Researchers at The University of Osaka have found that individuals in Japan who have been infected with COVID-19 are more likely to wear masks than those who have not. In a four-year-long study, they discovered this change is not driven by fear, but by a heightened perception of the risk of "silent infection," the idea that one could be infected and spread the virus without knowing. This insight could reshape public health messaging for future pandemics. The study, "The impact of COVID-19 infection experience on risk perception and preventive behaviour: a cohort study," was published in Epidemiology & Infection.

As an alternative to new federal vaccine recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its own childhood vaccine schedule Monday with the backing of a dozen of the nation's most prominent medical groups and associations.

In a new study published in Kidney International, researchers report that drugs known as SGLT2 inhibitors prevented age-related deterioration of kidney structure and function in the African turquoise killifish, a vertebrate that completes its entire lifespan in just a few months. The findings reveal specific biological mechanisms that may help explain why these drugs consistently protect kidney and cardiovascular health in people, beyond their original role in lowering blood sugar.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy before surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may produce major pathological response in about one-third of the surgical patients. The clinical and pre-clinical research highlighted that the formation of organized immune hubs within the tumor (tertiary lymphoid structure) after ICI therapy is critical for the induction of antitumor immunity.

A new review including over 100 clinical trials has found that 13 common methods for medically inducing labor are similarly effective, but their safety profiles differ according to clinical context. The review has been published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Two in five Americans have fought with a family member about politics, according to a 2024 study by the American Psychiatric Association. One in five have become estranged over controversial issues, and the same percentage has "blocked a family member on social media or skipped a family event" due to disagreements.

People exposed to wildfire smoke have a higher risk of suffering a stroke, according to research published in the European Heart Journal. The researchers estimate that in the US alone, smoke from wildfires may be responsible for around 17,000 strokes each year.

Whether heart failure develops and how it progresses depends not only on physical factors, but also on external influences and the duration of exposure, according to scientists at University Medical Center Mainz in collaboration with an international research group. Their systematic review, published in Nature Reviews Cardiology, revealed that both individual risk factors, such as high blood pressure and lack of exercise, and stressful environmental factors, such as poor air quality, noise, and heat, are important starting points for preventing the disease and more effectively reducing the number of people affected.

Menopause is linked to reductions in gray matter volume in key brain regions as well as increased levels of anxiety and depression and difficulties with sleep, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study, published in Psychological Medicine, found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not appear to mitigate these effects, though it can slow the decline in reaction times.

Serenity Cole enjoyed Christmas last month relaxing with her family near her St. Louis home, making crafts and visiting friends. It was a contrast to how Cole, 18, spent part of the 2024 holiday season. She was in the hospital—a frequent occurrence with sickle cell disease, a genetic condition that damages oxygen-carrying red blood cells and for years caused debilitating pain in her arms and legs. Flare-ups would often force her to cancel plans or miss school.