New studies, peer-reviewed findings, meta-analyses, and evidence explainers for general readers.
A CDC-led study in JAMA Network Open found the 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with about 50% lower odds of COVID-related ER/urgent care visits and about 55% lower odds of hospitalization in immunocompetent adults—benefits that looked similar for adults 65+.
A new CDC surveillance analysis estimated that 15.2% of pregnant women reported alcohol use in the past 30 days. But the report has key limits—especially around timing during pregnancy. Here’s what the CDC measured, what it can’t tell you, and what to do if you drank before you knew you were pregnant.
A June 2026 JAMA follow-up suggests intensive lifestyle support, not metformin, was linked to a lower long-term risk of multiple chronic conditions in older adults with prediabetes.
A large U.S. study of veterans found the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine was associated with fewer COVID-linked major cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke, heart-failure hospitalization, and cardiovascular death. The benefit looked strongest in older adults and people with chronic conditions, but the study cannot prove cause and effect.
A May 2026 Cochrane review found that PSA screening likely prevents a small number of prostate-cancer deaths, but current U.S. guidance still favors shared decision-making for men 55 to 69 rather than routine testing for everyone.
New trial results have put multi-cancer early detection blood tests back in the spotlight. For adults without symptoms, the evidence is still not strong enough to treat these tests like routine cancer screening.
Two recent long COVID studies are not directly comparable because they counted different populations, used different definitions, and found cases in different ways.
A new JAMA Pediatrics study suggests flu vaccination still prevents a meaningful number of cases in children ages 2 to 5. Here’s how the research worked, what it found, and what parents should know before flu season.
A randomized trial suggests that moving the postpartum glucose test to the hospital stay may help more people with gestational diabetes complete screening. The result points to a practical problem: after delivery, follow-up testing can fail because of logistics, not just motivation.
A new randomized clinical trial suggests centralized patient navigation can help people get a follow-up colonoscopy sooner after a positive FIT stool test. The finding matters because a FIT is a screening step, not the endpoint: an abnormal result still needs diagnostic follow-up.
The FDA has finalized guidance meant to help drug and biologic makers study pregnancy safety after a product is approved. For patients, the practical message is simple: this does not change prescriptions by itself, and it does not prove a medicine is safe or unsafe in pregnancy.
CDC’s March 2026 updates reinforce a cautious message: Long COVID is real, testing is still imperfect, and treatment evidence remains limited. New research adds clues about symptoms and possible risks, but it does not yet point to a single proven fix.
A new randomized trial found that continuing GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP drugs before an upper endoscopy led to more clinically significant stomach contents than holding one dose. The finding helps explain why endoscopy instructions can vary, but it does not mean every patient should stop these medicines on their own.
A JAMA trial found that, for some newborns treated for opioid withdrawal, giving medicine based on symptoms instead of a fixed taper shortened the time to medical readiness for discharge. The study was done in U.S. hospitals already using Eat, Sleep, Console or Finnegan-based care, and experts say families still need careful discharge planning and follow-up.
A new NIH-funded study is early-stage research, not a treatment you can get now. Scientists found the first broad set of human antibodies that can block measles in lab and animal tests, a step that could one day help protect exposed or vulnerable people. For now, vaccination remains the main way to prevent measles.
A small randomized trial suggests semaglutide may help reduce heavy drinking in adults with alcohol use disorder and obesity. The results are encouraging, but they are early and do not change standard treatment yet.
The FDA took two April 2026 steps that could matter to patients: it advanced early real-time clinical trial work and reminded more than 2,200 sponsors and researchers to report overdue results. The changes may improve transparency and speed up research, but they do not replace careful evidence review.
The FDA has finalized guidance to improve how pregnancy safety data are collected after a drug or biologic is approved. The agency says the goal is to fill evidence gaps left by preapproval studies, where pregnant people are often underrepresented or excluded.
A new randomized trial suggests that a more proactive care-coordination outreach strategy did not reduce emergency department visits or hospitalizations for older adults with cardiovascular disease or risk factors. The findings do not mean care coordination is useless, but they do show that not every outreach model works the same way.
CDC says a multistate Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak is linked to backyard poultry, including chickens and ducks. The agency says healthy-looking birds can still spread germs, especially to young children and others at higher risk.
A large U.S. trial suggests breast cancer screening could one day be tailored to a woman’s individual risk instead of using the same schedule for everyone. The approach looked promising, but experts say it is not ready to replace routine screening on its own.
The FDA says thousands of clinical trial results still are not being reported as required, leaving gaps that can make medicines and devices look better understood than they are. For readers, the key takeaway is simple: one study rarely tells the whole story, especially when negative or inconclusive findings never make it into the public record.
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