On Wednesday, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) released updated guidelines aimed at modern bathroom habits and dietary trends that could be making hemorrhoids and constipation worse.

When a sound stops, our auditory system generates a precise “offset” response that marks this moment. This enables the brain to measure the duration of a sound and detect brief gaps in communication signals, such as in conversations. Researchers at LMU have now discovered how the brain is able to preserve this crucial aspect of hearing—the ability to detect when a sound ends—when it has previously been exposed to damaging noise levels.

For many children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), adenotonsillectomy (T&A) improves sleep efficiency (SE) and resolves OSA, according to a study published online April 12 in Laryngoscope: Investigative Otolaryngology.

New research has shown that GLP‑1 weight-loss drugs deliver protection against heart attacks, strokes, and premature death over a sustained period of time. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) analyzed data from more than 90,000 patients enrolled in large-scale international studies and found that people given glucagon-like peptide‑1 (GLP‑1) receptor agonists were significantly less likely to suffer major cardiovascular events than those given a placebo.

Blocking energy production pathways in an aggressive type of brain cancer in children could be a promising new therapeutic strategy, according to research in mice by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators. The paper is published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications.

A new study is raising questions about whether human endurance has biological limits shaped long before adulthood—possibly beginning at birth. Researchers are examining whether birth weight, a known risk factor for disease later in life, may also influence how the body responds to extreme endurance exercise.

A study shows that small doses of the antibiotic minocycline may help treat panic disorder. Experiments conducted at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in mice and at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in humans showed that minocycline has a similar effect to clonazepam, the most commonly prescribed anti-panic medication and best known by its brand name, Rivotril.

While high-income countries like Canada could eliminate cervical cancer by 2048 through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening, the gap with lower-income countries is widening. A study published in The Lancet by a team from Université Laval and the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Center shows that these inequalities could skyrocket within a few decades if nothing changes in terms of prevention.

A trial of 108 adults with obesity seeking treatment for alcohol use finds a once-weekly semaglutide injection reduced heavy drinking days in the past 30 days by an average of roughly 12 days, 50% higher than the eight-day reduction seen in the placebo group. The study is published in The Lancet.

After public health experts declared measles eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established seven indicators of measles elimination status to ensure that the country remained on track. Now, analyzing these same indicators, Boston Children’s Hospital researchers find that the U.S. has missed four of the seven criteria, with the others at risk. These findings are published in The Lancet.

Activated immune cells secrete tiny capsules bearing DNA that can enter other immune and tumor cells to stimulate the body’s defense systems, according to a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine. The discovery extends the scientific understanding of the immune system, identifies a new strategy for boosting immunity against cancers and potentially offers a new tool for delivering genetic payloads to other cells.

A new randomized clinical trial provides some of the clearest evidence to date that what we eat can meaningfully reshape both human health and the health of the planet. Researchers have found that a low-fat vegan diet reduced food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 57%—nearly three times more than a Mediterranean diet—while also improving key cardiometabolic outcomes.

During the early stages of a pandemic, viruses tend to evolve in ways that enhance their ability to reproduce and spread, rather than to evade the host’s immune system. The genetics and sex of the host influence how a novel virus adapts to a new environment, but scientists don’t fully understand how these factors work individually or together.

Administering melatonin via an absorbable sponge improved the effectiveness of autologous ovarian tissue transplantation. This procedure is used to preserve the fertility of children and adolescents who have undergone cancer treatment, as well as patients with contraindications or insufficient time for hormonal stimulation and egg retrieval.

A Concordia-led team of researchers has developed a new AI-driven robotic system that can perform cardiac ultrasound scans autonomously. The researchers say this approach could expand access to cardiac imaging in remote or underserved areas, reduce operator fatigue, and standardize scan quality. The work is published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics.

A new pretargeted radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) technique has been shown to be safe and effective in eradicating tumors from a preclinical colorectal cancer model. The multi-step theranostic approach delivers alpha-emitting radiation directly to tumors while limiting exposure to healthy tissues. This research is published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Interest in plant-based wound treatments has grown due to traditional method limitations, antimicrobial resistance, and the need for safer options. Coniferous resin from Norway spruce (Picea abies) has been used in Northern European folk medicine for treating skin wounds and infections for centuries. Recent studies have validated these applications, with clinical trials showing refined spruce resin products effectively treat complex wounds and demonstrate antimicrobial properties against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Between December 2024 and February 2025, 10 newborns with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury were treated with breast milk administered through the nasal passages using a special method at Semmelweis University in Budapest. A study on this novel and promising therapeutic approach was recently published in Pediatric Research. The procedure is expected to help mitigate the consequences of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation, and breast milk delivered intranasally may become a safe therapeutic tool for long-term use even in controlled home environments.

T cells are crucial components of our immune system, serving as critical protectors against infection and disease. But there are limits to their defensive capabilities. T cells are not inexhaustible protectors. Often, when T cells have engaged in killing tumor cells, they burn out and lapse into a dysfunctional state known as T cell exhaustion. Rebounding from exhaustion—or avoiding it altogether—would greatly aid their disease-fighting success. Today, rescuing T cells from burnout and getting them back into cancer-fighting shape is a major focus of cancer immunotherapy efforts.

People struggling with symptoms of depression are less likely to perceive themselves as active initiators of their activities, which is directly reflected in the way they express themselves. Analyzing the way people construct sentences can provide an early warning, according to an international study on postpartum depression initiated by psychologists from SWPS University.