New research published in Nature Communications assessed the effectiveness of phage therapy in treating pneumonia. What researchers discovered about the mechanisms behind phage therapy could inform treatments in clinical settings to help patients facing similarly stubborn infections. 

How much does education actually sharpen the mind? A study published in the Journal of Human Capital(link is external and opens in a new window) may help settle this long-standing debate by comparing adult siblings in Indonesia. Led by Yuan Zhang, assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences in the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the research reveals education’s impact on adult cognition—particularly for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system is stuck in attack-mode, sending cell after cell to defend and repair the body for months or even years. Diseases associated with chronic inflammation, like arthritis or cancer or autoimmune disorders, weigh heavily on human health—and experts anticipate their incidence is on the rise. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham identified a protein called WSTF that could be targeted to block chronic inflammation. Crucially, this strategy would not interfere with acute inflammation, allowing the immune system to continue responding appropriately to short-term threats, such as viral or bacterial infection. Results are published in Nature.

A new study reveals that air pollution, traditional herbal medicines and other environmental exposures are linked to genetic mutations that may contribute to the development of lung cancer in people with no or hardly any history of smoking.