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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Jun-2026 09:16 ET (1-Jun-2026 13:16 GMT/UTC)

Reproduction in space, an environment hostile to human biology

Reproductive BioMedicine Online
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As commercial spaceflight draws ever closer and time spent in space continues to extend, the question of reproductive health beyond the bounds of planet Earth is no longer theoretical but now ‘urgently practical,’ according to a new peer-reviewed study by an international multidisciplinary team of human reproduction, bioethics, and aerospace researchers.

Journal: Reproductive BioMedicine Online

Significant gaps persist in regional UK access to 24/7 air ambulance services

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Despite significant improvements in the availability of 24/7 emergency air ambulance services (HEMS) across the UK since 2009, persistent regional gaps remain, finds research published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

Journal: Emergency Medicine Journal

Physical fitness of transgender and cisgender women is comparable, current evidence suggests

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Transgender women might have more muscle mass than cisgender women 1 to 3 years after hormone therapy, but their physical fitness is comparable, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine
Funder: São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)

Duplicate medical records linked to 5-fold heightened risk of inpatient death

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Patients with duplicate medical records are 5 times more likely to die after being admitted to hospital and 3 times more likely to require intensive care than those with a single medical record, reveals US research published online in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety.

Journal: BMJ Quality & Safety
Funder: Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety Grant Program

Air ambulance pre-hospital care may make surviving critical injury more likely

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Air ambulance pre-hospital care (HEMS) may make surviving critical injury more likely as it’s associated with saving 5 more lives than would be expected in every 100 major trauma cases, suggests an analysis of survival data for one regional service in South East England, and published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

Journal: Emergency Medicine Journal

Scientists uncover how biochar microzones help protect crops from toxic cadmium

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals that biochar can create tiny but powerful soil microenvironments that significantly reduce cadmium contamination in crops. The findings offer fresh insight into how this carbon-rich material can improve food safety and environmental health when applied to polluted farmland.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding associated with higher levels of cognitive function for postmenopausal women

University of California - Los Angeles
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study led by UCLA anthropology professor Molly Fox has found that pregnancy and breastfeeding are linked with stronger long-term cognitive ability in postmenopausal women. The study found that an increase in cumulative time spent pregnant and time spent breastfeeding correlated with greater cognition, verbal memory and visual memory later in life.

Journal: Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Backward walking study offers potential new treatment to improve mobility and decrease falls in multiple sclerosis patients

Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A collaborative team of researchers and students from Wayne State University’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Institute of Gerontology are studying the impact of a backward walking program on individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Journal: Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy
Funder: Wayne State University

Emotional support from social media found to reduce anxiety

University of Arkansas
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Among the study’s findings was that people with high openness to experience, high extraversion, high agreeableness, and low conscientiousness reported an increase in perceived social media emotional support.

Journal: Psychiatry International
Funder: Fine Foundation