wellness

October was first declared National Bullying Prevention Month in 2006 by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center as a way for teens and adults to join together to stop bullying and cyberbullying. One in five students has been bullied at school in the past year, and research shows that 57 percent of kids who are bullied don’t notify an adult at school. But every teen can do something to help. Encourage respect for others, don’t give bullies an audience, and don’t ignore or shun those who are bullied. Wednesday, October 22, is “Unity Day,” when teens are encouraged to wear orange to show solidarity in uniting “for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying.”

New approach parallels recent refinements to methodology behind Best Hospitals ratings 

Nature Medicine, Published online: 20 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04023-9

Researchers analyzed 5,279 plasma proteins in 40 people undergoing feminizing gender-affirming hormone therapy over 6 months, revealing significant changes in 299 proteins. Such changes could have implications for reproductive capacity, immune regulation and long-term health.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 20 October 2025; doi:10.1038/d41591-025-00061-5

Baby wraps treated with the insecticide permethrin reduced the incidence of malaria in infants by 66%, according to a randomized controlled trial in Uganda.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 20 October 2025; doi:10.1038/d41591-025-00063-3

A study shows that creativity enhances brain health by improving connectivity in age-vulnerable regions, highlighting the importance of supporting creative activities in public health strategies.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 20 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04014-w

Myelin damage in multiple sclerosis can be detected up to 7 years before symptoms, with early immune pathway activation and a 21-protein panel showing promise for presymptomatic diagnosis.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 19 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04029-3

As presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2025: In patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumours, including mesothelioma, treatment with a first-in-class inhibitor of the Hippo−YAP−TEAD pathway was safe and led to encouraging clinical response rates in patients with mesothelioma.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 18 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04032-8

As presented at the ASCO 2025 Annual Meeting and the ESMO Congress 2025: In RELATIVITY-098, treatment of patients with stage III/IV resected melanoma with nivolumab and relatlimab compared to nivolumab alone did not significantly change recurrence-free survival, with correlative data pointing to the absence of tumor-infiltrating LAG3+ T cells as a potential reason.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 18 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04022-w

As presented at the ESMO Congress 2025: in this international, single-arm phase 2 trial, first-line treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer or esophageal adenocarcinoma with domvanalimab (Fc-silent anti-TIGIT) and zimberelimab (anti-PD-1) plus FOLFOX (oxaliplatin, leucovorin and fluorouracil) led to encouraging objective response rates and survival outcomes, which will be validated in a phase 3 trial.