Health

Based on their 18-year long cohort study, researchers at Tohoku University have found which depressive symptoms have the most impact on the “healthspan” (remaining years of healthy living) of older adults, and how this differs for men compared to women.

Researchers investigated the prevalence of an emerging foodborne disease-causing bacterium in wild raccoons and environmental water. They found genetic similarities between the strains found in both, suggesting possible transmission between wildlife and water. Genomic analyses of samples taken from the raccoons showed that many strains found in the animals carried virulence genes associated with diarrhea outbreaks in humans.

A nationwide study tracking Japanese adults before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic found that health-related quality of life steadily declined over seven years and did not rebound after the public health emergency ended. Researchers say the decline may reflect the cumulative impact of pandemic-related changes in physical activity, mental well-being, and social interaction among working-age adults across Japan.

Physician-scientists at Kanazawa University have demonstrated, for the first time worldwide, the clinical efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy in patients with ultra-rare urachal cancer. Furthermore, their reverse translational research elucidated the mechanism by which the addition of immunotherapy enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Pinpointing associated factors that contribute to injury in older adults

Does a depressive mood inevitably lead to more pessimistic thinking or over-analysing? A global meta-analysis, the largest of its kind examining the relationship between a depressive mood and reality judgment, co-conducted by the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University has found that the key lies in the nature of the judgment. Overall, individuals in a depressive mood generally make more accurate judgments when handling self-referent tasks or complex issues requiring deep analysis. However, their accuracy is impaired as regards understanding others and interpreting interpersonal relationships. Researchers noted that the findings clarify a decades-long academic debate in psychology regarding whether a depressive mood allows individuals to perceive reality more objectively, and will aid in designing more targeted intervention strategies. The paper was published in Clinical Psychology Review, a top international academic journal in clinical psychology.

Hiroshima University researchers say a newly proposed three-step “detour” pathway for making dolichol, a molecule cells need to properly process proteins, may be more universal than scientists realized. Experiments in yeast suggest eukaryotes may rely on overlapping biochemical pathways, including the evolutionarily conserved “detour” and evidence of a possible “backup route,” to produce a molecule essential to life.

Patients with stroke undergoing inpatient rehabilitation differ in how sedentary time accumulates and changes over one month.

PHABCON 2026, advanced research on human-animal bonds as pathways to healing, care, and connection.

To understand how parenting styles influence adolescent mental health, the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University, collaborating with researchers from the School of Psychology of South China Normal University and the Department of Applied Psychology of Guangdong University of Education, conducted a one-year longitudinal study. The research findings show that when parents use psychological control to manage their children, such as forcing compliance through guilt induction or love withdrawal, a tactic widely regarded as emotional blackmail, this can impair an adolescent’s capacity to regulate their emotions. This then exacerbates depressive symptoms and heightens the risk of self-harm, particularly in girls. Researchers point out that preventing adolescent self-harm requires not only addressing individual emotional issues but also improving family dynamics. The study was published in the international academic journal “Child Psychiatry & Human Development”.

Scientists from National Taiwan University and St. Paul’s Hospital have demonstrated how AI can leverage routine chest X-rays to detect asymptomatic bone loss, closing critical gaps in screening healthy Asian populations.

Diet and homocysteine may influence fatigue and motivation

Researchers from The University of Osaka have found that the rat brain differs from other mammals in the proportion of upper and deep layer neurons in the cortex. This change likely arises from differences in the timing of signaling pathways during early brain development. Importantly, this identified mechanism may have future applications in regenerative medicine for developmental and neurological disorders.

Researchers studied 23 cases of oral cancer with a burrowing growth pattern and found that rare carcinoma cuniculatum has a unique genetic fingerprint. The research found genetic alterations in FAT1, NOTCH1, PIK3CA, and CASP8, suggesting a potential explanation for its slow growth and favorable prognosis. These findings suggest that genetic testing could improve diagnosis and inform treatment decisions in oral cancer.

Real time data collected during the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake response show that unclear tasks and command structures, and lack of meal- and rest breaks increased self-reported fatigue among disaster responders.

Position of a RELA mutation can shape symptoms, severity and treatment response

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that only a small subset of tumor-killing T cells undergoes extensive expansion during immunotherapy for multiple myeloma. By tracking individual cells, the team showed that the T-cell clones that later became dominant had already begun expanding shortly after the treatment started. The findings also suggest that highly proliferative immune cells show lower levels of exhaustion-related markers, offering new insights into why some patients respond better to immunotherapy.

To understand their awareness of and interest in the Chinese tea culture, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan University conducted a public opinion survey and analysis of the tea consumption habits of young people in the Hong Kong SAR. The findings show that more than three quarters of respondents drink Chinese tea regularly. However, as many as half also drink “flavoured tea” with sugar, floral flavours or milk frequently. The proportion of young people who drink tea regularly was significantly higher than soft and speciality drinks, although more than one third were unfamiliar with the health benefits of tea. Scholars point out that parents exert a strong influence on young people’s tea-drinking habits and suggest that different sectors of society might organise intergenerational activities to pass the Chinese tea culture on to younger generations.

For millions of Filipinos, healthcare is not an abstract system; it’s a daily risk, a financial burden—and, far too often, an unanswered question.

Researchers found that FK 23, a lactic acid bacterium-derived material, improved the sperm dysfunction induced by bisphenol A (BPA)—a chemical commonly used in plastic production including food containers—using a rat model.

The prize, in partnership with Nature, will celebrate breakthroughs in mental health science. It aims to accelerate translation, influence policy and transform lives. This award champions new pharmacological, psychological, social and digital interventions from around the world. The overall winner will receive USD 1 million, and three finalists will be awarded USD 250,000 each.

We revealed that the proton channel Hv1/VSOP, previously thought to function at the cell surface in microglia (brain immune cells), also functions on endosomes inside cells and precisely controls the actin cytoskeleton. Using advanced microscopy and electrophysiology (endosome patch-clamp), we found Hv1 acts as a brake on actin elongation. This discovery presents a novel cellular control mechanism where endosomal ion channels manipulate the cell skeleton itself, with implications for understanding neurodegenerative diseases.

A high-resolution cellular atlas of liver fibrosis and recovery identifies two proteins, SEMA4D and LMCD1, as promising therapeutic targets. The findings were validated in both mouse models and human patient samples, suggesting relevance to human disease.

Obesity trends have continued to rise in low- and middle-income countries over the past 45 years, but have plateaued in many high-income countries, a study in Nature reports.

More than a decade after the Nagoya Protocol, which aims to fairly share the benefits of utilizing genetic resources, became law, microbiologists and other scientists still face practical challenges and confusion. A new guide published by a team of microbiologists provides universally applicable frameworks for anyone working with biological resources.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and collaborators developed a wastewater-based method to estimate influenza incidence by measuring viral RNA concentrations in wastewater. The approach can separately estimate influenza A and B trends and may detect epidemic changes about one week earlier than conventional patient report data. The study highlights wastewater surveillance as a promising complement to existing public health systems for earlier healthcare preparedness.

Cellular changes affect ability to conceive

Drug resistance of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia prompts need for effective alternative treatments

Stubborn cancer tumors were completely (and safely) eliminated in a mouse model with a small but mighty treatment method using nanoparticles, controlled drug release in stages, and light from lasers.

A large-scale study of more than 31,000 patients found pneumonia occurred more often after breathing tubes were removed than during ventilation. Researchers say the condition, tied to swallowing dysfunction, should be recognized as a distinct clinical entity—one that may be preventable with early intervention.