Newly discovered gut bacteria proteins influence hormones, metabolism and bone density

Nature is often the best model for science. For nearly a century, scientists have been trying to recreate the ability of some mammals and birds to survive extreme environmental conditions for brief or extended periods by going into torpor, when their body temperature and metabolic rate drop, allowing them to preserve energy and heat.

The cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors have a puzzling reputation: even though they are treatment mainstays for multiple forms of cancer, they can damage cancer-killing T cells and disrupt the potential for meaningful therapy. New research from medical scientists in China is revealing ways to sidestep this obstacle by preventing PARP-induced collateral damage to T cells.

31 July 2025, Jerusalem, Cairo: The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip, according to the alert published this week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).   People are foregoing food for days. Others are dying as their undernourished, weakened bodies succumb to disease or organ failure. The health system, normally a source of sustenance and relief, is also starved of essential medical supplies, fuel, and other necessities to function fully. Humanitarian and health workers are also weak from hunger.   Dying of starvation is slow and painful. A starving child, among the most vulnerable, might cry constantly from pain until becoming too weak to even do that. If not urgently treated, a child with acute malnutrition will die.   To stop the dying and reverse this man-made tragedy will take months, if not years. Recovery for a malnourished person takes specialised medical attention, correct therapeutic feeding and supplementation. In some severe cases, consequences are lifelong, from stunted growth and impaired brain development to other lasting health complications.    While the IPC partners, including WHO, will conduct further assessments, the gravity of the situation is clear.    Food, medicines and other aid must be allowed in immediately, at scale, through all possible routes. United Nations partners have such supplies ready and waiting at the border. WHO calls on Israel to urgently facilitate the United Nations and other humanitarian actors by ensuring safe, rapid and unhindered access to delivery and distribution of aid. As ever, our call is to end Read more...

A new study in the journal Machine Learning: Health discovers that ChatGPT can accelerate patient screening for clinical trials, showing promise in reducing delays and improving trial success rates.

Cambridge scientists have developed and tested a new drug in mice that has the potential to reduce damage to the brain when blood flow is restored following a stroke.

Patient-centricity is often seen as a matter of ethics, something that "should" be done on principle. A white paper demonstrates that patient-centricity is not just an ethical imperative, but strategically essential for digital health solutions to build sustainable businesses while transforming lives.

It was the early 2000s when researchers first showed that exercise can help relieve the tremors that are common with Parkinson's disease. So far, researchers haven't been able to explain how exercise helps. But they may be getting closer to an answer.

The itching, redness and swelling of an allergic reaction are caused by mast cells—the vigilant first responders of the immune system that spring into action with histamine-filled granules in response to a perceived threat.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they unexpectedly found new information about a protein's special role in getting brain cells to communicate at the right time and place in experiments with genetically engineered mice.

New research examining 17 years of data from Medicare hospitalization claims and major flooding events finds increased rates of skin diseases, nervous system diseases, and injuries or poisonings among adults aged 65 and older following major floods.

When a cheeseburger costs less than a punnet of strawberries, it's clear the odds are stacked against healthy choices—especially for teenagers.

The 17 experts who were ousted from a government vaccine committee last month say they have little faith in what the panel has become, and have outlined possible alternative ways to make U.S. vaccine policy.

Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future 1 August 2025 – Since 1992, World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) has been celebrated Annually, in the first week of August. In 2018, a World Health Assembly resolution endorsed WBW as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy. Championed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ministries of Health and civil society partners around the globe, WBW serves to remind the public and policy-makers that breastfeeding lays the foundation for lifelong health and development. This year, under the banner “Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future”, the campaign casts a spotlight on the ongoing support that women and babies need from the health care system throughout their breastfeeding journey. Every mother should have access to the support and information she needs to breastfeed for as long as she wishes to do so. Efforts are needed to ensure that health systems offer skilled and sustained support from pregnancy through to early childhood. Policies, laws and programmes should prioritize women, babies and breastfeeding, and communities must uphold every woman and baby’s right to breastfeed. Breastfeeding protects child health and improves survival, especially in the first months of life. In addition to essential nutrition, it provides antibodies that protect against common illnesses like diarrhoea, pneumonia and infections. With the right investments, countries can significantly increase rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Around 10% more infants are exclusively breastfed at 6 months compared to 2013 – in some countries the figure reaches 20% – more can be done. Lead by example. Countries can Read more...

A new study has found that, among women with a high desire to avoid becoming pregnant, those who drank heavily had a 50% higher risk of becoming pregnant than those who drank moderately or not at all. In contrast, participants who used cannabis were no more likely to have an undesired pregnancy than participants who did not use cannabis.

A new study published in Addiction has found that young adults in the US do not "titrate" when using strong cannabis. In other words, they do not use less cannabis to compensate for the stronger potency. In fact, it's the opposite: young adults who report using strong cannabis also typically use it more frequently and in higher quantities than young adults who use weaker forms of the drug.

Obesity elevates the risk of at least 13 major cancers, including those of the breast, colon and liver. It also impairs immune responses that target tumors and are stimulated by cancer immunotherapies. But it has long been unclear whether these effects stem from the sheer adiposity—or mass of fat—in people living with obesity or from the specific dietary fats they consume.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown for the first time that a type of human papillomavirus (HPV) commonly found on the skin can directly cause a form of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) when certain immune cells malfunction.

A multi-institutional team, including physicians and researchers who successfully proposed updates to national guidelines, share important next steps for reevaluating how occupational impairment is determined.