Barrier organs that form boundaries between the body and the outside environment, such as the lungs, skin, and intestines, face a difficult balancing act. They must respond quickly to threats such as infection, but they also need to avoid triggering unnecessary inflammation that can damage the tissue. A new study led by Whitehead Institute member Pulin Li and graduate student in her lab Diep Nguyen reveals one way the lung manages that tradeoff.

People with premenstrual dysphoric disorder—a more serious form of premenstrual syndrome, commonly known as PMS—are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors than people without it.

A Food and Drug Administration official involved in scrutinizing the safety of antidepressants, COVID-19 vaccines and other widely used therapies has been removed from her role leading the agency's drug program.

African health officials say there is a new Ebola outbreak in the Central African country of Congo, with at least 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths.

Legendary 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus once stated golf was "90% mental and 10% physical." That's because, unlike most other ball sports, a golfer spends most of the time thinking about their game instead of actually playing it: the contact time a player has with the ball is minuscule compared to the time spent planning the next shot, or frustratedly replaying a previous wonky hit.

A Japanese pharmaceutical firm has warned doctors against prescribing a drug for rare autoimmune diseases to new patients following the deaths of 20 people who took it.

Low-risk patients at predominantly Black-serving hospitals (BSH) who previously gave birth through Cesareans are likelier to attempt and successfully deliver vaginally in a subsequent pregnancy than they are at hospitals treating few Black patients, new UCLA-led research finds.

A study conducted by researchers at University of Tsukuba revealed that individuals with higher cancer-related health literacy, perceived susceptibility to gastric cancer, and encouragement from family members or health care providers demonstrated stronger intentions to undergo gastric cancer screening, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. These intentions were significantly associated with subsequent screening participation. In contrast, while fear of COVID-19 increased screening intention in the short term, over time it could suppress screening behavior.

Bill Cassidy, leader of the Senate committee that oversees health policy, is fighting for his political life in Louisiana's Republican primary on Saturday.

“The norm-shattering masks a more fundamental misunderstanding of how administrative power can bring about lasting change,” writes Joshua Sharfstein.