Reviews & Analysis

Data from a large randomized trial show that a personalized diet can improve cardiometabolic health, providing support for a ‘food as medicine’ concept that, although centuries old, still lacks robust evidence.

In an era of expanding perioperative approaches for resectable non–small-cell lung cancer, new data demonstrate that dual neoadjuvant immunotherapy targeting PD-1 and LAG-3 is feasible; future analyses may enhance patient selection by identifying immune signatures predictive of response.

Large language models can translate the archaic language of pharmacy prescriptions into plain English, but reducing medication errors for patients will require interventions that go further.

A pilot study suggests that the bispecific T cell engager blinatumomab may provide a new therapy for patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis; larger studies and deep phenotyping will be crucial to thoroughly evaluate and optimize this approach.

New data confirm that APOE4 homozygosity is a major genetic cause of Alzheimer’s disease, warranting the development of specialized research strategies, treatment approaches and clinical trials.

Vision–language models can be trained to read cardiac ultrasound images with implications for improving clinical workflows, but additional development and validation will be required before such models can replace humans.

A strategy that controls confounders in quantitative microbiome data challenges the validity of previously reported microbial markers in colorectal cancer and serves as a wake-up call for the microbiome research field.

Food allergy treatment is undergoing a paradigm shift with new therapies emerging, including the recent FDA approval of omalizumab — but without evidence of disease modification and with uncertain quality-of-life improvement, it may not be a panacea for all.

AI models for tasks such as pathology and dermatology struggle to generalize to new patient groups or hospitals that they were not trained on; learning more robust features from unlabeled data could prevent overfitting to the training distribution and thereby increase fairness.

A small, prospective clinical study shows that ex vivo drug screening of pediatric cancer samples can identify effective therapeutic options. If validated, these findings could herald a new approach to precision medicine in this setting.

A large study of older adults in China points to physical and cognitive function — not age — as key predictors of heat-related mortality, highlighting the need for climate adaptation policies to prioritize accessibility across all age groups.

Evaluation of a clinical summarization method based on GPT-4 suggests that such models might reduce the documentation burden on clinicians — but prospective evaluation with high-priority tasks will be the true test of its potential.

Telehealth provision of medication abortion is safe and effective, but ensuring equitable access is challenging in the USA — and further compounded by an upcoming Supreme Court case.

After many lean years, important progress has been made in updating the anti-tuberculosis drug armamentarium; a new drug that targets bacterial protein synthesis is one of several that could help transform the treatment of this neglected and deadly disease.

A new study shows the benefits of treating anxiety to prevent postnatal depression — and highlights the need for more pragmatic research to simplify treatment packages, address other comorbid symptoms, and deliver effective perinatal mental health care at scale.

A flurry of emerging treatment options is transforming the therapeutic landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma; two new studies highlight the complexities and gaps in knowledge, but also hint at a greater understanding of how to apply immunotherapy in early and advanced disease.

A pilot trial of the WHO’s Labour Care Guide reveals important considerations for implementation and for future trials aimed at reducing the inappropriate use of cesarean section, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Senolytic therapy for diabetic macular edema (DME) refractory to anti-VEGF treatment appears safe, and preliminary data suggest a therapeutic effect on visual acuity and macular thickness.

An AI-enabled chatbot increased self-referrals to psychological therapies for common mental health disorders; but further research is needed to ensure that better access translates into high-quality treatment experiences and outcomes for everyone.

Credible evidence suggests that, under extraordinary circumstances, Alzheimer’s disease may be transmitted by a prion-like mechanism — yielding insights into both the basic biology of this neurodegenerative disorder and strategies for early prevention.