Drug addiction carries an extremely high risk of relapse, as cravings can be reignited by minor stimuli even long after one has stopped using. Previously, this phenomenon was attributed to a decline in the function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which regulates impulses. However, a joint international research team has recently revealed that the cause of addiction relapse is not a simple decline in brain function, but rather an imbalance in specific neural circuits.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers revealed that reduced levels of testosterone combined with fructose intake led to a synergistic accumulation of fat in the liver. Furthermore, they determined that this fat accumulation is caused by increased pyruvate levels resulting from the activity of gut bacteria.

Health monitoring is becoming increasingly critical for disease prevention, early diagnosis, and high-quality living. Polymeric materials, with their mechanical flexibility, biocompatibility, and tunable biochemical properties, offer unique advantages for creating next-generation personalized devices. In recent years, flexible polymer-based platforms have shown remarkable potential to capture diverse physiological signals in both daily and clinical contexts, including electrophysiological, biochemical, mechanical, and thermal indicators. In this review, we introduce a safety-level-oriented framework to evaluate material and device strategies for health monitoring, spanning the continuum from noninvasive wearables to deeply embedded implants. Physiological signals are systematically classified by use case, and application-specific requirements such as stability, comfort, and long-term compatibility are highlighted as critical factors guiding the selection of polymers, interfacial designs, and device architectures. Special emphasis is placed on mapping material types—including hydrogels, elastomers, and conductive composites—to their most suitable applications. Finally, we propose design principles for developing safe, functional, and adaptive polymer-based systems, aiming at reliable integration with the human body and enabling personalized, preventive healthcare.

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) published today in Psychological Medicine demonstrates a significant and clinically relevant reduction in ADHD symptoms in adults using the digital therapy "attexis". Researchers from GAIA in Hamburg, in collaboration with the Saarland University Medical Center, the University Medical Center Mainz, the University Hospital Bonn, the University of Lübeck, and Kiel University, investigated the efficacy of the digital intervention, which is already permanently listed in the DiGA (Digital Health Applications) directory. The results are of particular relevance since access to care is often limited for adults with ADHD in Germany and Europe. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291726103390 

A paper published in the journal Proceedings B of the Royal Society describes the discovery of a new species of magic mushroom – Psilocybe ochraceocentrata – from the grasslands of South Africa and Zimbabwe. So named because of the ochre-yellow colour at the center of the mushroom cap, P. ochraceocentrata last shared a common ancestor with P. cubensis approximately 1.5 million years ago.