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Ergonomic changes may do little to ease short-term work-related arm, neck or shoulder pain compared with no treatment. Despite heavy workplace investment in equipment and training, the evidence remains low to moderate in certainty.

Methylphenidate, a medication used for ADHD, strengthened healthy adults’ brain response when ambiguous sentences forced them to revise an initial interpretation. Compared with placebo, the increase was greatest in participants with lower baseline working memory capacity.

Targeting the enzyme SPHK2 specifically in fat cells significantly reduced body weight in mice. The approach could offer another strategy for treating obesity, but current inhibitors have off-target effects, and more selective versions remain a goal.

Vein-lining cells in older people show reduced activity in genes involved in forming blood vessels. This could help explain why vessels may become less capable of renewing themselves with age, but repair capacity was not directly measured.

Colorectal cancer rates are rising beyond younger adults, with increases across age groups through 65–69. The overall rate rose in 2023 for the first time in more than 20 years. The risk factors driving the broader increase remain unclear.

Deep brain stimulation improved memory in mice with Rett syndrome, but blocking new neuron production eliminated the benefit. The newborn neurons also needed time to mature before supporting memory gains. Whether similar approaches are safe and effective in people remains untested.

Blocking communication between brain immune cells and glioblastoma cells reduced tumor invasion in mice, but did not shrink the tumors. The early findings raise the possibility of containing these aggressive brain tumors before surgery to make them easier to remove.

Plastic tea bags from four tested brands averaged 555–2,498 microplastic particles per cup after three minutes in near-boiling water. The count excluded particles smaller than 100 micrometers, and health effects were not directly measured.

Planned power shutoffs intended to prevent wildfires were associated with more emergency visits and hospitalizations for respiratory conditions in California. The association was substantially stronger when shutoffs coincided with wildfire smoke. Individual household exposure levels remain unclear.

A simplified brain model now includes ion exchange between neurons and their surroundings. It captures how gradual potassium changes influence faster electrical activity, reproducing several patterns also seen in larger network simulations and mouse brain slices.