Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Amateur soccer heading and acute elevations in blood-based p-Tau217 and S100B

JAMA Neurology

About The Study:

The findings of this case-control study show that soccer heading was associated with acute increases in blood biomarkers of neural damage, including dose-response relationships. These findings suggest that amateur-level heading may acutely affect neural integrity.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Marsh Konigs, PhD, email m.konigs@amsterdamumc.nl.

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

(doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.1224)

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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Journal

JAMA Neurology

Abortion bans lead to worse outcomes for miscarriages

Oregon Health & Science University

Research from Oregon Health & Science University sheds new light on the unintended consequences of the overturn of Roe v. Wade: worse medical care for miscarriages.

Miscarriage — or the spontaneous, unexpected loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks — is the most common complication in early pregnancy. The study, published today in JAMA, found that state-level abortion bans were associated with a reduction in evidence-based medical care for miscarriage management.

Clinician-scientists at OHSU’s Center for Reproductive Health Equity identified a shift away from medication management toward “expectant management” — essentially waiting for a miscarriage to happen on its own without treatment or intervention.

“We can’t restrict one area of reproductive health care without there being far-reaching impacts,” said Maria Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H., professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine and director of the OHSU Center for Women’s Health.

“Patients are having to wait longer to receive treatment, and when they arrive, they have fewer choices. These are very real and dangerous clinical implications for the hundreds of thousands of women experiencing miscarriages annually.”

Clinical impacts

Management of miscarriage requires the same medications and procedures used for abortion, including mifepristone and misoprostol, which in combination is proven to be safer and more effective than misoprostol alone.

In the retrospective cohort study, researchers used a national commercial insurance database to evaluate medical data from 123,598 individuals who experienced miscarriage prior to 10 weeks of pregnancy, between the years of 2018 and 2024.

Analysis showed that abortion bans were associated with a 2.8% increase in expectant management and a 2.2% decrease in medication management. Further, among those individuals who did receive medication, abortion ban states had a 13.8% increase in misoprostol-only regimens relative to the evidence-based mifepristone-plus-misoprostol combination.

This means more women were forced to carry pregnancies that weren’t viable, potentially putting their health and fertility at risk and prolonging the grief of a lost pregnancy.

Most concerning, these findings are likely only the tip of the iceberg, Rodriguez said.

“This data accounts for commercially insured people, so generally people of higher socioeconomic status who have better access to health care,” she explained. “If we’re seeing an effect in this population, there’s likely an even greater impact to individuals insured through Medicaid, who are generally poorer with less access. That deeply worries me.”

Legal uncertainty

OHSU’s study aimed to quantify how state-level abortion bans triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which overturned Roe v. Wade’s constitutional right to an abortion — have impacted the availability of the evidence-based regimen for miscarriage compared with the misoprostol-only protocol.

Ongoing legal challenges to mifepristone distribution and institutional restrictions on its use have limited the availability of this treatment even in settings where abortion remains legal and accessible. As a result, patients may face delayed or denied treatment for miscarriage due to provider concerns about criminal liability.

Having the full spectrum of treatment options is critical to support patient comfort, safety and autonomy, Rodriguez said. Some women experiencing a miscarriage prefer to have the process completed as soon as possible; for these individuals, medication or a surgical procedure may the best option. Others want more time to grieve and process the loss; for them, expectant management may be preferred.

Whatever the choice, Rodriguez emphasizes every patient is unique and deserves to be treated with dignity.

“Going through miscarriage is a uniquely terrible experience. What women want in those situations is choices, and respect for those choices.”

Looking forward, Rodriguez warns that efforts to make miscarriage management legally distinct from abortion and protect access to mifepristone will be crucial.

“If we don’t fight to preserve what’s left of our reproductive health infrastructure, we’ll continue to see these consequences over time. Women’s health across the country is at stake – we can’t take our foot off the gas.”

Journal

JAMA

DOI

10.1001/jama.2026.6344

Article Title

Management of Spontaneous Abortion Among Commercially Insured Individuals in the United States After Dobbs v Jackson

Article Publication Date

18-May-2026

Management of spontaneous abortion among commercially insured individuals in the United States after Dobbs v Jackson

JAMA

About The Study:

State-level abortion bans were associated with a shift in spontaneous abortion management away from medication and toward expectant approaches, with persistent reliance on suboptimal misoprostol-only regimens in ban states, suggesting a decrease in management options for individuals with spontaneous abortion in ban states.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Maria I. Rodriguez, MD, MPH, email rodrigma@ohsu.edu.

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

(doi:10.1001/jama.2026.6344)

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Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article

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Journal

JAMA

New study links erosion to natural hydrogen potential in mountain ranges

University of Lausanne

Hydrogen gas formed by natural processes in the subsurface of mountain ranges could represent a promising source of clean energy. A new international study led by Unil and GFZ shows that erosion plays a key and complex role in the formation and accumulation of this natural resource. This research confirms that the Pyrenees and the Alps could constitute key targets for natural hydrogen exploration.

What if mountain ranges such as the Alps or the Pyrenees concealed a source of clean energy beneath our feet? In 2025, a widely publicized study published in Science Advances and coordinated by the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences showed that certain mountain belts could provide favourable conditions for the formation and storage of natural hydrogen (H₂).

Now, a new international study published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth builds directly on this work, highlighting the decisive role of rock erosion in both the formation and potential reduction of these hydrogen accumulations. “Unexpectedly, erosion turns out to be a key and ambivalent factor in natural hydrogen production,” says Frank Zwaan, lead author of the study, formerly at GFZ and now a researcher at the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment of the University of Lausanne (Unil), with visitor status at the University of Fribourg. “This research supports the view that the Pyrenees and the Alps are key targets for natural H2 exploration.”

Hydrogen and the energy transition

The motivation behind this research stems from a major challenge: energy. Hydrogen could play a central role in the energy transition, thanks to its strong potential to power vehicles and decarbonize industrial processes. Yet today, its production still largely relies on polluting fossil fuels, while hydrogen production powered by green energy remains costly. In this context, the potential presence of exploitable natural hydrogen in the subsurface of mountain ranges such as the Alps or the Pyrenees appears as a promising avenue.
In these regions, tectonic plates first moved apart millions of years ago, forming rift basins, before converging and colliding to give rise to mountain ranges. As a result of these processes, rocks from the deep mantle were gradually brought closer to the surface, reaching conditions where temperatures allow them to efficiently react with water and release hydrogen (H₂), a chemical process known as serpentinization. The gas produced may then accumulate in porous rock layers that act as reservoirs, which could then be exploited for targeted applications.

“We already know that the Earth produces large amounts of hydrogen, and local-scale exploitation is already ongoing in Mali. The key question now is whether large-scale hydrogen accumulations can be found, because, as with petroleum systems, very specific conditions must be met, with all key elements in place at the right time,” explains Frank Zwaan.

In their new study, the scientists used advanced numerical plate tectonic models to highlight the influence of a key factor that acts as a delicate regulator: erosion. Their models show that erosion can promote the uplift of mantle rocks toward the surface, which improves the conditions for serpentinization and therefore increases the potential for natural hydrogen generation. By contrast, erosion that is too rapid or too intense can reduce this potential, either by destroying reservoir rocks or by altering the temperature conditions required for hydrogen formation.

The simulations also point to another critical factor: the geological history of the regions studied. The duration of tectonic extension phases, long before mountain building, also influences the potential for hydrogen generation.

By comparing different mountain belts, the researchers show that not all ranges have the same potential. In the scenarios examined (the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Betic Cordillera in Spain), the Pyrenees appear to be very favourable while also the Alps represent interesting potential. “These new results give us a better idea of where to investigate,” says Frank Zwaan. “However, further research is essential to more precisely determine where natural hydrogen resources might be explored,” he concludes.

Source: F. Zwaan, A. C. Glerum, S. Brune, D. A. Vasey, J. B. Naliboff, G. Manatschal and E. C. Gaucher, The Impact of Erosion Efficiency on Rift‐Inversion Orogen Evolution: Implications for Serpentinization‐Derived Natural H2 Resources, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2026, DOI : https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB033255

Mountain range Panorama view of the Western Pyrenees - Mauléon Basin in SW France, a prime natural H2 exploration area.

Credit

Credit : Peter Pilz, GFZ

Sketch of mountain building with exhumed mantle.

Credit

credit: USGS, edited by Frank Zwaan, Unil

New Study Links Erosion to Natural Hydrogen Potential in Mountain Ranges [VIDEO]

Journal

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth

DOI

10.1029/2025JB033255

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Article Title

The Impact of Erosion Efficiency on Rift‐Inversion Orogen Evolution: Implications for Serpentinization‐Derived Natural H2 Resources

Article Publication Date

18-May-2026

White hydrogen discovered in billion-year-old Canadian Shield rock points to potential new energy source

University of Toronto

Measuring hydrogen from the Canadian Shield — image:
Continuous long-term measurement underground at a mine in northern Ontario provided evidence of sustained accumulation and discharge of natural hydrogen generated within Earth’s crust.
view more
Credit: Courtesy of Barbara Sherwood Lollar

TORONTO, ON – Within the Canadian Shield, hydrogen gas is steadily building up naturally among some of the oldest rocks on Earth. Now, for the first time, geochemists at the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa have measured its presence, mapped its concentration and tracked its long-term accumulation, shedding new light on this source of natural, or white, hydrogen.

The findings make it possible to assess the economic viability of this emerging energy source and point to a new approach to hydrogen exploration — one that could accelerate greenhouse gas reductions and expand hydrogen’s role in the clean energy
transition.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports measurements of hydrogen directly observed discharging from the vast billion-year-old rocks of the Canadian Shield. Using data from an operating mine near Timmins, Ontario, the researchers show that boreholes at the site release an average of 0.008 tonnes of hydrogen per year – approximately 8 kilograms, which is the weight of an average-sized car battery – and can continue to do so for 10 years or more.

Extrapolating to the site’s nearly 15,000 boreholes results in a total discharge of more than 140 tonnes of hydrogen per year. Such discharges could provide 4.7 million kilowatts of energy per year from a single location – enough to support the annual energy needs of over 400 households.

“The data from this study suggests there are critical untapped opportunities to access a domestic source of cost-effective energy produced from the rocks beneath our feet,” says University Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar in the Department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science at University of Toronto, the lead author of the study. “What’s more, this provides a ‘made in Canada’ resource that might be able to support local and regional industry hubs and reduce their dependence on importing hydrocarbon-based fuels”.

The existing global hydrogen economy is a $135-billion industry. Major uses are in methanol and steel production, though the single largest use of hydrogen is fertilizer production, making it a fundamental component in agriculture and critically tied to global food security. Currently, hydrogen used in these ways is produced by energy-intensive industrial processes that typically convert hydrocarbons found in fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas and coal, while releasing carbon monoxide and CO2 in the process. Even hydrogen generated from renewable energy sources – often described as green hydrogen – is energy intensive, costly to produce and requires long distance transport and storage.

To date, white hydrogen as a source for energy and manufacturing has largely flown under the radar, investigated almost exclusively by microbiologists seeking to understand the subsurface biosphere and to inform astrobiology and space exploration. The potential contribution of natural hydrogen in Earth’s crust to the current global economy has until now been largely speculative, based on models and theoretically available amounts, rather than on measured data. The U of T-led study is the first to document large volumes of hydrogen, and most importantly, discharges that are sustained for years.

“Natural hydrogen is produced over time through underground chemical reactions between rocks and the groundwaters in those rocks,” says Sherwood Lollar. “Canada is blessed that vast amounts of its territories, especially on the Canadian Shield, contain the right rocks and minerals to create this natural hydrogen.”

The researchers say Canada has the potential to provide an alternative to industrially produced hydrogen, using natural hydrogen to provide cheaper and cleaner sources of the resource and without the need for hydrocarbons. Such innovative hydrogen resource development can then be extended worldwide to other nations where hydrogen-producing rocks also commonly exist. They further note that natural hydrogen is found in the greatest volumes in the same geologic settings that have historically been the focus of Canada’s mining industry – locations that include Northern Ontario and Quebec, as well as Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

“The common link is the rock,” says study co-author Oliver Warr, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at University of Ottawa. “Natural hydrogen is produced in the same rocks where Canada’s nickel, copper and diamond deposits are found, and that are currently under exploration for critical minerals such as lithium, helium, chromium and cobalt. The co-location of mining resources and hydrogen production and use mitigates the need for long transportation routes to market, for hydrogen storage and major hydrogen infrastructure development.”

The authors suggest this untapped resource could reduce costs and carbon footprints for mines within Canada and provide a source of local clean energy for northern communities. Such a resource development model could not only offset carbon emissions for mining industries, but also potentially contribute to a meaningful reduction in the high costs of transporting fuel to communities in northern locations.

“There is a global race to increase hydrogen availability in order to decarbonize and reduce the costs of the existing hydrogen economy,” says Sherwood Lollar. “We now have a better understanding of the economic viability of this resource that can be mapped to hydrogen deposits around the world that are both already known and yet to be discovered.”

– 30 –

Gas bubbles emerging from groundwater and measurement probe

Long-term measurement provided evidence of sustained accumulation and discharge of natural hydrogen generated within Earth’s crust.

Natural hydrogen visible as gas bubbles separating from groundwater discharging from rocks of the Canadian Shield.

Credit

Courtesy of Barbara Sherwood Lollar

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2603895123

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Decadal record of continental H<sub>2</sub> reservoirs reveals potential for subsurface microbial life and natural H<sub>2</sub> exploration

Article Publication Date

18-May-2026

New economics study finds ICE activity upended the US childcare workforce

Labor research shows immigration enforcement reshaped the size and structure of the childcare workforce—with implications for families, workers, and the economy

University of Vermont

image:

Erkmen Aslim is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Vermont.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Erkmen Aslim.

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations come to town it can create a landscape of fear, chilling commerce and school attendance, and now, new research shows it affects childcare workers.

A team from the University of Vermont, Yale University, Arizona State University, and American University examined how changes in ICE tactics between 2023 and 2025 has influenced the childcare workforce—a vital sector of the economy that employs nearly one million workers across the country and generates $7.2 billion in quarterly wages and is comprised of roughly 20% immigrant labor. The study will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy on May 22.

“When ICE enforcement intensified, the formal childcare sector lost capacity: centers reduced enrollment, closed classrooms, and in some cases shut down entirely,” says lead author Erkmen Aslim, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Vermont. “That has real consequences for American families, particularly working mothers, who rely on stable, affordable childcare to hold down jobs.”

The study finds that increased ICE activity led to significant declines in employment among immigrant women, particularly those working in more regulated and publicly visible settings, such as childcare centers. This population is more likely than their native-born peers to hold advanced certifications, and the researchers found limited evidence that immigrant workers are being broadly replaced by native-born workers.

The team also found that significant labor shifts among childcare workers towards private household childcare—sites that are less regulated and typically have fewer protections for workers and more volatile wages. According to the researchers, this may negatively affect both childcare workers and the families who rely on them.

“Reallocation into less-regulated household care likely reduces the average quality and stability of care, given that center-based settings are subject to licensing, staff-to-child ratios, training requirements, and curricular standards that home-based arrangements typically are not,” Aslim explains. “This is an industry that already operates with high turnover and chronic staff shortages, so it has very little slack to absorb a shock of this kind.”

Overall, the results show that immigration enforcement reshapes not only the size but also the structure of the childcare workforce, with important potential implications for families, childcare workers, and labor markets.

To conduct the study, the researchers analyzed monthly Current Population Survey reports, comparing them with ICE arrest records from the Deportation Data Project. The data showed upticks in enforcement activity coincided with employment drops in childcare centers and increases in employment in private households. These effects strengthened markedly after early 2025, a period characterized by a sharp rise in ICE arrests and heightened public attention to immigration enforcement. Areas previously considered off-limits become targets, including schools and daycare centers.

The authors of the study, including Janet Currie, the David Swensen Professor of Economics at Yale, write it may also drive up the cost of care as centers lose staff and potentially children from mixed status homes whose families pull them from care. Moreover, the families least able to afford to make private arrangements could bear the brunt as center-based classrooms shrink. And the study likely represents a conservative undercount of the impacts of ICE enforcement on the childcare sector since it relies on some of the people most at risk of being detained by ICE officials to fill out a survey.

Aslim stresses that changes in the childcare sector have a ripple effect across the labor market, particularly for lower- and middle-income parents who are less able to absorb the impact of rising costs and day-to-day uncertainty. In short, problems in the childcare sector are problems for everyone.

“The workforce that cares for young children in this country is deeply intertwined with the foreign-born labor force, and disruptions to that workforce show up as fewer childcare slots, higher prices, and harder choices for parents,” Aslim says. “The takeaway is that immigration policy is, in a very practical sense, also childcare policy and family policy.”

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2602686123

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

How rising ICE activity influences the childcare workforce

Article Publication Date

22-May-2026