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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Jun-2026 23:16 ET (19-Jun-2026 03:16 GMT/UTC)

Experts warn mothers and babies at growing risk without better care for type 2 diabetes

University of Leicester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from across the UK and Ireland are calling for urgent action to improve care for women with early-onset type 2 diabetes before, during and after pregnancy.

Journal: Diabetic Medicine

Reconnecting kidney plumbing, the zebrafish way

MDI Biological Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the MDI Biological Laboratory have identified how zebrafish regenerate and reconnect new kidney filtration units after injury, revealing a coordinated cellular process that allows newly formed nephrons to integrate into the kidney’s existing tubule network. The study, published in the journal Development, shows that specialized cells at the connection site briefly adopt invasive behaviors—extending protrusions that initiate the physical link between new and old structures—while neighboring cells simultaneously divide and expand the growing tubule. The work also identifies intersecting signaling pathways, including canonical and non-canonical branches of Wnt signaling mediated by the receptor fzd9b, that orient the connection and regulate cell behavior. Understanding how zebrafish achieve this precise integration may help researchers overcome a major obstacle in regenerative medicine: enabling lab-grown tissues and organoids to connect into existing organs and become fully functional.

Journal: Development
Funder: Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory

New study fills research gap in food safety to better protect pregnant people from Listeria

Society for Risk Analysis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Listeria is the third-leading cause of death among bacterial foodborne pathogens in the U.S. and pregnant individuals bear a disproportionate share of that burden. Yet the scientific models used to set food safety policy have rarely been designed with pregnant people specifically in mind. A new study to be published in Risk Analysis aims to change that.

Journal: Risk Analysis

Discovery of a bacterium that protects against long Covid

Université catholique de Louvain
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists from University of Louvain and the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc have discovered the protective role of a bacterium that could prevent long Covid

The bacterium is less abundant in the nasopharynx of individuals who develop symptoms that persist over time, offering a potential avenue for the development of a probiotic administered as a nasal spray

With nearly 400 million sufferers worldwide from long Covid, this major finding, published in Microbiology Spectrum, addresses a genuine public health issue

Journal: Microbiology Spectrum

Impact of Japan's indoor smoke-free laws on the prevalence of smoke-free establishments

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A multi-institutional research team in Japan evaluated the impact of the Revised Health Promotion Law and related local ordinances on indoor smoking policies in restaurants and bars. Their analysis identified a modest but significant increase in the proportion of smoke-free establishments following the full enforcement of the national indoor smoking ban in April 2020. Additional increases were observed in jurisdictions covered by stronger passive smoking prevention ordinances implemented by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Chiba City.

Journal: Public Health

Waterpipe smoking can cause carbon monoxide poisoning even after brief use, during outdoor smoking, or through indoor secondhand exposure

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba conducted a systematic review of published case reports and case series examining carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning associated with waterpipe tobacco use (shisha/hookah). Waterpipe smoking has become increasingly popular worldwide, particularly among young people. The analysis revealed that CO poisoning can occur not only among active waterpipe users—including those smoking outdoors or in apparently well-ventilated environments—but also among nonusers who are merely exposed to secondhand smoke in indoor settings.

Journal: JMA Journal

Muscle-healing 'Ally' turns 'Enemy': A novel immune cell subset that controls muscle regeneration and ossification in FOP

Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

We have identified a macrophage population “Mrep” that plays an essential role in muscle repair. However, in Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), Mrep functions as a pathogenic cell that triggers heterotopic ossification. These research findings would contribute not only to muscle regeneration therapy but also to the development of novel therapeutic approaches for FOP.

Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation

Routine blood pressure readings offer early insights on dementia risk

American College of Cardiology
Reports and Proceedings

Measures of blood vessel health derived from routine blood pressure readings may help identify adults at increased risk for dementia, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The findings from two studies that tracked patterns of arterial stiffness over time align with growing evidence that uncontrolled hypertension contributes to the development of dementia by accelerating the aging and stiffening of blood vessels.

Meeting: American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session

Cannabis use disorder among young people linked to diagnosis of psychiatric disorders

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers found that young people with cannabis use disorder were more likely than young people with other substance use disorders to later be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. In contrast, adults with cannabis use disorder were significantly less likely to develop psychiatric disorders, compared to adults with other substance use disorders.