Background and Goal: Use of secure messaging, which lets patients communicate with clinicians or care teams through an online portal, has increased in recent years. While secure messaging can increase access to care, answering a high volume of messages can burden care teams. Researchers examined the percentage of all secure messages that were exchanged between primary care teams and high users and whether high users were also heavy users of other primary care or emergency department services. Study approach: Researchers analyzed data from the VHA Corporate Data Warehouse, the Patient-Centered Management Module web application ...

Michigan’s Collaborative for Type 2 Diabetes (MCT2D), a statewide population health collaborative quality initiative, analyzed nearly 1,000 physician-submitted patient case summaries and needs assessments, finding that physicians needed help managing the burden of prior authorization. The team first developed a PDF guide that was posted on their website in 2021. In 2024, they created an interactive web tool, Coverage Checker, co-designed with MCT2D clinicians. The tool shows care team members whether a patient’s insurance covers guideline-directed medical therapy or continuous glucose monitors and the prior authorization steps each plan requires. Coverage Checker encompasses ...

Background and Goal: Opioid use disorder (OUD) medication treatment saves lives, yet fewer than one-third of people with OUD receive evidence-based treatment with medication. Researchers examined how often adults who report opioid use and moderate or severe substance-use symptoms begin, and stay on, OUD medication. Study Approach: Researchers reviewed electronic health record and insurance claims data from 33 primary care clinics in Washington from March 1, 2015, to Jan. 1, 2023. The study included 1,502 adults who, at or just before a primary care visit, completed a substance-use checklist, said they had used opioids in the past year, and had not received ...

Background and Goal: Childhood obesity rates differ by ethnicity, yet data on nativity for Latino youth in primary care are limited. Researchers used community health center electronic health records (EHR) from 2012-2020 to track obesity trends by ethnicity and nativity and to test whether nativity is linked to obesity prevalence among patients aged 9-17 years.  Study Approach: Researchers examined EHR data for 147,376 children who visited 1,311 community-based health centers in 21 states. They divided the 2012-2020 span into four snapshots and, at every visit, noted whether ...

Original Research  Background and Goal: This study examines if gaining housing increased rates of colorectal and breast cancer screening in a cohort of veterans who experience homelessness.  Study Approach: Researchers reviewed ten years of Veterans Health Administration (VA) records (2011-2021). They identified all veterans who were homeless and overdue for colorectal or breast cancer screening at their first VA clinic visit in the most recent year (the “index” visit). Housing status was then tracked for 24 ...

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 ...