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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Jun-2026 05:16 ET (23-Jun-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)

UCLA researchers help lead national effort to improve care for patients with glioblastoma

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Grant and Award Announcement

Investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center are part of a new multi-institution research effort aimed at improving care and outcomes for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers.

Study reveals why older adults are using cannabis edibles

University of Utah Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals that many older adults start cannabis seeking more effective or non-pharmaceutical options to treat sleep, pain, or mental health conditions, and that many base their decisions on word of mouth rather than discussions with health care providers.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: American Heart Association, University of Utah

Causes of excess deaths in the US compared with other high-income countries

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this repeated cross-sectional study of cross-national mortality, the U.S. had substantially higher death rates than other high-income countries between 1999 and 2022, despite having similar access to advanced medical technology. Many of these excess U.S. deaths could likely be avoided by adopting health and social policies that have benefited other high-income countries. These descriptive findings should be interpreted in light of uncertainty arising from differences in death coding, data completeness, and other aspects of data comparability across countries.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Edible cannabis and pain, sleep, and mental health management in older adults

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this qualitative study, older adults were motivated to use cannabis as an alternative approach to address health concerns. These findings highlight the importance of physician awareness of older adults’ motivations and concerns to support informed counseling and resources.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Bidirectional association between premenstrual disorders and psychiatric disorders

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this nationwide cohort study conducted in Sweden, bidirectional associations were found between premenstrual disorders and psychiatric disorders and conditions, highlighting the need for sex- and menstrual cycle–informed care in psychiatry. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms shared between premenstrual disorders and psychiatric disorders.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Clinical decision support for chronic kidney disease in primary care

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cluster randomized trial of a clinical decision support system for chronic kidney disease in primary care, both the intervention and control groups demonstrated comparable improvements in 6-month outcomes, with no independent effect of the clinical decision support system detected.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are primary drivers of excess US deaths compared to other high-income countries

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study in JAMA Network Open found that between 1999-2022, the annual number of excess US deaths—deaths that would not have occurred had the mortality rate in the US been the same as in other HICs—increased steadily through 2019 and then rose rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2022, all-cause mortality rates in the US were 38 percent higher than in other HICs. An estimated 12.7 million US deaths could have been averted during this period if US mortality rates mirrored those of its peers. The authors refer to these excess US deaths as “missing Americans.”

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Common asthma drug shows promise for reversing fatty liver

Medical University of South Carolina
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MUSC researchers are tackling MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, a liver disease affecting hundreds of millions worldwide. It is also a leading cause of liver transplantation, yet treatment options remain limited. A new paper published in Nature partner journal (npj) Metabolic Health and Disease suggests that a widely used asthma medication, formoterol, could potentially offer a different therapeutic pathway altogether.

Journal: npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Funder: Department of Veterans' Affairs, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Department of Veterans' Affairs

A tiny cell structure with a big role in brain development

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A largely overlooked structure inside our cells may play a crucial role in how the brain forms, offering new insight into developmental disorders and potential therapies.

Journal: Cell Reports