THE MEDICAL NEWS

A prospective cohort study of 1,935 mother-child pairs examined whether baby swimming during the first 6 months of life was associated with IQ and cognitive performance at ages 4 to 6 years. Swimming participation was associated with modestly higher scores across several cognitive domains, but the researchers cautioned that the observational findings cannot establish causation and may partly refl…

A narrative review suggests GLP-1-based therapies deliver metabolic, cardiovascular, renal, and other systemic benefits, raising interest in whether lower fractional doses could improve tolerability and treatment continuity. However, direct evidence for GLP-1 microdosing remains extremely limited, and researchers say prospective studies are needed to determine whether lower doses preserve long-te…

New research from the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine provides insight into how binge alcohol exposure during adolescence may cause lasting changes in brain function that persist into adulthood, potentially identifying a new target for future treatment approaches.

Regular aerobic exercise – the kind that gets your heart pumping – can improve important thinking skills called executive functions, and the benefits appear especially strong for women after menopause, according to Rutgers researchers.

A cross-sectional study of children aged 4 to 9 found that greater caregiver-reported daily screen time was associated with lower contrast sensitivity and differences in how age related to visual-search performance. The associations varied by visual feature and task demands, suggesting that screen exposure may relate differently to lower-level visual processing and selective attention across midd…

A systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials involving 6,239 adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes found that subcutaneous semaglutide produced substantially greater reductions in body weight, waist circumference, and C-reactive protein than placebo. The higher dose of 7.2 mg semaglutide showed potential for greater weight loss, although the evidence is …

Parents are an important line of defense against teen vaping, yet many lack the knowledge and tools needed to recognize vaping products, understand their risks and prevent their children from using them.

To help clinicians determine which medications may be most effective at preventing migraine in adults, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and American Headache Society (AHS) have issued a joint practice guideline update with evidence-based recommendations, published on August 31, 2026, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and in Headache, the official jour…

Spatial transcriptomics is a powerful tool to create a detailed map of not just how genes are expressed in a piece of tissue, but also where genetic activity takes place in different cells and locations within the tissue.