August 2025 Medical News Summary

Epidemiologist Brian Lee, PhD, discusses his study on acetaminophen use during pregnancy and children’s risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in this interview with JAMA Deputy Editor Linda Brubaker, MD. Related Content: Acetaminophen Use in Pregnancy—Study Author Explains the Data

Ultraprocessed Foods and Cardiometabolic Health—New Report on a “Growing Public Health Challenge”; New Analysis of Women’s Health Initiative Data Aims to “Clear the Air” Over Menopausal Hormone Therapy Related Content: New Analysis of Women’s Health Initiative Data Aims to “Clear the Air” Over Menopausal Hormone Therapy Ultraprocessed Foods and Cardiometabolic Health—New Report on a “Growing Public Health Challenge”

Updates on GLP-1 drugs in heart failure, β-blockers after myocardial infarction, the shingles vaccine, and more: Felix Mahfoud, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiology at University Hospital Basel, shares clinical research highlights from the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress. Related Content: GLP-1 Drugs in Heart Failure, β-Blockers After MI, the Shingles Vaccine, and More From ESC 2025

Pulmonologist Michael J. Welsh, MD, is the co-recipient of the 2025 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for his research on cystic fibrosis. In this interview, he discusses his early clinical encounters with the disease, the foundational work that led to the lifesaving drug Trikafta, and future directions for cystic fibrosis treatment. Related Content: How Cystic Fibrosis Went From Fatal to Treatable Rewriting the Chapter on Cystic Fibrosis

What Is 7-OH?; Real-World Experience With Antiamyloid Therapies for Alzheimer Disease; FDA Panel on SSRIs and Pregnancy Lacked Nuance, Experts Say Related Content: What to Know About 7-OH, the New Vape Shop Hazard Treating Alzheimer Disease With Antiamyloid Therapies—The Real-World Experience Grows FDA Panel Casts SSRIs During Pregnancy as Risky—Many Experts Disagree  

The Effects of Newly Changed Guidance on COVID-19 Shots During Pregnancy; Heart Disease Deaths Have Changed; Progress Toward a Norovirus Vaccine Related Content: The CDC No Longer Recommends COVID-19 Shots During Pregnancy—Now What? New Research Finds Long-Term Shifts in Heart Disease Mortality Is There a Norovirus Vaccine on the Horizon?

In this follow-up to a 2017 interview with JAMA Medical News, the University of Southern California’s Maja Matarić, PhD, the computer scientist who pioneered the field of socially assistive robotics, discusses how artificial intelligence is advancing the field in areas ranging from autism to physical rehabilitation to anxiety and depression. Related Content: Social Robots That Help Support People’s Health Are Getting a Boost From AI Socially Assistive Robots

Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, a JAMA associate editor and associate chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, shares highlights from the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, including new research on diet, exercise, and cancer survival and the best time of day for treatment. Related Content: Lifestyle and Cancer Survival, the Best Time of Day for Treatment, and More—Highlights From ASCO

New NIH-FDA Partnership Targets Nutrition Research Gaps; First Blood Test for Alzheimer Biomarkers Receives FDA Clearance; A Growing Movement to Care for Caregivers Related Content: New Federal Program Seeks to Bridge Nutrition Research With Regulatory Policy What to Know About the First FDA-Cleared Blood Test for Alzheimer Biomarkers As the US Ages, a Growing Movement Aims to Care for Caregivers

Delaying diagnosis of parkinsonism can mean delaying care. In a study recently published in JAMA Neurology, David Vaillancourt, PhD, and colleagues tested the ability of an AI model to differentiate between Parkinson disease and other neurodegenerative disorders when paired with MRI. He joins JAMA and JAMA+ AI Associate Editor Yulin Hswen, ScD, MPH to discuss. Related Content: A Large Proportion of Parkinson Disease Diagnoses Are Wrong—Here’s How AI Could Help Automated Imaging Differentiation for Parkinsonism