Among commercially insured, non-diabetic individuals with obesity, a new study found that people who identified as female, received point-of-service or preferred provider organization insurance coverage, and took medications such as antidepressants or thyroid or hormone medications were more likely to begin taking semaglutide compared to people who identified as males, or those who were covered by health management organization or exclusive provider organization plans. Individuals employed in certain industries, such as the financial and real estate sectors, were also more likely to be prescribed semaglutide compared to people in other jobs, such as retail. The findings shed light on the barriers that people with obesity experience in accessing weight-loss treatment in a healthcare system that often views obesity as a risk factor for other diseases that should be managed through lifestyle changes alone.

Biochar has long been recognized for its ability to improve soil health and sequester carbon. But its potential as a permanent CO₂ removal solution has been underestimated in conventional models. As a result, biochar has not been prioritized as a key tool in global and European climate strategies. A transformative new study recently published in Biochar (Springer) challenges the outdated perceptions of biochar and reveals its enormous potential as a shovel-ready, long-term carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solution.

Continuing in its mission to elucidate the role of metal nutrients in human biology, the Chang Lab also offers a possible treatment modality in which copper chelation shows promising results in certain lung cancers where cells have two related phenomena: a heightened transcription factor responding to oxidative stress and a diminished level of bioavailable copper. Copper imbalances have long been implicated in cancer cell growth and other disease states.

AMHERST, Mass. — Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have quantified the impacts of a constellation of social factors on the spread of HIV. Their study, published in Health Care Management Science, found that a hypothetical 100% effective intervention addressing barriers to HIV treatment and care from depression, homelessness, individual and neighborhood poverty, education disparities, lack of insurance and unemployment could reduce the national HIV incidence by 29% over 10 years. The mathematical model, a novel integration of machine learning, probability theory and simulation, is positioned to be an important tool for decision-makers to optimize social programs and will have applications for other diseases.