Staying physically active may slow cognitive decline

The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has declined to recommend two new Alzheimer's drugs for routine NHS use in England. While disappointing for some families affected by dementia, this decision reflects a cautious and evidence-based approach that protects patients and public funds.

Every decision begins invisibly. Long before someone acts, the brain is already hard at work gathering evidence, weighing options, and gradually committing to a choice. But even when faced with the same evidence, people can arrive at different outcomes, especially when the decision is difficult. Two different drivers in rush hour traffic, for example, see the same congested road, yet one might speed up to merge while another cautiously brakes.

A new analysis by researchers from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute examines the first Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) add-on code targeting a single physician specialty: infectious disease (ID). The measure is a significant departure from the agency's past strategies, with the potential to combat the growing shortage of ID physicians and broader implications for physician reimbursement and health care delivery, according to the authors.

A new multi-state study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) VISION Network—including Regenstrief Institute—has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the effectiveness of 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccines among adults in the U.S. during the XBB and JN.1 omicron subvariant waves.

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan studied what happens when macrophages—a type of immune cell—encounter dying cancer cells in tumors and discovered a mechanism that accelerates tumor growth. When cancer cells begin to die within tumors, they expose signals on their surface that indicate they are dying.

Dementia affects over 57 million people worldwide—and this number is only projected to grow. By 2030, 78 million people are estimated to have dementia. By 2050, it's projected that number will reach 139 million people.

Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, specifically to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), may increase the risk of childhood overweight or obesity. This is the conclusion of a large, pan-European meta-analysis study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and published in Environment International.

A cup and a half of leafy green vegetables could go a long way to addressing atherosclerotic vascular diseases (ASVD's), according to new research published in the European Journal of Nutrition from Edith Cowan University (ECU), the University of Western Australia and the Danish Cancer Institute.

Nurse practitioners are increasingly filling a gap that is expected to widen as the senior population explodes and the number of geriatricians declines. The Health Resources and Services Administration projects a 50% increase in demand for geriatricians from 2018 to 2030, when the entire baby boom generation will be older than 65.

A new University of Florida Health study shows that body mass index, or BMI—commonly used to measure obesity and health risk—fails in predicting the risk of future death, suggesting the calculation is deeply flawed.

Following a particular diet or exercising a great deal are common and even encouraged in our health and image-conscious culture. With increased awareness of food allergies and other dietary requirements, it's also not uncommon for someone to restrict or eliminate certain foods.

A new data tool from researchers at UCLA highlights significant environmental health disparities between Latino and white neighborhoods in L.A., providing critical insights amid escalating public health concerns linked to the places where climate change and the Trump administration's recent immigration policy actions intersect.

The number of measles cases continues to rise in Kansas, reaching 80 confirmed cases, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's 2025 Kansas Measles Case Data dashboard.

As global temperatures rise and heat waves become more frequent and intense, understanding how to stay safe in the heat is no longer optional—it's essential. Professor Fabiano Amorim, chair of the Department of Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences (HESS) at The University of New Mexico, has spent his academic career studying how heat affects the human body, especially in labor-intensive environments.

Care England, the leading representative body for independent adult social care providers, in collaboration with Engage and Nightingale Hammerson, has today launched a new white paper calling for urgent and coordinated action to improve support for care home residents living with hearing loss.

In a clinical trial led by University of Toronto researchers, an allogeneic stem cell–derived islet therapy (zimislecel) restored insulin production and ended severe hypoglycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes within a year of treatment.

A collaborative team of researchers has succeeded in revealing the high-resolution structures of amyloid β (Aβ40) fibrils carrying the Tottori-type familial mutation (D7N) by leveraging the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station's "Kibo" module. Their paper is published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.

Why do some older adults easily remember the name of a new acquaintance or the location of their keys, while others struggle with everyday recall—despite appearing equally healthy?