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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 24-Oct-2026 09:17 ET (24-Oct-2026 13:17 GMT/UTC)

Paracetamol use during pregnancy is linked to changed reproductive development in daughters

European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers in Denmark have found that girls whose mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy had smaller ovaries, fewer ovarian follicles (the structures that contain immature eggs), smaller uteruses and lower levels of reproductive hormones at three months old. In a study published on Wednesday in Human Reproduction Open, the researchers said their results were consistent with findings from several previous studies in animals. However, they noted that, as this was an observational study, the findings do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

Journal: Human Reproduction Open
Funder: Rigshospitalets Research Council, Læge Sofus Carl Emil Friis og hustru Doris Friis‘Legat, Aase og Ejnar Danielsens Foundation, Helsefonden, Axel Muusfeldt Foundation, The Danish Centre for Endocrine Disrupting Substances, Publication was completed as part of the MERLON project under grant agreement No. 101137411. The MERLON project is funded by the European Union

Different daily step count and stepping pace combos may all lower risk of early death

Monash University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Taking fewer daily steps at a faster pace or more steps at a slower pace may substantially lower the risk of early death by up to 43 per cent, new research from Monash University and the University of Sydney has found.

Published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the research also found that walking at a brisker pace may be the sweet spot for those with sedentary lifestyles.

Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine

Different daily step count and stepping pace combos may all lower risk of early death

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fewer daily steps at a faster pace or more steps at a slower pace may both substantially lower the risk of an early death, with a brisker pace for at least 30 minutes a day the potential sweet spot for those with sedentary lifestyles out of choice or necessity, suggests research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine
Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Study finds limited evidence for helping hospitalized patients with alcohol use disorder connect to follow-up care

University of Colorado Anschutz
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A systematic review by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz and Yale University found limited evidence that hospital-based interventions can help people with alcohol use disorder connect with outpatient treatment after they leave the hospital.

Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine

River drinking water sources may face greater antibiotic resistance risks than reservoirs, study finds

Shenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Antibiotic resistance is increasingly recognized as a major public health and environmental challenge, yet the risks are not evenly distributed across aquatic environments. A new study published in Biocontaminant finds that river-type drinking water sources generally carry higher risks from antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes, and resistant bacteria than reservoir-type sources, highlighting the importance of considering water source type when designing monitoring and pollution-control strategies.

Journal: Biocontaminant

Not all colonoscopies are the same. New AI audits them at scale

Northwestern University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed an AI tool that rapidly and successfully measures colonoscopy quality by reviewing footage of the procedure.

Journal: The American Journal of Gastroenterology

Indiana University biologists find a hidden weak spot in how bacteria build the tails they use to move

Indiana University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington has uncovered a previously unknown vulnerability in how bacteria build the whip-like tails they use to move. These findings could help scientists find new ways to fight bacterial infections, especially at a time when drug resistant bacteria are a growing public health threat.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Cognitive behavioral therapy may reduce biological aging among older adults with insomnia

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Treatment of insomnia with cognitive behavioral therapy slows the pace of biological aging in older adults, according to a new study by UCLA Health.

Journal: The Lancet Healthy Longevity

Study identifies stress-response cells, points to new treatment target

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UCLA Health researchers identified a specific type of brain cell and a tiny structure on its surface that changes when the body is under stress, which may help explain why stress can lead to anxiety and depression.

Journal: Nature