The adverse health impacts associated with emissions across the full life cycle of plastics could double by 2040 unless immediate action is taken, new research suggests. The research identified health harms at every stage of the life-cycle of the plastics we use: from the extraction of fossil fuels, the feedstocks for more than 90% of plastics, and material production to their eventual disposal or release to the environment. The study team, led by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with colleagues from the University of Toulouse and the University of Exeter, used modelling ...

Prompt, individual-based dose assessment is essential to protect people from the negative consequences of radiation exposure after large-scale nuclear or radiological incidents. However, traditional dosimetry methods often require expensive equipment or complex laboratory analysis. Now, researchers at Hiroshima University have developed a cost-effective, portable dosimetry system that can provide immediate on-site readings using radiochromic film and a smartphone. The study, published in Radiation Measurements, demonstrates ...

Menopause is linked to reductions in grey matter volume in key brain regions as well as increased levels of anxiety and depression and difficulties with sleep, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study, published today in Psychological Medicine, found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not appear to mitigate these effects, though it can slow the decline in reaction times. Menopause is a key period in a woman’s life when her periods stop, due to lower hormone levels. It typically affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, during which time they ...

An international group of experts has developed new guidelines to help veterinarians better recognize and diagnose canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), commonly known as canine dementia. The condition affects many older dogs and can cause changes in behavior, sleep, learning, and daily routines, yet it is often overlooked despite its significant impact on animal welfare. The guidelines also highlight that research on canine dementia has the potential to contribute to our understanding of human dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. Many dogs older than eight years show signs of cognitive dysfunction, which are ...

Salt is usually something people are warned to limit in food, not drinking water. But a global analysis suggests sodium in tap water may be an overlooked contributor to high blood pressure, particularly in coastal regions.  The study, published in BMJ Global Health, found that higher salinity in drinking water was associated with higher blood pressure and an increased risk of hypertension.  The research was led by Florida International University scientists, including Rajiv Chowdhury, chair of the Department of Global Health at FIU’s Robert Stempel ...

MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. People experience psychosis when they lose touch with reality. This can involve hallucinations, delusions or difficulty deciphering what is real and truthful. Researchers at Michigan State University worked with a team across the globe to investigate cognitive testing and symptoms, finding that functional decline and negative symptoms appear to develop well before psychosis-risk syndromes are identified. The ...

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, ...

Original Research Study Compares Ways to Support Opioid Deprescribing in Primary Care Background: This study examined how different types of support for 32 primary care clinics affected opioid prescribing and overall costs using a 2 x 2 design. Clinics were divided into four groups: education about opioid prescribing and regular feedback on their prescribing patterns only; education and feedback plus help changing clinic workflows; education and feedback plus coaching for prescribers; or education and feedback plus both clinic ...

Original Research Primary Care Home Visits for Older Adults Declined After Payment Policy Changes and COVID-19 in Ontario, Canada Background: In Ontario, primary care home visits, which help older adults who are homebound or have difficulty getting to a clinic, increased during the 2010s but declined after a 2019 policy change reduced payment incentives and the COVID-19 pandemic began. This study examined how primary care home visits for adults aged 65 years and older changed from 2014 to 2024. What They Found: Researchers used population-level health administrative data and an interrupted time series analysis of monthly home visit rates for Ontario residents ...

Original Research  Linking Financial Incentives to Improved Blood Sugar Levels May Support Type 2 Diabetes Management Background: In this randomized controlled trial in Israel, researchers examined whether a contingent discount as a financial incentive on medication expenses could help people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes better manage their blood sugar. The study included 186 adults from neighborhoods with low socioeconomic status and followed them for six months. Intervention participants received discounts on their diabetes medications if their blood sugar levels improved, while participants in the control group paid ...

Original Research Care Continuity Linked to Fewer Hospital Visits for Older Adults Receiving Home-Based Care  Background: This study examined whether continuity of care (how often patients see their assigned physician and nurse) was associated with urgent care use and hospital admissions among older adults receiving permanent home-based primary care. What They Found: Researchers analyzed electronic health record data from three primary care centers in Barcelona, Spain, including 1,207 patients receiving permanent home-based ...

Original Research Produce Prescriptions Improve Nutrition for Medicaid Patients With Diabetes Background: To improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables for Medicaid patients with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health partnered with three Federally Qualified Health Centers to implement a produce prescription program. Participants received $40 per month for six months on a debit card that could only be used to buy eligible fresh fruits and vegetables at participating grocery stores. This before-and-after ...

Methodology CRISP Translation Guide Enables Translating Research-Reporting Guidelines Across Languages Background: Consensus Reporting Items for Studies in Primary Care (CRISP) is a research-reporting guideline developed for primary care. Because no widely accepted procedure exists for translating research-reporting guidelines, the authors developed the CRISP Translation Guide to facilitate the translation of research-reporting guidelines and related documents to support worldwide dissemination and application of primary care research results. What They Developed and ...

Original Research How Patients Value Visit Type, Speed of Care, and Continuity in Primary Care Background: Many patients use patient portals to message their primary care clinician, but demand for in-person appointments remains high. Researchers from the University of Michigan examined how patients value trade-offs between quick portal messaging, getting a visit sooner with any available physician, or waiting longer to see their own primary care physician. The study analyzed 2,268 survey responses from adult patients in an academic family medicine clinic. Researchers asked patients to imagine common health situations, such as ...

Original Research  Systems-Level Approach in Primary Care Improves Alcohol Screening, Counseling, and Pregnancy-Intention Records  Background: The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening adults, including pregnant women, for unhealthy alcohol use and providing brief behavioral counseling when risky drinking is identified. This study examined whether implementing the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Office Champions Quality Improvement Model, a framework that empowers local staff to lead care improvement ...

Original Research  Why Family Physicians Are Leaving Comprehensive Care Background: Many people in Canada cannot find a regular family physician, partially due to some family physicians leaving comprehensive primary care earlier than planned. This study explored why family physicians in Ontario left comprehensive care and what policy changes they believed could help retain physicians. Researchers conducted a qualitative study using semistructured virtual interviews with 12 family physicians in Ontario who left comprehensive care within the past eight years. What They Found: Family physicians ...

A research team at the WVU is studying how to restore vision in people who develop a form of inherited blindness. Visvanathan Ramamurthy, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and vice chair of research in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the WVU School of Medicine, is leading this multidisciplinary study alongside a group of scientists and clinicians at WVU. The study is supported by a three-year $1.4 million grant from the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes ...

Key Takeaways Pilot whale samples from 1986-2023 show that legacy PFAS are declining in the open ocean. Newer PFAS remain a major unknown and may be accumulating in near-source environments. Scientists underscore the need for bulk monitoring and regulation of next‑generation compounds. PFAS, or per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, are ubiquitous in modern life. First produced at the end of World War II, these chemicals are in everything from furniture and cosmetics to food packaging, non-stick pans and clothing. They have also infiltrated our water, soil, and food, making PFAS a major concern for human and ecological health.  Beginning ...

PRESS RELEASE UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL - MONDAY 26 JANUARY -  3PM US EASTERN TIME AND 8PM UK TIME AI sheds light on mysterious dinosaur footprints A new app, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), could help scientists and the public identify dinosaur footprints made millions of years ago, a study reveals. For decades, paleontologists have pondered over a number of ancient dinosaur tracks and asked themselves if they were left by fierce carnivores, gentle plant-eaters or even early species of birds? Now, researchers and dinosaur enthusiasts alike can upload an image or sketch ...

A new study shows that interactions between wolves and cougars in Yellowstone National Park are driven by wolves stealing prey killed by cougars and that shifts in cougar diets to smaller prey help them avoid wolf encounters. The study, published at a time of growing overlap between cougar and wolf habitats in the western United States, found wolves occasionally killed cougars, but cougars did not kill wolves. Researchers also found that cougars tend to avoid areas where wolves have made kills and stay close to escape terrain, such as climbable trees. Cougars responded to a decline in elk in the park by killing ...

In an unexpected finding, a UCLA-led team has discovered that bacteria are present inside the most common type of kidney stone, revealing a previously unrecognized component involved in their formation. The findings, to be published in the peer-reviewed journal PNAS, point to a possible therapeutic target that could be used for prevention and treatment for the millions of people who are affected by the frequently painful condition. “This breakthrough challenges the long‑held assumption that these stones develop solely through chemical and physical processes, and instead shows ...

NORMAN, OKLA. – A transdisciplinary team led by Southcentral Foundation, a Tribal healthcare organization in Anchorage, Alaska, has been awarded a competitive grant from the National Institutes of Health. Jessica Blanchard, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the University of Oklahoma's Center for Applied Social Research, is a key collaborator on the project, representing the continuation of a longstanding partnership between OU and Southcentral Foundation. Administered by the National Human Genome Research Institute, the award is funded under the Building Partnerships and Broadening Perspectives ...

Researchers at the University of Arizona were awarded up to $1.8 million by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to develop a lymphatic scanner small and light enough for physicians to bring with them to diagnose and monitor patients with lymphatic disease. Lymphatic disorders affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Standard imaging modalities like lymphoscintigraphy, magnetic resonance and ultrasound fall short in providing sufficient detail for physicians ...

A woman’s insulin levels in midlife are linked to the timing and duration of menopausal hot flashes, night sweats and cold sweats, according to new research from the University of Victoria (UVic).   The study found that having higher insulin levels at age 47 predicted younger onsets of hot flashes and night sweats,” says Faria Athar, lead author of the study, which is published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.   “Higher insulin at age 47 was also associated ...

Abstract: Professor Hirotoshi Mori (Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University), together with Nichika Ozawa (first-year Ph.D. student at Ochanomizu University) and Assistant Professor Nahoko Kuroki of Ochanomizu University, has proposed a new design principle for QM/MM (quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics) simulations. The approach enables objective and automatic determination of the quantum-mechanical region based on electronic-state changes, addressing a long-standing ...