🩺 Daily Health Briefs

Scientists have discovered why some people with a high genetic risk of Alzheimer’s remain mentally sharp into their 80s, uncovering a rare mutation that protects the brain from harmful protein buildup. The findings reveal a potential new way to prevent early brain damage and could pave the way for treatments... Read more

Scientists have uncovered a possible explanation for why some people struggle to taste food more than a year after recovering from COVID-19. By examining taste buds from patients with lingering symptoms, researchers discovered molecular abnormalities that weaken the signals responsible for detecting sweet, bitter, and savory flavors.... Read more

Walking just 3,000 steps a day could help slow Alzheimer’s-related brain changes, according to new research. Scientists discovered that physical activity was linked to less buildup of harmful tau proteins and nearly half the cognitive and functional decline, even in people already showing early signs of the disease. The strongest... Read more

A discovery in tiny algae led to a Nobel Prize-winning breakthrough that allows scientists to switch brain cells on and off using light. The revolutionary technique has already helped researchers activate memories and is opening new possibilities for restoring vision and treating brain disorders.... Read more

Scientists have uncovered an unexpected culprit behind sleep loss in Alzheimer’s disease: overactive immune cells in the brain. By temporarily removing these cells, researchers restored more than two hours of sleep per day in mice, revealing a promising new target for treatment.... Read more

The MedTech Intelligence Industry Survey is a primary research initiative designed to capture the perspectives of professionals working across the medical technology sector. The study is intended to examine the pressures, priorities, technology shifts, operational challenges, and strategic changes influencing MedTech organizations in 2026. The research is being conducted in... Read more

ASK THE EXPERT Medical devices are becoming increasingly software-defined and connected, making cybersecurity inseparable from patient safety, product quality, regulatory compliance, and market access. Yet many organizations still manage cybersecurity through disconnected tools, teams, and documentation—making it difficult to understand the impact of change or respond quickly when new vulnerabilities... Read more

Reverse engineering carries a reputation problem in medical device circles; it sounds like copying. In practice, it’s a legitimate engineering discipline with specific, defensible use cases: replacing obsolete components, improving an existing design’s manufacturability, and indigenizing imported parts. This article looks at when reverse engineering genuinely makes sense in medical... Read more

The triage problem nobody planned for Complaint handling was designed for a world where complaints arrived slowly and looked alike. That world is gone. A single high-volume product line can generate thousands of records a month, and they arrive from everywhere: call centers, field service reports, distributor emails, hospital portals,... Read more

Healthcare is undergoing a fundamental shift. For decades, care has been built around episodic interactions such as a doctor’s appointment, a hospital stay or a procedure. Clinicians assess a patient, make decisions based on the information available at that moment and schedule the next point of care. As healthcare expands... Read more

South Carolina's measles outbreak exploded into one of the worst in the U.S., with state health officials confirming 99 new cases in the past three days.... Read more

U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked.... Read more

In Australia, we are exposed to some of the harshest and most dangerous levels of ultraviolet radiation (UV) in the world, so many of us know how important high SPF sunscreen is.... Read more

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a vital skill anyone can perform. It is administered to an unconscious person who is not breathing normally.... Read more

In a recent study of the contiguous United States, Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers found that the risk of disease from hantavirus is higher in drier, underdeveloped geographic areas with more socioeconomic vulnerability and increased numbers of unique rodent species. This is the first study to examine the combined effects... Read more

NIH trial to assess if eating peanuts, eggs during pregnancy, breastfeeding protects infants.... Read more

NIH case study finds virus drives creation of cancer cells in context of defective T cells.... Read more

The AI agent could help lead to a better understanding of how different diseases and conditions affect groups of genes individually and together.... Read more

Next-generation system noninvasively images tiny nerve structures disrupted in brain disorders.... Read more

Effort is part of NIH’s ongoing commitment to scientific transparency and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.... Read more