Approximately 88% of adults view opioid overdose deaths as a very serious problem with high agreement across political groups, according to a national survey conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers. However, political differences over who is responsible will shape the country's next phase of drug policy.

In order to reprogram readily available cells into specific immune cells that fight various diseases, one must know the "recipe" for the transformation. Researchers at Lund University have now created a library of the 400 factors needed for reprogramming and have begun the work of finding the right combination—the recipe—for each type of immune cell.

Methamphetamine doesn't just spike levels of the pleasure-inducing hormone dopamine in the reward pathways of the brain—it also provokes damaging brain inflammation through similar mechanisms.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have discovered a way to target RNA that could lead to new treatment options for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common adult-onset form of muscular dystrophy, and other RNA-repeat expansion disorders.

A blood test, combined with an ultrathin material derived from graphite, could significantly advance efforts to detect Alzheimer's disease at its very earliest stage, even before symptoms appear.

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a severe disease that occurs when a vein in the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye (i.e., the retina) becomes blocked, which results in a loss of vision. There are currently a few medical interventions that address RVO, including the periodic injection of medications that block the abnormal growth of blood vessels or of steroids, which reduce swelling and inflammation.

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common kinds of arrhythmia, causing the heart not to contract properly in order to pump the blood, which can lead to the formation of thrombi (blood clots) and the consequent associated risks (heart attack, stroke). Normally, patients with atrial fibrillation take anticoagulants, but the dose must be adjusted and kept as low as possible, because these drugs have negative side effects, especially as they increase the risk of heavy bleeding. If bleeding is internal, it can lead to hemorrhagic strokes, embolisms or abdominal bleeding.

Durotomy is a common neurosurgical complication involving a tear in the dura mater, the protective membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Damage can cause cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, leading to delayed healing, headaches, and infection, making a reliable watertight dural closure essential.

It is late, the ward is crowded, and the clock is moving faster than everyone would like. A doctor has stabilized the patient as best they can, but one thing is missing—blood.

This large prospective UK study compared five low-cost fingertip pulse oximeters with arterial blood gas measurements and found that readings varied systematically by skin tone and oxygen saturation level. Small average overestimations in darker skin translated into clinically meaningful increases in missed hypoxemia at commonly used SpO2 thresholds.