JAMA Network launches JAMA+ Women’s Health; a blood test to speed up early Alzheimer’s detection; AI helps seniors track blood pressure – Morning Medical Update

JAMA Network launches JAMA+ Women’s Health

The JAMA Network has launched JAMA+ Women’s Health, a new digital hub designed to spotlight peer-reviewed research and resources advancing women’s health. The site, curated by Editor-in-Chief Linda Brubaker, M.D., M.S., will feature studies from across JAMA’s 13 journals, along with multimedia content and expert commentary.

“There’s been so much conversation about personalization of medicine, getting down to a single individual,” Brubaker said. “But if we even made the big step forward to understand the differences in genetic and physiology that women have, we will improve health care outcomes.”

Can a blood test speed up early Alzheimer’s detection?

A UC San Diego study of more than 5,700 Hispanic and Latino adults found that blood markers tied to nerve injury and brain inflammation tracked closely with self-reported memory and thinking problems, suggesting a simple blood test could help flag Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias earlier. Published in JAMA Network Open, the research highlights the promise of blood-based screening as a less invasive and more accessible alternative to current methods, particularly for underserved communities, though further validation is still needed before widespread clinical use.

AI voice agents help seniors track blood pressure more accurately

A study presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions found that voice-based artificial intelligence (AI) calls improved the accuracy of home blood pressure reporting and boosted patient outcomes among mostly older adults with hypertension. Involving 2,000 patients at Emory Healthcare, the system guided participants through measurements, flagged concerning results and routed urgent cases to clinicians — cutting costs by nearly 90% compared with nurse calls. Researchers said the approach not only closed critical care gaps but also earned high satisfaction scores, suggesting AI could be a powerful tool for managing blood pressure at scale.