Public Health – Page 8

COPD Cuts Life Expectancy in a Severity-Dependent Manner, With Losses Comparable to or Greater Than Diabetes and Smoking

By MedXY 05/27/2026

A large pooled US cohort study found that COPD substantially reduces life expectancy, even among never-smokers, with years of life lost increasing progressively from GOLD stage 1 through stage 4.

news Public Health Respiratory Transplantation

Where a Lung Transplant Candidate Is Listed Still Shapes Access to Donor Lungs Under U.S. Continuous Distribution

By MedXY 05/27/2026

A national SRTR analysis shows that transplant center geography still strongly influences effective donor access after CAS implementation, and the 2026 proximity-weighted amendment is likely to widen disparities, especially for biologically harder-to-match candidates.

news Public Health Respiratory

Motivational Interviewing and Air Cleaners for Smokers with COPD (MOVE): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

By MedXY 05/27/2026

Portable HEPA air cleaners plus motivational interviewing improved symptoms and quality of life in smokers with COPD by reducing indoor particulate matter, though lung function and exacerbations did not significantly change.

Neurology news Public Health

French Registry Data Show Marked Declines in Relapse Activity and Faster Diagnosis in AQP4+NMOSD and MOGAD From 2010 to 2024

By MedXY 05/26/2026

A nationwide French cohort found earlier diagnosis, falling relapse rates, and major treatment shifts in AQP4+NMOSD and MOGAD, with rituximab linked to lower disability risk in AQP4+NMOSD and overall milder disability trajectories in MOGAD.

Neurology news Public Health

Digital Sleep-Wake Cycle Metrics and Dementia Prediction in Older Adults

By MedXY 05/26/2026

Wearable accelerometer sleep-wake patterns were linked to later dementia risk in two UK cohorts and modestly improved prediction beyond age and standard risk factors.

news Psychiatry Public Health

Health Plan Disenrollment and Mortality After Starting Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

By MedXY 05/23/2026

A large cohort study found that health plan disenrollment after starting buprenorphine or naltrexone for opioid use disorder was linked to higher all-cause and overdose mortality, highlighting the importance of continuous coverage and treatment access.

Family Medicine & Nutrition news Public Health

Do Digital Specialist Consults Really Keep Patients Out of the Hospital?

By MedXY 05/22/2026

A new Dutch study suggests e-consults may not dramatically cut hospital referrals overall, but they still offer important benefits when used in the right patients, specialties, and workflows.

Internal Medicine news Public Health

ACP Calls for Stronger Oversight of Medicare Advantage to Protect Patients, Payment Accuracy, and Quality

By MedXY 05/22/2026

The American College of Physicians urges major reforms to Medicare Advantage, including more accurate payment, simpler quality measures, tighter oversight of marketing and prior authorization, and stronger transparency to better protect beneficiaries.

Emergency Medicine news Public Health

Unequal Paths to Care: How Region, Rurality, and Deprivation Shape Transport to Verified Trauma Centers Among the Critically Injured

By MedXY 05/20/2026

A large U.S. study found major geographic and socioeconomic differences in how critically injured patients are transported to verified trauma centers, with outcomes varying by region, rurality, and neighborhood deprivation.

news OB/GYN & Women’s Health Public Health

Association Between Racial Segregation of Labor and Delivery Services and Use of Trial of Labor and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

By MedXY 05/20/2026

Hospitals that serve more Black patients had higher rates of trial of labor after cesarean and VBAC success among low-risk patients, suggesting hospital practices may influence cesarean-related disparities.

Neurology news Public Health

Long-Term Cognitive Recovery After Stroke: What the Oxford Cognitive Screen Reveals

By MedXY 05/20/2026

A long-term stroke study found that cognition improves most within 6 months, with memory and language recovering better than executive function. Early cognitive impairment was the strongest predictor of outcomes years later.

Diabetes & Endocrinology news Public Health

A U-Shaped Association Between Blood mtDNA Copy Number and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

By MedXY 05/19/2026

Blood mtDNA copy number showed a U-shaped association with future type 2 diabetes risk in younger adults, suggesting that both low and high levels may signal higher risk.

news Psychiatry Public Health

Implementation of a Hospital-Based Screening and Treatment Program for Unhealthy Alcohol Use

By MedXY 05/18/2026

A hospital-based screening and treatment program for unhealthy alcohol use was feasible in a diverse safety-net population and was linked to short-term reductions in alcohol risk scores, especially among patients who received follow-up and medication treatment.

Family Medicine & Nutrition news Public Health

Provision of Primary Care Under Reduced Visit Time Pressures

By MedXY 05/18/2026

Reduced visit time pressure in primary care was linked to slightly more diagnoses, prescriptions, and diagnostic testing, especially for patients with multiple chronic conditions. The study highlights how appointment scheduling can influence the breadth of care delivered.

Internal Medicine news Public Health

Telemedicine After the Pandemic: Who Benefits, What Changed, and What Comes Next

By MedXY 05/18/2026

Telemedicine is no longer an emergency workaround. New policy guidance shows how virtual care can improve access, but only if payment, safety, equity, and prescribing rules evolve carefully.

news Ophthalmology Public Health

Delayed Glaucoma Follow-Up Was Usually Not Linked to Visual Field Progression, but Longer Gaps May Matter in More Advanced Disease

By MedXY 05/18/2026

In a large retrospective glaucoma cohort, delayed follow-up was common yet was not generally associated with visual field worsening, although longer delays appeared more consequential in eyes with worse baseline visual field loss.

Clinical Updates news Ophthalmology Public Health

Optimizing Geographic Atrophy Clinical Trial Design: The Role of Run-In Phases, Single-Arm Architectures, and Functional Endpoints

By MedXY 05/18/2026

This review synthesizes evidence on improving geographic atrophy trial efficiency through innovative run-in phases, single-arm designs, and superior functional biomarkers like microperimetry to reduce required sample sizes.

news OB/GYN & Women’s Health Public Health

Severe Surgical Complications During Cesarean Delivery Are Linked to Higher Postpartum Readmission Risk

By MedXY 05/18/2026

Severe surgical complications during cesarean delivery were linked to about twice the risk of postpartum readmission within 42 days, especially for wound infection, supporting closer follow-up after complicated births.

Diabetes & Endocrinology news Public Health

Improving the Algorithm: Adding a Socioeconomic Measure to Predict Type 2 Diabetes in Youth With Prediabetes

By MedXY 05/16/2026

Adding the Area Deprivation Index to HbA1c improved prediction of type 2 diabetes within 1 year in youth with prediabetes, highlighting the importance of socioeconomic factors in diabetes risk.

news Oncology Public Health

Age-Dependent Interplay of Modifiable Risk Factors and Genetic Risk in Pancreatic Cancer

By MedXY 05/15/2026

A UK Biobank study found that lifestyle-related pancreatic cancer risks were strongest in younger adults, especially those with high genetic risk, supporting early prevention efforts.