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Microplastics lab studies may fail to reflect real-world exposure

Rss Feed - Tue, 04/14/2026 - 04:04
Microplastics pose health risks, but lab studies often fail to reflect real-world exposure, highlighting critical gaps in toxicological research methodologies.

Study finds top AI models still struggle with clinical reasoning

Rss Feed - Tue, 04/14/2026 - 01:45
Researchers tested 21 frontier large language models on 29 stepwise MSD Manual clinical vignettes and found that, although many models performed well on final diagnosis, they remained much weaker at differential diagnosis and diagnostic testing. They also introduced the PrIME-LLM score, a multidimensional benchmark designed to better capture balanced clinical reasoning across the full workflow rather than raw accuracy alone.

Study warns of rising teen dependency on AI companions

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 23:46
It's estimated that more than half of all of U.S. teens are regularly using companion chatbots powered by large language models and generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Generative AI falls short in diagnostic reasoning despite accuracy

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 23:05
Despite increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, a new study led by Mass General Brigham researchers from the MESH Incubator shows that generative AI models continue to fall short at their clinical reasoning capabilities.

Categorization is fundamental and predictive across all brain processing

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 22:51
Challenging the classic view, two cognitive scientists argue in a new review that categorization is not a late, specialized stage of sensory processing.

Alzheimer's risk gene APOE4 impacts bone health in females

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 22:45
Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, along with collaborators at UC San Francisco, have discovered that APOE4, the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, causes bone quality deficits specifically in female mice, through a mechanism that is invisible to standard imaging and can emerge as early as midlife.

Prenatal opioid exposure shows minimal effect on later academic performance

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 22:39
Every 25 minutes in the United States, a baby is diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition that occurs in newborns who have been exposed to opioids in the womb and develop withdrawal after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Supportive neighborhoods linked to slower cognitive decline in older immigrants

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 22:13
Older Chinese immigrants living in neighborhoods with greater access to community amenities, services and supportive infrastructure experienced slower cognitive decline over time, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

Postpartum Medicaid expansion improved coverage but showed limited care changes

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 22:10
The federal policy requiring states to keep Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic extended postpartum Medicaid coverage nationwide and sharply increased the number of individuals remaining insured after childbirth, according to a Rutgers Health researcher.

Prostate cancer patients recover faster with TULSA than robotic surgery

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 22:00
A new randomized clinical trial found that men with localized, intermediate‑risk prostate cancer recovered faster and experienced less short‑term impact on their daily lives when treated with MRI‑guided, transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) compared with robotic prostate surgery.

Vaping may raise cognitive impairment risk in young adults, study finds

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 21:23
A cross-sectional study of 232 young adults in Bangkok found that e-cigarette users were more likely than non-smokers to screen as at risk for cognitive impairment on the MoCA, while no significant differences were seen for ADHD symptom tendency or emotional intelligence. The authors say the findings raise neurocognitive concerns but do not prove causation, and they call for longitudinal research to clarify whether vaping contributes to later cognitive decline.

Beetroot supplement raises nitric oxide markers in triathletes after one week

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 20:37
A randomized cross-over pilot study in 10 amateur male triathletes found that a beetroot-based multi-ingredient nitrate supplement increased nitric oxide-related and redox biomarkers over 7 days without evidence of lipid oxidative damage. The supplement was generally well tolerated, but the study did not measure whether these biochemical changes improved performance or recovery.

Study shows why an apple a day may work differently for different people

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 20:07
A 12-week single-blind trial in 38 Japanese adults found that daily Fuji apple intake did not significantly change overall host metabolic markers, but responses differed by baseline gut enterotype. Participants in the Bacteroidaceae-dominant enterotype showed significant increases in fecal short-chain fatty acids after apple consumption, suggesting that gut microbiota structure may shape functional dietary responses.

Parents’ intake of sugar substitutes may influence offspring gut biology, study finds

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 19:30
A mouse study in Frontiers in Nutrition found that parental sucralose and stevia intake altered gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, and gene expression across generations, with sucralose showing the stronger and more persistent effects. The changes were transmitted to offspring not directly exposed to the sweeteners, although several effects were attenuated by the F2 generation.

Scientists use whole exome sequencing to discover a new rare genetic disease

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 15:53
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and an international team of collaborators used a genetic sequencing technique called whole exome sequencing to discover a new rare genetic disease.

Targeting super-enhancer mechanisms offers new strategies for cancer therapy

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 15:27
Super-enhancers (SEs) are large clusters of transcriptional regulatory elements that drive oncogene expression, maintain malignancy, and create "transcriptional addiction" in cancer.

Eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma linked to higher odds of dementia

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 15:22
A new study published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official peer-reviewed publication of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), finds that two common and treatable causes of conductive hearing loss-eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma, a type of abnormal skin growth in the middle ear-are associated with higher odds of dementia.

Competition between brain circuits is key to intelligent behavior

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 15:15
The brain does not only cooperate; it also competes. So determines an international study by the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Pompeu Fabra University and the Montreal Neurological Institute in Canada, published in Nature Neuroscience.

Environmental enrichment found to weaken stress-triggered fentanyl relapse

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 15:04
Combating the opioid crisis relies on identifying new prevention strategies for problematic fentanyl use. In a collaboration between Washington State University and Washington University in St. Louis, researchers led by Jose Moron tested whether enriching a rat's environment can reduce fentanyl use and relapse.

Hepatologists effectively deliver palliative care to patients with liver disease

Rss Feed - Mon, 04/13/2026 - 15:01
Advanced liver disease (ALD) occurs when significant scarring causes the liver to lose function. Patients with ALD often have serious health challenges but have limited access to palliative care that could improve their quality of life.

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