Gum disease bacteria may spur calcium buildup in the heart's aortic valve, leading to a common and serious heart valve disease, according to preliminary, independent research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2026, held in Boston, July 13–16, 2026.

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Birkbeck, University of London, have identified a site where a commonly used anesthetic binds to sodium ion channels, revealing a molecular mechanism that may explain how these drugs dampen communication between neurons. Ion channels are proteins that regulate the flow of charged particles across cell membranes, enabling neurons to generate electrical signals. By reducing this signaling, inhaled anesthetics help suppress brain activity, producing unconsciousness and immobility during surgery.

A major, USC-led study of more than 214,000 older adults across 14 countries and regions finds that the most common controllable risk factors for dementia—such as low education, high blood pressure and smoking—vary widely from country to country, meaning a one-size-fits-all approach to prevention won't work everywhere.

More people are focusing on their gut health, as fibermaxxing goes mainstream, colorectal cancer rises among young adults and personalized gut microbiome treatments become increasingly popular.

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Zoonotic diseases account for approximately 60% of all known human infectious diseases and nearly 75% of emerging infectious diseases.

Treating glioblastoma with a class of drugs known as EGFR inhibitors made this cancer more sensitive to chemotherapy, suggests a study in preclinical models co-led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Gum disease bacteria may spur calcium buildup in the heart's aortic valve, leading to a common and serious heart valve disease, according to preliminary, independent research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2026.

A major, USC-led study of more than 214,000 older adults across 14 countries and regions finds that the most common controllable risk factors for dementia - such as low education, high blood pressure and smoking - vary widely from country to country, meaning a one-size-fits-all approach to prevention won't work everywhere.

PsyEval is a new benchmark that tests how large language models perform on mental health knowledge, diagnostic assessment, and emotional support tasks. The study found that leading models can show strong factual recall and fluent responses, but still struggle with empathy, clinical nuance, prompt sensitivity, and safe diagnostic behavior.

Maternal cold exposure during early pregnancy improved glucose control and reduced liver fat in male rat offspring, with benefits persisting into late adulthood. The findings implicate a breast milk LCA, gut microbiota, and Th17 immune pathway, while human cohort data showed an observational link between winter conception and lower MASLD risk.