Your address might influence your risk for dementia, a new study says. People living in poor neighborhoods appear to be more likely to have biological risk factors for inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported June 25 in the journal Neurology. “These results suggest that neighborhood disadvantage increases the risk of inflammation, which may play an early role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as biomarkers for the disease itself,” senior researcher Angela Jefferson said in a news release. She’s director of the Memory and Alzheimer’s Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. For the study, researchers tracked 334 people with an average age of 73 for up to nine years, taking blood tests, brain scans and thinking and memory evaluations at regular intervals. About 180 people from the group also had samples of spinal fluid drawn. People who lived in areas with greater neighborhood disadvantage — lower employment, less income, less education, more disability — were more likely to have elevated levels of tau, results showed. Tau is a protein related to Alzheimer’s disease, researchers noted. The brains of people with advanced Alzheimer’s frequently feature toxic tau tangles. “This observation suggests that living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods may result in more stressful exposures that drive neurodegeneration, resulting in an increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease,” Jefferson said. Further, the spinal fluid…  read on >  read on >

Your address might influence your risk for dementia, a new study says. People living in poor neighborhoods appear to be more likely to have biological risk factors for inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported June 25 in the journal Neurology. “These results suggest that neighborhood disadvantage increases the risk of inflammation, which may play an early role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as biomarkers for the disease itself,” senior researcher Angela Jefferson said in a news release. She’s director of the Memory and Alzheimer’s Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. For the study, researchers tracked 334 people with an average age of 73 for up to nine years, taking blood tests, brain scans and thinking and memory evaluations at regular intervals. About 180 people from the group also had samples of spinal fluid drawn. People who lived in areas with greater neighborhood disadvantage — lower employment, less income, less education, more disability — were more likely to have elevated levels of tau, results showed. Tau is a protein related to Alzheimer’s disease, researchers noted. The brains of people with advanced Alzheimer’s frequently feature toxic tau tangles. “This observation suggests that living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods may result in more stressful exposures that drive neurodegeneration, resulting in an increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease,” Jefferson said. Further, the spinal fluid…  read on >  read on >

There’s widespread support among Americans for requiring that kids be vaccinated before they can go to school, a new Harvard survey has found. About 4 in 5 U.S. adults (79%) say parents should be required to have their kids vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, mumps and rubella to attend school, according to poll results from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Required school vaccination also has heavy bipartisan support, including 90% of Democrats, 68% of Republicans, and 66% of people who support the Make America Great Again movement, results show. Further, nearly 3 in 4 parents (72%) support school vaccination requirements. “Childhood vaccine requirements are less controversial than many people may think,” Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, said in a news release. “This poll shows that they’re widely supported across political groups—and it’s heartening to see that so many Americans understand the importance of vaccination, which remains a fundamental pillar of public health and disease prevention,” added Castrucci. The de Beaumont Foundation, a public health think tank, co-sponsored the poll. These poll results come as the U.S. faces a multi-state measles outbreak.  There have been 23 measles outbreaks in 2025, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Tuesday, a total 1,227 confirmed measles cases have been reported in 36 states and New…  read on >  read on >

There’s widespread support among Americans for requiring that kids be vaccinated before they can go to school, a new Harvard survey has found. About 4 in 5 U.S. adults (79%) say parents should be required to have their kids vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, mumps and rubella to attend school, according to poll results from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Required school vaccination also has heavy bipartisan support, including 90% of Democrats, 68% of Republicans, and 66% of people who support the Make America Great Again movement, results show. Further, nearly 3 in 4 parents (72%) support school vaccination requirements. “Childhood vaccine requirements are less controversial than many people may think,” Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, said in a news release. “This poll shows that they’re widely supported across political groups—and it’s heartening to see that so many Americans understand the importance of vaccination, which remains a fundamental pillar of public health and disease prevention,” added Castrucci. The de Beaumont Foundation, a public health think tank, co-sponsored the poll. These poll results come as the U.S. faces a multi-state measles outbreak.  There have been 23 measles outbreaks in 2025, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Tuesday, a total 1,227 confirmed measles cases have been reported in 36 states and New…  read on >  read on >

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon during the team’s loss in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the team confirmed. The injury happened with about five minutes left in the first quarter. Haliburton was driving to the basket when he suddenly collapsed to the ground.  He began slamming the floor in pain, seemingly aware of the serious injury, NBC News reported. Haliburton had already been playing through a right calf strain, which he suffered in Game 5. “I want to be on the floor, and if I have the ability to, if I can — like I said, if I can walk, I want to be out there,” Haliburton said after Game 6. “I just want to be out there with my brothers to compete.” By the end of the game, cameras showed Haliburton using crutches as he met his teammates following their 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped. But he will be back,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. Carlisle praised the 25-year-old for his playoff performance, calling it “one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play.” Haliburton appeared in 23 playoff games this year. He averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game, NBC News said.…  read on >  read on >

Alternatives to weekly injections of weight-loss drugs may on the way. A monthly dose of a new drug called MariTide helped participants in a phase 2 clinical trial shed about 20% of their body weight over a year, researchers reported Monday in The New England Journal of Medicine. Made by Amgen, MariTide was among several next-generation treatments for diabetes and obesity discussed at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago, which concluded Monday. “The more options, the better,” Dr. Michelle Ponder, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, N.C., told NBC News. Unlike the GLP-1 drugs, Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, which are injected every week, MariTide includes a monoclonal antibody that lets the drug stay in the body longer. The upshot: People can take it once a month, not every week. That, Ponder said, would be a boon for patients and prescribers alike. “It’s always just easier for patients to only have to take something once per month,” she told NBC. “A lot of patients we see in endocrinology are diabetes patients, and so they’d be taking multiple shots of insulin per day. And so, every last shot matters, even if it’s three less shots per month.” The phase 2 trial included nearly 600 adults, some with type 2 diabetes and obesity, others with obesity alone. Some received monthly…  read on >  read on >

Ancient Chinese medicine techniques could prove extremely helpful in modern fertility treatment, a new study says. Acupuncture significantly relieved stress and pain in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), researchers report. “Our study demonstrates that acupuncture and whole-systems TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) can serve as a valuable tool to decrease pain, stress and anxiety – ultimately contributing to both improved outcomes and a more positive, holistic patient experience,” senior researcher Christine Kaiser, director of reproductive well-being at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health in Cleveland, said in a news release. For the study, researchers tracked the use of acupuncture, acupressure and light therapy techniques on 146 women during 202 embryo transfers. Overall, more than 88% of IVF cycles included these treatments on the day of embryo transfer, and about 65% of cycles featured treatments in the weeks leading up to embryo transfer, the study says. Women reported clinically significant relief in their feelings of anxiety, stress and pain following acupuncture and other such treatments, results show. On a 10-point rating scale, women’s anxiety dropped by an average 2.2 points, stress by 2.1 points, and pain by 1.4 points, results show. The study also noted specific acupuncture and acupressure points that appeared to have the most benefit. More IVF clinics are starting to incorporate acupuncture and other such practices into their reproductive health services, researchers said. “Our…  read on >  read on >

Ancient Chinese medicine techniques could prove extremely helpful in modern fertility treatment, a new study says. Acupuncture significantly relieved stress and pain in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), researchers report. “Our study demonstrates that acupuncture and whole-systems TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) can serve as a valuable tool to decrease pain, stress and anxiety – ultimately contributing to both improved outcomes and a more positive, holistic patient experience,” senior researcher Christine Kaiser, director of reproductive well-being at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health in Cleveland, said in a news release. For the study, researchers tracked the use of acupuncture, acupressure and light therapy techniques on 146 women during 202 embryo transfers. Overall, more than 88% of IVF cycles included these treatments on the day of embryo transfer, and about 65% of cycles featured treatments in the weeks leading up to embryo transfer, the study says. Women reported clinically significant relief in their feelings of anxiety, stress and pain following acupuncture and other such treatments, results show. On a 10-point rating scale, women’s anxiety dropped by an average 2.2 points, stress by 2.1 points, and pain by 1.4 points, results show. The study also noted specific acupuncture and acupressure points that appeared to have the most benefit. More IVF clinics are starting to incorporate acupuncture and other such practices into their reproductive health services, researchers said. “Our…  read on >  read on >