UK-ROX, the largest ever clinical trial of oxygen use in UK intensive care units (ICUs), has shown that reducing supplementary oxygen does not deliver any clear and obvious health benefits or harm a patient's chances of survival. Each year, around 184,000 patients are admitted to ICUs, but there is insufficient evidence to guide the use of oxygen, with the possibility that administering too much - or too little - may not deliver the intended benefits and actually end up causing patients additional harm. UK-ROX, led by the University of Plymouth and the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre, set out to fill that evidence gap and the results have been presented to delegates at the Critical Care Reviews Meeting 2025 in Belfast this morning, and published in the JAMA journal.

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database, alcohol-associated liver disease mortality increased significantly across demographic groups, with particularly concerning trends among women, younger adults, and American Indian and Alaska Native populations. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted public health interventions and enhanced surveillance, especially given the sustained impact of COVID-19 pandemic–related changes in alcohol consumption patterns. 

The Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, climate change and other events highlight our growing exposure to complex, interconnected, and intertwining risks. In view of this development, the focus of risk research has shifted towards the comprehensive analysis of interconnected and mutually interactive risk sources and crises. In a review article published in the  International Journal of Disaster Risk Science Huan Liu (Kyoto University) and Ortwin Renn (Research Institute for Sustainability, RIFS) offer an overview of the current state of research on polycrises and systemic risks.

New research indicates that children infected with COVID-19 may face increased cardiovascular disease risks indicated by blood plasma metabolic changes.

A new study reveals that the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein can spread from infected to uninfected cells, triggering an immune response that mistakenly targets healthy cells. The research identifies how this viral protein binds to cell surfaces and shows that enoxaparin, a common anticoagulant, can block this harmful interaction, pointing to a potential avenue for treatment. These findings shed light on the mechanisms behind severe COVID-19 complications and immune-driven tissue damage.

People with COVID-like symptoms returned to optimal physical well-being an average of three months after infection, but took up to nine months to return to top mental well-being.  One year after infection about 20% of study participants continued to experience overall suboptimal health-related quality of life.

Penn Vet and Penn Medicine researchers have modified mRNA vaccines to include the cytokine IL-12 and improve T cell responses which could improve the body’s ability to fight infections.

A new AI tool to predict the spread of infectious disease outperforms existing state-of-the-art forecasting methods.

The tool, created with federal support by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Duke universities, could revolutionize how public health officials predict, track and manage outbreaks of infectious diseases including flu and COVID-19.

A University of Arizona primate researcher's latest study shows that many of the measures that became common during the COVID pandemic might also keep primates safe from human diseases, helping address a persistent issue in conservation.

The rapid global spread of NB.1.8.1 underscores the ongoing need for proactive surveillance, timely data sharing, and pandemic preparedness. The appearance of new variants is expected and does not signal a public health emergency. Instead, it is a call to action for continued scientific vigilance and proactive health measures.

About The Study: Health care employment growth decreased amid the pandemic but fully recovered by 2024. This recovery contrasts with non–health care employment trends and may result from health care financing via insurance coverage shielding health care employment from macroeconomic fluctuations. 

Researchers have developed a portable diagnostic system that evaluates an individual’s antibody protection against COVID-19 using just one microliter of fingertip blood. The Tip Optofluidic Immunoassay (TOI) combines high-sensitivity chemiluminescence detection with microfluidic biosensing to assess antibody protection from both pathogen binding and virus inhibition perspectives—all in just 40 minutes. While many platforms measure antibody levels, few capture the functional aspect of immunity: neutralization. TOI incorporates a renovated in vitro inhibition assay (RIVIA), enhanced through rational protein design to achieve high sensitivity and reproducibility. Unlike conventional methods that require large blood volumes and centralized lab facilities, TOI enables comprehensive immune profiling with minimal resources. Validated in over 100 volunteers, the platform shows strong potential for both public health surveillance and personalized immune assessment. This innovation bridges the gap between laboratory diagnostics and real-world healthcare, offering a practical tool for monitoring vaccine effectiveness and tracking immunity against emerging viral variants.