The increasing diabetic population, as well as the prevalence of high-fat diet-induced pre-diabetic conditions, have made it imperative to develop more effective and safe long-term prevention and treatment strategies. In recent years, both the physical method static magnetic field (SMF), and the endogenous hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) have shown promising treatment efficacy in type 2 diabetic animals. In this study, we further examined the effects of SMFs and FGF21SS (a thermal-stable FGF21 analog) on the other two types of diabetes, pre-diabetes and type 1 diabetes (T1D) in mice. Our results show that continuous SMF exposure alone can reduce hyperglycemia by 28.5% (p < 0.05) in T1D mice and 12.5% (p < 0.05) in pre-diabetic mice. Moreover, SMF can significantly enhance the anti-diabetic effects of FGF21SS, and the fasting blood glucose reduction was increased from 29.3% in FGF21SS groups to 50.3% in the combinational groups for T1D mice (p < 0.05), and from 9.7% in FGF21SS groups to 19.2% in the combinational groups for pre-diabetic mice (p < 0.05). Tissue examination shows that the combination of SMF and FGF21SS can effectively reduce oxidative stress in the mouse liver and pancreatic islets, as well as lipid deposition in the liver, which contributes to alleviating diabetes. Therefore, our study presents an effective and safe strategy that can be potentially applied in diabetes management in the future.

Current low-frequency EMF exposure limits are based on RMS values. However, the hazard at low frequencies, neural and muscular stimulation is driven by instantaneous peak values. Because action potentials follow an all-or-nothing threshold, even a single suprathreshold cycle can trigger excitation, whereas long-term RMS averages can be arbitrarily reduced by inserting pauses into signals. Pulsed or bursty fields-such as those emitted by certain deactivators used in electronic article surveillance-may comply with RMS-based limits despite containing peaks capable of exceeding physiological thresholds. Reformulating both basic restrictions and reference levels in terms of peak values would align exposure limits with neurophysiological mechanisms and provide clearer guidance for ensuring safety. As ICNIRP revises its 2010 low-frequency guidelines, this is an opportune moment to adopt peak-based limits and better protect workers and the general public.

Scientific evidence for health issues due to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is limited but there is considerable concern in the population about such effects. Physicians are seen as an important multiplier to the general population. The presented work intends to identify predictors of risk perception concerning EMF among general practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2023 among 292 (response rate: 6%) GPs and paediatricians across Germany. Logistic regression modelling was applied to examine the relationship between different variables (technology acceptance, media health literacy, conspiracy belief, trust in organisations/institutions and environmental worry) and the physicians' health-related risk perception regarding EMF. Ninety-one participants (31%) indicated to believe in health issues as a consequence of EMF exposure. Higher EMF risk perception was indicated by physicians with high conspiracy belief compared to their peers with less conspiracy belief (odds ratio [OR]: 2.92; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.81-4.13). High trust in bodies like WHO (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.35-0.82) or the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (OR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.28-0.76) was associated with lower EMF risk perception. Overall, we observed considerable evidence that conspiracy belief and trust in organisations may predict EMF risk perception. Bioelectromagnetics. 00:00-00, 2026. © 2026 Bioelectromagnetics Society.

The effects of static magnetic field (SMF) and oscillating magnetic field (OMF) on oxidative stress responses and DNA fragmentation were investigated in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Bacterial cultures were exposed to magnetic field intensities ranging from 2 to 16 mT at 50 Hz for 8 h. Exposure to both SMF and OMF caused intensity-dependent decreases in optical density, indicating growth inhibition. In parallel, nitric oxide and superoxide anion radical levels, as well as the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase, increased significantly in a field-strength-dependent manner. Glutathione disulfide levels were enhanced while reduced glutathione values decreased, reflecting a redox imbalance. Moreover, malondialdehyde and DNA fragmentation levels were markedly elevated, confirming oxidative and genotoxic stress. Comparative analysis revealed that E. coli exhibited more pronounced responses than S. aureus, with significant effects emerging above approximately 6-8 mT for OMF and 8-10 mT for SMF exposure. Overall, these findings demonstrate that both OMF and SMF can induce oxidative stress and DNA damage in bacterial cells, with OMF producing stronger effects. The results highlight the differential susceptibility of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to electromagnetic exposure and suggest potential implications for non-antibiotic antimicrobial strategies based on magnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics. 00:00-00, 2026. © 2026 © 2026 Bioelectromagnetics Society.

Both everyday electrical devices and high voltage transmission lines produce electric and magnetic fields with a frequency of 50 Hz in Europe and most other countries. Although several studies have already been investigating the effects of extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure on biological material, this topic is still debated. High-quality research is still needed to keep the available data up to date and to decrease the low-quality study design bias. We investigated the effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields with an intensity of 200 µT (rms) on HaCaT cells, an immortal keratinocyte cell line derived from adult human skin cells. The exposure system allowed standard in vitro cultivation and blinded experimental design with simultaneous exposure and sham-exposure for 2 or 24 h. The biological endpoints were measured using the WST-1 assay (cell viability), the alkaline comet assay (DNA integrity), and the micronucleus test (chromosomal distribution). The results show no significant effects of the parameters mentioned. Our data support the assessment that 50 Hz ELF-MF up to 200 µT do not cause health effects. This study contributes valuable knowledge to the existing pool of evidence for the effects of ELF-MF on human cells.

ABSTRACTThis study investigates how different types of precautionary information affect risk perception and trust in national radiation protection authorities regarding radio‐frequency electromagnetic fields (RF‐EMF) from mobile communications, with a specific focus on 5G networks. A total of 2169 participants (1040 in Germany, 1129 in Greece) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) basic information, (2) simple precautionary information regarding possibilities to reduce personal RF‐EMF exposure while using a mobile phone, and (3) conceptual precautionary information, including an explanation distinguishing “precaution” from “prevention” (1 × 3 factorial design). Contrary to the expectation that simple precautionary messages lead to higher risk perception and lower trust compared to basic messages, this was only the case for general conditional risk perception assuming that no precautions are taken, but not for affective risk perception, trust, or general conditional risk perception assuming that precautions are taken. Notably, providing a more elaborate explanation of the precaution/prevention distinction did not decrease risk perception or increase trust compared to giving simple precautionary information only, and even increased risk perception compared to basic information. This suggests limited benefit in emphasizing this conceptual nuance of precaution. Considering other variables, precautionary information increased feelings of self‐efficacy and perception of message consistency. The findings reveal significant country differences: Greek participants reported higher perceived risks and lower trust than German participants. Gender differences also emerged, with women expressing higher risk perception and less trust than men. In contrast to the previous literature, the results suggest that precautionary information concerning personal mobile phone use can be communicated without leading to higher public concern about RF‐EMF exposure from mobile communications. However, we found some evidence that adding conceptual explanations to precautionary information leads to higher risk perception. The results also show that considering sociocultural and individual differences in risk communication can be relevant. Possible explanations for the findings and implications for risk communicators are discussed.

This study investigated the biological effects of GSM-modulated 3.5 GHz radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field exposure on male reproductive function and evaluated the potential protective role of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Twenty-eight adult male Wistar rats were allocated into four groups: Control, RF, CoQ10, and RF + CoQ10. Animals were exposed to RF for 2 h/day over 30 days, while CoQ10 was administered intraperitoneally at 10 mg/kg/day. Hormonal (testosterone, LH, FSH), biochemical (MDA, GSH, TAS, TOS), and histopathological assessments were performed. Specific absorption rate (SAR) simulations estimated a whole-body SAR of 0.16995 W/kg and a testis-specific SAR of 0.02669 W/kg. RF exposure significantly reduced testosterone, LH, and FSH levels, increased MDA and TOS concentrations, and induced degenerative changes in testicular histology. CoQ10 treatment partially ameliorated these alterations by restoring testosterone and TAS levels and reducing tissue damage. These results indicate that even low-SAR GSM-modulated 3.5 GHz RF exposure may negatively impact male reproductive health, and CoQ10 supplementation may confer partial protective effects. Because the exposure consisted of a GSM-modulated waveform, the results cannot be extrapolated to FR1 5G NR signals used in real communication systems. Further studies are needed to clarify mechanisms and assess biological relevance under real-world exposure conditions. Bioelectromagnetics. 00:00-00, 2026. © 2026 Bioelectromagnetics Society.