The NHS incurs an estimated £340 million in additional healthcare costs annually due to weight-related health problems in children – but it is not just obesity driving the costs. New research from the University of Oxford reveals that underweight children need comparable medical support as those who are severely obese, challenging assumptions about childhood health priorities. The study, published in JAMA Network Open and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), provides the first national picture of healthcare costs linked to children’s weight, using NHS electronic health records from more than 268,000 children ...

Wetlands act as nature’s kidneys: They trap sediments, absorb excess nutrients and turn pollutants into less harmful substances. Now, the list of pollutants wetland plants can remove includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). From a greenhouse study, researchers in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology report that moisture-loving yellow flag irises and fungi on their roots are a promising combination for PFAS removal. As part of a constructed wetland, this pair could effectively treat contaminated wastewater. “Our study shows that a type of fungus ...

Background and objectives Peginterferon-α treatment exhibits low rates of the serological conversion rate of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and the negative conversion rate of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, with significant myelosuppression leading to treatment discontinuation in some patients. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may ameliorate liver inflammation and modulate immune responses. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of combining TCM with pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) α-2b and its impact on myelosuppression adverse effects. Methods This ...

HOUSTON, October 14, 2025 – The American Pediatric Society (APS) and the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) are pleased to announce Wendy K. Chung, MD, PhD, as the 2026 Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award recipient. This award honors a pediatric investigator who has made important contributions to neonatal health through basic or translational research. Dr. Wendy Chung, MD, PhD, is the Mary Ellen Avery Professor of Pediatrics, Chief of Pediatrics, and Pediatrician-in-Chief at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. An internationally recognized ...

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center (Kids First DRC) has launched the Variant Workbench, an innovative tool designed to dramatically accelerate research into childhood diseases.  For researchers studying genetic diseases, this new resource shifts the focus from the complex, time-consuming task of managing massive datasets to the core work of scientific exploration. The Variant Workbench functions as an interactive research environment within the cloud-based CAVATICA platform, essentially serving as a virtual lab bench for discovery. Previously, ...

Any life on Mars in the past, present, or future would have to contend with challenging conditions including, among others, shock waves from meteorite impacts and soil perchlorates—highly oxidizing salts that destabilize hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Purusharth I. Rajyaguru and colleagues subjected Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is a widely used model yeast, to shock waves and perchlorates. The authors chose the yeast in part because it has already been studied in space. When stressed, yeast, humans, and many other organisms form ribonucleoprotein ...

Rechargeable batteries are a fundamental part of today's technological landscape, powering everything from our personal devices to large-scale infrastructure. While many types of rechargeable batteries exist, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are by far the most ubiquitous, owing to their outstanding energy density, long life cycle, and low self-discharge rate. However, lithium is rather a scarce element with a very uneven distribution throughout the world, prompting research into batteries made from other materials. Over the past ...

As the world strives to achieve carbon neutrality and slow down climate change, hydrogen has emerged as a promising fuel and energy carrier. Producing only water when consumed, hydrogen could help decarbonize industrial processes, power generation, and transportation. However, fulfilling this vision requires massive infrastructure—from high-pressure storage tanks to dedicated pipelines—that must withstand constant material stress due to the nature of hydrogen.   One of the biggest obstacles is hydrogen embrittlement. This is a complex phenomenon where metals, including ...

GÖTTINGEN, Germany, 14 October 2025 -- Researchers led by Dr. Roberto Goya-Maldonado at the University Medical Center Göttingen have identified a rapid physiological marker that predicts which patients with major depression will respond to magnetic brain stimulation therapy. The peer-reviewed research article, published in Brain Medicine, found that patients whose heart rates slowed within 45 seconds of starting treatment showed significantly greater improvement in depressive symptoms six weeks later. Uncovering ...

OXFORD, Oxfordshire, UK, 14 October 2025 -- In a compelling Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Najaf Amin unveils transformative insights that fundamentally reshape international understanding of depression genetics. The Oxford University Associate Professor, ranked among the top scientists globally in genetics and the top women in science worldwide, shares ground breaking discoveries that promise to revolutionize how researchers across continents approach major depression. With over 350 peer-reviewed publications and an exceptional h-index of 125, Dr. Amin has positioned herself at the vanguard of molecular epidemiology, challenging long-held ...

CHIBA, JAPAN, 14 October 2025 -- A comprehensive peer-reviewed invited review published today in Psychedelics by Dr. Kenji Hashimoto and colleagues (Dr. Mingming Zhao and Dr. Jianjun Yang) synthesizes the evolving landscape of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, examining robust clinical evidence in treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder while identifying promising applications in autism spectrum disorder, eating disorders, and existential distress. The review traces the complex journey from early therapeutic promise ...

CHANGCHUN, Jilin, CHINA, 14 October 2025 -- A peer-reviewed viewpoint article published today in Psychedelics by Prof. Xiaohui Wang and colleagues examines the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances for treating stress-related psychiatric disorders through novel neurobiological mechanisms. The analysis synthesizes current evidence on how compounds like psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and MDMA could fundamentally alter treatment paradigms for depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Addressing Chronic Stress Impact The authors emphasize that chronic stress represents a major contributor to psychiatric illness worldwide, with persistent ...

BELMONT, Massachusetts, USA, 14 October 2025 -- In a compelling Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Bruce M. Cohen discusses results and insights that are reshaping international approaches to understanding and treating neuropsychiatric disorders. The Robertson-Steele Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Program for Neuropsychiatric Research at McLean Hospital shares remarkable discoveries from nearly five decades of groundbreaking research and places them in the context of a growing evidence base that can reshape psychiatric practice ...

Note to reporters: An embargoed video explaining the research is available for preview at https://youtu.be/E5hDhWSmeoY. The mother featured in the video is available for media interviews. Hearing the sound of their mother’s voice promotes development of language pathways in a premature baby’s brain, according to a new Stanford Medicine-led study. During the study, which is publishing online Oct. 13 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, hospitalized preemies regularly heard recordings of their mothers reading to them. At the end of the study, MRI brain scans showed that a key language pathway was more mature than that of preemies in a control group who did not ...

Wearable ultrasound devices are actively used in various medical settings, including hospital diagnostics, rehabilitation monitoring, and telemedicine. However, most commercial devices currently rely on lead (Pb)-based piezoelectric ceramics, which are harmful to the human body and the environment, making it difficult to ensure both performance and safety. This has increased the demand for new ultrasound transducer technologies that can completely replace lead while achieving high performance. The research team led by Dr. Byung Chul Lee at the Bionics Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science ...

In British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, 90% of people have detectable antibodies against measles, indicating high vaccine coverage and population protection, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250788. Measles has been on the rise in North America, with more than 4000 cases reported in Canada as of August 2025, a fivefold increase over any full-year tally since Canada achieved measles elimination status in 1998. Measles is highly ...

Around 70% of women who suffer a sexual assault develop PTSD; now scientists have shown that many of these women show a marked reduction in the usual communication between two important brain areas involved in processing and control of emotions, the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex. In some women, synchronisation between these areas can drop to near zero. This work is presented at the ECNP conference in Amsterdam. Worldwide, between 17% and 25% of women undergo a sexual assault, with around 70% subsequently developing PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Previous PTSD studies, after natural disasters, accidents or ...

The study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, looked at data from 9,436 people aged 40 or over (with an average age of 58) in 12 countries, comparing cognitive test results among people who quit smoking with those of a matched control group who kept smoking. The research team found that the cognitive scores of those who had quit smoking declined significantly less than their smoking counterparts in the six years after they quit. For verbal fluency, the rate of decline roughly halved, while for memory it slowed by 20%. Because slower cognitive ...

BRUSSELS -- With European demand for critical raw materials growing alongside geopolitical tensions and supply risks, a major analysis offers fundamental new data on the rapidly expanding size and value of Europe’s “urban mine” of electronic waste. Discarded phones, laptops, servers, cables, appliances and other e-products in the EU27+4 (EU, UK, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway) annually now contain roughly 1 million tonnes of critical raw materials (CRMs), the report says, essential metals and minerals for powering green technologies, digital infrastructure, and modern defence. The Critical Raw Materials Outlook for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment report ...

SAN ANTONIO — When anesthesiologists lead the preoperative process, patients undergoing surgery for hip fractures — one of the leading causes of hospitalization in older adults — get to the operating room (OR) faster and have fewer complications, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025 annual meeting. Due to unnecessary consultations and medical tests that can occur prior to getting patients to the OR, hip fracture patients often experience surgical delays of 24 hours or more. These delays can sharply raise the risk of complications, such as blood clots, infections and death. ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 13 October 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 ...

SAN ANTONIO — People 60 and older who are excessively sleepy during the day may have more problems with memory and thinking after surgery, suggests a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025 annual meeting. Daytime sleepiness is a symptom of sleep deficiency that affects up to 20% of adults and may increase the risk of perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs), researchers found. “Asking patients, their family or caregivers if they doze frequently during the day or have trouble staying alert might provide an important clue to brain health after surgery,” said Jeffry Takla, M.D., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral ...

Osaka, Japan – Infertility affects about one in six couples, and male factors account for roughly half of all cases—often because sperm don’t swim well. Researchers from the University of Osaka uncovered a key component of the “switch” that keeps the movement signal strong, offering a promising new avenue for both diagnosis and treatment. When this switch is absent, sperm slow down, and fertilization fails. By restoring that signal in the lab, the team rescued swimming and achieved healthy births in mice. For sperm to successfully fertilize an egg, they must be able to swim, a process driven by their tail. This movement is activated by an ...

NEW YORK, October 13, 2025 — Scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have discovered a groundbreaking way to control sound and vibrations using a concept inspired by “twistronics,” a phenomenon originally developed for electronics. Their research, published in the journal PNAS, introduces “twistelastics”— a technique that uses tiny rotations between layers of engineered surfaces to manipulate how mechanical waves ...

Deep inside caves, water dripping from the ceiling creates one of nature’s most iconic formations: stalagmites. These pillars of calcite, ranging from centimeters to many meters in height, rise from the cave floor as drip after drip of mineral-rich water deposits a tiny layer of stone. Beyond their beauty—echoed in fanciful nicknames like the “Minaret” or the “Wedding Cake”—stalagmites are also natural archives, recording ancient climatic changes in their layered growth, much like tree rings. But what determines the shape of a stalagmite? Why do some grow into slender cones, others into massive columns, and still others into curious flat-topped forms? ...