New research reveals that as people age, naps may be an easily trackable warning sign of underlying conditions or declining health. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham and Rush University Medical Center followed 1,338 older adults for up to 19 years to track napping habits and associated mortality rates.

About The Study: The findings of this study indicate that cancers with the highest lethality receive disproportionately lower levels of federal research support. Prioritizing these cancers could help direct limited resources toward diseases with the greatest potential to reduce suffering, particularly as outcomes continue to improve for less lethal malignant neoplasms. Beyond mortality, prioritization should also account for the disproportionate impact of certain cancers on underserved populations, quality-of-life burden, and opportunities for prevention.

About The Study: In this nationally representative cross-sectional study, nearly 1 in 10 U.S. adults in 2023 reported overlapping heavy drinking and obesity conditions. Public health and clinical interventions to mitigate risk factors for this high-risk population are needed to curb rising rates of alcohol-associated liver disease deaths. Preventive efforts should be tailored to younger and middle-aged adults—especially those without insurance or with Medicaid coverage—to prevent liver disease development. 

About The Study: Prepregnancy counseling and care reduce maternal morbidity and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Primary care–based discussion of reproductive goals, immunizations, screening for infections and substance use, and risk-reducing interventions such as folate supplementation can optimize outcomes in individuals contemplating pregnancy.

About The Study: This cluster-randomized trial found that an adaptive intervention leveraging technology effectively reduced the rate of gestational weight gain and total gestational weight gain among pregnant patients with overweight or obesity.

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have made an important advance toward understanding—and potentially treating—a rare cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease) that is present from birth. The condition, known as AARS2-related cardiomyopathy, is caused by inherited mutations in the alanyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase 2 (AARS2) gene and is often fatal within the first year of life. Currently, no treatment or cure exists. Past efforts to treat AARS2-related cardiomyopathy have focused on repairing mutations in the AARS2 gene. But a new study reveals that another gene, PCBP1, may offer an alternative way to intervene. Although PCBP1 is not the gene that causes the disease, the researchers found that it helps control how the non-mutated AARS2 gene functions in heart cells, making it a possible new point of intervention to prevent damage to the heart. In mice and lab-grown human heart cells, they found that switching off PCBP1 reproduces key features of the disease. They also uncovered how the damage happens, including by disrupting mitochondria, which produce the energy that fuels cells. The findings suggest that targeting PCBP1 could help restore healthier AARS2 function in heart cells.

Caring for a spouse with dementia is arguably one of the most emotionally and physically demanding roles a person can take on, but new research from Rice University suggests the experience is not defined by the diagnosis alone. It is shaped by the relationship behind it.

The study, published in Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine, examines how relationship dynamics influence the mental and physical health of people caring for spouses with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.