https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. If you hate needles, music might make you feel better during a cannula insertion—but it has to be the right kind of music. Although different musical interventions have repeatedly been reported to help with pain and stress, the evidence varies widely for different types of music, and it's hard to figure out what works best. To investigate, scientists played different kinds of music for patients about to undergo an intravenous cannula insertion before an MRI—either Mozart, relaxation music or the patients' own favorite tunes. They found that playing patients' favorite music worked best. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-favorite-music-pain-small-medical.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:02 EDT news710601781 For decades, neuroscientists have studied the human brain by asking people to lie very still inside a brain scanner and perform carefully controlled tasks. Those experiments have revealed a remarkable amount about how the brain works. But they also leave out something fundamental. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-video-games-mri-scanners-aim.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:20:01 EDT news710670468 Technology inspired by 3D printing is already being introduced in hospitals and specialized pharmacies to produce personalized medicines tailored to individual patients. In her doctoral thesis at Åbo Akademi University, Mahsa Bahman investigated how the approach can improve dosing accuracy and make customized treatments more widely available. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-technology-3d-medicines-tailored-patients.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:00:05 EDT news710695982 A research team led by Dr. Lee Da young, Dr. Nan Hee Kim of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism (Department of Internal Medicine, Ansan Hospital), Dr. Lee Heon-jeong of the Department of Psychiatry (Anam Hospital) and Dr. Lee Jung-been of the Division of Computer Science and Engineering (Sun Moon University) announced findings indicating that circadian rhythms (biorhythms) are closely related to blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-daily-rhythms-blood-sugar-diabetes.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:40:04 EDT news710671830 Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that influences how people communicate and process information. A significant proportion of autistic children do not speak or speak only a few words. Many find it difficult to communicate face to face, especially when interaction is fast-moving or dependent on interpreting bodily cues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-social-media-valued-community-spaces.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:20:01 EDT news710671974 In recent decades, the social and legal perception of people with mental disorders who commit crimes has changed. Initially, people with mental disorders were considered dangerous. However, since the late 20th century, the paradigm has shifted at both social and legal levels, with people experiencing mental disorders often considered victims themselves, despite having committed intentional crimes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-hidden-violence-family-members-main.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:00:01 EDT news710695802 The future benefits expected from remote monitoring in health care are shaped by how professionals understand their current work and its associated challenges, a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-digital-health-professionals.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 20:40:01 EDT news710670504 Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a transformative effect on health care. The technology has been tested and applied in almost every area, from disease diagnostics to AI-powered digital clinics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-health-benefit-ai-world.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 20:20:01 EDT news710694541 Doctors' prescribing habits are heavily influenced by payments, gifts and free meals from pharmaceutical companies, leading to more prescriptions for more expensive, less appropriate drugs, a new Cochrane review finds. This can seriously harm both individual patients and health systems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-pharmaceutical-company-negatively.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 20:00:01 EDT news710600114 A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the University of Valencia (UV) has developed and validated an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of distinguishing Ewing sarcoma from other morphologically similar tumors with high accuracy. The model, which also enables optimal use of biopsy tissue, achieves 91.6% accuracy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-ai-tool-distinguishes-ewing-sarcoma.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:40:02 EDT news710694182 Tampere University Hospital (Tays) has begun offering a new form of radiotherapy to treat rectal cancer in which a high dose of radiation is targeted at the tumor surface. The aim is to destroy the tumor so that more patients may avoid major surgery and a potentially permanent stoma. Finland is at the forefront of implementing this novel treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-radiotherapy-rectal-cancer-patients-surgery.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:20:04 EDT news710672038 Europe must act now to strengthen maternal vaccination during pregnancy and ensure all women and babies can benefit from a new generation of vaccines to protect against serious infections. That is according to a new Lancet Regional Health - Europe series led by Professor Asma Khalil at City St George's, University of London, which is being launched and presented at the 2026 Global Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Congress in Utrecht. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-maternal-vaccines-babies-infections-unequal.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:00:09 EDT news710692321 Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor found outside the brain in children, yet why some children respond well to treatment while others do not has remained poorly understood. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists and their collaborators built one of the most comprehensive datasets of neuroblastoma cells to date, using it to define the tumor's cell types and identify a gene signature marking a malignant cell population tied to poor prognosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-scientists-neuroblastoma-cells-poor-outcomes.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:00:05 EDT news710697961 A 'rising fog' may cloud the immune system's ability to detect tumors and may be the key to tackling lung cancer that is developing years before diagnosis. The team at University College London (UCL) followed this signal using prototype blood tests and reversed it using drugs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-immune-fog-flag-lung-cancer.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:40:08 EDT news710697901 Unhealthy dietary patterns are among the leading drivers of the global health crisis, significantly contributing to rising rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Nutritional science has long established that the quality of fat in our diet is crucial for metabolic health. Reducing saturated fat intake or replacing it with unsaturated fats has been shown to lower CVD and T2D risk by improving blood lipid profiles and reducing inflammation. While traditional blood lipid profiles focus on key markers like cholesterol, advanced lipidomics provides a comprehensive view of the entire circulating lipidome, uncovering specific changes in lipid classes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-peanut-consumption-affects-lipid-profile.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:40:05 EDT news710670599 In a study published in Science Immunology, researchers used malignant ascites—fluid that accumulates in the abdomen of some patients when cancer metastasizes to the abdominal cavity—to uncover immune programs associated with metastatic disease, including a rare population of RORC-expressing dendritic cells not previously linked to human cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-abdominal-fluid-reveals-rare-immune.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:20:16 EDT news710697362 A research team has developed a combination immunotherapy that uses an electrical ablation technique to enhance the efficacy of immune cell therapy against liver cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-electrical-ablation-boosts-car-nk.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:20:01 EDT news710688011 A team has developed a new self-disinfecting cotton fabric capable of eliminating bacteria, fungi and viruses in hospital settings using visible light. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-disinfecting-fabric-bacteria-fungi-viruses.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:00:19 EDT news710696761 Eating the components of a meal in a specific order is the principle of meal sequencing. For example, foods with a low glycemic index, especially vegetables or salad, are eaten first, followed by carbohydrate-rich foods with a higher glycemic index, such as bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. This sequence is intended to limit the rise in blood sugar after eating and, according to experts in health and nutrition, could also be relevant for people with type 2 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-food-shift-short-term-blood.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:00:15 EDT news710687594 A major clinical trial involving 410 people with early Parkinson's disease has found no clinical benefit from nicotinamide riboside (NR), a compound that increases cellular levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). The findings are published in JAMA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-nad-boosting-treatment-parkinson-benefit.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:40:14 EDT news710696521 Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. As the disease progresses, liver fibrosis and liver-related events (LREs), including hepatocellular carcinoma and other complications, become important indicators of clinical risk. However, accurately assessing fibrosis severity and predicting future LREs remains challenging. Liver biopsy is invasive and costly, while existing noninvasive biomarkers and imaging approaches have limitations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-serum-c7-liver-events-metabolic.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:40:07 EDT news710670632 Older people could be monitored safely in their own homes without the need for intrusive cameras or wearable devices thanks to new research by Nottingham Trent University (NTU). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-elderly-people-independently-longer-home.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:20:13 EDT news710695741 Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a genetically determined blood lipid and an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, its association with the long-term progression of carotid atherosclerosis has remained unclear, particularly in East Asian populations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-elevated-lipoproteina-carotid-atherosclerosis.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:20:07 EDT news710685859 The hip joint is a well-known point of failure in the human body, especially as we age. It's no wonder the problem is familiar: In the U.S. alone, someone fractures a hip roughly twice every minute; it happens 27 times a minute worldwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-endocrinologist-discusses-life-death-stakes.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:00:04 EDT news710684425 Researchers have found a possible way to stop abnormal signals in the retina that are linked to involuntary eye movements (nystagmus). In experiments on mouse retinas in the lab, restoring dopamine signaling stopped these abnormal signals and reduced the "noise" that interferes with visual signals—offering a potential dual benefit of quieting the abnormal eye movements while also increasing visual acuity. The next step is to find out whether the approach also works in living animals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-involuntary-eye-movements-retinal-dopamine.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:00:02 EDT news710694301 Adults with type 2 diabetes who followed a low-fat vegan diet for 16 weeks, eating as much as they wanted, with no calorie counting or portion control, lost weight, reduced fat buildup in the liver and abdomen and improved insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function, according to a new clinical trial published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-fat-vegan-diet-liver-insulin.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:40:13 EDT news710694061 A new study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology has found that automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) and handheld ultrasound (HHUS) had similar cancer detection rates in women with dense breasts, while ABUS had a lower false-positive rate. The study demonstrates that ABUS is a viable alternative to HHUS and can expand supplemental ultrasound screening capacity at radiology clinics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-automated-breast-ultrasound-effective-alternative.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:40:02 EDT news710684398 The pathogen Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is naturally present in the intestines of many people. When present in small numbers, it usually causes no symptoms. Treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics can severely disrupt the balance of the healthy gut microbiome, allowing the bacterium to multiply unchecked. The result is acute intestinal inflammation, which can also become chronic. Such infections with C. difficile (CDI) are among the leading causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Since the bacteria release toxins that can lead to dangerous, sometimes life-threatening intestinal inflammation with high relapse rates, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-natural-compound-difficile-largely-healthy.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:20:04 EDT news710693581 Jobs that require pregnant women to bend over could be increasing their risk of miscarriage, a new study says. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-job-miscarriage.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:20:01 EDT news710684209 Obesity is one of the most common health conditions in the world and one of the most misunderstood. Today, it affects about 4 in 10 U.S. adults, and the numbers keep rising. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-adult-obesity.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:00:16 EDT news710684202