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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Oct-2026 21:17 ET (29-Oct-2026 01:17 GMT/UTC)

Severe mental illness linked to higher dementia risk even at young age, and greater stroke risk earlier in life

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People living with severe mental illness face a substantially higher risk of dementia throughout adulthood, as well as a significantly elevated risk of stroke in early and middle adulthood, according to a large new study based on health records from Catalonia, Spain. The findings, published in the September 2026 edition of the peer-reviewed journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, suggest that physical health risks linked to severe psychiatric conditions emerge much earlier than many clinicians may expect, underscoring the need for general health care to be more integrated in mental health care.

Journal: European Neuropsychopharmacology

Experts say cuts to AHRQ threaten the future of health care quality and patient safety in the US

American College of Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS and David Atkins, MD, MPH, a former Scientific Director of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and Chief Medical Officer at the Center for Outcome and Evidence at Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), say that Trump administration cuts to AHRQ threaten the future of health care quality and patient safety in the United States.

Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine

Changes in heart stress marker may better predict heart disease in older adults

American College of Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An observational study found that older adults with consistently elevated N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations, a blood marker linked to heart stress (HS), had a significantly higher risk for cardiovascular disease and death, while those whose elevated levels returned to normal had a risk similar to people who never showed signs of heart stress.

Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine

Laser therapy offers weapon against deadly brain tumors

WashU Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Timing and the extent of tumor removal are critical to improving survival for patients receiving laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) for hard-to-reach or inoperable recurrent brain tumors, according to a study led by WashU Medicine neurosurgeon Eric Leuthardt, MD.

Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology

SUNY Poly awarded $15K Health Forward Foundation grant to advance respiratory care research

SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Grant and Award Announcement

SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) has received a $15,000 grant from the Health Forward Foundation to support an innovative research project aimed at improving the understanding of mechanical ventilation and advancing future respiratory care technologies.

Funder: Health Forward Foundation

35-year study reshapes our understanding of Lyme disease ecology

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For more than 35 years, researchers at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York have been studying how interactions between acorns, rodents, ticks, predators, and climate shape Lyme-disease risk in people. A new paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details nine of the research project’s most surprising findings to date.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Johns Hopkins study supports personalized weight-loss care for breast cancer survivors

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A personalized approach to obesity treatment may help breast cancer survivors improve their long-term health by identifying early which patients need more than behavioral lifestyle intervention alone, according to a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center-led clinical trial.

Journal: Clinical Cancer Research
Funder: NCCN Foundation, American Institute for Cancer Research, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund, National Capital Cancer Research Fund, Under Armour

Alliance reports results from first randomized trial of a radiopharmaceutical in kidney cancer

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Results from the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology’s Phase II RadiCaL trial (Alliance A031801), the first randomized study of a radiopharmaceutical in kidney cancer, found that adding radium-223 to the standard of care does not improve the length of time patients went without serious bone complications (called skeletal event-free survival) for patients with advanced kidney cancer. The findings are published open access in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology

Red blood cells inspire next-generation therapeutic nanocarriers

Ohio State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Red blood cells serve as the foundation for nanocarriers that show promise in a new study as effective and efficient vehicles for gene therapy, tumor targeting and other medical treatments.

Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials