Rapid urbanization is reshaping how people live and how societies function. By the middle of this century, nearly 70% of the global population is expected to live in cities, making urban environments one of the most important determinants of public health—particularly mental health. This challenge is the focus of a recent expert position paper co-authored by researchers affiliated with Wroclaw Medical University and developed under the umbrella of the European Psychiatric Association.

The authors highlight that city living is associated with a range of risk factors that can negatively affect mental well-being. These include chronic exposure to noise, air and light pollution, overcrowding, social inequalities, poverty, and—paradoxically—social isolation and loneliness in densely populated areas. Together, these factors may increase the risk of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and suicidal behavior.

Cambridge researchers have become the first to combine multiple image types – RGB (that mimics human vision), depth and infra-red – in a 3D camera set up to monitor premature babies in neonatal intensive care. The aim is to provide a second set of eyes for nurses through continuous visual monitoring of the babies’ behaviour.

A research team at the Korea University College of Medicine has uncovered a genetic mechanism responsible for delayed tooth development and impaired mineralization.

For decades, the conversation around obesity has had a single protagonist: body weight. The classic formula “eat less and move more” may generate initial changes, but the problem arises when the script demands sustainable endings. Evidence shows that many individuals regain weight in the years that follow if lifestyle changes are not maintained, fueling a cycle of frustration, stigma and disengagement from healthcare. In response to this scenario the Health at Every Size (HAES) approach proposes a paradigm shift: focusing on health and well being behaviors without positioning weight loss as the primary goal.

A review paper by scientists from Tianjin University presented light on brain-on-a-chip interfaces (BoCIs)—a groundbreaking technology that fuses lab-grown biological neural networks with electronic systems to enable bidirectional information exchange.