Benzodiazepine treatment declined among U.S. adults between 2018 and 2022, with the steepest drop among adults ages 56 and older, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Despite the overall decrease, co-prescribing with other central nervous system (CNS) depressants — including opioids — remains common, particularly among adults in poor health or experiencing serious psychological distress.

​Scientists have warned that the world’s tiniest organisms need to be taken into account in efforts to improve soil health. AMI has launched a new policy report setting out key recommendations to support the long-term protection, restoration and sustainable management of soils across the UK’s four nations.

About The Study: Strategic placement of a trauma center in an area with high rates of violent injury and limited trauma care access was associated with significantly reduced mortality within the service area. These findings should inform trauma system planning to address geographic disparities in trauma care access, particularly in communities with high rates of penetrating trauma. 

About The Article: Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves and the exposure of pregnant individuals to extreme heat. This article summarizes current evidence about risks to maternal health from ambient heat (hot weather, high indoor temperatures, and occupational exposures) and how these risks can be managed.

A team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell Medicine, and other institutions have uncovered a key biological explanation for why eczema so often starts in childhood. The study, in young mice, found that some types of immune cells in early-life skin are more reactive than those in adults, a difference that may help explain why children are more vulnerable to inflammation and allergic skin disease. The findings suggest that early childhood represents a critical window for immune-driven skin disease and may shed light on why eczema is often the first condition in a broader pattern of allergic disease. They were reported in the February 25 online issue of Nature [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10162-x].

 

Reef-building stony and fire corals support a rich microbiome consisting largely of unknown species. By leveraging genetic material, ETH researchers have now managed to characterise some of these microorganisms. The microorganisms can produce natural products which could be used for medical therapies and chemical reactions. Reefs may also be home to thousands of other useful microbes which, alongside their coral hosts, are threatened with extinction.