A three-arm randomized controlled trial published in Brain Medicine found no significant difference in sleep quality between Tai Chi Qigong, an exercise program matched for intensity, and usual care among male cancer survivors aged 55 and older, with small short-term gains in both movement groups.

Anxiety affects roughly 40% to 50% of people with Alzheimer’s disease, yet it is usually treated as a side issue. Drawing on the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a team from Boise State University, Cognigenics, and the University of California, Irvine found that participants with anxiety several times a week or daily had significantly lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores than those with none, while occasional anxiety showed no such difference. Broader neuropsychiatric symptom burden correlated with poorer cognition and, modestly, with cortical amyloid on PET imaging. Exploratory genetic analyses hinted that serotonergic variants may shape these links. The authors propose clinical evaluation of Cog-201, a gene therapy that reduces 5-HT2A receptor expression.

University of California, Riverside scientists have an explanation for why males and females respond differently to obesity. They report in PNAS Nexus that certain immune cell populations in fat tissue may protect against obesity-related inflammation while others may contribute to harmful metabolic changes. They found these immune cells, called eosinophils and traditionally associated with asthma and allergies, behave differently in males and females. 

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, but advances in early detection and treatment are improving the outlook for patients. Over the past two decades, five-year survival rates have nearly doubled, rising from 15% to 27% – progress driven in large part by clinical research. This Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is highlighting how its research is advancing earlier detection, improving treatments, and enhancing quality of life for survivors.

Scientists have long known that aging drives inflammation in the heart, but exactly how those changes are distributed throughout the organ has remained unclear. Now, a team from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) has pinpointed hotspots where these “inflammaging” signals concentrate, providing a new map of cardiac aging and a foundation for future studies of cardiovascular health and decline.