University of Leeds news     Embargoed until 0700 BST, 29 July 2025    *With images*    World’s largest tropical peatlands revealed to be more than 40,000 years old    A peatland complex in the Congo Basin which is known to be a globally important carbon store is twice as old as previously thought, according to a new scientific study.     An international team of researchers has shown that the tropical peatland complex, which is the world’s largest, began forming about ...

Ann Arbor, July 29, 2025 - Regular walking is widely recognized for its significant benefits to overall health and well-being. Previous research has primarily focused on middle-to-high-income White populations. Now, a novel analysis using data from the Southern Community Cohort Study, involving 79,856 predominantly low-income and Black individuals across 12 southeastern US states, confirms the benefits of regular walking, especially at a faster pace, within a crucial, underrepresented group. The new study appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, underscores the importance ...

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, USA, 29 July 2025 – In a wide-ranging Genomic Press Interview published today in Brain Medicine, Dr. David R. Rubinow recounts the serendipitous path that led him to overturn decades of medical assumptions about hormone-related mood disorders in women. The interview reveals how a chance phone call accepting a fellowship position he had initially rejected set Dr. Rubinow on a trajectory that would fundamentally change how medicine understands and treats reproductive mood disorders. His discovery that women with conditions like premenstrual dysphoric disorder ...

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, 29 July 2025 -- In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Brain Medicine, Dr. Camilo de la Fuente-Sandoval shares how personal history and scientific passion converged to create groundbreaking advances in schizophrenia treatment prediction. The distinguished neuroscientist, recently honored with the Schizophrenia International Research Society's prestigious 2024 Global Schizophrenia Award, has established a unique research paradigm that combines cutting-edge neuroimaging with comprehensive clinical care in one of Latin America's most populous urban centers. From Political Exile to Scientific Excellence The journey that led Dr. de la ...

NEW YORK, New York, USA, 29 July 2025 – In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Alexander W. Charney describes how treating patients with schizophrenia transformed his scientific pursuits from abstract questions to an urgent mission, ultimately leading to discoveries that challenge fundamental assumptions in neuroscience research. The interview explores Dr. Charney's creation of the groundbreaking Living Brain Project at Mount Sinai, which has collected over 300 brain tissue samples from living patients undergoing neurosurgery. His team's findings reveal a startling reality: 80% of genes exhibit different expression levels in ...

It’s hard to tell when — and why — our ancestors got down from trees and started walking on two legs. Many early hominins capable of bipedal walking were also well-adapted for climbing, and we lack fossil evidence from a key period when climate change turned forests into open, dry woodland called savannah-mosaic, which might have pushed hominins onto the ground. Now a study on modern chimpanzees could help fill in the gaps. Scientists observing chimpanzees in the Issa Valley, Tanzania have shown that despite living in ...

High levels of a hormone found in cells in the gut could underlie many cases of chronic diarrhoea and help explain up to 40% of cases of patients with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Cambridge. The research, published in the journal Gut, could help in the development of a blood test and points towards a potential new treatment. When we eat, the liver releases bile acid to break down fats so that they can be absorbed into the body. Bile acid is released into the top end of the small intestine and then absorbed back into the body at the lower ...

Urinary incontinence is a devastating condition affecting over 33 million Americans, according to the National Association for Continence, leading to significant adverse impacts on patients’ mental health and quality of life. Disorders of urination are also a key feature of all neurological disorders. A USC research team has now made major progress in understanding how the human spinal cord triggers the bladder emptying process. The discovery could lead to exciting new therapies to help patients regain control of ...

Researchers from the University of Adelaide, New Zealand’s Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research and University of Auckland have discovered that more than 80 per cent of parasites detected in kākāpō poo prior to the 1990s are no longer present in contemporary populations. The project used ancient DNA and microscopic techniques to sample faeces dating back more than 1500 years, with nine of 16 original parasite taxa disappearing prior to the 1990s, when the endangered parrot came under full-population management, and an additional four recorded as lost in the period ...

Did you know that patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often struggle to forget traumatic memories, even long after the danger has passed? This failure to extinguish fear memories has long puzzled scientists and posed a major hurdle for treatment, especially since current medications targeting serotonin receptors offer limited relief for only a subset of patients. In a new discovery, scientists at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Ewha Womans University have uncovered a new brain mechanism driving PTSD — and a promising drug that may counteract its effects. Led by Dr. C. Justin ...

UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 11.30 PM (UTC) ON MONDAY 28 JULY 2025  Peer reviewed | Randomised Controlled Trial | People    Offering self-collection kits in routine GP appointments could prevent 1,000 women a year from developing cervical cancer   Women who are overdue for cervical cancer screening are most likely to participate in screening when a self-sampling kit is offered by a healthcare professional as part of routine GP appointments, according to a new study led by Queen Mary University of London with King’s College London. Over half of ...

European study offers clearer picture of childhood brain tumor survival Childhood brain tumor survival depends on the type of tumor. Comparing survival rates across countries is difficult, because brain tumors aren’t recorded in the same way everywhere in Europe. A new study led by the Princess Máxima Center is helping to change that. For the first time, the research provides a clear and clinically relevant overview of survival outcomes for children with brain tumors. Researchers at the Princess Máxima ...

**Embargo: 23.30 [UK time] / 6.30pm [US ET] Monday 28th July 2025**   Peer-reviewed / Modelling study, Review and Opinion / People  Embargoed access to the Commission report and contact details for authors are available in Notes to Editors at the end of the release.  The Lancet: Three in five liver cancer cases due to preventable risk factors; obesity-linked cases on the rise, new analysis suggest Over 60% of liver cancers globally are preventable through reduction of risk factors including viral hepatitis, alcohol and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) - a long-term liver condition caused ...

A team of UC Merced researchers has shown that tiny artificial cells can accurately keep time, mimicking the daily rhythms found in living organisms. Their findings shed light on how biological clocks stay on schedule despite the inherent molecular noise inside cells. The study, recently published in Nature Communications, was led by bioengineering Professor Anand Bala Subramaniam and chemistry and biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang. The first author, Alexander Zhang Tu Li, earned his Ph.D. in Subramaniam’s lab. Biological clocks — also known as circadian rhythms — govern 24-hour cycles that regulate sleep, metabolism and other vital processes. ...

UCSF researchers have found that certain antiviral genes become less active over time in lupus, revealing why some patients see their symptoms fade as they age. Lupus is a “classic” autoimmune disease.  It causes the immune system’s first-line viral defenses — known as interferons — to attack the body. Nearly every organ is at risk, leading to conditions like kidney and heart disease.  But unlike many other autoimmune or chronic illnesses, lupus can improve as patients reach their 60s and 70s.  “I see my younger lupus patients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s every few months, monitoring them closely for signs of severe disease, but ...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are a group of cancers that affect cells in and around our mouth and nose. With 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths annually, HNSCC accounts for roughly 4.5% of cancer diagnoses and deaths worldwide. Treatment options for HNSCC are very limited, so nearly half of affected patients with HNSCC die from the disease. Current therapies consist of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which can be effective but often have limited success and significant side effects. To meet this ...

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 ...