Kennedy Questions Vaccine Safety at Activist Conference: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioned vaccine safety during a speech at a Children’s Health Defense conference, telling attendees that they had a “strong and steadfast friend in the White House.” Kennedy, who previously chaired the organization, suggested that childhood vaccines might contribute to chronic disease and said President Donald Trump had asked him to investigate their potential effects. He also argued that vaccine-injury reporting systems are inadequate and claimed the risks of vaccines are not fully known. CIDRAP noted that vaccines undergo extensive clinical testing and post-approval safety monitoring. Kennedy spoke as the United States faces a nationwide measles outbreak with thousands of confirmed cases and multiple reported deaths in Pennsylvania. He did not urge vaccination against measles during the speech. (CIDRAP)

Sex-Specific Aging Clocks Reveal Biological Differences: Researchers have developed 38 sex-specific biological aging clocks spanning 15 organ systems, challenging the common practice of training aging models on women and men together. Published in Nature Medicine, the study found meaningful differences in how female and male organs age at genetic, molecular and clinical levels. Proteomic analyses revealed sex-dependent patterns involving synaptic, immune, vascular and metabolic networks. The clocks also predicted systemic disease and mortality differently depending on sex and organ. Brain-aging measures showed sex-specific associations with cognitive decline among participants in a preclinical Alzheimer’s disease trial. Researchers argue that sex-stratified models may provide more appropriate reference points for biological age while uncovering signals that pooled analyses can obscure, although many fundamental aging mechanisms remain shared between women and men. (Nature)

WHO Calls for Stronger Oversight of Medical AI: The World Health Organization is calling for stronger ethical oversight as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in health research. A new WHO report warns that existing research-ethics systems may be poorly equipped to handle challenges involving algorithmic bias, transparency, privacy, accountability, fairness and rapidly deployed AI tools. The guidance covers research using AI to analyze health data, research developing AI technologies and studies evaluating AI tools themselves. WHO recommends strengthening ethics committees with additional expertise and training while requiring researchers to identify risks earlier and communicate more transparently. The organization also highlights inequities in AI development, much of which remains concentrated in high-income countries. WHO argues that funders, journals, regulators and professional organizations must share responsibility for ensuring AI-enabled medical research remains safe, trustworthy and equitable. (World Health Organization)

Repeat COVID Infections Linked to New Diagnoses: Adults reporting multiple COVID-19 infections were more likely to subsequently receive diagnoses for new medical conditions, according to Canadian research involving nearly 9,000 people. About 20% of participants reported at least two infections, while 11% developed a new condition during the study period. Those with two or more infections had 76% higher adjusted odds of receiving a new diagnosis than people reporting no infections. Associations were particularly large for respiratory disorders and back problems, while persistent post-COVID symptoms were also associated with increased diagnoses. Researchers cautioned that the observational, self-reported data cannot establish that COVID caused the conditions. Increased healthcare use among people with persistent symptoms could also lead to more diagnoses. Nevertheless, the findings reinforce concerns about possible cumulative health effects from reinfection. (CIDRAP)

Nuts Linked to Better Cognitive Performance: Eating nuts was associated with better overall cognition in an analysis of 1,771 adults from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. Researchers averaged participants’ dietary reports across roughly a decade and compared nut intake with neuropsychological testing, brain MRI measurements and blood markers associated with neurological health. Among participants without previous strokes, greater nut consumption correlated with better global cognition, particularly among people with poorer overall diets or lower physical activity. Some brain-volume and blood-marker associations were also detected, although results varied among subgroups. Importantly, higher nut intake was not associated with a reduced incidence of dementia or stroke during the decade-long follow-up. Researchers emphasized that the observational design cannot demonstrate causation, and self-reported diet introduces uncertainty. Still, the findings add to evidence connecting nutrient-rich dietary patterns with healthier brain aging. (EatingWell)

Apple Watch Heart Tracking Faces Reality Check: Apple says its new Watch Series 12 delivers better heart-rate accuracy than competing wearables, but exercise experts caution that wrist-based optical measurements still have limitations. In an Apple-led study of more than 1,000 participants, the Series 12 was compared with devices from Garmin, Google, Samsung, Whoop, Huawei and Oura while a Polar H10 chest strap served as the reference. Apple reported the highest heart-rate accuracy across activities including running, cycling and strength training. The redesigned sensor measures heart rate every five seconds and provides more frequent heart-rate-variability data for recovery and training insights. However, factors including temperature, sleep, stress and skin tone can affect optical measurements. Runner’s World notes that athletes needing maximum precision should still consider ECG-based chest straps while using heart rate alongside perceived exertion and other training measures. (Runner’s World)

Healthy Diets May Slow Biological Aging: There may be many different ways to eat for healthier aging, according to research examining dietary habits and molecular markers in roughly 7,500 adults. Scientists assessed ten established healthy dietary patterns—including Mediterranean, Nordic, plant-based and DASH diets—and found that all were associated to varying degrees with slower biological aging. Aging was measured using molecular changes in DNA rather than simply participants’ chronological age. The initial results from 6,470 participants in Germany’s Rhineland Study were then independently tested using another 1,034 participants from the EPIC-Potsdam cohort. Researchers said the effects were modest but potentially meaningful for preventing age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. Crucially, the findings suggest that healthy aging does not depend on following one rigid diet, allowing dietary patterns to accommodate cultural preferences, taste and affordability. (DZNE)

Structured Exercise Linked to Better Cancer Survival: Structured exercise may improve survival among people with cancer, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 randomized clinical trials involving 8,449 participants. Researchers found that patients assigned to exercise programs were 23% less likely to die during follow-up and 17% less likely to experience recurrence before death than comparison participants. They were also 26% less likely to die specifically from cancer. Benefits appeared strongest in early-stage disease, among people completing at least 70% of prescribed exercise and in programs emphasizing aerobic activity or combining aerobic and strength training. Researchers suggested several possible mechanisms, including improved immune activity, tumor blood flow, metabolic regulation and DNA repair. However, breast-cancer studies dominated the evidence base, intervention designs varied considerably and relatively little evidence involved advanced cancers, requiring caution when generalizing the findings. (Medical Xpress)

Tai Chi and Mindfulness Ease Cancer Symptoms: Mindfulness and tai chi may help cancer survivors manage persistent fatigue, sleep difficulties and pain after treatment, according to the Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Cancer Health study. More than 500 survivors representing different cancer types and stages participated in mindfulness-based cancer recovery or tai chi/qigong programs, with outcomes compared with patients placed on a waiting list. Both interventions reduced fatigue and the degree to which pain interfered with everyday activities, while tai chi and qigong also improved sleep difficulties. Researchers found that pain interference, sleep disturbance and fatigue tended to cluster, meaning improvements in one symptom often accompanied improvements in others. The interventions did not substantially reduce pain intensity itself. Researchers say the results support incorporating evidence-based mind-body approaches into survivorship programs as complementary tools for managing long-term symptoms rather than treating them as substitutes for conventional cancer care. (Medical Xpress)

Needle-Thin Implant Records and Treats the Brain: Researchers have developed a flexible, needle-thin brain implant capable of simultaneously recording electrical activity, stimulating neural tissue and delivering drugs to multiple locations. The device, called the microfluidic Axialtrode, contains microscopic channels and functional points distributed along a single fiber, potentially allowing scientists to interact with several brain regions while minimizing the tissue disruption associated with multiple implanted probes. Developed by researchers from the Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, University College London and collaborating institutions, the technology successfully performed its combined functions during experiments in mice. Scientists envision it primarily as a research tool for precisely manipulating and observing neural circuits, although the platform could eventually contribute to treatments for disorders such as epilepsy. Considerable additional testing will be required before anything resembling the experimental device could be evaluated for routine human clinical use. (ScienceDaily)