Women who experience pregnancy complications face an increased risk of developing peripheral artery disease later in life, according to a new UTHealth Houston study.

Rice University mechanical engineers and Baylor College of Medicine neurosurgeons have identified simple changes to surgical tools that could reduce strain on the esophagus and potentially lower the risk of swallowing difficulties after neck surgery. The study, published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, focuses on anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, or ACDF, a common procedure used to treat damaged or degenerating discs in the neck.

The study of nearly 45,000 first-time mothers found that repeated exposure to combinations of common air pollutants in early pregnancy was associated with nearly three-times greater odds of early preterm birth. Levels that the EPA's AQI would classify as "safe" may still pose health risks when experienced together. The most critical pregnancy window was weeks 9-14 of pregnancy, particularly around week 11, when the placenta and fetal blood supply are developing.

People with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol addiction, or psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia show increased brain aging, each in specific patterns within the brain, according to a study published July 21^st in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Shile Qi from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, and colleagues.

New journal PLOS Aging and Health publishes its first papers on July 21, 2026. The first issue includes research findings on a range of key topics focused on human aging.