To examine the impact of breastfeeding on food allergy, researchers at the University of Toyama analyzed data from more than 88,000 children followed from birth to 6 years of age. They compared childhood allergies among those who were exclusively breastfed, partly breastfed, or formula-fed during their first 6 months. They found that exclusive breastfeeding was associated with lower prevalence of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis but higher prevalence of food allergy and atopic dermatitis.

An international team led by the University of Lübeck has presented the largest genetic study of Parkinson's disease to date, part of the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2). Analysing data from almost 100,000 people across eleven population groups worldwide, the researchers show that disease-causing genetic variants occur with very different frequencies depending on ancestry. Because genetic research has so far focused mainly on people of European descent, disease causes in other populations often go undetected, excluding them from new, genetically targeted therapies. The study provides a basis for making diagnostics and precision medicine work for people with Parkinson's everywhere.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report the blood-based gene expression tests may enable early pancreatic cancer screening and improve long-term survival.

The “red tide” algal blooms that are becoming more frequent along the Pacific coast produce one of the most potent neurotoxins known: saxitoxin, or STX. The toxin accumulates in shellfish and causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) when consumed.

A study led by IR Sant Pau and published in Human Reproduction analyzes data from more than 22,000 women and identifies four distinct clinical profiles. One in five women experiences the most severe form, with pain, digestive problems, and impaired mental health occurring at the same time. This group has a poorer quality of life across all areas, including more pain, worse overall health, greater social isolation, and more difficulty accessing medical care. Endometriosis is not only pelvic pain: nearly 30% of patients have a “neurological-psychological” profile. Anxiety, depression, and migraine are often the first symptoms recorded in these patients, who receive psychiatric diagnoses before gynecological ones. Adenomyosis is more severe than previously thought: women with both endometriosis and adenomyosis fall into two groups with severe symptoms, with none in the asymptomatic group.

Epilepsy affects millions of people worldwide, and roughly one-third of such patients continue to experience seizures despite medication. In a recent study, researchers from Gunma University have developed a 410-base pair compact genetic switch that selectively targets inhibitory neurons in the brain to restore the excitatory–inhibitory balance. This compact switch can be delivered using viral delivery vectors, enabling effective seizure suppression across multiple epilepsy mouse models while preserving the capacity of the therapeutic genes.

A case report in Chinese Neurosurgical Journal describes a novel salvage surgical approach for refractory multiple sclerosis-related trigeminal neuralgia. In a single patient who had failed medical, percutaneous, and radiosurgical treatments, the procedure combined internal neurolysis (nerve combing) with targeted glycerol delivery to the proximal trigeminal root. The patient experienced immediate pain relief and remained recurrence-free on the treated side for 43 months, with preserved sensation and reduced medication use.