Researcher at Penn State discusses results of two papers that looked at factors that contribute to how Ebola virus disease outbreaks begin and how severe they become.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced the launch of Stem Cell Medicine: Parkinson’s Disease, a new continuing education course designed to equip clinicians with an evidence-based understanding of emerging stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Building on the success of the Society’s inaugural course, Stem Cell Medicine: From Scientific Research to Patient Care, this disease-focused program provides physicians and other healthcare professionals with deeper insight into how advances in stem cell science are moving toward clinical application in one of the most intensively studied neurological disorders.

The University of Granada participates in research linking a bacterium of the Roseburia genus with improved physical condition. This finding could lead to a probiotic for human consumption that helps maintain strength and fitness during aging. The study has been published in the prestigious scientific journal Gut

The global integration of traditional medicine (TM) and modern medicine reflects a fundamental shift in healthcare aimed at delivering more holistic, culturally sensitive, and patient-centered care. With over 80% of the global population relying on some form of TM, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, there is growing momentum to institutionalize TM alongside evidence-based biomedicine. Countries like India, China, and Korea have led integration through formal education, government-supported research, and clinical frameworks, while high-income countries are increasingly adopting complementary and integrative medicine models. However, this convergence faces substantial challenges, including differences in epistemology, regulatory standards, evidence hierarchies, and practitioner training. Limited clinical trials, quality assurance concerns, and issues related to intellectual property rights and biopiracy further complicate harmonization. Despite these barriers, the World Health Organization’s Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014–2023) and its newly established Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (India) underscore a growing international commitment to evidence-based integration. Opportunities lie in promoting collaborative research, strengthening regulatory frameworks, enhancing digital health platforms for TM documentation, and fostering intercultural dialogue between health systems. If guided ethically and scientifically, integration can improve access to care, reduce treatment costs, and offer personalized health solutions for chronic and lifestyle-related diseases. This review explored global integration models, evaluated emerging challenges, and identified strategies to support an inclusive, pluralistic, and sustainable healthcare future that respects both traditional wisdom and modern science.

In humans, Chlamydia psittaci causes psittacosis, a disease usually linked to contact with infected birds. We report two independent, epidemiologically unrelated events of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the megacity of Beijing associated with pet parrots, where convergent clinical, epidemiological, histopathological, and genetic evidence support the zoonotic transmission of C. psittaci from parrots to humans. These findings highlight an urgent need for the development and widespread adoption of certified diagnostic kits and standardized testing protocols for C. psittaci in clinical practice, both in China and globally.

Researchers found that patients who followed an exercise prescription while receiving chemotherapy reported fewer problems with thinking and memory and felt less mentally tired than those who received chemotherapy alone.