Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Oct-2026 06:16 ET (31-Oct-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)

28-Sep-2026

Parks as public health infrastructure: research links green space to lower suicide rates

University of Chicago
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A recent study suggests that the built environment surrounding us — specifically, whether our community has accessible green space — may play a surprisingly powerful role in shaping suicide risk.

Journal

Landscape and Urban Planning

28-Sep-2026

Microplastics and the law explained: What California's new rule means for plastic policy

Stanford University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

California provides a case study for other states and governmental bodies looking for ways to stem the tide of microplastic pollution. Stanford experts in medicine and policy explain what can be learned from the state's decade-long regulatory experiment.

Journal

Frontiers in Environmental Science

Funder

Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health

28-Sep-2026

 

Keck Hospital of USC recognized as Vizient Top Performer

University of Southern California - Health Sciences
Business Announcement

Keck Hospital of USC has been named a top performer in the 2026 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Ranking by Vizient®. 

28-Sep-2026

CU Anschutz research examines temporary firearm removal among service members and veterans

University of Colorado Anschutz
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As Suicide Prevention Month brings renewed attention to ways to reduce suicide risk, new research from CU Anschutz examines how extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), civil court orders that can temporarily restrict firearm access, are being used among service members and veterans in Colorado.

Journal

JAMA

28-Sep-2026

Forest landscapes and birdsong soundscapes have independent physical health benefits

North Carolina State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study finds that exposure to birdsong soundscapes or forest landscapes reduce physiological stress. These findings of physical health effects compliment previous research showing mental health benefits associated with birdwatching and could be useful for urban planners with limited green space options.

Journal

Frontiers in Bird Science

28-Sep-2026

 

Frequent cannabis use tied to more severe epilepsy

Washington University in St. Louis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study led by WashU Medicine researchers found that adults with drug-resistant epilepsy who used cannabis most days had more frequent convulsive seizures and became resistant to antiseizure medications years sooner than nonusers.

Journal

Epilepsia

28-Sep-2026

Blocking immune cells’ path into brain limits neurodegeneration

Washington University in St. Louis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at WashU Medicine kept harmful immune cells out of the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s-like damage by blocking the pathway the cells use to find their way in. The drug they tested, injected in the body rather than the brain, preserved brain tissue and memory.

Journal

Neuron

28-Sep-2026

 

Alliance trial finds fractionated radiosurgery reduces cancer recurrence after surgery for large brain metastases

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Reports and Proceedings

Delivering focused radiation therapy over three to five sessions after surgery for a large brain metastasis reduced the risk of cancer returning at the surgical site compared with delivering the radiation in a single session, according to the results of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology A071801 presented today at the plenary session of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in Boston.

Funder

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Foundation

28-Sep-2026

Together human genetics, AI and animal studies provide diagnosis for rare, complex neurodevelopmental disorder

Baylor College of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team of researchers has identified variants in gene BRSK1 as a likely diagnosis for individuals with a rare and complex neurodevelopmental disorder who until now had not received an explanation for their condition.

Journal

American Journal of Human Genetics