In sleep apnoea the throat muscles go slack and the airway shuts, and the mask that holds it open works only for the hours it is worn

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34 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   A pill for pancreatic cancer nearly doubled survival

   The US Food and Drug Administration approved daraxonrasib, sold as Rasonque by Revolution Medicines, on 26 August for advanced pancreatic cancer. [12] It shuts off a faulty gene called KRAS, which drives growth in more than 90% of pancreatic tumours. [13] In a 500-patient trial, people taking the daily pill lived a median 13.2 months, against 6.7 months on chemotherapy. [13] Severe side effects hit 44% on the pill and 57.5% on chemotherapy, and the agency approved it six months ahead of its deadline. [13]

   Why it matters — Pancreatic cancer has the highest death rate of the major cancers, and more than half of patients die within three months of diagnosis. [13] It is the first approved drug to attack a genetic cause of the disease. [12]

2. 03

   First drug aimed at the muscle loss in SMA

   On 11 September the US Food and Drug Administration approved Isembyld, made by Scholar Rock, for spinal muscular atrophy, a rare disease of the nerves that control movement. [14] Existing treatments target SMN2, a gene those nerves depend on. [14] Isembyld is approved for adults and children aged two and over who already take one of them. [14] In the late-stage trial, young patients' movement skills improved over a year, while those on a dummy drug declined. [14]

   Why it matters — It is the first approved therapy aimed at the loss of muscle in the disease. [14] The company says decades of attempts to block myostatin, a protein that limits muscle growth, had failed before this one. [14]

3. 04

   Lab-grown insulin cells let 10 of 12 stop injections

   In type 1 diabetes the body's immune system destroys the cells that make insulin. [16] A 2026 review reports that zimislecel, made by Vertex from stem cells, let 10 of 12 people in an early trial stop injecting insulin. [15] Those patients had suffered dangerous drops in blood sugar. [15] In the larger FORWARD trial, every participant spent more than 70% of the time with blood sugar in the target range after one infusion. [16] They also had to take drugs that suppress the immune system. [16]

   Why it matters — Donor pancreases are scarce and vary in quality, and cells grown in a lab could be made to a standard. [15] The need for immune-suppressing drugs is what still limits who can have them. [15]

4. 05

   Donor islet transplants wear off

   Islets are the clusters of cells in the pancreas that make insulin, and they can be taken from a donor and infused into a patient's liver. [17] A 2026 review reports that in one study of 36 recipients across nine centres, 58% became free of insulin injections. [17] By two years, 76% of them were back on insulin. [17] The review says the cells die off from lack of oxygen, and patients need lifelong immune-suppressing drugs. [17]

   Why it matters — Researchers are developing coatings that shield transplanted cells from the immune system, to get around both problems. [17]

5. 06

   Children's infections resist antibiotics in every region

   Researchers at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia analysed 106,581 infection samples from children in 82 countries. [18] Resistance to antibiotics rose in every region between 2004 and 2022. [18] Babies and children in intensive care, and children in poorer countries, were hit hardest. [18] The team projects resistance to last-resort antibiotics will reach 82% for the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii and 35% for Klebsiella by 2035. [18]

   Why it matters — Children get many bacterial infections and have fewer antibiotic options than adults, with few medicines made in child-friendly forms. [18] The researchers found resistance even in simple urine infections, not only in severe illness. [18]

6. 07

   One infection in six resisted antibiotics in 2023

   The World Health Organization gathered records of more than 23 million bacterial infections from 104 countries. [19] It found one lab-confirmed infection in six was resistant to antibiotics in 2023. [19] More than 40% of the antibiotics tracked lost strength against common blood, gut, urine and sexually transmitted infections between 2018 and 2023. [19] The rate was one in three in south-east Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. [19]

   Why it matters — In 2021, drug resistance played a part in 4.71 million deaths and directly caused 1.14 million. [19] The head of its resistance department said treatment options are running out, especially where infection control is weak and lab tests are hard to get. [19]

7. 08

   Plans against resistance took five years to show

   A study in the journal Nature Medicine scored how 193 countries governed antibiotic resistance from 2017 to 2022, using 269 policy documents. [20] The average score rose from 30.7 to 44.5 out of 100. [20] Carrying the plans out, and checking on them, lagged behind writing them, especially for animals and the environment. [20] A measurable change in resistance appeared only about five years after a country adopted its plan. [20]

   Why it matters — The global action plan on resistance is being updated in 2026. [20] The study found that working across health, farming and animal sectors, and tracking antibiotic use, were most linked to better results. [20]

8. 09

   PSA blood tests likely cut prostate cancer deaths

   Cochrane, an international group that reviews medical evidence, published a review in May of six trials with 800,000 men in Europe and North America. [21] It found PSA blood testing likely prevents about two prostate cancer deaths for every 1,000 men screened. [21] Its 2013 review had found no such benefit, and PSA testing fell out of favour after it. [21] The new review had up to 23 years of follow-up. [21]

   Why it matters — The benefit is small, and the test also finds slow cancers that would never have caused harm, whose treatment can cause infections and impotence. [21] The authors said the finding is not a blanket case for screening every man. [21]

9. 10

   COVID vaccine linked to fewer heart events in veterans

   US researchers followed 1,039,659 veterans who got a flu vaccine in late 2024, of whom 349,085 also got that season's COVID vaccine. [23] Over eight months, the COVID vaccine was linked to a 37.7% lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart deaths tied to COVID. [23] The benefit was clear only in people over 75. [23] The vaccinated also had about 24% fewer heart events of any kind. [22]

   Why it matters — The lead researcher thinks many of those extra heart events came from COVID infections nobody tested for. [22] The study used health records rather than assigning vaccines by chance, so it shows a link. [23]

10. 11

    28 million French adults followed for four years

    France's national health data covered 22.8 million adults aged 18 to 59 who got an mRNA COVID vaccine in 2021, and 5.9 million who did not. [24] Over about 45 months, the vaccinated had a 25% lower risk of dying from any cause. [24] Their risk of death from severe COVID was 74% lower. [24] The study found no increase in deaths from any cause in the vaccinated over four years. [24]

    Why it matters — No earlier study had compared long-term deaths by vaccination in young adults, who are less likely to get severely ill. [24] It is a cohort study weighted for 41 other illnesses, not a trial that assigned vaccines by chance. [24]

11. 12

    Fewer deaths in the weeks after a COVID jab in the Netherlands

    Dutch researchers looked at 75,421 people who received COVID vaccines and died between January and November 2021. [25] Their average age was 79.8. [25] Deaths were 44% less frequent in the three weeks after a dose than in later periods. [25] Deaths were 16 times more frequent after a registered positive COVID test. [25]

    Why it matters — Each person who died is compared with themselves at other times, which cancels out lasting differences such as frailty and other illnesses. [25] In late 2021 Dutch deaths ran above what COVID deaths alone explained, which raised the question of other causes. [25]

12. 13

    Stopping statins at 75 did not raise deaths in France

    A French trial randomly split 1,160 healthy people, average age 80, who took statins to prevent heart disease. [26] One group stopped their statins and the other kept taking them, for three years. [26] In the group that stopped, bad cholesterol rose 50% within three months. [26] After three years 7.2% of the stoppers had died, against 7.9% of those who continued, and heart attacks and strokes did not differ. [26]

    Why it matters — Earlier studies in Denmark and Italy found about 30% more heart trouble after stopping, but they did not record why people stopped. [26] A US cardiologist said the result will not change care for most people over 75. [26]

13. 14

    German psilocybin trial missed its main target

    Psilocybin is the drug in magic mushrooms. The EPISODE trial at two German centres enrolled 144 people whose depression had resisted other treatment. [27] With therapy sessions, they got 25 mg of psilocybin, 5 mg, or nicotinamide, a vitamin used as the comparison. [27] After six weeks, 17.0% responded on 25 mg, 12.5% on 5 mg and 10.6% on the vitamin. [27] The difference was not statistically significant. [27] Thoughts of suicide on dosing days were reported by 4% on 25 mg, against 1% to 2% otherwise. [27]

    Why it matters — Because its main comparison failed, no further formal tests were run. [27] Two serious reactions followed the 25 mg dose, including one case of lasting visual disturbance. [27]

14. 15

    In Sweden, one psilocybin dose faded within a year

    A Stockholm trial gave 35 people with recurring depression one 25 mg dose of psilocybin or niacin, a vitamin used as the comparison, plus five support sessions. [28] Depression scores were better on psilocybin at day 8, day 15 and day 42. [28] By day 365 the difference was no longer significant. [28] Two people on psilocybin had severe, lasting anxiety that needed medical care. [28]

    Why it matters — Psilocybin has been put forward as fast-acting with lasting effects, and here people's own ratings were better from day 2. [28] Those self-ratings stayed better until about day 102. [28]

15. 16

    England's public health service ran its own psilocybin trial

    A trial at one NHS site in England gave 60 people with hard-to-treat depression 25 mg of psilocybin or a dummy, with preparation and support. [29] It was designed to test whether such a trial can be run, and 59 of 60 completed every follow-up. [29] At week 3 depression scores were 10.41 points better on psilocybin, and the gap held at week 6. [29] Non-serious side effects numbered 164 on psilocybin and 123 on the dummy. [29]

    Why it matters — It tested whether psilocybin therapy can run inside a public health service. [29] The authors say the results support a larger confirming trial. [29]

16. 17

    Compass says its psilocybin drug passed two big trials

    In February, Compass Pathways released results from two late-stage trials of its psilocybin drug, COMP360, for severe depression. [30] Patients on the drug improved more on a depression scale than the comparison group. [30] It could become the first psilocybin medicine on the market, and the second psychedelic after Spravato, a ketamine-based spray. [30] A US psychiatrist not involved said the data probably meet the bar for approval, without being miraculous. [30]

    Why it matters — The company released the headline in a press statement, and fuller data are needed to judge how much patients gain. [30] Psilocybin could be approved in the US as early as next year. [31]

17. 18

    Oregon's legal mushroom centres, studied

    Oregon lets most adults over 21 take psilocybin at licensed centres with a supervisor and no prescription. [31] A study published on 19 August followed almost 350 of the more than 20,000 people who have gone through the programme. [31] More than half called it one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives, and four had serious reactions. [31] Three reported new thoughts of dying or suicide a week later, and that number doubled by three months. [31]

    Why it matters — It is the most rigorous look yet at psilocybin outside a medical trial. [31] About a third of participants had household incomes above 200,000 dollars, and the researchers say the low number of bad reactions may partly reflect who chose to join. [31]

18. 19

    Repeated psilocybin doses for OCD

    Obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, involves intrusive, unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviour. [33] A small trial gave 15 people with OCD weekly psilocybin sessions, and some got a sedative as a comparison. [32] After eight weeks and at least four high doses, 73.3% had responded and 40% were in remission. [32] The effect shrank but stayed substantial at six months. [32] A review found 40% to 60% of OCD patients get partial or no relief from existing treatment. [33]

    Why it matters — The same review found stronger signs of benefit for psilocybin than for cannabis, though it had to include unpublished results. [33] The trial's main aim was safety, and it had only 15 people. [32]

19. 20

    OCD takes about 13 years to be diagnosed

    The American Psychological Association reports that people with OCD have symptoms for nearly 13 years, on average, before a correct diagnosis. [34] OCD affects nearly 10 million people in the US, and more than 80% of cases are estimated to be undiagnosed. [34] As few as 2% of those diagnosed may be getting the recommended treatment. [34] That treatment, exposure and response prevention, teaches people to live with the thoughts without acting on them. [34]

    Why it matters — People with OCD face a suicide risk five times that of the general population. [34] Frightening intrusive thoughts are sometimes mistaken for a sign of danger to self or others, leading to hospital stays. [34]

20. 21

    A serotonin-blocking drug added to OCD treatment

    Ondansetron is a drug that blocks one type of receptor for serotonin, a chemical messenger. [35] A review pooled five trials with 289 adults whose OCD persisted despite standard treatment. [35] Adding ondansetron improved symptom scores more than a dummy pill at week 4, week 8 and week 12. [35] At week 8 the gain was 5.53 points on the standard OCD scale. [35] The trials were small, and results varied between them. [35]

    Why it matters — A large share of adults with OCD keep their symptoms despite the best first-line treatment with therapy or antidepressants. [35]

21. 22

    OCD therapy by video worked about as well

    Cognitive behavioural therapy teaches people to change how they respond to thoughts and fears. A review of 61 trials with 3,710 people with OCD compared ways of delivering it. [36] Face-to-face, remote, guided self-help, intensive and family-involved therapy all worked about equally well. [36] Group therapy did less than individual therapy, and self-help done alone did less than most formats. [36] More people dropped out of self-help done alone. [36]

    Why it matters — How therapy was delivered mattered less than whether anyone guided it: nearly every format beat self-help done alone. [36]

22. 23

    Acceptance therapy tested for OCD across cultures

    Acceptance and commitment therapy teaches people to make room for difficult thoughts rather than fight them. A review pooled nine trials of it for OCD, from the US, Denmark, Iran and South Korea. [37] It worked moderately better than no treatment or drug-only comparisons. [37] It did no better than other talking therapies. [37] Once the comparisons were matched, it worked about equally in Eastern and Western studies. [37]

    Why it matters — Five of the nine trials came from Iran, so the evidence leans heavily on one country. [37]

23. 24

    For children with OCD, exposure therapy comes first

    An umbrella review brought together 28 earlier reviews covering 24,762 young people under 18 with OCD. [38] Cognitive behavioural therapy, especially exposure and response prevention, had the largest and longest-lasting effects. [38] Antidepressants of the SSRI type worked moderately, and combining them with therapy may help in severe cases. [38] Therapy delivered over the internet was also reviewed. [38]

    Why it matters — The authors say treatment needs to become easier to reach and better suited to children's ages. [38]

24. 25

    Doubts over plastic found in human organs

    Studies reported micro- and nanoplastics in brains, testes, placentas and arteries. [39] In January the Guardian identified seven such studies challenged by other researchers in the same journals. [39] One analysis listed 18 studies that did not account for human tissue giving signals that look like common plastics. [39] A researcher at a German environmental research centre said fat gives false readings for polyethylene, and the brain is about 60% fat. [39]

    Why it matters — The brain study's senior author said the criticism was mostly not based on data. [39] The BMJ, a medical journal, reported in March that new research suggests plastic levels may have been overestimated. [40]

25. 26

    Two reviews disagree on how much plastic is inside us

    A review of 26 studies with 564 human samples found counts from under one to several thousand particles per gram of tissue. [41] It says cleaner, plastic-free lab methods are lowering the overestimates. [41] A second review of 190 measurements found the opposite for solid organs. [42] It says automated machines found nearly 70 times more particles in tissues like placenta and lung than older hand methods. [42]

    Why it matters — Both reviews blame the measuring methods, and they point in opposite directions. [41][42] The first review calls for standard lab methods, because studies done in different ways cannot be compared. [41]

26. 27

    Plastic particles and cancers of the bladder and prostate

    A review in the journal Communications Medicine looked at micro- and nanoplastics and cancers of the prostate, bladder and kidney. [43] Some studies have measured particles inside prostate and bladder tumours, with higher amounts linked to eating take-out food often. [43] Suggested ways they could cause harm include inflammation and chemicals added to plastics. [43] The review says the evidence is not yet enough to link them directly to these cancers. [43]

    Why it matters — The same particles are being tested as carriers for cancer drugs, so the review covers both a possible harm and a possible use. [43]

27. 28

    Vaping plus smoking and lung cancer under 50

    Researchers at Ohio State University compared 256 adults under 50 with lung cancer against 2,921 people without cancer. [44] Those who only smoked had about five times the odds of lung cancer. [44] Those who both smoked and vaped had about 13.8 times the odds. [44] Most of the young people's tumours, 72%, were adenocarcinomas, a type that starts in the lung's gland cells. [44]

    Why it matters — It is a case-control study, which compares the past habits of people with and without the disease, so it shows a link rather than proof. [44] Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, including in young adults. [44]

28. 29

    Smoking and vaping rising again among British youth

    A January analysis in the BMJ says current smoking among 11 to 17 year olds in Great Britain rose from 3% in 2021 to 5.4% in 2025. [45] Current vaping in that age group more than doubled, from 3.2% to 7.2%. [45] Among 18 to 24 year olds in England, current vaping rose from 5.6% in 2019 to 24.2% in 2023. [45] Globally, children aged 13 to 15 are about nine times as likely to vape as adults. [45]

    Why it matters — The authors say the rises in smoking may be partly linked to vaping, and that new UK laws will need follow-up. [45] Nicotine addiction can set in fast in young people. [45]

29. 30

    A 15-year-old with air leaking inside the chest

    Doctors in Hull, England, reported a 15-year-old who arrived at the emergency department with chest pain and trouble breathing. [46] The teenager vaped about 500 puffs a day and also used cannabis. [46] A scan showed pockets of air around the spinal canal, between the lungs and under the skin, called air leak syndrome. [46] The doctors believe the cannabis and vaping likely damaged the teenager's food pipe or windpipe. [46]

    Why it matters — The team says one patient cannot prove a link, and only a few similar cases exist. [46] About one in five UK children aged 11 to 17 has tried vaping. [46]

30. 31

    Smoking and vaping together hurt lungs most

    A study of 222 young adults, median age 26, tested their breathing with a spirometer, which measures how much air the lungs push out. [47] Smokers, vapers and people who did both all breathed out less in the first second than people who used neither. [47] People who did both did worst, and people who only vaped did least badly. [47] A separate review found non-smokers who vape had 1.90 times the risk of breathing symptoms of people who never vaped. [48]

    Why it matters — Vaping alone did less harm than smoking in both studies, and still more than using neither. [47][48]

31. 32

    Metals from vape coils found in breath

    Researchers followed college students for three months, testing their vapes and their breath. [49] Ceramic and mesh heating coils released different metals, including lead and cadmium from mesh coils. [49] Matching metals appeared in the vapers' exhaled breath. [49] A breath marker of airway inflammation rose the longer people had vaped. [49]

    Why it matters — It shows the heating coil, not just the liquid, is a source of what reaches the lungs. [49] It lasted three months, and the authors call for more research. [49]

32. 33

    Warnings about addiction are the weakest anti-vaping message

    A review looked at 16 studies of how 21,427 young people responded to anti-vaping messages. [50] Messages naming specific health harms and the chemicals in vapour worked best at lowering the wish to vape. [50] Messages warning that nicotine is addictive were judged the least effective. [50] The authors recommend a new US warning label listing specific health effects. [50]

    Why it matters — Messages that raised how risky vaping feels were the ones most likely to reduce it. [50]

33. 34

    US teens: vaping falling, anxiety a top reason

    A study of the US National Youth Tobacco Survey, from 2018 to 2023, found e-cigarette use among middle and high school students trending down. [51] Students who only vaped outnumbered those who only smoked by about five to one. [51] Anxiety was consistently one of the top three reasons current users gave for vaping. [51]

    Why it matters — The authors say the five-to-one gap contradicts claims that vapes mainly help people quit smoking. [51]

34. 35

    Most facial weakness after stroke recovers within days

    Researchers in Bergen, Norway, studied 5,987 stroke patients in their first week in hospital. [52] Weakness in the face was seen in 43%, and 3% had complete paralysis of one side. [52] By day 2, 25% had fully recovered, while 63% still had symptoms at day 7. [52] Patients given a clot-dissolving drug through a vein recovered better. [52]

    Why it matters — Slower recovery went with more severe loss of movement and feeling elsewhere in the body. [52] The authors say it shows the need for ongoing checks and rehabilitation. [52]