Health

Nature Medicine, Published online: 19 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04206-y

Plasma p-tau217 tests used to develop clocks that predict when cognitively unimpaired individuals would develop symptoms of Alzheimerʼs disease.

The 2026 ASC ratings will feature more high performing facilities.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 18 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04235-7

This multidisciplinary response to investigate the large outbreak of unknown febrile illness in the Panzi Health Zone in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in late 2024 suggests that the outbreak was largely associated with malarial cases and concurrent viral respiratory infections.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 18 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04201-3

Stem-cell-derived islet cells could transform type 1 diabetes by removing the need for injected or infused insulin and improving quality of life. But evaluation of these therapies must center on the voices of people living with type 1 diabetes and examine meaningful outcomes.

February was officially designated Black History Month in the United States in 1976 by President Gerald Ford. But long before that, in 1926, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History declared the second week of the month “Negro History Week” to honor the achievements of Black Americans in U.S. history. The reason the organization chose that week? It includes the birthdays of both abolitionist Frederick Douglass and former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 17 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04226-8

Designing interventions that fit seamlessly into real-world care settings is crucial to curtailing rising antimicrobial resistance in resource-limited settings; a large, pragmatic trial in China shows that this is feasible.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 17 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04222-y

A pragmatic, cluster randomized trial in rural Guangdong, China, showed that 12-month implementation of a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship program involving physician training, point-of-care prompts, monthly peer review feedback and smartphone-based patient education substantially reduced antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory infections compared to control consultations.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 16 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04212-0

Using two newly developed immunoassays tested in three clinical cohorts, this study highlights CSF DOPA decarboxylase as a promising biomarker for differentiating dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease from Alzheimer’s disease and controls.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 16 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04258-0

Recent failures in high-profile clinical trials of neurodegenerative diseases highlight the need to rebalance clinical ambition and biological understanding.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 16 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04231-x

Precision nutrition must consider cost-effectiveness to deliver benefits to patients