Medical research articles from across Nature Portfolio

The addition of oral l-glutamine to first-line gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel appears safe and is associated with improved survival outcomes and tumor responses compared with historical benchmarks in untreated advanced pancreatic cancer. The beneficial effects of l-glutamine may be mediated through modulation of intermediary metabolism, gut microbial function, inflammatory responses and gut barrier integrity.

We describe the large-scale implementation of Little Falcon, a rapid whole-genome sequencing (rWGS) program that enables improved diagnosis and management of critically ill pediatric patients in Dubai. Our study demonstrates the clinical utility of rWGS in populations of Middle Eastern and Asian ancestries.

REDCAT is a multimodal, all-optical platform that maps metabolic activity alongside cell identity in intact tissues at single-cell and subcellular resolution. By integrating Raman imaging, autofluorescence and high-plex immunofluorescence, REDCAT has resolved metabolic features in normal lymph nodes, uncovered lipid-redox remodeling in lymphoma, and exposed intratumoral heterogeneity, suggesting a use in functional histopathology.

Augmented reality (AR) enhances surgical visualization by overlaying virtual anatomical information onto the operative field, improving intraoperative awareness. However, this field lacks standardized frameworks for technical and clinical validation, limiting comparability between studies and integration, and hindering assessment of clinical value. To address this gap, we announce the Augmented Reality in Surgery Evaluation (ARISE) Delphi Study, an international, multidisciplinary consensus initiative aimed at defining technical and clinical validation requirements.

Platforms for community-led but globally connected knowledge and resource sharing can move us towards more equitable and more effective research and solutions for infectious diseases.

The addition of oral l-glutamine to first-line gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel appears safe and is associated with improved survival outcomes and tumor responses compared with historical benchmarks in untreated advanced pancreatic cancer. The beneficial effects of l-glutamine may be mediated through modulation of intermediary metabolism, gut microbial function, inflammatory responses and gut barrier integrity.

Based on multiple instances of human-to-human rabies transmission via organ or tissue transplantation from initially undiagnosed rabies-infected donors, we estimate 856 (213–2220) human rabies deaths in the United States (US) from 2000 to 2024, meaning that only around 7% of human rabies deaths in the US were confirmed during this period.