(WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2026) — Iron deficiency is one of the most common health conditions in the world, but many people live with symptoms for months or years before receiving a diagnosis. To address this critical unmet need, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) issued new clinical guidance to improve how iron deficiency is recognized and diagnosed across key populations, including adults, young children, menstruating and pregnant individuals, and people with inflammation. 

Essential oil from underused Hinoki (Japanese cypress) roots may help improve sleep quality, according to a pilot study of middle-aged women. In a home-based crossover study, participants showed fewer nighttime awakenings, improved morning feelings, and brain-wave patterns suggesting smoother sleep onset. The findings also point to potential higher-value uses of forestry residues in aroma-based relaxation products.

JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new theme issue on “Digital Health Technologies in Parkinson Disease” in its open access journal JMIR Neurotechnology.

In a new study coordinated by the Spatial Epidemiology Lab of the ULB (Simon Dellicour) and the French arbovirus national reference centers on Réunion Island (Etienne Frumence) and in Marseille (Raphaëlle Klitting), researchers analysed virus genomes to reconstruct and understand the dynamic of the massive 2024-2025 chikungunya virus epidemic on Réunion Island. To this end, they harnessed a dataset of more than 3,000 viral genomes sequenced during the outbreak (over 5% of all confirmed cases, a rare level of genomic coverage). Published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA), their results first show that the virus likely spread from a single introduction event, which then led to a notably intermixed transmission chain with frequent exchanges between distant residential areas. Second, they find that the intensity of the epidemic over the time was associated with temperature and precipitation, and that the level of population immunity reached on the island, around 66%, was sufficient to explain, alone, why transmission collapsed and the epidemic came to an end. They conclude that the risk of a large-scale resurgence in the coming seasons therefore appears limited.

While the brain orchestrates metabolic processes in the body, it also consumes a disproportionate share of the body’s energy, making it sensitive to metabolic stress. For his work on understanding how the brain adapts to metabolic stress and how such adaptations affect whole-body physiology, Professor Li Ye, the N. Paul Whittier Chair at Scripps Research and an HHMI Investigator, has been named a finalist for the prestigious Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists in the Life Sciences category.

University of Virginia researchers have received the first $4 million tranche of an award worth up to $12 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop a digital model showing how hormonal differences between men and women can impact the effectiveness of some medications.