Author: healthadmin

UTHealth Houston physicians’ visits to local public health facilities raise community awareness and generate new research ideas. A new study led by UTHealth Houston shows that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease is significantly reduced in older adults who receive higher doses of the influenza vaccine compared to standard doses. The survey results are announced today. Neurology. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 7 million Americans age 65 and older in 2025, or approximately 1 in 9 people in the same age group. That number is expected to more than double by 2050. A 2022…

High blood levels of vitamin D in midlife are associated with lower levels of tau protein in the brain years later, a sign of dementia, according to a study published on April 1, 2026. Neurology® Open Accessthe official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. This study does not prove that vitamin D levels reduce tau levels and risk of dementia. Just show the relevance. “These results suggest that high vitamin D levels in midlife may protect against the development of tau deposits in the brain, and that low vitamin D levels may be a risk factor that can be…

Having infectious mononucleosis (often referred to as mono) caused by the Epstein-Barr virus is associated with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published on April 1, 2026. Neurology® Open Accessthe official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Epstein-Barr virus is a very common herpesvirus that causes no symptoms in most people. However, if you get the virus as a teenager or adult, it can cause mononucleosis. Epstein-Barr virus is the most common cause of mono infections. This study does not prove that mono infections caused by Epstein-Barr virus cause MS. Just show the…

Melanoma is a deadly skin cancer that is usually removed surgically. Currently, researchers are ACS Nano They report that they have developed a non-invasive treatment for melanoma in the form of a stretchable, heat-activated patch that resembles a bandage. When the patch is activated, copper ions are released, killing the underlying cancer cells and preventing them from spreading. Researchers say that in tests on mice, the patch reduced melanoma lesions without damaging surrounding tissue. Melanoma usually forms in the outermost and middle layers of the skin. This makes it difficult to kill cancer cells while leaving surrounding healthy tissue intact.…

Washington state faces open water challenges. Tools to reduce air pollution from ships can cause water pollution. And this winter, for the second year in a row, proposals to untangle that contradiction ran into a deadlock in the Washington Congress.Semi-retired KUOW reporter Tom Vance recently wrote a piece for Salish Current about this issue. He spoke to KUOW’s Paige Browning about his reporting. This interview has been edited for clarity. Paige Browning: This problem involves something called an exhaust scrubber. This is basically used to pressure wash the chimneys and exhausts of large ships, reducing nuisance air pollution. However, you…

In some non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), RET gene (also known as) RET fusion) can promote tumor growth. Researchers at Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Institute evaluated the long-term efficacy and safety of pralsetinib, an FDA-approved drug that targets RET, in a phase 1/2 clinical study with 42 months of follow-up. The researchers found that the treatment produced durable responses with a manageable safety profile in 281 patients with advanced or metastatic RET fusion-positive NSCLC. Results are posted below Journal of Clinical Oncology. “Prior to the development of selective RET inhibitors, the expected overall survival of patients with advanced disease was…

People often fail to practice what they preach – patterns of behavior that are due to specific biological processes rather than just bad personality. According to a new study published in the journal cell reportpeople who behave dishonestly while criticizing the same behavior in others have reduced activity in certain areas of the brain. This research shows that aligning one’s behavior with one’s personal moral standards requires active mental integration. Social harmony is highly dependent on people maintaining consistent ethical standards. When people act contrary to the very rules they use to judge others, they risk damaging their own reputations…

EEvery year, the world produces more than 400 million tons of plastic, enough to fill more than 1 million garbage trucks, but less than 10 percent of these products are recycled. The rest ends up in landfills. They litter our lands, oceans, and waterways. Alternatively, it can be burned in incinerators, which produce dioxins, a powerful carcinogenic chemical. Initially, environmental research focused on the negative effects of plastic debris on aquatic animals and other wildlife. “But we now realize that we are all suffering the same effects,” says epidemiologist Leonardo Trasande, MD, professor of pediatrics at New York University’s Grossman…

With cascading climate shocks unfolding faster than scientists can track them, the United Nations scientific agency that assesses global warming risks and response options is stuck in a procedural logjam and facing a potential budget shortfall. The latest plenary session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Bangkok concluded last week without members approving a final schedule for completing the Seventh Assessment Report, even though the cycle officially began nearly two years ago. And experts warned that the reduction in funding could affect future work. The IPCC was established by global consensus in 1988 and has published comprehensive climate…

Artificial intelligence programs can persuade people to moderate their political views, but highly customized messages and deep conversations with bots are unlikely to work any better than a single basic argument. These results challenge long-held academic theories about what makes political messages effective and suggest that targeted data and interactive discussions may not provide the benefits politicians expect. The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Changing the minds of voters is an essential feature of democratic societies. Advocacy groups, public health officials, and political candidates spend billions of dollars trying to sway public…