Author: healthadmin

One of cruise passengers’ biggest fears is the spread of infectious diseases at sea. Two Texans were recently on a cruise ship, and 147 passengers and crew members may have been infected with hantavirus. Hantaviruses are serious and potentially fatal respiratory viruses that originate from rodent feces. The outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization on May 2, 2026, and the disease was quickly identified as an Andean strain of hantavirus. In the United States, hantavirus infections are rare, with fewer than 900 cases reported between 1993 and 2023. When infections occur in the United States, they usually cause…

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain is associated with disruption of gut microbiota metabolites. Researchers have shown that butyrate, administered as tributyrin, reduces pain by restoring histone acetylation and reversing changes in gene regulation in the brain. The research team identified key genes involved in pain regulation, including: No.14 We use a mouse model and single-cell multi-omics sequencing. Targeting the butyrate-related epigenetic pathway may provide a promising non-opioid strategy for the treatment of temporomandibular joint pain. Temporomandibular joint disorders are a major cause of chronic orofacial pain and often result from a complex interaction between neurological, inflammatory, and systemic factors. However, current…

A blood test that detects tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream could help choose the most effective treatment options for cancer patients whose tumors have begun to spread, according to one of the largest randomized controlled trials of its kind presented at the European Society of Radiation Therapy Oncology Congress (ESTRO 2026). The study was led by Chad Tan, Ph.D., associate professor of radiation oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, USA, and presented by Alex D. Shelley, Ph.D., assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, USA. Also featured in today’s…

More than a decade has passed since Michael Gollner and his colleagues first watched a viral YouTube video of a fire tornado fueled by Jim Beam bourbon. A warehouse in Kentucky had just been struck by lightning, spilling about 1 million gallons of flammable spirits into a nearby reservoir. But as the flames raced across the water, something in the stars in the atmosphere aligned. The flames coalesced into a towering vortex of fire, commonly known as a fire tornado. “We looked at it and thought, ‘Wow, this could be successfully applied to oil spill treatment,'” said Gollner, a professor…

Army veteran Alan Bonin would still be alive today if it weren’t for a brutal three-year battle with asbestos-induced mesothelioma that ultimately took his life. A hard-working husband, father, and veteran, he never doubted that he worked as a mechanic and HVAC technician for many years after leaving the military. His specialty was brake work, and he then worked for a heating and cooling company for 30 years, and it is believed that he contracted cancer as a result of the hidden asbestos risks he faced while working there. “I never thought I would contract a disease like mesothelioma,” Bonin…

The New York City Housing Authority developed Mold Busters, a mold removal program, in response to a class action lawsuit filed in 2013 by residents suffering from asthma caused by mold in their apartments. A new study presented at the ATS 2026 international conference shows the program reduced asthma-related emergency department visits by nearly 2,800 per year. Researchers estimate that without the program, asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits among New York City public housing residents would have increased by 25%. This is the first large-scale observational study to show that a city-wide mold intervention project can significantly reduce the burden…

A plant thought to have disappeared decades ago has been rediscovered in a remote part of northern Australia thanks to a chance observation uploaded to citizen science platform iNaturalist. Scientists say the surprising discovery highlights how everyday people are becoming increasingly important to modern biodiversity research and conservation. The discovery began when professional gardener Aaron Bean, who was helping raise banded birds on a vast outback property in Queensland, noticed an unusual plant growing in the landscape. He photographed it and uploaded the image to iNaturalist after phone service was restored. This simple upload set off a surprising chain of…

Direct-to-patient (DTP) claims are clearly stated. Unify the prescription process and create a frictionless, branded experience that benefits patients, providers, and manufacturers. Gifthealth serves more than 7 million patients, clearly proving that DTP can be delivered at scale. The question now is not whether to pursue DTP, but how to execute it without failure.To successfully implement DTP, pharma commercial teams must select the right partners, set the right expectations, and avoid structural failure modes that cause DTP programs to stall between objectives and initial inputs. These companies will be able to remain competitive even as consumer and regulatory expectations increase.…

Recent research published in communication research suggest that when romantic partners feel insecure about their relationship, they tend to experience more negative emotions in everyday conversations. This study provides evidence that partner kindness promotes happiness and positive communication, while doubts in the relationship can lead to discomfort and negative interactions. These findings help explain how underlying relationship dynamics shape the way couples talk and connect on a daily basis. Scientists Kelly St. Cyr Brisini and Ningyan “Ocean” Wang conducted a study to understand how the nature of the underlying relationship influences the emotions couples feel during normal conversations. Previous research…

Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. I’m glad you’re here. A lot of news was announced over the weekend, so let’s take a look. American citizen appears to have been infected in Congo’s Ebola outbreak A number of Americans in the Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to have been caught up in the country’s latest outbreak, and several are believed to have had high-risk exposures, at least one of whom may have developed symptoms, STAT’s Helen Branswell exclusively reported. While we are still awaiting…