A comprehensive review published in Genomic Psychiatry presents groundbreaking findings from the Lothian Birth Cohorts studies, spanning 25 years of research. The study provides unique insights into cognitive aging by following participants who took intelligence tests at age 11 and again in their later years, revealing crucial factors that influence brain health throughout life.

Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), discusses her groundbreaking work in addiction neuroscience and brain imaging in a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview. Dr. Volkow reveals how personal experiences shaped her mission to destigmatize addiction and advance evidence-based treatments, while exploring promising developments in treatment and recovery.

Melanoma accounts for only 1% of skin cancers in the United States but results in the largest number of skin cancer deaths. Investigators evaluated the potential link between the availability and use of tanning beds and the rising rates of melanoma in New England. They found compelling evidence linking tanning bed usage to increased melanoma risk. Their spatial epidemiologic study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, published by Elsevier, provides critical insights to inform public health strategies and reduce melanoma incidence.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led team has developed a plastic surgical field expansion plate that can help surgeons during robot-assisted heart surgery.

Researchers at Kumamoto University have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against COVID-19 with the development of Intelli-OVI, a cutting-edge diagnostic tool capable of rapidly identifying emerging variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This new system combines advanced DNA detection technology with computational algorithms to offer a quicker and more cost-effective method of monitoring viral mutations, which could play a crucial role in managing future pandemics.

A recent nationwide study conducted in Japan has revealed a substantial increase in overweight and obesity prevalence among the patients of the incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD)  over a 14-year study period. Additionally, the study indicated that underweight individuals also constitutes a notable proportion of this patient population.

In operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), molecular residual disease (MRD) detection via circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a promising approach to identify individuals at high risk of disease recurrence and potentially guide adjuvant therapy decisions. A recent prospective observational study conducted at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, China, aimed to elucidate the role of MRD detection in patients with operable NSCLC harboring oncogenic fusions, MET exon skipping, or de novo MET amplification following surgical resection and explore the association between postoperative MRD mutations and clinical outcomes.