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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Oct-2026 17:17 ET (28-Oct-2026 21:17 GMT/UTC)

A rogue neuronal signal lies at the root of Alzheimer’s disease

Institute for Basic Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

What if amyloid plaques are not the whole story of Alzheimer’s disease? New research suggests that a broad range of Alzheimer’s pathologies may be orchestrated by a molecular switch called ERBB4 when it turns on in the wrong neurons. Once activated, this misplaced signal can set off a chain reaction that disrupts brain circuits, eliminates synapses, activates glial cells, increases amyloid pathology and impairs memory.

A research team led by Associate Director CHUNG Won-Suk at the Center for Vascular Research within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has identified aberrant ERBB4 expression in excitatory neurons as an early driver of multiple Alzheimer’s disease pathologies. The researchers found that when ERBB4, a receptor normally associated mainly with inhibitory neurons, appears in excitatory neurons, it can trigger neuronal hyperactivity, abnormal synapse loss, reactive gliosis, amyloid accumulation, and cognitive impairment.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Institute for Basic Science

Simple urine test could improve kidney transplant decisions and save hundreds more donor kidneys each year, study suggests

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine found that a simple urine test performed on deceased kidney donors could help doctors make better transplant decisions, giving more people access to successful kidney transplants while reducing the number of deceased donor kidneys that go unused.

Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Funder: National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, S. D’Souza: Edward S. Kraus Scholars Award

Who benefits from a heart calcium scan?

Northwestern University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

It’s an increasingly popular scan that measures calcium in the heart’s arteries and helps predict risk of future heart disease. But according to a new Northwestern Medicine study, the quick and inexpensive test — known as a coronary artery calcium scan — may be most valuable only for a specific group of patients.

Journal: JAMA

Neighborhood opportunity and fatal police pursuits in the US

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In this ecological cohort study, low neighborhood opportunity was associated with a higher county-level concentration of fatal police pursuit incidents. These patterns persisted above and beyond residence, demographic characteristics, and violent crime rates. These findings document the geographic concentration of fatal police pursuit incidents and identify low-opportunity communities as disproportionately affected. As data on total pursuit frequency become available, future research should examine whether the observed concentration of fatal pursuit incidents in low-opportunity communities reflects differences in pursuit frequency, pursuit lethality, or both.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, mortality, and cardiovascular outcomes in serious mental illness

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In this study, GLP-1 RA initiation was associated with lower mortality and cardiovascular events compared to SGLT2 inhibitor initiation, with greater absolute reductions in SMI. Benefits were evident within 1 year, consistent across SMI subgroups, and driven by semaglutide and tirzepatide. Prospective randomized trials are warranted.

Journal: JAMA Psychiatry

Neighborhood walkability linked to lower type 2 diabetes risk in women with prior gestational diabetes

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

More walkable neighborhoods in New York City were associated with a lower risk of developing postpartum type 2 diabetes among women who had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. However, the association varied depending on individual and neighborhood socioeconomic circumstances, including Medicaid coverage and neighborhood economic deprivation.

Journal: Diabetes Care

Extreme heat and childhood adversity linked to drinking patterns in older adults

University of Georgia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research found that adverse childhood experiences, particularly negative relationships between a child and parent, were linked to more frequent drinking during periods of extreme heat.

Journal: JMIR Aging

Using FDA addiction science, researcher asks: Do salty, high-fat foods act like drugs?

University of Kansas
Grant and Award Announcement

University of Kansas researcher Tera Fazzino is investigating whether “hyperpalatable” foods marketed to Americans — foods formulated with artificially high amounts of fat, salt and carbohydrates — have traits commonly associated with addictive substances. She recently earned a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to test the idea using experimental practices standard in the field of regulatory research.

Team identifies an evolutionarily conserved enhancer that regulates tendon and ligament development

Hiroshima University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team has uncovered fundamental molecular mechanisms governing the formation of tendons and ligaments, which are essential for musculoskeletal integration. Understanding these mechanisms could pave the way for the regeneration of tendons, ligaments, and their attachment sites, known as entheses, which have limited capacity for functional repair after injury because of their poor vascularization.

Journal: Development
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kyoto University