Heart specialists at Mayo Clinic today presented new research at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting that redo surgery for adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) remains high-risk, and a clinically applicable national risk assessment model is needed to help patients and care teams make decisions about procedures.

Breakthrough research presented at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting shows that additional lymph node evaluation is needed during surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to accurately identify cancer spread.

Researchers at Brown University Health have identified a key molecular mechanism that may improve treatment for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of adult brain cancer. In a study published November 10 in Cell Reports, the team found that differences among cells within a single tumor play a major role in chemotherapy resistance and uncovered a small molecule, miR-181d, that helps regulate this variability. By stabilizing miR-181d levels, researchers were able to make tumor cells respond more uniformly to chemotherapy, potentially increasing its effectiveness. The discovery has already led to the development of a promising new gene-therapy–based approach aimed at improving outcomes for patients with glioblastoma.

A new analysis led by UC Berkeley, published today in JAMA Health Forum, shows that the passage of "red flag" laws — also called extreme risk protection orders — does reduce suicides by gun. The researchers looked at data from four states that passed ERPO laws and eight that did not, and concluded that the laws reduced firearm suicides by a mean of 3.79 incidences per 100,000 population, with an estimated 675 suicides prevented across these four states between the year the law was passed and following year.  Non-firearm suicide rates did not change.

About The Study: In this cohort study of 47,000 adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, after accounting for demographic characteristics (e.g., age, race and ethnicity), behavioral factors (e.g., smoking, alcohol use), and chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, hypertension), males had a 63% greater risk of all-cause mortality than females. These findings suggest that there may be intrinsic biological factors (sex hormones, chromosomes, or immune response) associated with sex differences in mortality. Further research should investigate the effects of sex-linked biological factors on mortality.

Researchers at WashU Medicine have developed a nasal vaccine against the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, or bird flu, which has jumped from wild birds to livestock to humans. When tested in rodents, the vaccine elicited a strong immune response and prevented infections in animals exposed to H5N1.