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 cross-national survey of 31,000 adults in 30 countries finds that digital health literacy is highest in low- and middle-income countries and lowest in high-income countries, challenging assumptions that national wealth translates into stronger digital skills. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-digital-health-literacy-higher-income.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:28:27 EDT news696579849 The Mass General Brigham research team behind FaceAge, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can estimate a person's biological age from a single photo, is reporting in a new study that estimating biological age from multiple photos taken over time can provide even more information about how well a person with cancer will do with treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-photos-reveal-faster-biological-aging.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:00:05 EDT news696502603 Researchers at the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer have developed a new way to target proteins long considered "undruggable," opening the door to new treatments for prostate cancer and other serious diseases. Known as intrinsically disordered proteins, these molecular shapeshifters are extremely difficult to target with medication due to their flexible and ever-changing structure. They play a central role in a wide range of diseases—including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, heart disease and autoimmune conditions—yet only a handful of medications currently exist that can target them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-drugging-undruggable-cancer-slipperiest.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:00:02 EDT news696502081 A minimally invasive heart procedure may be a better first-line treatment than medication for people living with advanced forms of atrial fibrillation, according to a major international clinical trial led by researchers at the University of British Columbia. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a common and serious heart rhythm disorder that affects more than 50 million people worldwide, including about one million Canadians. It causes the heart to beat irregularly, which can lead to symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath and palpitations, and significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and early death. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-minimally-invasive-procedure-outperforms-drugs.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news696523482 A decade ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began requiring scientists to "consider sex as a biological variable" in order to receive NIH grant funding—a policy intended to encourage scientists to think ahead about whether being biologically male or female could influence the results of their research. However, scientists may be missing important sex differences that could affect diagnosis, treatment, dosing and health outcomes for millions of people, according to a study published in Nature Communications Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-nationally-funded-health-sex-insights.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:20:05 EDT news696522361 A new way of using umbilical cord blood for treating blood diseases could make the treatment more accessible to patients who need a stem cell transplant. A Phase II clinical trial of patients undergoing a cord blood transplant plus a stem cell product derived from pooled cord blood units showed that 27 of 28 patients (96%) with leukemias and myelodysplastic syndrome survived at least one year and none of the patients experienced severe acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease, which are common complications of stem cell transplantation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-umbilical-cord-blood-transplant-pooled.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:00:04 EDT news696501901 University of Houston biologists have contributed to a potential breakthrough in treating Crohn's disease by shifting the clinical focus from symptom management to addressing a primary underlying cause of the condition. Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting approximately a million Americans, involves a cycle where the immune system attacks the epithelial lining, disrupting the "gut barrier." When this lining is damaged and fails to repair itself, the barrier is lost and bacteria and toxins leak into the body, fueling chronic inflammation and disease progression. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-repurposed-cancer-drugs-gut-barrier.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:40:06 EDT news696521701 A new study is the first to show that two of our most sophisticated cognitive functions, using and understanding language and being able to sense how other people feel, have distinct origins in the brain in young children—matching what we know about the adult brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-children-born-complex-cognitive-functions.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:20:08 EDT news696519061 The hippocampus is a key brain region involved in memory formation and spatial orientation. It transforms short-term memories into long-term ones, helping us retain and build upon our experiences. Researchers led by Magdalena Walz Professor for Life Sciences Peter Jonas at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) focus precisely on this area of the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-newborn-memory-circuits-crowded-slim.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:00:09 EDT news696518941 Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute say the increased risk of cardiovascular disease after menopause may stem not only from declining hormone levels, but also from how those changes influence gene activity. In a new paper published in the journal Cells, researchers examine growing evidence that declining estrogen levels can alter epigenetics, the system that controls when genes turn on and off. These changes may help explain why rates of heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic conditions rise sharply in women after menopause. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-explanation-heart-disease-menopause.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:40:02 EDT news696518161 A new study conducted by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers has found that primary care screenings for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) in older adults did not cause psychological distress for the patient's family members, nor did it better prepare those loved ones for caregiving. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-routine-alzheimer-screening-early-crucial.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:20:03 EDT news696517622 Whenever there is a wound or infection, the body produces an inflammatory response. This is the body's first line of defense, and macrophages—cells of the innate immune system—play a key role: first, they help eliminate pathogens and other infectious agents, and then they trigger the mechanisms that repair the damage caused during the inflammatory process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-key-protein-inflammatory-response-infections.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:00:01 EDT news696513301 Vanderbilt researchers led by Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, have developed a novel device that can be used remotely to continuously monitor the airway stents of patients with diseases like lung cancer. The research was published in Science Advances on April 15, with Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student Yusheng Wang as the first author and co-authors from Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Texas A&M University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-battery-free-airway-device-stent.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:40:04 EDT news696512941 Scientists have found that teenagers and adults living with bipolar disorder face a higher risk of early death compared to people of the same age and sex who do not have the condition. In a recent large population-based study published in JAMA Network Open, scientists looked back at existing records from Taiwan's national health and death registries and found that people with bipolar II disorder had a 1.6 times higher risk of death from both natural causes, such as medical illnesses, and unnatural causes, such as accidents and suicide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-early-death-higher-people-bipolar.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:20:10 EDT news696502516 Early exposure to PFAS, a group of widely used compounds known as "forever chemicals," was associated with a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, according to University of California, Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-chemicals-linked-childhood-leukemia.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:00:05 EDT news696511982 A clinical study shows that a symptom-based treatment for babies with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)—a highly prevalent condition wherein opioid exposure during pregnancy leads to withdrawal after birth—could speed up their recovery. To treat babies with moderate to severe symptoms of NOWS, doctors often administer opioid medication, lowering the dose over time. Many doctors commonly use this scheduled dosing approach. However, the new study found that providing "as-needed" doses of opioid medications based on each baby's signs of withdrawal helped them stop the medicine sooner and go home earlier. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-symptom-based-approach-opioid-newborns.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:40:05 EDT news696511862 Researchers at VIB and VUB have developed a powerful new way to study how the immune system behaves inside lung tumors. By combining a patient-relevant mouse model with single-cell technologies, the team provides one of the most comprehensive immune maps to date of lung adenocarcinoma, which is the most common subtype of lung cancer. Their work appears in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lungs-tumor-position-reveals-immune.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:01 EDT news696509693 A new study has revealed that while SARS-CoV-2 can weaken part of the body's early immune response, it may also unintentionally trigger another defense that helps cells fight back. A new collaborative study has revealed a hidden weakness in how the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) evades the immune system. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-unexpected-limit-sars-cov-immune.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:40:04 EDT news696504280 Depression, one of the most widespread mental health disorders, is characterized by a persistent low mood and a loss of interest in everyday activities, along with possible sleep disruptions and/or changes in appetite. Some people diagnosed with this disorder can harm themselves and, in most serious and severe cases, attempt suicide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-algorithm-obvious.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news696502440 Delaying hepatitis B vaccination after birth increases infections among newborns and decreases their survival rates and quality of life, according to a new Cornell University study. The longer the delay, the study found, the higher the cost in human life and health care, with costs ranging from $16 million to $370 million depending on the age at first vaccination and adherence to vaccination schedules. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-delayed-newborn-shot-chain-reaction.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:17 EDT news696500701 Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have developed and successfully tested a new treatment for pregnant women with severe early preeclampsia, a leading cause of premature birth as well as maternal and fetal death. The early-stage international study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, focused on removing a harmful protein from a mother's blood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-preeclampsia-treatment-safely-pregnancy.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:12 EDT news696501601 Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection acquired at birth or during early infancy can lead to lifelong health complications, including chronic liver disease. Despite longstanding recommendations for prenatal screening, an estimated 12% to 16% of pregnant individuals in the U.S. are not screened for hepatitis B. This gap leaves a portion of newborns at risk for undetected exposure. Vaccination at birth serves as a safeguard, particularly for infants born to mothers whose hepatitis B status is unknown. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-newborn-hepatitis-vaccination-coverage-infant.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:06 EDT news696501003 Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States and disproportionately impacts people who receive care in under-resourced settings. Fortunately, several effective screening tests are available to detect cancer early when it is most treatable. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-mail-colorectal-cancer-community-health.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:04 EDT news696247141 Twelve years ago this spring, the first Michiganders began getting their health care coverage from the Medicaid expansion program known as the Healthy Michigan Plan. Today, more than 650,000 are enrolled in the program, which provides health care to individuals with low incomes. Multiple studies have already shown the program is linked to better physical and mental health, and the ability to work or seek a job. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-medicaid-expansion-enrollees-term-financial.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:01 EDT news696243001 When bars are permitted to stay open for additional hours after midnight, alcohol-related ambulance call-outs and reported crimes can significantly increase, according to new research which is the first of its kind in the U.K. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-additional-hours-business-bars-linked.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:40:03 EDT news696503728 Researchers from the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center are developing an artificial intelligence tool to help surgeons better identify lung cancer patients at risk for postoperative complications. The work builds on a longstanding collaboration between the institutions, bringing together UB's strengths in AI and Roswell Park's expertise in thoracic oncology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-tool-lung-cancer-surgery.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:40:01 EDT news696503342 Our memory records details and detects patterns in everyday life—often without us even realizing it. Researchers at Lund University have for the first time succeeded in showing that the brain does both these things simultaneously in real time. To investigate this, everyday situations from the computer game The Sims were used to understand how we process information in real life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-memory-brains-track-patterns-simultaneously.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:20:02 EDT news696503702 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects millions of children, yet many go years without a diagnosis, missing the chance for early support that can change long-term outcomes even when early signs are present. In a new study, Duke Health researchers found that artificial intelligence tools can analyze routine electronic health records to accurately estimate a child's risk of developing ADHD years before a typical diagnosis. By reviewing patterns in everyday medical data, the approach could help flag children who may benefit from earlier evaluation and follow-up. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-tool-adhd-years-children.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:20:04 EDT news696495541 Cancer cells can disarm the immune system not just by hiding from it, but by actively reprogramming nearby immune cells into a suppressed state. This previously unrecognized molecular interaction, discovered by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, could become a new target to disable and potentially aid patients with cancers that defy the form of immunotherapy known as the checkpoint blockade. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-immune-cells-tumor-allies-cancer.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:00:01 EDT news696256434 Some brains resist Alzheimer's, even when the disease is already present. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have found that this likely depends on how specific brain cells, known as immature neurons, respond to damage caused by the disease. These insights are helping scientists unravel the mystery of cognitive resilience in aging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-alzheimer-dementia-mystery-cognitive-resilience.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:40:03 EDT news696493262