Ever since Larry Wilkewitz retired more than 20 years ago from a wood products company, he's had a commercial Medicare Advantage plan from the insurer Humana. But two years ago, he heard about Peak Health, a new Advantage plan started by the West Virginia University Health System, where his doctors practice. It was cheaper and offered more personal attention, plus extras such as an allowance for over-the-counter pharmacy items. Those benefits are more important than ever, he said, as he's treated for cancer.

As COVID-19 testing becomes less routine, official case numbers can make outbreaks look smaller than they really are. A research team led by Professor Michio Murakami has now shown that wastewater surveillance can uncover this "invisible" spread, providing a more objective picture of community infections and offering early warning signs for hospital-acquired cases. The study is published in the journal Environment International.

Adolescents who report pain at the age of 18 are at higher risk of later self-harm. This is shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Psychiatry Research. The findings suggest that pain may form part of the chain of events leading to self-harming behavior.

Following the 2018 federal expansion of short-term limited-duration (STLD) insurance plans, limited or no state regulation of plans was associated with decreases in timely cancer treatment initiation, according to a study published online in Cancer.

A new in vivo pharmacokinetic recall study involving 114 participants in the Estonian Biobank has provided the first clinical confirmation that previously uncharacterized genetic variants in the drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 significantly affect how drugs are processed in the human body. These results emphasize the need to look beyond common pharmacogenetic markers to improve the precision of personalized drug therapy. The paper is published in the journal npj Genomic Medicine.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have identified two fundamental coordination patterns underlying the underwater dolphin kick in swimmers: (1) the coordinated motion of the shank and foot and (2) hip flexion and extension centered on thigh movement. They also found that faster swimmers employ a distinctive arm-trunk-thigh coordination strategy, and they maintain a streamlined upper body by adjusting shoulder and lower trunk movements in response to thigh motion.

Cancer screenings play a critical role in protecting long-term health. They can detect cancer early, when treatment is most effective, and in some cases help prevent cancer before it develops. While screening recommendations vary based on age, sex, family history and personal risk factors, several key cancer screening tests should be reviewed regularly.

At the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting, investigators presented a late-breaking study focused on surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) following prior transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a clinical scenario increasingly encountered as TAVR use expands.

Medicare Advantage health plans are blasting a government proposal this week that would keep their reimbursement rates flat next year while making other payment changes.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a multimodal, bioelectronic wrist-worn device for objective, continuous, real-time monitoring of stress. The Smart Quantitative and Comprehensive Stress Assessor and Sub-Classifier simultaneously tracks molecular stress biomarkers alongside physiological stress indicators, providing a complete and precise picture of how stress is experienced by humans.