and near an inland ...

Key Takeaways Among 3 million surgical patients, 0.5% developed alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), with 0.2% experiencing severe delirium tremens (DT).  AWS was associated with a 37% higher risk of complications, including respiratory failure and sepsis, and a 40% increased mortality risk if DT occurred. Hospital stays were 5 days longer, and costs rose by $10,000 per patient with AWS, totaling $165 million in excess costs nationwide.  CHICAGO — Patients who develop alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) after major surgery face significantly higher risks of complications, longer hospital stays, and increased health care costs, ...

About The Study: This randomized clinical trial found that among older adults at risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a structured, higher-intensity intervention of regular moderate-to-high-intensity physical exercise, adherence to the MIND diet, cognitive challenge and social engagement, and cardiovascular health monitoring had a statistically significant greater benefit on global cognition compared with an unstructured, self-guided intervention. Known as the US Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle ...

Detecting early rising Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms could improve treatment outcomes by enabling earlier treatment interventions. In a new eNeuro paper, Daniil Berezhnoi, from Georgetown University, and colleagues used machine learning technology to detect subtle, early rising behavioral changes in mouse models of PD. The researchers also evaluated whether Levodopa, the primary approved treatment for PD, can effectively treat these symptoms.  Berezhnoi et al. used a previously developed motion sequencing platform to evaluate movements of different ...

Previous expectations can influence how much pain people eventually feel. These expectations can be shaped by external cues or by verbal information from clinicians about how treatments might relieve pain. Led by Lauren Atlas, researchers from the National Institute of Health explored if and how distinct ways of shaping expectations differentially influence physically hurtful experiences.  In their JNeurosci paper, the researchers present their findings from 40 healthy volunteers who rated how hurt they were following painful ...

A groundbreaking international study, recently published in Health Data Science, analyzed objective sleep data from 88,461 adults in the UK Biobank and found significant associations between sleep traits and 172 diseases. The research, led by teams from Peking University and Army Medical University, highlights sleep regularity—such as bedtime consistency and circadian rhythm stability—as an underrecognized but critical factor in disease risk. Using actigraphy data over an average of 6.8 years, researchers identified that 92 diseases had over 20% of their risk attributable to poor sleep behavior. Notably, irregular ...

CHICAGO — Today at ADLM 2025 (formerly the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo), researchers will unveil a blood test developed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) that identifies Lyme disease sooner and more accurately than the current standard — and that could translate to vastly improved patient outcomes. A second study highlights how certain generative AI tools can empower adolescents by helping them to gather useful medical information. Together, these findings spotlight the potential of AI to make a profound, positive difference in people’s ...

Immune-inflammatory skin diseases (e.g., psoriasis, atopic dermatitis) involve dysregulation of CD4+ T-cell subsets (Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg) and cytokine networks (IL-17/IL-23/IL-4). Biologics targeting specific pathways—TNF-α, IL-17, IL-12/23, IL-4/13, PD-1/PD-L1—revolutionize treatment but trigger immune drift, shifting CD4+ T-cell polarization and causing adverse skin reactions. This review synthesizes mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and management strategies. Mechanisms of Immune Drift by Biologic Class (Summarized in Table 1) 1. TNF-α Inhibitors (Etanercept, Infliximab, Adalimumab) Mechanism: Blocking ...

Simple technology that harnesses ultraviolet light to ‘zap’ airborne viruses has been shown to significantly lower the number of respiratory infections in aged care facilities, paving the way for smarter infection control. Adapted by scientists from Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute  (FHMRI) and SAHMRI, the technology is based on using germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) appliances which purify the air with UV-C light rays and deactivate harmful micro-organisms like viruses and bacteria. The new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine trialled commercially-available GUV appliances in aged care facilities ...

Researchers at the University of Tokyo explored how female body odor can influence behaviors in men. They found certain scent compounds in female body odor increased during ovulation and can subtly influence how men feel. When these scents were added to armpit odor samples, men rated them as more pleasant and faces associated with the samples as more attractive. The scents also seemed to reduce stress. The team states this is not evidence of pheromones in humans, but that smell might subtly shape how we people interact. While they’re a common staple of pop culture, especially in romantic comedies, pheromones, behavior-altering ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 16:00 UK TIME (11:00 AM ET) ON MONDAY 28 JULY 2025 New insights could help phages defeat antibiotic resistant bacteria Researchers at the University of Southampton have worked out how bacteria defend themselves against viruses called phages and the new insights could be key to tackling antibiotic resistance. Phages are seen as a promising alternative treatment to antibiotics. Unpicking how bacteria protect themselves, and how phages might overcome these defences, could be a significant step in defeating antibiotic resistant bacteria. Phages, ...

Cambridge, MA – Scientists often seek new materials derived from polymers. Rather than starting a polymer search from scratch, they save time and money by blending existing polymers to achieve desired properties. But identifying the best blend is a thorny problem. Not only is there a practically limitless number of potential combinations, but polymers interact in complex ways, so the properties of a new blend are challenging to predict. To accelerate the discovery of new materials, MIT researchers ...

About The Study: In this nationwide cohort study, no increased risk of 29 adverse events was observed after vaccination with the updated COVID-19 mRNA vaccine containing the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron JN.1 lineage in approximately 1 million adults.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Niklas Worm Andersson, MD, PhD, email nian@ssi.dk. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.23557) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...