A 2026 meta-analysis of 7 small Chinese trials found that adding herbal patches on acupuncture points to usual stroke care improved self-rated sleep in 608 stroke survivors with sleep problems.1 The researchers rated that evidence as very low certainty, and safety was barely reported. Research Highlights Better sleep scores: across 6 trials (536 people), Pittsburgh …
A virtual reality (VR) headset and a simple hand massage from a companion both eased pain and anxiety during emergency room stitches, compared with usual care alone, in a 2026 randomized trial involving 87 adults in Iran.1 Research Highlights 3 arms: 90 adults with cuts needing sutures were randomized to usual care, usual care plus …
Adults with type 2 diabetes who also had ADHD died at a higher rate than those without ADHD in a 2026 study of 1.9 million adults newly diagnosed with diabetes across 7 countries. They did not, however, have more heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular deaths.1 Research Highlights Higher death rate with ADHD: after adjusting for …
Among 296 Norwegian university students, believing worry is uncontrollable and dangerous was strongly linked to neuroticism: the tendency to feel anxious, sad, irritable and easily stressed. This link remained after accounting for the other 4 major personality traits in a 2026 study.1 An exploratory model drew an arrow from worry beliefs to neuroticism, but the …
In a 2026 case report from China, a 34-year-old woman with mild intellectual disability was sent for evaluation of possible narcolepsy. Sleep testing and EEG instead showed epilepsy and moderate obstructive sleep apnea.1 Research Highlights Narcolepsy was ruled unlikely: she took 9.3 minutes on average to fall asleep during daytime nap tests, with no early …
In a 2026 survey of 420 middle school students in eastern China, more physically active teens reported more cognitive reappraisal (reframing stressful situations), better stress-management habits and better health-related quality of life.1 Research Highlights Activity linked to quality of life through coping scores: the researchers’ model combined proposed links through reframing stressful situations and stress-management …
Guanfacine, a non-stimulant ADHD medication, reduced hyperactivity in autistic children in a placebo-controlled trial. A 2026 review argues it may also steady prefrontal brain signaling and calm the brain’s immune cells, but that immune effect has never been tested with guanfacine itself.1 Research Highlights Hyperactivity fell in the largest autism trial: in 62 autistic children, …