The increasing availability of routinely collected health data (RCD) which is increasingly being used for research purposes, opens up numerous opportunities to answer more questions about health and disease – and to do so in less time. However, researchers often lack knowledge about how the data was generated, as well as control over how it was collected. An international research consortium has now published a groundbreaking guide on the use of RCDs, which is the first comprehensive guide of its kind. The goal is to sustainably improve the quality, validity, and transparency of studies based on such data, thereby strengthening the foundation for reliable evidence-based medicine. The study is now published in the renowned journal The BMJ.

Cytochrome P450 enzymes are promising biocatalysts for greener chemical manufacturing, but many remain difficult to study because their activity relies on unidentified partner proteins. Now, researchers from Japan have engineered the P450 enzyme CYP107J1 from Bacillus subtilis into a new hydrogen peroxide-driven form that no longer requires these partners. The modified enzyme exhibited 28-fold higher catalytic activity than its natural counterpart and efficiently produced indigo dye, demonstrating a promising strategy towards sustainable oxidation chemistry.

A miniaturized, biomimetic model of the human intestine successfully reproduced long-term enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) infection, report researchers from Science Tokyo. Using this innovative platform, they shed light on how this virus grows in the intestine without triggering a strong immune response. Their findings could help develop effective treatments for EV-A71 infectious diseases.

Analysis of Massachusetts Medicaid data finds that people with diabetes, heart disease, depression, and other conditions who received medically tailored meals for at least six months experienced significantly fewer health emergencies and lower costs of care than those who did not. 

A new study identifies vgll3 as a key gene that promotes rapid growth and early reproduction while increasing the risk of aging and cancer later in life. The findings provide rare experimental evidence for the theory that evolution favors early-life advantages even at the expense of long-term health. Researchers say the discovery could open new paths for understanding, and potentially separating, the biological links between development, aging, and disease.