Why do some people lose substantial weight with GLP-1-based medications while others see more modest results? A Mayo Clinic study offers a potential answer by identifying a distinct biological subtype of obesity that responds especially well to tirzepatide, a medication that mimics two naturally occurring hormones involved in appetite and blood sugar regulation, moving the field closer to precision medicine for obesity.

Climate change is altering the spread of waterborne diseases around the world, according to a comprehensive review published today in Nature Reviews Microbiology. The publication is the most up-to-date and comprehensive analysis to date examining how climate change influences waterborne diseases.

The review warns that more frequent extreme weather events could undermine decades of progress in reducing waterborne diseases, which contribute to nearly 1.2 million deaths from infectious diarrhea each year.

Led by researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz and the University of Washington School of Public Health, the review found that climate change does not affect all disease-causing microorganisms, known as pathogens, in the same way.

Instead, bacteria, viruses and parasites each respond differently to changing environmental conditions, showing why managing the public health response should be tailored to specific pathogens. The review outlines practical steps that can help communities adapt to the growing threat of climate-driven waterborne diseases.

From disease surveillance to clinical care, artificial intelligence is transforming health. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in decisions affecting population health, a new editorial asserts that realizing AI’s full potential requires public health leadership alongside technical innovation.

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a biological feedback loop that helps explain why certain colorectal cancers—known as microsatellite instability (MSI) and deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) tumors—respond better to immunotherapy. Using mouse models and patient tumor data, the team found that two genes, DR5 and Lig3, drive a cycle of tumor cell death and immune activation by promoting the release of extrachromosomal circular DNA, which amplifies the immune response. Tumors with higher DR5 and Lig3 activity were more likely to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, suggesting a potential pathway to improve treatment and better predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapy.

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals," during pregnancy and early life is associated with increased intestinal inflammation during childhood.

Public investment in liver transplants not only saves lives and substantially improves patients’ survival and quality of life, but also generates a positive long-term social and economic return. So demonstrates a pioneering study led by researchers from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the National Transplant Organization (ONT), and Vall d’Hebron University Hospital. More than four decades after the first liver transplant in Spain in 1984, this is the first study to perform a global assessment of the impact of these interventions, not only from the perspective of patients’ health, but also from the economic and social perspectives.

Being overweight and obesity may contribute to significantly more cancer cases than previously thought. This is the conclusion reached by researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). Their analysis shows that when more accurate measures of body fat and methodological biases are considered, more than 10 percent of all cancer cases can be attributed to increased body weight—nearly twice as many as previous estimates suggested.