Women may face heart events at lower plaque levels than men, study finds

Less artery-clogging plaque in women's arteries did not appear to protect them from heart disease compared to men, according to a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. While heart disease is the leading cause of illness and death worldwide, according to the American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, women tend to have a lower prevalence of artery plaque than men, according to previous research.

The study evaluated health data for more than 4,200 adults (more than half of whom were women) to compare how quantity of plaque influenced the risk of major heart conditions. The study included people with stable chest pain and no prior history of coronary artery disease. Participants were randomized to undergo diagnostic evaluation via coronary computed tomography angiography (X-ray images of the heart and blood vessels) and followed for about two years. Key findings of the study: Fewer women had plaque in their coronary arteries than men (55% of women vs. 75% of men). Women also had a lower volume of artery plaque than men (a median of 78 mm3 among women vs. 156 mm3 in men). Despite less plaque, women were just as likely as men to die from any cause, have a non-fatal heart attack or be hospitalized for chest pain (2.3% of women vs. 3.4% of men). In addition, women faced increased heart risk at lower levels of plaque compared to men. For total plaque burden, women's risk began to rise at 20% plaque burden, while men's risk started at 28%. With increasing plaque levels, risk rose more sharply for women than for men.

The findings underscore that women are not 'protected' from coronary events despite having lower plaque volumes.

Risk in Women Emerges at Lower Coronary Plaque Burden Than in Men: PROMISE Trial, Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging (2026). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.125.019011

Microplastics discovered in prostate tumors
Microplastic particles were detected in 90% of prostate tumor samples and at higher concentrations than in adjacent noncancerous tissue, averaging 2.5 times more plastic per gram. These findings suggest a possible association between microplastic accumulation and prostate cancer, though further research with larger cohorts is needed to clarify causality and underlying mechanisms.
Experts have found that when plastic from food packaging, cosmetics, and other sources is used, heated, or chemically treated, it can break down into smaller pieces and become ingested. People are also exposed to plastics by inhaling them from the air and by absorbing them through the skin. Past studies have identified these microplastics in nearly every human organ, as well as in bodily fluids and the placenta. However, how they may affect human health has remained poorly understood.

Analyzing tissue samples collected from 10 patients with prostate cancer, the research team identified plastic particles in 90% of tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples.

In addition, the cancerous tissue contained on average 2.5 times the amount of plastic as the healthy prostate tissue samples (about 40 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue compared with 16 micrograms per gram).
This pilot study provides important evidence that microplastic exposure may be a risk factor for prostate cancer.

Microplastics Identified in Human Prostate Cancer, American Society of Clinical Oncology's Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (2026).

https://scitechdaily.com/90-of-prostate-cancer-tumors-contained-mic...

Are one in 200 men really related to Genghis Khan? Maybe not, according to a new study

In present day Kazakhstan, both local folklore and genetic evidence found buried in royal tombs have shone a light on the region's ties to Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. New DNA analysis of ruling elites from the Golden Horde—the northwestern extension of the Mongol Empire—reveals implications for the genetic ancestry of the broader Mongolian Empire. The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Golden Horde was founded and ruled by Genghis Khan's eldest son, Joshi, and his descendants. According to local folklore, one of the four tombs analyzed for this study belongs to Joshi himself and houses his remains. The additional three tombs analyzed in this study belonged to other Golden Horde ruling elites and provide evidence of Mongol cultural practices blending with local culture.

Inspired, Askapuli and his archaeologist colleagues in Kazakhstan decided to investigate whether the tales were true, in collaboration with researchers at the National Institute of Genetics, Japan.

About twenty years ago, researchers traced fragments of DNA found on the Y-chromosome, called the C3* cluster, back to medieval inhabitants of the Mongolian plateau. Today, many people across central Eurasia have this C3* cluster in their genome. Some scholars have hypothesized one reason the C3* cluster is so widespread is because of the Mongol Empire's vast sphere of control. It's even fueled the popular belief that one in 200 men is related to Genghis Khan.

But this new study's data reveal a more complicated possibility: While they did find evidence of the C3* cluster in the genome of the ruling elites, it appears in the genome of modern individuals at a much lower frequency.

Ayken Askapuli et al, Genomes of the Golden Horde elites and their implications for the rulers of the Mongol Empire, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2531003123

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