Category: 4. Health

In a contentious Senate committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul sparred with the ex-CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez on a number of public health issues, including COVID-19 shots, the status of hepatitis B vaccines in children and her relationship with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F….

A handheld device can apply synthetic bone grafts directly at the site of a defect or injury without the need for prior imaging or fabrication.

Researchers demonstrated the technology by modifying a hot glue gun to 3-D print the material directly onto bone fractures in rabbits. Instead of using a regular glue stick, they employed a specially made “bioink,” the team reports September 5 in Device.

The idea was to design a printing system that could be easily equipped and…

In less than a decade, bispecific antibodies have gone from scientific curiosity to frontline cancer therapeutics. These engineered proteins, capable of binding to two or more targets simultaneously, are reshaping immunotherapy. They are also redrawing the competitive landscape of biopharma itself. With more than 2,000 clinical trials in oncology underway and U.S. cancer drug spending projected to hit $440 billion by 2029, the…

Originally developed in the 1950s but never approved for clinical use, these substances are over 20 times more potent than fentanyl and hundreds to thousands of times more potent than morphine.

They can come…

Citations

J. Zhao et al. Global trends in incidence, death, burden and risk factors of early-onset cancer from 1990 to 2019. BMJ Oncology. Vol. 2, September 5, 2023. doi:10.1136/bmjonc-2023-000049

H. Sung et al. Differences in cancer rates among adults born between 1920 and 1990 in the USA: an analysis of population-based cancer registry data. The Lancet Public Health. Vol. 9, August 2024, p. 583. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00156-7

R.L. Siegel et al. Colorectal Cancer Incidence…

Researchers tracked individuals’ antibody levels after vaccinations and identified four distinct patterns of immune response after the first booster vaccination. Notably, the group that started with the highest…

Autumn brings a chill in the air – and the start of another season of respiratory illnesses, which can be especially hard for older adults.

Although vaccine recommendations have been in flux, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations on respiratory vaccines for older adults remain robust.

As a geriatrician treating primarily patients age 65 and older, I’ve found that my patients are often unsure which of the various types of pneumonia vaccines is the…

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan in early September 2025 that he intends to make Florida the first state to end vaccine mandates across all schools and in other state-run institutions such as nursing homes.

His proposal would dismantle Florida Statute 1003.22, which requires that all schools, including public and private schools, collect proof of students’ immunization for a range of communicable diseases when they enroll.

In 2025, approximately 88.7% of Florida…

Gears are everywhere – from clocks and cars to robots and wind turbines. For more than 30 years, researchers have been trying to create even smaller gears in order to construct micro-engines. But progress stalled at 0.1 millimeters, as it was not possible to build the drive trains needed to make…