2+ week, 5+ day ago (746+ words) A groundbreaking new study shows that artificial intelligence can help detect Alzheimer's disease and other dementias early'without adding any extra work for doctors or cost for patients. Researchers found that a fully digital, zero-cost AI tool can be built into everyday primary care systems, making early dementia detection possible on a large scale. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, was led by scientists from the Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Eskenazi Health, the University of Miami, and Lamar University. They tested the system across more than 5,000 patients in real-world primary care clinics. Doctors often struggle to detect dementia early. Primary care visits are short, and physicians must focus on the patient's immediate health concerns. In addition, dementia can carry social stigma, leading to delays in diagnosis. As a result, many people with early Alzheimer's or related conditions…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (946+ words) A generic blood pressure drug called prazosin, made by Teva Pharmaceuticals, is'being recalled by the Food and Drug Administration'because it contains elevated levels of'cancer-causing chemicals called nitrosamines. The recall, which Teva announced on Oct. 7, 2025, affects'more than 580,000 prazosin capsules. Prazosin is prescribed to'around 510,000 patients yearly'and is used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder as well as high blood pressure. Prazosin has been available as a generic medication for more than 25 years and, like many generics that have been around that long, is now produced by multiple manufacturers. This ratchets up competition on price, which may explain why older generics are more prone to'manufacturing issues that may harm patient health. What are nitrosamines and where do they come from? Nitrosamines are'by-products of many common chemical reactions. They form when a type of chemical building block called a nitrite group interacts with another type…...

1+ day, 5+ hour ago (420+ words) RMIT researchers are advancing new ways to cut the carbon footprint of infrastructure by turning everyday organic waste into useful construction materials. A life-cycle analysis has shown, for the first time, that biochar made from spent coffee grounds can help produce a lower carbon concrete while supporting strength benefits seen in earlier lab trials. The study, "Carbon footprint reduction in concrete using spent coffee grounds biochar: a life cycle perspective," is published in the International Journal of Construction Management. Earlier experiments by the RMIT team used heated coffee grounds at about 350 degrees Celsius without oxygen to make a fine biochar. When this replaced 15% of sand in concrete, its 28 day strength increased by about 30%, pointing to a practical way to reduce pressure on natural sand supplies. Building on that foundation, a new study led by Dr. Jingxuan Zhang and Dr. Mohammad…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (436+ words) Self-driving cars have been tested on public roads for decades, from San Francisco to Pittsburgh and beyond. Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology promises safer roads and more efficient transport, but one major obstacle remains: companies developing these systems rarely share their crash and safety data. This lack of transparency makes it hard for researchers, regulators, and even competitors to learn from past mistakes'and to make AVs safer for everyone. According to a new study from Cornell University, the reason is simple: companies have little incentive to share. "The core of AV market competition involves who has the crash data," said Hauke Sandhaus, a doctoral candidate at Cornell Tech and co-author of the paper My Precious Crash Data, presented at the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. "Once you have that data, it's much easier to train your AI to…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (810+ words) Online gaming giant Roblox has just announced it will start checking users" ages from early December in an attempt to stop children and teenagers talking with adults. In what the company has described as a move that sets a "safety gold standard" for the industry, it says it will be the first online gaming or communication platform to require facial age assurance to access chat features for all users. This requirement comes into effect in Australia just days before the country"s social media age restrictions launch on December 10. It also comes at a time when Roblox'which boasts nearly 380 million active monthly users worldwide'finds itself embroiled in several lawsuits and facing growing public concerns about child grooming and other harms on the platform. So how exactly will the age requirement work? And will it actually help to keep users'more than…...

3+ day, 5+ hour ago (541+ words) A new study shows that tracking how older adults drive could help doctors find early signs of memory and thinking problems. The study was published on November 26, 2025, in the journal Neurology. The research team found that data collected from driving'such as how far people drive, how often they go out, and how much they stick to the same routes'can reveal more about a person's brain health than just age or standard memory tests alone. Dr. Ganesh M. Babulal, the lead author from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said it is important to find out early if someone's thinking is getting worse, especially if they are still driving. "It's hard and takes a lot of time to figure out who is unsafe to drive," Babulal said. "But by using GPS data from their cars, we can get a clearer…...

5+ day, 5+ hour ago (385+ words) A new tool called the Blood Pressure Treatment Efficacy Calculator can help doctors choose the best medications for lowering blood pressure. It was created using information from nearly 500 clinical trials and over 100,000 people. This tool helps doctors know how much different medicines can lower a person's blood pressure. This is important because even a small drop in blood pressure (like 1 mmHg) can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Doctors usually start with just one medicine, which lowers blood pressure by about 89 mmHg. But many people need a bigger drop " sometimes 15 to 30 mmHg " to stay healthy. With so many drugs and doses available, it can be hard to know which combination works best. This new calculator makes it easier. The calculator groups medications into three levels " low, medium, and high " depending on how strong their effects are. Doctors can…...

4+ day, 5+ hour ago (481+ words) A new study from the University of Oxford has found that some older people might not need to take as many medications to control their high blood pressure. This is helpful news for seniors who often have to take many different pills each day. Reducing medications, if safe, can make life easier and may lower the risk of side effects. The study looked at people aged 80 and older who were already taking medicine for high blood pressure. Most of them were using two types of medication to keep their blood pressure at a safe level. The researchers wanted to find out if removing one of these medications would cause any problems or make blood pressure go up. In total, 569 older adults took part in the study. The researchers split them into two groups. One group had one of their blood…...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago (479+ words) Have you ever wondered if drinking coffee every day is good for your health? A new study from Italy gives coffee drinkers something to smile about. It shows that having two or three cups of coffee a day may help lower your blood pressure. This benefit doesn't only apply to the blood pressure in your arms and legs, but also to the blood pressure close to your heart. So, if you enjoy your daily cup of coffee, this news could make your routine even more rewarding. Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. In just 2020 and 2021, people around the globe drank almost 10 million tons of it. While some people used to think coffee was unhealthy, recent studies suggest the opposite. Research now shows that coffee may help protect against heart disease, diabetes, and even problems with…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (683+ words) Statins are common medications that help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. Doctors frequently prescribe them because they are proven to work well in many people. Despite their known benefits, statins have become a topic of controversy, especially on social media. Recently, a group of researchers from Stanford Medicine decided to study online discussions about statins on Reddit, one of the most popular platforms where people share their personal experiences and opinions. To do this, they analyzed over 10,000 conversations using artificial intelligence (AI). Their goal was to better understand what people are saying about statins and how they really feel about taking them. The researchers found that the majority of the discussions about statins on Reddit were negative. Only about 3% of the conversations were positive, and the rest were either negative or neutral. This was surprising…...