https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Barcelona Institute for Global Health The prolonged armed conflict in Colombia has had a significant impact on tuberculosis (TB) incidence and mortality. This is revealed by a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), which aimed to develop a municipal-level armed conflict intensity index and analyze how it relates to inequalities in the tuberculosis burden. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-links-armed-conflict-colombia-higher.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:40:07 EDT news694071960 Socioeconomic factors are widely recognized as potential modifiers of the relationship between air pollution and mortality, but the available evidence remains limited. In this context, a new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center–Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), analyzed how socioeconomic conditions and the transition to renewable energy in Europe influence vulnerability to air pollution. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-european-regions-highest-poverty-vulnerable.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:00:06 EDT news693047822 The progressive rise in temperatures poses a growing threat to the staging of summer sporting events in Europe and, more specifically, to the Tour de France, due to the increasing risk of heat stress for athletes. This is one of the conclusions of a study published in Scientific Reports, which analyzed climate data associated with more than 50 editions of the French race. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-global-stress-de-france.html Environment Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:00:10 EST news691060893 The prenatal period is a critical window for brain development, yet few studies have examined the impact of air pollution exposure during pregnancy on child cognition. A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with the University of Barcelona (UB), shows that prenatal exposure to pollution is associated with lower cognitive performance in newborns. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-prenatal-exposure-air-pollution-cognitive.html Neuroscience Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:30:01 EST news688751538 A recent study has analyzed the relationship between different air pollutants and the main subtypes of lung cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-distinct-air-pollutants-varying-links.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:10:01 EST news688230464 A new study analyzing the immune response to COVID-19 in a Catalan cohort of health workers sheds light on an important question: does it matter whether a person was first infected or first vaccinated? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-infected-vaccinated-covid-immunity.html Immunology Tue, 23 Dec 2025 04:09:15 EST news685685280 Work-related factors play a significant and independent role in the risk of developing long COVID, shows a new study based on the COVICAT cohort and led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in collaboration with the University of Turin and the Germans Trias i Pujol Institute (IGTP). The findings, published in BMJ Occupational & Environmental Medicine, highlight that a substantial share of long COVID could be prevented through targeted workplace measures and policies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-occupational-factors-strongly-covid.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:10:04 EST news685108825 A new GOLIAT study led by researchers from INERIS reports no measurable biological effects of short-term exposure to 5G signals on either stress responses or brain electrical activity in healthy adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-laboratory-evidence-stress-brain-5g.html Health Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:07:19 EST news684601621 A new study provides a powerful way to study infections in environments that closely mimic human organs. The strategy, tested in a bone-marrow-on-chip model, was developed by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S) at Porto University, the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), and the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the University of Barcelona (IN2UB), as part of the HIDDENVIVAX project. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-micropores-chip-hidden-infections.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 18 Nov 2025 13:28:04 EST news682694881 The year 2024 broke several temperature records: it was the hottest ever recorded, and its summer was also the warmest to date. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-deaths-summer-europe.html Health Mon, 22 Sep 2025 11:00:01 EDT news677494081 The environment we grow up in plays a critical role in shaping our lifelong health. The exposome refers to the totality of environmental exposures from conception onward, including factors such as air pollution, nutrition, stress, and social context. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-air-natural-spaces-healthy-diets.html Health Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:44:04 EDT news676298641 Wildfire smoke contains pollutants that are hazardous to health, including fine particles (PM2.5), which have been linked to increased mortality and morbidity. A new study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), provides strong evidence that PM2.5 from wildfires poses a greater mortality risk than non-fire-related particles. The results, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, also indicate that mortality associated with wildfire smoke may be underestimated by 93%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-mortality-fine-particles-wildfires-underestimated.html Health Thu, 14 Aug 2025 13:13:03 EDT news674395981 Planetary health and human health are closely interconnected. What harms the environment, whether in the short or long term, also affects human health. With this planetary health approach, a pioneering study in Spain has quantified for the first time the health damage caused by the environmental impacts of our food demand. The results reveal that the consumption of meat, fish and seafood, and dairy products accounts for 55% of the damage to human health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-environmental-impact-food-choices-linked.html Health Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:35:04 EDT news674145302 The world's largest conditional cash transfer program, the Bolsa Família Program (BFP), is associated with a substantial reduction in AIDS cases and deaths, especially among brown and black women with lower income and limited education. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-conditional-cash-significantly-aids-incidence.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 11 Aug 2025 09:42:04 EDT news674124121 The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has launched HTGAnalyzer, a new, easy-to-use, fast and reproducible bioinformatics tool for advanced transcriptomic data analysis. Designed within the R statistical environment, this package simplifies complex analytical processes, making them accessible to professionals without specific expertise in bioinformatics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-user-friendly-tool-transcriptomic-analysis.html Genetics Fri, 08 Aug 2025 12:38:03 EDT news673875482 A high-resolution ultrasound device has shown great accuracy in detecting suspected meningitis in newborns and infants, potentially offering a noninvasive alternative to lumbar puncture, the traditional diagnostic method. This is the main conclusion of an international study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with hospitals in Spain, Mozambique, and Morocco. The results have been published in the journal Pediatric Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-invasive-enables-accurate-infant-meningitis.html Pediatrics Mon, 28 Jul 2025 13:10:01 EDT news672925250 Ivermectin administered to the whole population significantly reduces malaria transmission, offering new hope in the fight against the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-ivermectin-lowers-malaria-infection-added.html Medications Wed, 23 Jul 2025 17:00:01 EDT news672478835 Stressful life events can negatively impact brain health. Specifically, grief over the loss of a partner has been linked to alterations in biological processes associated with Alzheimer's disease, while unemployment and financial loss have been associated with structural differences in the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-death-partner-financial-stress-linked.html Neuroscience Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:32:03 EDT news670764721 Even small drops in national income can significantly increase the risk of various forms of childhood malnutrition—not only undernutrition but also overweight and obesity, shows a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-economic-downturns-linked-higher-childhood.html Pediatrics Mon, 30 Jun 2025 09:55:03 EDT news670496101 Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, specifically to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), may increase the risk of childhood overweight or obesity. This is the conclusion of a large, pan-European meta-analysis study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and published in Environment International. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-exposure-particulate-pregnancy-linked-childhood.html Overweight & Obesity Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:51:33 EDT news670067486 Fetuses more exposed to certain air pollutants show changes in the size of specific brain structures, particularly during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. This is the main finding of a new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with the BCNatal center (Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Clínic, and University of Barcelona) and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-exposure-pollution-pregnancy-linked-fetal.html Neuroscience Thu, 12 Jun 2025 10:17:31 EDT news668942246 The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has unveiled a new tool: the Healthy Urban Design Index (HUDI). The HUDI is a composite index that evaluates 917 European cities based on 13 indicators connected to peoples' health and well-being and divided into four domains: urban design, sustainable transport, environmental quality and green space accessibility. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-index-european-cities-urban-health.html Health Wed, 11 Jun 2025 18:30:02 EDT news668851261 During the first meeting of the Global Think-tank on Steatotic Liver Disease, supported by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and held in the Palau Macaya of Barcelona on 5–6 June, more than 100 international experts issued a stark warning: millions of people will continue to go unseen by health care systems unless early detection and person-centered care for liver disease are prioritized without delay. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-scientific-community-urges-greater-action.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 06 Jun 2025 12:04:05 EDT news668430241 Walking is a fundamental activity for maintaining health. While numerous studies have assessed how much people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) walk, few have explored how they walk, especially in unsupervised, real-life settings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-daily-patterns-copd-patients-deterioration.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:48:58 EDT news668346530 In 2024, Brazil celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Bolsa Família Program (BFP), one of the world's largest conditional cash transfer initiatives. A new study published in The Lancet Public Health shows that the BFP has prevented more than 8.2 million hospitalizations and 713,083 deaths in Brazil between 2004 and 2019. In addition, it is estimated that an additional 683,721 deaths could be prevented if the program's coverage is expanded by 2030. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-brazilian-social-million-hospitalizations-deaths.html Health Fri, 30 May 2025 09:07:29 EDT news667814845 A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in collaboration with the Clínic-IDIBAPS, has shown, for the first time, how lung capacity evolves from childhood to old age. The findings, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, provide a new basic framework for assessing lung health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-loss-lung-capacity-ages.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 15 May 2025 18:30:02 EDT news666514141 An increase in physical activity between the ages of 45 and 65 could help prevent Alzheimer's disease, while inactivity may be detrimental to brain health. This is the main conclusion of a paper published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, which highlights the need to promote physical activity among middle-aged adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-physical-middle-age-alzheimer-disease.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:00:01 EDT news665137071 A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has shown that Europe has adapted better to low temperatures than to high temperatures over the last two decades. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-europe-population-cold.html Medical research Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:30:01 EDT news663414818 Three doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination induce long-lasting antibody and memory B-cell responses, according to a study of 113 health care workers in Catalonia who were followed for three years. The study, led by ISGlobal in collaboration with the Fundación Privada Daniel Bravo Andreu (FPDBA) and published in Cell Reports, also shows that exposure to the virus prior to vaccination differentially imprints the immune systems without compromising the quality of the antibody response. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-covid-vaccination-antibody-cell-responses.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:43:04 EDT news663342182 The Xpert MTB/Ultra molecular diagnostic test for stool samples, until now recommended only for children, could be established as an additional test for diagnosing tuberculosis in adults living with HIV. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-molecular-stool-tuberculosis-adults-hiv.html HIV & AIDS Fri, 04 Apr 2025 09:20:05 EDT news662977071