Health & Medicine

Medical and health research news

Health & MedicineAugust 4, 2026

Cryoelectron tomography reveals an age-related decline in mitoribosomes that contributes to T cell dysfunction in older individuals.

Mitochondrial dysfunction drives T cell aging in mice. Yet, due to fundamental differences in T cell aging mechanisms between species, whether human T cells exhibit similar mitochondrial alterations remains unclear, with existing evidence often conflicting. Using cryoelectron tomography, we resolved the structure and spatial organization of mitochondrial ribosomes in primary human CD8 + T cells under physiological conditions. Comparative analysis with human aging models revealed an age-related r

Health & MedicineAugust 4, 2026

RelB NF-κB tunes Notch2 signaling to promote IL-23-secreting solitary isolated lymphoid tissue-resident DCs critical for gut immunity.

While preserving tolerance toward commensals, dendritic cells (DCs) also orchestrate response against pathogens. The noncanonical RelB NF-κB pathway in DCs curbs tolerogenic Tregs in the intestine. Whether RelB-dependent DC regulations also impact intestinal immunity remains less clear. Here, we show that genetic ablation of RelB in DCs compromises IL-23-dependent immune response in the intestine, imparting vulnerability in Relb ΔCD11c mice to infection with Citrobacter rodentium , a

Health & MedicineAugust 4, 2026

X-linked SYTL4 missense variant disrupts RAB27A-dependent vesicle trafficking and synaptic transmission in autism.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social communication and repetitive behaviors, with genetic studies implicating widespread synaptic dysfunction. However, the contribution of presynaptic vesicle trafficking mechanisms to ASD pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Here, we identify synaptotagmin-like protein 4 (SYTL4), a RAB27A effector previously characterized in secretory cells, as a regulator of presynaptic function in the mammal

Health & MedicineAugust 4, 2026

Folic acid prevention of neural tube defects requires retinoic acid produced by ALDH1L1.

Folic acid (FA) supplementation during pregnancy is the commonly accepted treatment to prevent neural tube defects. The mechanism by which FA prevents neural tube defects (NTDs) remains unclear. FA also prevents other developmental malformations, including alcohol-induced malformations in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome models. We show that FA acts through a metabolic link to retinoic acid (RA) signaling. Using a pax3 -knockdown Xenopus model of FA-rescuable NTDs, we show that RA or its precursors equall

Health & MedicineAugust 4, 2026

Dynamic principles of concentration buffering through liquid-liquid phase separation.

Living systems must maintain robust biochemical function despite fluctuations that span a wide range of timescales. Biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) have been shown to buffer concentration fluctuations, but the principles governing their dynamic regulation remain unclear. We address this by probing the response of LLPS to oscillatory perturbations that mimic fluctuations across different timescales, establishing the first systematic frequency-domain analys

Health & MedicineJuly 31, 2026

Initial HIV Therapy for Adults and Treatment-Associated Weight Gain: The Opti-DOR Randomized Clinical Trial.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART), particularly regimens containing tenofovir alafenamide with dolutegravir or bictegravir, is associated with substantial weight gain, potentially exacerbating cardiometabolic risk in people with HIV. To determine whether a regimen with doravirine, lamivudine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate results in less weight gain than a regimen with dolutegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide while maintaining noninferior viral suppression. Open-label, noninferiorit

Health & MedicineJuly 30, 2026

Nicotine E-Cigarettes for Cigarette Smoking Cessation: Recommendations to US-Based Clinicians.

Cigarette smoking, maintained predominantly by nicotine dependence, is a long-term and relapsing behavior that continues to be a leading cause of preventable death and disease worldwide. E-cigarettes with nicotine are less harmful than cigarettes and have been shown to be more effective for smoking cessation than US Food and Drug Administration-approved nicotine replacement therapies. However, misperceptions of the harms of e-cigarettes are common, even among clinicians. This Special Communicati

Health & MedicineJuly 30, 2026

Efficacy and safety of once-weekly subcutaneous zenagamtide, a novel unimolecular GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist, in type 2 diabetes: a multicentre, randomised, parallel, double-blind, placebo-cont

Zenagamtide (formerly amycretin) is a unimolecular agonist of GLP-1, amylin, and calcitonin receptors. We aimed to investigate the dose-response relationship with respect to the efficacy and safety of once-weekly subcutaneous zenagamtide compared with placebo in adults with type 2 diabetes. This 36-week, randomised, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding, phase 2 trial was conducted at 83 hospital and clinic sites across 11 countries. The trial consisted of a 3-week screening p

Health & MedicineJuly 30, 2026

Efficacy and safety of once-daily oral zenagamtide, a novel unimolecular GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist, in adults with type 2 diabetes: a multicentre, randomised, parallel, double-blind, placebo-c

Zenagamtide (formerly amycretin) is a unimolecular peptide agonist of GLP-1, amylin, and calcitonin receptors. We aimed to investigate the dose-response relationship with respect to the efficacy and safety of once-daily oral zenagamtide compared with placebo in adults with type 2 diabetes. This 36-week, randomised, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding, phase 2 trial was conducted at 83 hospital and clinic sites across 11 countries. The trial consisted of a 3-week screening pe

Health & MedicineJuly 30, 2026

Dietary arginine drives codon-dependent MHC class I translation and improves immunity in colon tumorigenesis and respiratory viral infection.

Amino acid levels fluctuate across diverse pathological conditions. Whether such amino acid modulations directly shape pathophysiology by regulating host gene expression remains unknown. We found that extracellular arginine restriction, observed in cancer and infection, represses specific arginine tRNAs-directly suppressing translation of major histocompatibility complex I (MHC class I) and antigen presentation. Arginine regulation of MHC class I was codon-usage dependent, as synonymous codon mu

Health & MedicineJuly 30, 2026

Basement membrane turnover controls cell shape.

The regulation of 3D cell shape is a fundamental problem of life. In multicellular tissues, cell shape emerges through the balance of forces inside and outside the cell. In epithelia, the basement membrane (BM) is the first extracellular barrier that cells sense biochemically and mechanically. Despite this, little is known about how BM mechanical properties are regulated and how they impact cell shape. Through mathematical modeling, we show that the stress relaxation time of the BM can regulate

Health & MedicineJuly 29, 2026

Global Burden of Elevated LDL-C: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.

Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of premature death worldwide. Assessing the LDL-C-related burden is critical for guiding prevention and treatment strategies. To estimate the global, regional, and national burden of ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke attributable to elevated LDL-C (relative to 35-54 mg/dL) from 1990 to 2023 and to quantify the contributions of population growth, aging, risk-dele

Health & MedicineJuly 29, 2026

Gasdermin E couples viral pyroptosis to lethal hepatic lipid accumulation.

Tick-borne orthonairoviruses, including the emerging wetland virus (WELV), pose a growing public health concern as cases increase, yet their pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we show that WELV infection causes fatal liver dysfunction in patients, characterized by elevated hepatic enzymes, triacylglycerol accumulation, and hyperinflammation. WELV induces gasdermin E (GSDME)-dependent pyroptosis in hepatocytes through mitochondrial and Fas-mediated apoptotic pathways. Viral RNA activates RIG-I/C

Health & MedicineJuly 29, 2026

CRISPR screens identify targets to rescue age-related T cell dysfunction in cancer.

Immune aging impairs T cell-mediated tumor control as well as cancer immunotherapy outcomes. The most important drivers of T cell dysfunction in aged tumors remain unknown. We performed single-cell CRISPR screens to identify Dusp5 and Zfp219 as key regulators of CD8 + T cell persistence and effector differentiation within aged tumors. Loss of Dusp5 increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and globally enhanced T cell proliferation. Conversely, Zfp219 deletion induced