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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-May-2026 01:15 ET (26-May-2026 05:15 GMT/UTC)

New global guidelines streamline environmental microbiome research

Michigan State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Microbiomes, the communities of microorganisms that live in and around us, play a vital role in everything from human health to soil fertility and climate regulation. But studying these tiny life forms, especially outside the human body, presents a major challenge: how do scientists share complex data across such a wide range of environments and disciplines? To help solve this problem, a team of nearly 250 researchers from 28 countries has developed a new set of guidelines called STREAMS.

Journal: Nature Microbiology

Losing sleep over money: Rice study reveals how financial stress follows workers to bed

Rice University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from Rice University reveals how financial stress disrupts sleep by increasing “stress-before-bed behaviors” such as worry, tension and mental overactivation at night. Tracking full-time Army and Air National Guard members over nine months, researchers found that economic strain predicted elevated bedtime stress, which then led to shorter sleep, more insomnia symptoms and lower sleep satisfaction. The findings highlight a measurable pathway connecting money stress to sleep health and point to strategies for workplaces and individuals to help break the stress–sleep cycle.

Journal: Journal of Business and Psychology
Funder: U.S. Department of Defense

Recognizing the need for more precise community investments to support youth mental health

George Mason University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

George Mason University youth mental health researcher Melissa Villodas explores the complex influence of neighborhood amenities in shaping youth depression and anxiety.

Journal: Wellbeing Space and Society

Toxic fear: New study suggests flood-driven contamination deepens climate anxiety in vulnerable communities

Rice University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from Rice University and the University of Alberta shows that residents who believe their neighborhoods were exposed to toxic contamination during flooding report significantly higher concerns about future storms and their long-term well-being. The study analyzed survey responses from Houston residents following Hurricane Harvey, focusing on worries related to home, health and neighborhood safety. Researchers found that the combination of flooding and suspected contamination—not flooding alone—was strongly associated with elevated climate concerns, particularly in coastal industrial communities and communities of color. The authors argue that industrial pollution and climate-related flood risks are increasingly interconnected challenges that require coordinated planning and policy responses. The study, published in Natural Hazards Review, highlights the need for improved strategies to protect vulnerable neighborhoods as severe weather events intensify.

Journal: Natural Hazards Review

In recognition of World AIDS Day 2025, Gregory Folkers and Anthony Fauci reflect on progress made in antiretroviral treatments and prevention of HIV/AIDS, highlighting promising therapeutic developments and looking ahead to what is needed to end the AIDS

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In recognition of World AIDS Day 2025, Gregory Folkers and Anthony Fauci reflect on progress made in antiretroviral treatments and prevention of HIV/AIDS, highlighting promising therapeutic developments and looking ahead to what is needed to end the AIDS epidemic

Journal: PLOS Medicine

Los Angeles wildfires prompted significantly more virtual medical visits, UW-led research finds

University of Washington
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research led by the University of Washington and Kaiser Permanente Southern California sheds new light on how the 2025 Los Angeles fires affected people’s health, and how people navigated the health care system during an emergency.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

Health risks of air pollution from stubble burning poorly understood in various parts of Punjab, India

Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Working Group 3 (WG3) researchers of Aakash project*, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) in Japan and India surveyed 2,202 households in Punjab to examine perceptions of air pollution from stubble burning and its health risks. While many residents recognized severe air pollution in Delhi, fewer acknowledged the impact of local stubble burning on their own health. Households with existing health issues were more aware of the risks. The findings highlight the need for targeted environmental health communication.

Journal: Scientific Reports
Funder: Research Institute for Humanity and Nature

How fast you can walk before hip surgery may determine how well you recover

Kyushu University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Total hip arthroplasty is a common treatment for hip osteoarthritis. However, clinical outcomes vary between patients, and the best timing for surgery remains unclear. Now, researchers at Kyushu University have identified that pre-surgery walking speed is a strong predictor of post-surgery outcomes. Reporting in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, they found that patients who could walk at least 1 m/s before surgery were significantly more likely to report good postoperative results.

Journal: Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Ogata Memorial Foundation, Medical Care Education Research Foundation

Study shows quitting smoking completely is best way to protect your health

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, new research from Johns Hopkins Medicine adds to existing evidence that smoking fewer cigarettes does not eliminate cardiovascular disease risk, and quitting entirely is the most effective strategy for improving health.

Journal: PLOS Medicine
Funder: Food and Drug Adminstration