Daylight saving time ends Sunday, offering an extra hour of sleep, but the change can disrupt circadian rhythms posing potential health risks, including increased incidence of heart attacks and the disruption to sleep schedules possibly exacerbating chronic sleep deprivation, a condition linked to heart disease and obesity. Research from Stanford University suggests that permanent standard time is healthier, aligning better with natural light cycles. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine support this view.

Tricare's open enrollment for 2026 will proceed as scheduled from November 10 to December 9, despite the ongoing government shutdown. However, the Defense Health Agency has announced potential delays or suspensions in certain Tricare services, including claims processing and outpatient appointments at military hospitals. The agency has provided a tracker to keep beneficiaries informed about service interruptions.

A study led by Florida Atlantic University, in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Nursing, the Medical College of Georgia and Warrior Canine Connection, explored the effects of training service dogs on female Veterans with PTSD. The research found that engaging in dog training could slow biological aging, as indicated by increased telomere length. Both the dog-training and control groups experienced reduced PTSD symptoms and anxiety, suggesting that participation in the study itself provided psychological benefits.

An outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease has affected 31 schools and three child care centers in Shelby County, Tenn., with at least 178 cases reported since August. The health department is working with schools and child care providers to track and control the outbreak.

A study presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America's annual meeting found that a tapered and pulsed course of vancomycin was not significantly better than a standard course of the drug for patients with a first or second recurrence of Clostridioides difficile infection. The study, reported by Dr. Stuart Johnson of the Hines VA Hospital in Illinois, involved 299 patients, with 58.6% of those on the tapered/pulsed regimen achieving a sustained clinical response, compared with 44.1% of those on the standard regimen.

A study published in JAMA Network Open demonstrates the potential of AI to enhance sepsis research. Utilizing a large language model, the study extracted sepsis signs and symptoms from over 93,000 patient admission notes with accuracy comparable to manual reviews by physicians. The findings suggest AI could streamline data extraction from clinical notes, aiding in the development of predictive models for sepsis treatment.