A large registry study in Finland by the University of Oulu and the University of Eastern Finland shows that many older adults receive antipsychotic medications for purposes other than those officially approved. Known as off-label use, this practice occurs when a doctor prescribes a drug for a condition not listed in its official indication.

Houseplants and more advanced plant systems, such as indoor living walls and hydroponic towers, have the potential to raise indoor humidity, boost thermal comfort and help create healthier, more climate-resilient buildings, according to new research led by the University of Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE). 

As members of the public increasingly turn to AI with health concerns, University of Birmingham researchers are leading a global programme to build the first definitive guide for safely navigating health information on AI powered chatbots, published in Nature Health.

Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder involving disruptions in neurotransmitters, neurodevelopment, immune function, and genetics. While current antipsychotics mainly target dopamine, they often fail to address negative and cognitive symptoms. This review synthesizes the latest findings on the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and highlights emerging treatments such as TAAR1 agonists, muscarinic modulators, NMDA enhancers, anti-inflammatory agents, and gut-brain axis interventions, paving the way for more precise and effective therapies.

An international research group has examined how many people are affected by preclinical and clinical obesity and what health risks are associated with this. The team led by Prof. Matthias Schulze from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) discovered that almost all people with obesity, i.e., a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 kg/m², exhibit other measurable indications of increased body fat mass and that around 80 percent of affected individuals are already experiencing health-related complications. The results have been published in the specialist journal Nature Communications.

U.S. counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) have higher rates of cancer mortality than those located farther away, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study is the first of the 21st century to analyze proximity to NPPs and cancer mortality across all NPPs and every U.S. county. The researchers emphasized that the findings are not enough to establish causality but do highlight the need for further research into nuclear power’s health impacts.

Researchers from several partner institutions of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have collaborated with international colleagues to develop a new approach for visualizing subtle tissue changes in the pancreas in type 2 diabetes. The results provide new insights into the development of type 2 diabetes. The study has now been published in Nature Communications.