A new era in obesity management is emerging, characterized by the development of more effective treatments and healthcare strategies. A paradigm shift in obesity care calls for a more integrated, community-based approach that bridges the gap between medical management and bariatric surgery. This review explores important pillars related to obesity management, encompassing aspects related to the pathophysiology of the disease; treatments related to behavioral, nutritional, pharmacotherapeutic, and surgical approaches; and stigma mitigation.

Advances in cancer genomics have significantly influenced and improved oncologic treatments in recent years. Somatic genetic testing, which assesses for gene amplification and acquired mutations in tumor tissue, enables the identification of actionable mutations (i.e., biomarkers) to determine patients who may benefit from targeted therapies. Despite the progress made in somatic genetic testing, broad accessibility and adoption have been limited due to multifactorial barriers. Systematically addressing obstacles to somatic genetic testing is required to enhance availability, facilitate cancer treatments, and ultimately improve patient care.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is the analysis of wastewater to detect pathogen levels or activity for public health awareness or action. Pioneered in the 1940s, WBE underwent a resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing important information about number of cases, outbreaks, and seasonal impact. With advancements in detection technologies and growing interest in environmental surveillance, WBE is poised to become a standard practice in public health monitoring. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of the art of pathogen WBE, including methods of molecular detection, analysis of wastewater data, real-world applications and programs, public health interventions, and benefits and challenges for the field.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a complex condition characterized by pulmonary vasculopathy and progressive right ventricular dysfunction. Recent advances have reshaped PH management, including refined risk stratification, improved patient phenotyping, and the discovery of novel therapeutics. In alignment with the recommendations of the Seventh World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension, we summarize updated treatment strategies and emerging therapies, such as sotatercept, while acknowledging research gaps and areas of clinical equipoise. This practical, evidence-based review explores treatment across all groups of PH to inform clinical decision-making, improve long-term patient outcomes, and address both current and future challenges in PH management.

While traditional antipsychotic drugs provide symptomatic relief for positive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, many patients are refractory to traditional antipsychotics. Furthermore, these medicines are ineffective in treating negative and cognitive symptoms and have serious adverse effects that limit their utility. Traditional antipsychotics act as antagonists or partial agonists of D2 dopamine receptors, an action that is key to their antipsychotic efficacy and adverse effects. Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) agonists have now emerged as the first truly novel treatments for schizophrenia. This represents a fundamental breakthrough that provides a new treatment option to reduce psychotic symptoms and possibly improve negative and cognitive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Mechanistic studies are shedding light on the specific mAChR subtypes involved and the specific neural circuits where mAChR agonists may exert these effects. These studies may pave the way for a new generation of drugs to treat schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

Xenotransplantation of genetically modified pig organs has the potential to change the landscape of transplantation and chronic disease management by providing limitless personalized organs on demand. Decades of progress have resulted in recent US Food and Drug Administration approval for human clinical trials. Understandably, hope for the field is at a maximum, fueled by exciting anecdotal experiences, each providing new insights and questions. While further work is needed before widespread clinical application is plausible, the promise of xenotransplantation has never been more evident. In this review, we seek to highlight recent progress, suggest remaining research questions, and touch on the future of the field.

Reproducibility concerns in biomedical research have persisted for more than a decade, with large-scale assessments revealing significant challenges in replicating findings. Despite widespread acknowledgment of these issues, responses remain inconsistent, and proposed solutions often lack rigorous evaluation. This review examines the factors that contribute to irreproducibility in conducting, reporting, and reviewing research and assesses the effectiveness and desirability of interventions aimed at improving reproducibility. It highlights the need for balanced scientific reforms that strengthen reproducibility without stifling innovation or introducing unintended consequences. A critical appraisal of the role of meta-research is essential to ensure sustainable improvements in research quality.

Depressive disorders present an enormous global public health burden. A notable treatment gap exists between the prevalence of depression and our ability to provide rapid-acting, effective treatment that achieves remission. Brexanolone and zuranolone, the first US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs for postpartum depression, signify a critical advancement in addressing the unmet needs of a vulnerable patient population. Psilocybin shows promise for treatment-resistant depression and for those who have struggled to find relief with existing treatments. This review discusses transformative therapies that represent significant advancements in postpartum depression, major depressive disorder, and treatment-resistant depression.

The endoscopic evaluation and management of small intestinal diseases continue to evolve and expand. The advent of small bowel wireless capsule endoscopy and deep enteroscopy with either a double- or single-balloon enteroscope now allows complete endoscopic visualization of the entire small intestine and enables access for endoscopic interventions such as biopsies or hemostasis for most of the small bowel. New endoscopic techniques are available to treat proximal malignant small bowel obstruction, including intraluminal stents and endoscopic gastrojejunal stents. Emerging technologies also aim to improve weight loss and diabetes management via small bowel endoscopic interventions.

Oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) are pure estrogen receptor antagonists that have the potential to overcome common resistance mechanisms to endocrine therapy in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. There are currently five oral SERDs in published and ongoing clinical trials-elacestrant, camizestrant, giredestrant, imlunestrant, and amcenestrant-with more in development. They offer a reasonably well-tolerated oral therapy option with low discontinuation rates in studies. This review summarizes the currently available literature on this new class of drugs.