Chronic pain hits rural residents hardest
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-Dec-2025 21:11 ET (17-Dec-2025 02:11 GMT/UTC)
A new study from The University of Texas at Arlington reveals that people who live in rural areas are more likely to have chronic pain than those in urban settings. They’re also more likely to go from having no pain or occasional pain to chronic pain. The findings may help explain higher opioid prescription rates in rural communities and could guide future research into the root causes of this disparity.
AI puts doctors in a bind, says Shefali Patil, associate professor of management at Texas McCombs, in a recent article. Health care organizations are increasingly pushing them to rely on assistive AI to minimize medical errors. But they lack direct support for how to use it.
The result, Patil says, is that physicians risk burnout, as society decides whom to hold accountable when AI is involved in medical decisions. Paradoxically, they also face greater chances of making medical mistakes.
In a landmark study published in Science Advances, Vanderbilt researchers have created the first high-resolution lipid atlas of the human kidney, mapping over 100,000 functional tissue units across 29 donors. By integrating advanced imaging mass spectrometry with microscopy using machine learning, the team identified distinct lipid signatures that could transform diagnostics and precision treatments for kidney disease.
A new Concordia study published in Scientific Reports finds that aquatic therapy not only strengthens spinal muscles in people with chronic low back pain but also helps reduce pain-related fear and sleep disturbances. These results suggest that aquatic therapy may offer both physical and psychological benefits beyond standard care.