A new BMJ study led by Sinai Health's Dr. Paula Rochon identifies 24 common drug combinations that can trigger unnecessary prescribing cascaades in older adults, and points to better clinician awareness, pharmacist involvement, and technology to support prescribing practices. 

In children with difficulty-to-diagnose epilepsy, PET/MRI can pinpoint areas of the brain responsible for seizures, even when MRI scans are negative or inconclusive. A new study of a large pediatric cohort, including children younger than 6 years old, found that combining PET/MRI findings with EEG results and a structured presurgical evaluation improved the identification of seizure-causing brain tissue and informed treatment decisions. This research was published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.  

A Reusable Catalyst for Antibiotic Removal

Sulfamethoxazole, a widely used antimicrobial, can persist in aquatic environments and pose risks to ecosystems and human health. Researchers led by Xuejiao Tang at Nankai University developed millimeter-scale magnetic carbon beads, designated CoNC@cPAN/rGO-800, to address the limited recoverability and metal-leaching concerns associated with powdered cobalt catalysts. The material combines a polyacrylonitrile carbon framework, reduced graphene oxide, and cobalt-containing active sites.

Porous Structure, Rapid Degradation

The beads were prepared from a cobalt-containing zeolitic imidazolate framework, polyacrylonitrile, and graphene oxide, followed by calcination under nitrogen at different temperatures. Microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, surface-area analysis, electrochemical measurements, and density functional theory calculations were used to characterize the material and assess its catalytic behavior. Under optimized conditions, 0.1 g L⁻¹ of catalyst and 0.1 g L⁻¹ of peroxymonosulfate removed 100% of 10 mg L⁻¹ sulfamethoxazole within 20 min at pH 7.

UCI Health, the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, is conducting a first-in-human, phase 1 clinical trial using laser light to target localized but inoperable pancreatic tumors to help patients become cancer free.

A Changing Carbon Balance

Soil organic carbon supports soil health, water retention, nutrient cycling, soil structure, and microbial diversity. A review led by Nanthi Bolan examines how climate change-induced droughts, floods, and wildfires can alter these functions by changing carbon inputs, decomposition, erosion, and the movement of dissolved organic carbon.

The analysis places soil carbon within the wider climate system. Depending on environmental conditions and land management, soils can either store carbon or contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions. The authors argue that protecting soil carbon is important not only for climate mitigation but also for sustaining agricultural productivity and ecosystem services.

Mapping the Evidence

On 14 January 2026, the authors searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science using terms related to climate change, extreme weather, soil carbon, microbial activity, decomposition, erosion, dissolved organic matter, and leaching. The initial search produced 14,218 records. After duplicate removal and eligibility screening, 3,754 articles were retained for bibliometric and qualitative analysis.