esearch involving Pompeu Fabra University has concluded that abortions in Spain fell by around 24% during the two months of strict lockdown due to covid-19 in the spring of 2020. The study, conducted by the researchers Libertad González (UPF Department of Economics and Business and Barcelona School of Economics) and Karina Trommlerová (Institute of Public Policy of Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia), reveals that this reduction was not due to the closure of clinics or difficulties getting access to the health service, but to a decrease in unwanted pregnancies, especially among single women

European governments worried about population decline often focus on policies to encourage people to have more children. However, a new study reveals that this popular strategy is often less effective and more ethically problematic than a simpler, immediate alternative: large-scale investment in public health to reduce preventable deaths.

If gut bacteria are too similar to the protective layer of nerves, they can misdirect the immune system and cause it to attack its own nervous system. This mechanism can accelerate the progression of multiple sclerosis, as researchers at the University of Basel have shown in trials with mice. However, their results also open up opportunities for treatments that make use of the microbiome.

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a novel artificial intelligence tool that not only identifies disease-causing genetic mutations but also predicts the type of disease those mutations may trigger. The method, called V2P (Variant to Phenotype), is designed to accelerate genetic diagnostics and aid in the discovery of new treatments for complex and rare diseases. The findings were reported in the December 15 online issue of Nature Communications [DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66607-w].

Single-pill medications that combine two or more blood pressure medications could simplify treatment to help more adults with high blood pressure achieve target blood pressure levels faster and maintain blood pressure goals long-term compared with patients taking multiple, separate pills daily.