EurekAlert! National Institutes of Health

Latest news releases from NIH-funded organizations

Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Oct-2026 09:16 ET (21-Oct-2026 13:16 GMT/UTC)

6-Oct-2026

New analysis underscores the rising threat of extreme heat on older adults

Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As extreme heat events become more frequent and severe across the United States, older adults face growing health risks that extend far beyond discomfort, according to a new policy analysis published in Public Policy & Aging Report.

In the article, "On the Regional Spectrum of Barriers and Obstacles for Older Adults Facing Extreme Heat: Air Conditioning and Beyond," scientists argue that public policies have not kept pace with a warming climate and often fail to address the financial, physical, and structural barriers that prevent older adults from staying safe during heatwaves. These barriers include rising utility costs, the expense of maintaining or repairing cooling systems, mobility limitations, and aging housing stock ill-equipped to handle extreme heat.

Journal: Public Policy & Aging Report

6-Oct-2026

Can pistachios support sleep? Here’s what a new scientific review found

American Pistachio Growers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Pistachios have attracted researchers’ attention because they naturally bring together several nutrients and plant compounds connected to sleep. Now, a new narrative review* published in Nutrition Research Reviews identifies pistachios as a promising whole food for sleep research and explores how their nutrient profile may influence processes related to sleep quality, falling asleep, staying asleep and regulation of the sleep–wake cycle.

Journal: Nutrition Research Reviews
Funder: American Pistachio Growers

6-Oct-2026

Major HER2+ breast cancer trial identifies factors associated with pathologic complete response to less intensive chemotherapy

ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Results from ECOG-ACRIN’s CompassHER2-pCR trial identify clinical and molecular predictors of pathologic complete response (pCR) after 12 weeks of THP, a less intensive neoadjuvant regimen combining one chemotherapy drug with two HER2-targeted drugs. It is the largest prospective trial of this approach in stage II-IIIA HER2+ breast cancer. Follow-up is ongoing to assess 3-year recurrence-free survival among patients who had a pCR. Published in JCO, the findings will be featured in a podcast.

Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology
Funder: Susan G. Komen, Breast Cancer Research Foundation

5-Oct-2026

Obesity is associated with lower risk of death in dementia

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People who are overweight or obese when they are diagnosed with dementia are likely to live longer than those in a normal weight range, according to a new study.. The findings suggest that one’s weight status at the time of a dementia diagnosis may provide meaningful prognostic information about survival and underscore the need for greater attention to nutrition among those with dementia.

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

5-Oct-2026

Cigarette smoke may prime lung stem cells for different types of lung cancer

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke may reprogram different populations of lung stem cells, which maintain and repair lung tissue, in ways that make them vulnerable to specific cancer-causing gene alterations and ultimately helps determine the type of lung cancer that develops.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation, The Hodson Trust, American Lung Association Lung Cancer Discovery Award, the Evelyn Grollman Glick Scholar Award, Johns Hopkins University Discovery Award, TEDCO, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Support, Van Andel Research Institute