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. A new study published in Nature Aging combines mouse experiments and human data sets to explore how biological sex and aging shape cancer immunity, with implications for immunotherapy responses. Lutz Menzel, Ph.D., formerly of the Department of Radiation Oncology within the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, is the lead author, and Tim Padera, Ph.D., of the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, is the senior author. The paper is titled "Lymph node contraction links sex-biased naive CD8 T cell decline to compromised antigen recognition during middle age." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-age-sex-cancer-immunity-mouse.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:00:01 EDT news710695081 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Our bodies contain immune cells called macrophages. Normally, these cells attack and suppress bacteria and cancer cells. However, when macrophages infiltrate tumors, they can become tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and can switch to an immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory state. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-shifting-immune-cells-cancer-mode.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:00:01 EDT news710692803 Scientists at The Wistar Institute have identified a combination treatment that overcomes two of the biggest barriers to immunotherapy in glioblastoma. In a study published in Neuro-Oncology, the researchers show that reprogramming myeloid cells, a type of immune cell that glioblastoma tumors co-opt to protect themselves, while simultaneously boosting cancer-fighting T cells shrank the tumors and prevented them from coming back. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-scientists-uncover-pronged-strategy-glioblastoma.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:40:01 EDT news710692441 More hospitals across the U.S. are closing than opening, and urban hospitals are closing at the same rate as rural ones, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Further, the hospitals that close are more likely to be those serving socially vulnerable communities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-hospital-closures-rural-urban-areas.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news710690821 Gold has a reputation for being chemically untouchable. But according to Western University chemist Yolanda Hedberg, that reputation is a little misleading—gold is not unreactive so much as selective about what it reacts with. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-allergic-gold-jewelry-lab-reveal.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:20:19 EDT news710685713 A study led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine identified shared molecular patterns in human milk that link maternal nutrition, mammary gland biology and infant growth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-human-window-mammary-gland-function.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:01:02 EDT news710600678 For centuries, Polynesian navigators crossed thousands of miles of open ocean, using their knowledge of stars, currents, birds, clouds and the sea to settle islands across the Pacific. Now, a new University of California San Diego study shows the history of voyaging is also reflected in the genomes of Polynesian populations today. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-polynesian-wayfinding-written-genomes-island.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:27 EDT news710674681 An individual's personality, especially how strongly they react to uncertainty, may help indicate how vulnerable they are to prolonged mental distress during a major crisis, according to a new USC-led study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-personality-reveal-link-neuroticism-pandemic.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:20:11 EDT news710678761 Cannabinol is a popular ingredient in over-the-counter sleep products, marketed as a gentle, plant-derived way to unwind at the end of the day. But new research conducted at the University of Connecticut suggests consumers should use it with caution. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-common-herbal-aid-addictive-potential.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:16 EDT news710678461 Andrea Romanos-Nanclares, Ph.D., of the Channing Division of Network Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Mass General Brigham, is the lead author of a paper published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health titled "The Nurses' Health Studies: a half-century of discovery in women's health." A. Heather Eliassen, ScD, of Mass General Brigham and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the senior author. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-women-health-reveal-lessons-disease.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:40:18 EDT news710673663 Earlier this summer, an international team led by biomedical informatics researchers at Harvard Medical School released the first public dataset that connects descriptive radiological information, such as "3 mm nodule in the lower left lobe," to precise locations in chest CT scans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-dataset-aims-ai-ct-scans.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:20:01 EDT news710671653 A team of hearing specialists at Vanderbilt Health analyzed thousands of data samples in the institution's BioVU biobank to understand genetic susceptibility of sensorineural hearing loss, which is caused by damage to the inner ear. Their study is published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-genetic-insights-loss-earlier.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:00:20 EDT news710667121 Three years ago, George Kassiotis and his team made an unexpected discovery: A specific way of producing a protein called calbindin was found to help cancer cells survive by preventing them from aging. This left Kassiotis, who runs the Crick's Retroviral Immunology Laboratory, confused. Why would a mechanism that boosts cancer growth exist in the first place? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-ancient-viral-dna-embryonic-stem.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:40:32 EDT news710671621 Researchers from the Department of Cell Biology, Genetics and Physiology at the University of Malaga have led an international scientific team studying how a traumatic brain injury caused by a severe blow to the head affects the brain's long-term response to subsequent stressful situations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-traumatic-brain-injury-subsequent-response.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:20:30 EDT news710670566 In treating diabetes, postmeal elevation of glucose levels is an important therapeutic target. Existing clinical studies indicate that eating vegetables, protein or fat before carbohydrates can moderate a postmeal rise in blood glucose, pointing to the potential of meal sequencing as a simple and sustainable dietary strategy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-olive-oil-carbs-blunts-early.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:00:26 EDT news710612641 Short-form video platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts use an effective tactic to maximize the time their users spend on the platforms: They feed one video after another into an algorithmically generated feed. As you scroll, new content loads automatically. This creates an endless loop of ever-changing content with no discernible end. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-endless-video-users-adhd-struggling.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:40:20 EDT news710670457 Oxidized lipids—fats structurally altered by enzymes, oxygen or free radicals—are double-edged swords that can both quell and ignite systemic inflammation, according to a new comprehensive review aimed at sharpening the overall understanding of an intricate class of highly reactive molecules. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-rogue-lipids-routine-cellular-stress.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 06:40:01 EDT news710594139 Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet, afflicting people throughout recorded history. In places where malaria is most common, it's shaped human evolution by driving higher rates of a paradoxically protective genetic change. Two copies of the genetic change cause sickle cell disease, but one copy helps protect people from malaria. Understanding why could help researchers develop new ways to prevent malaria. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-distinct-malaria-parasites-sickle-cell.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:00:26 EDT news710611861 Shared family factors, such as genes and upbringing, are likely to explain a large part of the link between high screen use and mental health problems in young people. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Human Behaviour. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-twin-screen-link-mental-health.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:00:20 EDT news710611502 A gene primarily active in fat and muscles could make a person more susceptible to anorexia nervosa, a deadly eating disorder with one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-fat-gene-emerges-contributor-anorexia.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:01 EDT news710588222