Insulin costs and use by US Medicare beneficiaries after the inflation reduction act out-of-pocket cap

JAMA Network

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About The Study:

The Medicare $35 insulin out-of-pocket cap implemented in 2023 decreased and stabilized insulin out-of-pocket cost, increasing insulin use for people with previously high out-of-pocket cost. These findings can inform the design of policies to boost insulin access among users with high out-of-pocket cost. 

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rebecca Myerson, PhD, email Rebecca.myerson@emory.edu.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jama.2026.5975)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Media advisory: This study is being presented at the 2026 American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions.

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Food insecurity linked to gut microbiome

changes in children

American Society for Microbiology

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Key Points:

• A new study shows that food insecurity may leave a measurable impact on the gut microbiome of children.
• The study looked at the gut bacteria of Ethiopian schoolchildren from food-secure and food-insecure households.
• Children in food-insecure households had different gut microbiome profiles, including higher levels of Sutterella, which has been linked to poor dietary quality and intestinal inflammation.
• Understanding these associations may lead to further insights into the impact of environmental and nutritional stressors on child health.

 

Washington, D.C. — Food insecurity may leave a measurable biological signature in the gut microbiome of children, according to new research presented at ASM Microbe 2026.

 

“The findings suggest that food insecurity may influence child health not only through nutrition, but also through biological changes in the gut microbiome,” said corresponding study author Bineyam Taye, MPH, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology and Global Public Health at Colgate University in New York.

 

Food insecurity impacts hundreds of millions of people worldwide and remains especially common in low-income regions, including sub-Saharan Africa. Previous studies have primarily focused on nutritional deficiencies, growth and economic indicators, while relatively little research has examined the relationship between food insecurity and the gut microbiome in children from non-Western populations. Because the gut microbiome plays an important role in digestion, metabolism and immune function, understanding these associations may provide new insights into how environmental and nutritional stressors relate to child health.

 

The researchers conducted their new study to better understand whether food insecurity is associated with changes in the gut microbiome of children, particularly in underrepresented populations from sub-Saharan Africa. For their study, the investigators collected stool samples from Ethiopian schoolchildren and used DNA sequencing and statistical analyses to compare gut bacteria between children from food-secure and food-insecure households. “The work combined microbiome sequencing, statistical analysis and machine-learning approaches to investigate links between household food insecurity and gut microbial compositions,” Taye said.

 

The researchers found that children living in food-insecure households had different gut microbiome profiles, including higher levels of Sutterella, a bacterium that has been previously linked to poor dietary quality and intestinal inflammation.

 

Taye said that future studies will examine whether these microbiome differences are linked to growth, immune function and long-term child health outcomes. “This study helps address the lack of research on the gut microbiome in low-income and non-Western populations,” Taye said.

Green space exposure, mental health and the nasal microbiome

American Society for Microbiology

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Key Points:

• Researchers at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science recently studied associations among green space exposure, mental well-being, and the nasal microbiome—the microbes in a person’s nose.
• Museum visitors were invited to participate in the study, which was conducted in-house.
• The analysis showed correlations among microbial signatures, time spent outdoors and positive mental well-being.

 

Washington, D.C. — Plenty of studies have linked exposure to nature to a wide variety of health benefits, from improved cognitive function to lower blood pressure to better mental health. Other research has found connections between the human microbiome and time spent outside. But an overlooked, understudied player in that connection is the assemblage of microbes found in the nose, or the nasal microbiome.

 

Researchers at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science recently set out to bridge that gap. In a study conducted at the museum—and by inviting 111 museumgoers to join the cohort—the microbiologists identified nasal microbial signatures and patterns associated with the participants’ mental well-being and exposure to parks and other green spaces.

 

Genomics scientist Bridget Chalifour, Ph.D., a principal investigator at the museum, led the study and presented the results of the analysis at ASM Microbe 2026 in Washington, D.C.

 

The museum hosts a genomics lab within the building, where Chalifour works and where visitors can observe through glass walls. For this study, she said, participants were invited to contribute nasal swabs and complete validated surveys with questions about mental well-being, time spent outside and pet ownership. Collecting the swab samples was easy. “After Covid, people are very skilled at taking their own nasal sample,” Chalifour said.

 

She and her collaborators used 16S rRNA sequencing to catalog the nasal microbiomes of participants, and they enlisted the museum’s earth scientists research crew to identify green space maps for the participants based on their addresses, using publicly available satellite data.

 

Their preliminary analyses suggest that green space and pet exposure significantly influence the composition of the nasal microbiome, and in ways consistent with previous studies on microbes and mental health. They found that people who lived around more vegetation hosted a wider microbial variety in their noses, with some microbes showing up more or less often depending on the green space in their neighborhood. “We tend to associate greater diversity and greater richness with a healthier microbiome,” Chalifour said. Some of the same microbes that correlated with more reported time spent outdoors were similarly associated with better mental health scores.

 

The analysis also showed that the time spent outside had a stronger association with a healthy nasal microbiome than exposure to green space. “Time was really important in all aspects,” she said. “People who spent more time outdoors, regardless of how green it was, had lower depressive scores overall.”

 

And, drilling a little deeper, she noted that the nasal microbiome seems to respond to those choices—and may help facilitate the positive changes in mental well-being. “People are changing their microbiomes just by spending more time in nature,” she said.

 

The study represents one of the museum team’s first forays into microbiology, said Chalifour, but the institution already has a robust tradition of scientific inquiry across many fields.  “We do a lot of real research at the museum,” she said.

 

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ASM is a global community shaping the future of the microbial sciences to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Established in 1899, ASM connects scientists across disciplines, sectors and borders to advance discovery, foster collaboration and drive innovation.

With more than 38,000 members and a global network that reaches millions, ASM accelerates scientific progress through publishing, convening, advocacy and professional development. From climate change and antimicrobial resistance to industrial, basic and applied microbiology, ASM empowers the microbial sciences community to create solutions that benefit society and build what’s next.

Turkey probes billionaire businessman, 95 over Kurdish woman joke

AFP

June 6, 2026 

Rahmi Koc, pictured second on the left in 2004, a year after he stepped down as chairman of Koc Holdings – Copyright AFP/File FARJANA K. GODHULY

Prosecutors on Saturday opened a probe into a 95-year-old billionaire and honorary head of Koc Holdings, Turkey’s biggest conglomerate, over a joke about a Kurdish woman widely denounced as sexist and racist. 

The blunder was made by Rahmi Koc at the opening of a hospital in the western resort city of Izmir late Friday, but when the footage started circulating online it caused a backlash. 

The joke, which revolved around a misunderstanding between a Kurdish woman and a doctor, also drew the ire of the pro-Kurdish opposition DEM party which said it had filed a complaint against him. 

The probe was announced by Justice Minister Akin Gurlek on X who said it was over “expressions deemed to target women and citizens of a specific ethnic identity” although he did not publicly name Koc. 

“Uttering such words under the guise of a ‘joke’ or humour does not mitigate this discourtesy displayed toward our women and a specific segment of our society,” he wrote. 

Also on X, DEM said it had filed a criminal complaint against Koc “for making sexist remarks about Kurdish women, on the grounds of ‘public incitement to hatred and hostility’, ‘insult’ and ‘hate and discrimination’.”

In response to the backlash, Koc issued a brief apology published by Koc Holding on X, saying his remarks “were not intended to target any particular group”. 

“I would like to sincerely express my regret,” he wrote.

Koc stepped down as chairman of Koc Holding in 2003, handing the reins to his eldest son, Mustafa Koc who died suddenly of a heart attack in 2016. He was 55. 

Koc Holding is a family-run conglomerate set up in the 1920s whose main sectors are energy, automotive, durable consumer goods and finance, although it is also involved in technology, food, retail, tourism, agriculture and shipbuilding. 

Family-run conglomerates are the mainstays of Turkey’s economy with interests in every sector, with Koc Holding accounting for approximately seven percent of Turkey’s GDP and around eight percent of Turkish exports, it says on its website. 

Forbes magazine this year estimated that Rahmi Koc has a fortune of $2.4 billion.

Iceland tops the world rankings in clean electricity

Dr. Tim Sandle

June 5, 2026 

DIGITAL JOURNAL

The eruption is tricky to access, requiring a strenuous 90-minute hilly hike from the closest car park – Copyright AFP Jeremie RICHARD

According to a recent report on energy infrastructure resilience around the world, the electrical grid in Iceland has the lowest carbon footprint. This finding forms part of a new study by Energy World Mag, which is a platform dedicated to recording the energy consumption. The report identified countries with the most ecological power grids, while also evaluating whether their energy systems are structured to maintain this advantage over time.

In terms of key results:

• Iceland has the lowest carbon intensity of electricity, with 28 gCO₂/kWh, meaning it is produced with the fewest emissions harmful to the environment.
• Around 61.4% of all energy consumed in Norway is renewable, which makes electrical grids easier to sustain.
• Switzerland records the lowest primary energy consumption with 0.51 kWh per $1 GDP, reflecting high energy efficiency.

The study analyzed 76 countries, examining how clean, efficient, and resilient their energy systems are (CESI Score). The research collected carbon intensity data for each country, which shows the intensity of emissions from electricity production. It also took into account the primary energy consumption per GDP, which shows energy efficiency, alternative and nuclear energy use, electricity production from hydroelectric sources, and how renewable energy use compares to the total consumption.

Each of these factors reflect the diversity and reliability of the power grids, while fossil fuel energy consumption measures the reliance on non-renewable energy sources.

Top 10 countries where electricity has the lowest carbon footprint

Countries	Primary energy consumption per GDP (kWh/$)	Alternative and nuclear energy (% of total energy use)	Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)	Fossil fuel energy consumption	“Carbon Intensity  (gCO₂/kWh)”	WB Renewables  (% of TFEC)	CESI  Score
Iceland	3.979	89.3	70.2	10.3	28.00	82.40%	86.76
Norway	1.104	50.6	89.1	46.3	30.75	61.40%	79.37
Sweden	1.258	49.2	40	24.9	34.89	57.90%	78.16
Switzerland	0.519	45	55.9	44.5	29.57	27.70%	73.57
France	0.860	46.7	11.5	46.5	40.83	16.20%	72.65
Finland	1.418	35.3	18.7	32.7	66.93	50.20%	71.11
New Zealand	1.158	38.7	59.5	55.4	119.66	28.90%	66.17
Brazil	1.171	17.3	60.2	49.4	106.06	46.50%	63.7
Denmark	0.659	13.9	0.1	50	131.33	39.50%	60.73
Slovenia	1.018	32.8	33.3	57.8	230.40	23.40%	60.6

Iceland’s electrical grid has the lowest carbon footprint in the world, with a carbon intensity of 28 gCO₂/kWh. This means Iceland produces the fewest emissions when creating electricity, which is three times lower than Austria and 12 times lower than Germany. Most of Iceland’s energy also comes from renewable sources (82.4%), and only 10.3% of electricity comes from fossil fuels.

Norway ranks 2nd, with half of the country’s electricity (50.6%) coming from alternative and nuclear energy. Norway also leans heavily on hydroelectric sources, and 89.1% of all electricity in the country comes from dams. Compared to Iceland, Norway has better energy efficiency, with the primary energy consumption of 1.1 kWh per $1 of GDP.

Only a quarter of Sweden’s electricity comes from fossil fuels, with 24.9%, while renewable energy is responsible for powering 61.4% of the country’s power grid. Sweden also has low harmful emissions, recording 34.8 gCO₂/kWh, less than France, Finland, or New Zealand. The diversity of energy resources is one of Sweden’s main strengths, as 40% of its total energy comes from hydroelectric sources.

Switzerland shows the highest energy efficiency in the top 10. Only 0.51 kWh of energy is needed to create one $ of GDP, meaning Switzerland creates economic value using less energy than any other country. It also owns a diverse range of energy sources, from hydroelectric dams (55.9% of total output) to traditional fossil fuels (44.5%).

France has the fifth-smallest carbon footprint when creating electricity, with a carbon intensity of 40.8 gCO₂/kWh. The primary energy consumption for GDP creation is also low, and $1 of GDP requires only 0.86 kWh, the second-least in the top 5. While France still heavily relies on fossil fuels, 46.7% of electricity comes from alternative and nuclear energy sources.

One reason for this pattern is because Iceland and Norway sit on enormous natural advantages such as geothermal energy and large hydroelectric resources, and replicating their grid models elsewhere can be difficult.

Crypto scammers prey on French victims from Albania

AFP

June 5, 2026 

This image taken from a handout video released by Albanian police shows operators in an alleged cryptocurrency scam call centre in Tirana in April 2026 – Copyright AFP Patrick T. Fallon

Despite facing up to 10 years in jail on fraud charges for allegedly luring people into putting their savings into an Albania-based cryptocurrency investment scam, Jon shows zero remorse.

“I don’t see why I should have any qualms if people fall for it,” he told AFP in an interview in a Tirana cafe. 

The Albanian capital has become a favoured location for scam call centres to set up in recent years, according to former policeman Fatjon Softa, thanks to the city’s multilingual population, low wages and possibilities to launder funds.

Jon, whose name has been changed to preserve his anonymity, said he modelled himself on Jordan Belfort, the stockbroker who cheats his way to the top, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street”.

In a luxury office building in the centre of Tirana, Jon would pass himself off as an American as he contacted potential victims he said others had already identified.

“My job was to lure them in and convince them to invest,” said Jon, adding that he sometimes felt “proud” of the job he did.

The job earned the twenty-something Albanian 1,450 euros (a little under $1,700) per month before performance bonuses, compared to the country’s minimum wage of 500 euros before taxes.

Jon called it an “excellent opportunity, very well paid”.

But after six months in the job he is now required to check in with the court every week until he is tried on fraud charges that carry a jail term of three to 10 years.

 

– French victims –

 

At the end of April several Albanian scam centres were dismantled, including the one Jon worked in, following an investigation by police in the southwestern French city of Pau.

French investigators had been seeking to track down the scammers since a complaint in 2023 by an investor who lost 30,000 euros investing on a platform called universatrade.io.

They eventually identified 19 French victims who had lost around 1.5 million euros in the scams.

One of those victims, a businesswoman based in the south of France, said her misfortune began by clicking on an ad about investing in oil.

“Ten minutes later I received a call,” said Chantal, whose name has also been changed to protect her anonymity. 

“My daughter was getting married, I told myself I could make a little bit extra,” she added.

Initially Chantal only invested 250 euros, but after seeing her money quickly quadruple she succumbed when advisors asked if she wanted to invest more money. Soon she was in for 80,000 euros.

Chantal said she researched the investment platforms and found them on the internet, with profiles of their advisors on LinkedIn. One even sent a copy of his identity card.

 

– Ready to ‘blow her brains out’ –

 

In December of last year, three months after her initial investment, Chantal had 300,000 euros of gains in her app account and she tried to withdraw the equivalent of 30,000 euros in cryptocurrency.

“That’s when everything went down the drain,” she said.

Even though she realised there was a problem the scammers had such a tight grip on her — calling 15 to 20 times per day — that they persuaded her to continue investing with promises that additional funds would unlock withdrawals.

“They’ve got you. What can you do? They have your money,” said Chantal.

“You don’t sleep all night, your brain just can’t cope. And the next day, they tell you: ‘By noon there has to be this amount, otherwise you won’t get your money back,’” she added.

“So you pay the amount. An hour later, they say it’ll be in your account. But it’s not there. And you cry, you scream your head off.”

A lawyer helped Chantal recover part of the money, which she then lost again.

Chantal said finally she “wanted to blow her brains out”, but her family saved her from going through with it.

“People say that victims are gullible but the scams are put together well”, they are very “sophisticated”, said a source close to the investigation.

 

 

– ‘They steal your dignity’ –

 

French investigators were eventually able to track the scammers to Albania, and a police raid recovered a computer hard drive with the names and contact information of the French victims.

Five Albanian nationals were arrested, including the suspected mastermind and owner of the call centre, who was remanded into custody pending trial.

As Albania does not extradite its citizens, French prosecutors plan to drop their case in favour of their Albanian colleagues, who have promised to seek compensation for French victims.

Chantal wants to testify so others avoid her misfortune.

“They steal more than your money. They steal your dignity,” she said.

 

Nvidia’s Huang arrives in South Korea with ‘surprises’, bets on robotics

AFP

June 5, 2026 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (R) and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo outside a Korean barbecue restaurant in Seoul – Copyright AFP Jung Yeon-je

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang arrived in Seoul Friday for a packed schedule of meetings with tech leaders, promising “some surprises” for South Korea while predicting robotics will be the country’s next major growth sector.

The visit comes about seven months after Huang’s last trip to South Korea, when he pledged to supply the government and major firms including Samsung Electronics, SK Group and Naver with around 260,000 advanced chips for physical and agentic artificial intelligence.

“I have brought a lot of business to Korea. I have some surprises,” he said after landing at Gimpo International Airport, declining to elaborate or “it would not be a surprise”.

Huang said robotics would be the “next major sector here in South Korea”, and that the country is “extraordinary at manufacturing, mechatronics, and also artificial intelligence”.

“The fusion of all of that technology is perfect robotics.”

He then visited a gaming cafe run by South Korean esports organization T1, where he met star gamer Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok as excited fans gathered and filmed them.

Nvidia helped popularise graphics processing units (GPUs) in the late 1990s, laying the foundation for modern high-performance gaming.

Huang described South Korea as an ideal market for esports, saying the country’s gamers had chosen the best GPUs to win, and that “those were Nvidia GPUs”.

He later joined some of South Korea’s top business leaders for a typical corporate dinner of of grilled pork belly and soju at a restaurant in Seoul’s Hongdae district.

A large crowd gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the executives, who included SK Group’s chair Chey Tae-won, LG Group’s Koo Kwang-mo and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin.

Wearing a leather jacket, Huang was seen learning how to eat grilled pork wrapped in lettuce leaves, a popular Korean dish.

At one point, Huang and Chey stepped outside the restaurant to hand out packets of honey-banana chips launched by SK hynix and convenience store chain Seven-Eleven last year.

The snack’s square shape was designed to resemble a high-bandwidth memory (HBM) semiconductor chip, a product that has become central to the global AI boom.

During his visit to Korea, Huang is also expected to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game and appear on one of the most popular TV shows in South Korea.

The visit comes as demand for Samsung and SK hynix memory chips has soared, helping support South Korea’s economic growth.

SK hynix (the main supplier of HBM products to Nvidia) topped $1 trillion in market value last month, joining rivals Samsung and US-based Micron Technology as an AI-driven rally lifted chip stocks.