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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-May-2026 12:15 ET (29-May-2026 16:15 GMT/UTC)

New review reveals how microbial communities accelerate the global spread of antibiotic resistance

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new scientific review has uncovered how complex microbial communities, including those in the human gut and the natural environment, act as powerful engines that drive the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The findings highlight urgent risks to global health and call for coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental sectors.

New study reveals widespread PFOS contamination in African soils and food crops

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new scientific review has found that perfluorooctane sulfonate, a persistent chemical pollutant known as PFOS, is accumulating in soils and agricultural plants across Africa at levels that may pose ecological and public health risks. The study highlights contamination hotspots in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda, and calls for urgent investment in monitoring, regulation, and research capacity across the continent.

University of Maryland School of Medicine names distinguished scientist and academic leader Gerald M. Wilson, PhD, as Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

University of Maryland School of Medicine
Business Announcement

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD today announced the appointment of Gerald M. Wilson, PhD, as Chair of the School’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, effective December 15, 2025. Dr. Wilson, a distinguished scientist and educator, brings more than two decades of leadership and internationally recognized research in RNA biochemistry and cancer mechanisms to this role. As part of the appointment, he will be endowed as the John F.B. Weaver Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Pennington Biomedical makes history with first-ever International Symposium in Riyadh

Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Meeting Announcement

Pennington Biomedical Research Center marked a major milestone this past week with the successful launch of its first international scientific symposium: the Pennington Obesity and Metabolic Disease Symposium, held Dec. 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event concluded an extraordinary week of high-level partnership building across the Gulf region, further solidifying Pennington Biomedical as a premier U.S. collaborator in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 health transformation goals.

Treating adults with autism: Maryland Clinical Center offers national blueprint for care after pediatric transition

University of Maryland School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often lose access to specialized care once they age out of pediatric services. A new report from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty presents five years of real-world data from their clinical practice at the Clinical Center for Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CCAND), demonstrating how a state-funded, multidisciplinary care model can close these gaps and serve as a blueprint for other states.

Journal: Neurology

Receptors in mammary glands make livestock and humans inviting hosts for avian flu

Iowa State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study led by Iowa State University researchers shows the mammary glands of pigs, sheep, goats, beef cattle, alpacas and humans are biologically suitable to be infected by H5N1 avian influenza, which has so far affected mostly poultry and dairy cattle.

Journal: Journal of Dairy Science

Dual-action arts and wellbeing program transforms dementia care

University of South Australia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new arts and wellbeing program co-developed by the University of South Australia, Flinders University and the University of Adelaide shows that supporting the social needs of people living with dementia and their carers can help families rediscover connection, confidence and a sense of community.

Funder: Arts and Health Collaboration (now Global Arts and Health Alliance).

NCCN Summit seeks to improve care for veterans and first responders with cancer from line-of-duty exposure

National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Meeting Announcement

NCCN hosted a Patient Advocacy Summit on how veterans, firefighters, and other national heroes face elevated cancer risk on the job, what policies and programs are in place currently to help with long-term care, and how to better meet these needs in the future.

Inconsistent sleep patterns in adolescents found to have widespread negative effects on the developing brain

Boston Children's Hospital
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Adolescents often sleep less than recommended and have substantially different sleep patterns between weekdays and weekends. Their mismatch in sleep timing between school and free days, known as social jet lag, has been linked to adverse physical, cognitive, and mental health outcomes, though the mechanisms have been poorly understood. In a first of its kind study, published in the journal SLEEP, researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital have found that social jetlag has widespread negative effects on fundamental aspects of the developing brain's function and structure, impacting areas of the brain that support processes such as emotional regulation and social function.

Journal: SLEEP