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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Oct-2026 16:16 ET (28-Oct-2026 20:16 GMT/UTC)

Anti-immigrant ‘public charge’ policy may have contributed to rise in HIV among Hispanic ropulations

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Following the Trump administration's announcement of changes to the public charge rule in 2018, a new study showed a 16.8-percent increase in HIV incidence among Hispanic populations living in antisanctuary counties, compared to baseline counties. The researchers also examined HIV incidence by race, and found no comparable increase among Black populations, which further indicates that post-2018 immigration policies and rhetoric uniquely affected Hispanic communities.

Journal: Milbank Quarterly

Facilitated transitions to postpartum primary care and mental health care services

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In this ad hoc secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, a supported transition from obstetric care to postpartum primary care was associated with greater use of primary care–provided mental health services among pregnant and postpartum individuals with anxiety, depression, or both. The intervention increased screening, counseling, and some treatment-related services in primary care, while differences in specialty mental health visits were not observed. This relatively low-cost intervention may be one strategy to facilitate ongoing access to mental health care supports and treatments beyond the immediate postpartum period.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Hai Sun, MD, PhD receives $2.9 million NIH grant for epilepsy research

Rutgers University
Grant and Award Announcement

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) neurosurgeon Hai Sun, MD, PhD, has been awarded a five-year, $2.9 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support a groundbreaking study aimed at improving the accuracy of pre-surgical mapping and planning for patients who seek surgery as a treatment option for epilepsy. RWJUH is a RWJBarnabas Health facility.

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides not associated with autism-related traits in children in large NIH study

Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Exposure during pregnancy to a common type of pesticide was not linked to autism-related traits in children, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics
Funder: NIH Office of the Director

How preference for sons affects women’s mental health in rural India

College of ACES at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In rural India, having a son is a strong social expectation that puts pressure on women to bear male children. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examines how a firstborn son affects the well-being of childbearing women and their mothers-in-law, as well as the broader implications for household dynamics and economic outcomes.

Journal: Journal of Development Economics
Funder: World Bank Group, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

University of Tartu researchers showed that a single genetic test can uncover causes of previously unexplained premature ovarian insufficiency

Estonian Research Council
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Premature ovarian insufficiency affects up to 3.5% of women and is an important cause of female infertility. However, in most cases, the underlying cause remains unknown. A recent study by researchers at the University of Tartu showed that a single comprehensive genetic analysis can identify genetic causes in some women whose condition had previously remained unexplained.

Journal: Human Reproduction Open

PCORI awards funding for new patient-centered healthcare research to inform healthcare decisions

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Grant and Award Announcement

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) announced funding for new patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and related projects to inform clinical practice. The projects span emergency, hospital and outpatient care and address a range of health concerns including cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental and behavioral health, women’s health, pediatric care, rare diseases and chronic disease management.

Pressure-eyes at night: Researchers find new mechanism that causes increase in internal eye pressure, and a possible new target for glaucoma treatment

Kyushu University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

One of the major risk factors for Glaucoma is an increase in intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure fluctuates throughout the day and is known to rise at night, but the detailed molecular mechanisms on why this happens have not been fully understood. Kyushu University researchers found that norepinephrine raises levels of RHOB in the eye’s drainage system called the trabecular meshwork, leading to the eye’s ‘cleaning function’ weakening and increased intraocular pressure.

Journal: Communications Biology
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Takeda Science Foundation, Suzuken Memorial Foundation, Kato Memorial Bioscience Foundation, Ube Foundation, Hori Sciences and Arts Foundation, Toyoaki Scholarship Foundation, Mishima Haeundae Memorial Foundation, Yokoyama Foundation for Clinical Pharmacology, Lotte Foundation, Japan Science and Technology Agency

The missing plants that could transform cities for people and nature

University of Queensland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Urban parks and public spaces need more shrubs and small trees to improve community wellbeing and support wildlife, University of Queensland researchers say.

Journal: BioScience