A recent study suggests that bacteria thrive more readily on untreated than treated wood surfaces. The finding has implications for hygiene in both homes and public spaces.

A new study in the Journal of Affective Disorders examined spousal bereavement among older adults in Japan and found that widowed men experienced poorer physical and mental health and well-being, whereas widowed women showed only a short-term decrease in happiness and no change in other aspects of their health, and even improved their overall well-being in subsequent years. 

A new study led by investigators at National Jewish Health and published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology(Opens in a new window), shows that treatment with dupilumab significantly restores skin barrier function and reduces inflammation in children ages 6 to 11 with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (eczema). Using advanced, noninvasive techniques, researchers found improvements not only in visible eczema lesions but also in clinically unaffected skin, highlighting the systemic nature of the disease.

About The Study: In this cohort study, adverse childhood experience (ACE) exposure was associated with an increased risk of treatment-resistant depression even after accounting for unmeasured familial confounding. The findings highlight the importance of preventing ACEs and incorporating ACE history into clinical assessment to identify individuals with major depressive disorder who may be at elevated risk for treatment resistance. 

About The Study: This study estimated the increase in 12-month psilocybin use in Oregon and Colorado associated with decriminalization. 

Study fiinds AI agents can autonomously coordinate propaganda campaigns without human direction.Traditional bot campaigns are tightly scripted to follow fixed instructions: always retweet this account, reply with this hashtag, post this prewritten message. The content is repetitive and the patterns predictable, making them possible to uncover.The new AI-powered model works differently. A hostile government, political operative, or bad actor sets a goal and designates a network of AI agents as a team. From there, the agents take over, writing their own posts, learning what works, copying their so-called teammates’ successful approaches, and echoing each other’s content. Because every post is slightly different and the coordination latent, these conversations or discussions seem genuine.