The common rationale for drinking water at meals is that it physically stretches the stomach, triggering fullness so you don’t eat too much. But a new Cornell study found no support for that idea in practice. 

Patient trust in medical professionals might hinge on what artificial intelligence (AI) has to say, according to a team led by Penn State researchers. Using an AI chatbot roleplaying as a human doctor, the team identified how people perceive medical professionals when they think a “human” doctor consults an AI system for a second opinion during mental health consultations. They found that when the AI system agreed with the proxy doctor’s recommendation, patients viewed the professional’s assessment as more credible. But when the AI disagreed with the doctor’s assessment, patient perceptions of medical uncertainty and doctor laziness increased.

Smaller doses of COVID-19 booster vaccines can provide long-lasting immunity, helping to reduce costs and improve access to vaccination, according to new research. And the findings could also inform vaccine dosing and options during future pandemics.

Home visits are a core part of community nursing. For nursing students, they are not simply a checklist of health assessments. A home visit asks students to observe the family environment, recognize safety risks, communicate with patients and relatives, and turn classroom knowledge into practical care decisions.  Yet such situations are hard to recreate in a classroom. A real home may be cluttered. An older adult may hesitate, question the visitor, become impatient, or respond in unexpected ways. Traditional role-play can help students rehearse the process, but scripted scenarios may not fully capture the uncertainty of entering someone’s home as a nurse.  A study published in the Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research explored whether a virtual–physical integrated scenario simulation could bring students closer to that reality. Researchers from Peking Union Medical College School of Nursing, Beijing Xicheng District Desheng Community Health Center, and Beijing Fengtai District Fangzhuang Community Health Center tested the approach in undergraduate nursing education. They found that the new simulation model increased students’ learning immersion compared with conventional scenario simulation. However, the study did not show a clear short-term advantage in improving students’ home visit attitudes or skills.

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.