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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Jun-2026 13:16 ET (25-Jun-2026 17:16 GMT/UTC)

“Herbal” does not mean “harmless”: A new study finds herbal cigarettes are not safer than tobacco

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Herbal cigarettes, widely sold in India and abroad as natural, tobacco-free, and even therapeutic alternatives to conventional cigarettes, are not safer than regular tobacco cigarettes. They produce emissions that can be comparably or even more damaging than tobacco smoke. That is the conclusion of a new study conducted by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The paper, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, presents a comprehensive comparison of the physical, chemical, and oxidative properties of mainstream (firsthand) smoke from commercially available herbal and tobacco cigarettes in the Indian market.

Journal: Journal of Hazardous Materials
Funder: Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration

Free contraception policy sharply reduces patient costs in B.C., especially for young adults

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that B.C.’s decision to provide universal, no-cost prescription contraception sharply reduced what patients pay, with the largest financial gains for people in their 20s. Before the policy, the pill averaged about $25 per month, while IUDs ranged from $75 to more than $500 up front—and for long-term pill users, lifetime costs could reach $10,000. Two years after the policy change, patient spending was 83 per cent lower than expected, translating to average savings of $43 per contraceptive user per year.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

Columbia-led team develops open-source framework to accelerate health AI research

Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New study introduces MEDS, a new data standard and ecosystem designed to improve reproducibility, collaboration, and scalability in clinical AI research.

Journal: NEJM AI
Funder: Ivan and Francesca Berkowitz Family Living Laboratory Collaboration, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, AstraZeneca, Warren Alpert Foundation, Debra and Mark Leslie Fund for Supporting AI in Healthcare Research, Institute for Information and Technology Planning and Evaluation, National Research Foundation of Korea, European Commission in the Horizon 2020 project INTERVENE, Innovation Fund Denmark, Danish National Research Foundation

ACEP, ACR and ASA applaud final IDR operations rule as major step forward for No Surprises Act implementation

American Society of Anesthesiologists
Business Announcement

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and American College of Radiology (ACR) today applauded the final Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) Operations Rule under the No Surprises Act (NSA) released on May 28, commending federal agencies for their thoughtful and collaborative approach in addressing longstanding challenges and advancing a more functional, transparent dispute resolution system.

Brain scans reveal two distinct subtypes of autism with different underlying biology

The Child Mind Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international research team led by the Child Mind Institute and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) has identified at least two distinct subtypes of autism, defined by their patterns of brain connectivity. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, represents the first systematic effort to link brain imaging patterns in autism to their underlying molecular biology. The findings have the potential to pave the way for more personalized approaches to care and support.

Journal: Nature Neuroscience

Brain scans reveal two distinct subtypes of autism with different underlying biology

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international research team led by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT Italian Institute of Technology) in Rovereto (Trento, Italy) and the Child Mind Institute in New York (USA), and in collaboration with researchers from the University of Trento, has shown that it is possible to identify at least two distinct subtypes of autism, defined by their patterns of brain connectivity. In the “hyperconnectivity” subtype, brain areas communicate more than usual; in the “hypoconnectivity” subtype, communication between brain areas is reduced. The study aims to develop tools for precise, personalized autism care and support. The research paper was published in the international journal Nature Neuroscience.

Journal: Nature Neuroscience
Funder: European Research Council, Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

JMIR Analysis: Consumer Wearables Emerge as the New Health Care Gatekeepers

JMIR Publications
Reports and Proceedings

JMIR Publications released a News and Perspectives expert analysis on consumer wearable platforms’ forays into the clinical health care space.

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

BU/VA researcher receives grant to study intimate partner violence interventions

Boston University School of Medicine
Grant and Award Announcement

Casey Taft, PhD, professor of psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, has been awarded a $298,139 grant from Arnold Ventures to fund his 4-year project, “Evaluating Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence Use in Washington State.”

Maternal health knowledge strong, but gaps remain

Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Reports and Proceedings

An Annenberg Public Policy Center survey finds that, while most Americans know that the health of a pregnant person affects the health of the baby, uncertainty about specific maternal health recommendations remains.