Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Jun-2026 08:15 ET (20-Jun-2026 12:15 GMT/UTC)

25-Feb-2026

Meningococcal B vaccination does not reduce gonorrhoea, trial results show

University of New South Wales
Reports and Proceedings

Results from a major randomised control trial provide strong evidence that the meningococcal B vaccine is not effective at preventing gonorrhoea among gay and bisexual men.

Meeting

Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2026

25-Feb-2026

COVID-19 infection predicts higher risk of kidney disease, study finds

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People with prior COVID-19 infection have a significantly higher risk of acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease and kidney failure compared to those who had influenza or no infection, according to a new study from researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

Journal

Communications Medicine

25-Feb-2026

Telemedicine visits cost 5x less than office visits

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers analyzed billing data and found that telemedicine visits were both five times cheaper, on average, than in-person appointments, and resulted in fewer follow-up appointments

Journal

JAMA Network Open

25-Feb-2026

 

University of Houston scientist helps rethink microbial future of space travel

University of Houston
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A University of Houston researcher was part of a global team of scientists who identified an often-overlooked biological system — biofilms — as a critical factor in the future of human space exploration.

Journal

npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

25-Feb-2026

U.S. medical care is improving, but cost and health differ depending on disease

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A first of its kind analysis shows higher health care spending on most of the 132 illnesses and injuries studied saved lives, while outcomes worsened for others. For many conditions, spending happened earlier in life, while better health appeared years or decades later.

Journal

Value in Health

25-Feb-2026

 

Study explains how ketogenic diets prevent seizures

WashU Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ketogenic diets, which are high in fat and very low in carbohydrates, have long been known to reduce epileptic seizures in some patients, but it hasn’t been clear why. A new study by WashU Medicine researchers shows in mice that the diet causes changes in the brain that dampen signaling between cells, opening a potential pathway to targeted therapies.

Journal

Cell Reports

25-Feb-2026

 

Surprising culprit leads to chronic rejection of transplanted lungs, hearts

WashU Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that chronic organ rejection may be triggered by the disruption of lymphatic vessels — an important drainage system throughout the body — from the donor organ rather than an attack by the patient’s immune system.

Journal

Science Translational Medicine

25-Feb-2026

 

Flagging claims about cancer treatment on social media as potentially false might help reduce spreading of misinformation, per online experiment with 1,051 US adults

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Flagging claims about cancer treatment on social media as potentially false might help reduce spreading of misinformation, per online experiment with 1,051 US adults

Journal

PLOS One

25-Feb-2026

 

Yawns in healthy fetuses might indicate mild distress

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Even in the womb, where all oxygen is provided by the parental placenta, fetuses can—and do—yawn. More yawns during observation were associated with a lower weight at birth—potentially indicating mild fetal stress in the womb, according to a study published February 25, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Damiano Menin, of the Università degli Studi di Ferrara in Italy, and colleagues.

Journal

PLOS One