Skip to main content

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.

Subscribe Follow Us Donate
  • Trump 2.0

    Trump 2.0

    • Agency Watch
    • State Watch
    • Medicaid Watch
    • Rural Health Payout
  • Public Health

    Public Health

    • Vaccines
    • CDC & Disease
    • Environmental Health
  • Audio Reports

    Audio Reports

    • What the Health?
    • Health Care Helpline
    • KFF Health News Minute
    • An Arm and a Leg
    • Health Hub
    • HealthQ
    • Silence in Sikeston
    • Epidemic
    • See All Audio
  • Special Reports

    Special Reports

    • Bill Of The Month
    • The Body Shops
    • Broken Rehab
    • Deadly Denials
    • Priced Out
    • Dead Zone
    • Diagnosis: Debt
    • Overpayment Outrage
    • Opioid Settlement Tracking
    • See All Special Reports
  • More Topics

    More Topics

    • Elections
    • Health Care Costs
    • Insurance
    • Prescription Drugs
    • Health Industry
    • Immigration
    • Reproductive Health
    • Technology
    • Rural Health
    • Race and Health
    • Aging
    • Mental Health
    • Affordable Care Act
    • Medicare
    • Medicaid
    • Children’s Health

  • Emergency Room Boarding
  • Device Coverage by Medicare
  • Planned Parenthood Funding
  • Covid/Flu Combo Shot
  • RFK Jr. vs. Congress

TRENDING TOPICS:

  • Emergency Room Boarding
  • Device Coverage by Medicare
  • Planned Parenthood Funding
  • Covid/Flu Combo Shot
  • RFK Jr. vs. Congress

Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

  • Email

Thursday, Oct 30 2025

Full Issue

Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs

Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.

CIDRAP: Analysis Suggests Cigarette Butts Are A Vector For Antibiotic-Resistance Genes 

A new study suggests cigarette butts are an "overlooked yet potent" vector for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), Chinese researchers reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Dall, 10/27)

Medical Xpress: Combining Two Brain Scans Uncovers Hidden Clues To Future Teen Anxiety

A new study could help make it easier to spot teens most at risk of anxiety before it takes hold. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, found that combining two kinds of brain scans can better predict which teens are likely to experience greater anxiety as they get older. The work sheds new light on how the adolescent brain responds to mistakes and why those responses vary from person to person. (10/26)

Medical Xpress: Why Does ALS Take Away Body Movement? The Hidden Burden That Seals The Fate Of Motor Neurons

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is among the most challenging neurological disorders. Despite many advances, a key unanswered question remains—why do motor neurons, the cells that control body movement, degenerate while others are spared? In a study appearing in Nature Communications, Kazuhide Asakawa and colleagues used single-cell–resolution imaging in transparent zebrafish to show that large spinal motor neurons—which generate strong body movements and are most vulnerable in ALS—operate under a constant, intrinsic burden of protein and organelle degradation. (10/27)

MedPage Today: Adding Physical Therapy Did Not Further Reduce Knee Pain From Meniscal Tear

Combining in-clinic physical therapy with home exercise did not lead to greater reductions in knee pain for patients with degenerative meniscal tear, a randomized trial showed. (Haelle, 10/29)

MedPage Today: Plant-Based Estrogen Diminished Menopause Symptoms 

Unlike other oral estrogens, estetrol dimmed hot flashes without impacting liver proteins. (Henderson, 10/27)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
Newsletter icon

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Stay informed by signing up for the Morning Briefing and other emails:

Recent Morning Briefings

  • Friday, April 24
  • Thursday, April 23
  • Wednesday, April 22
  • Tuesday, April 21
  • Monday, April 20
  • Friday, April 17
More Morning Briefings
RSS Feeds
  • Podcasts
  • Special Reports
  • Morning Briefing
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Staff
  • Republish Our Content
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Bluesky
  • TikTok
  • RSS

Sign up for emails

Join our email list for regular updates based on your personal preferences.

Sign up
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2026 KFF