https://medicalxpress.com/preventive-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Preventive medicine A sweeping global review led by researchers at the University of British Columbia has found that mRNA vaccines—now administered billions of times worldwide—are safe and highly effective at preventing infectious diseases like COVID-19, and have potential applications for a range of other diseases, including influenza, RSV, cancer and autoimmune disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-billions-doses-global-mrna-vaccines.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:30:07 EDT news701940661 On any given U.S. holiday, traffic crashes claim more than 500 lives. But according to a new study published in Risk Analysis, the real danger lurks early in the annual calendar. The spring break window (from late February through early April) carries a significantly higher traffic fatality and injury risk than the Thanksgiving-to-New Year's Day holiday stretch and every other period of the year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-deadliest-year-holiday-florida.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:40:02 EDT news702053618 A drug commonly used to treat epilepsy could be repurposed to significantly boost the response to vaccines in humans, helping protect those for whom the vaccine is less effective, such as older adults or immunocompromised people. A Cambridge-led team showed that the drug more than doubled the number of antibodies against flu and increased 10-fold the number of flu-specific CD8 T cells, a type of white blood cell that kills cells infected by flu. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-repurposed-epilepsy-drug-boost-vaccine.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:40:09 EDT news702040921 The most useful thing about a new HIV prevention guide may be a question it never asks: Why do you want to know about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP? In a pilot study at three clinics, a two-page decision aid helped people choose between a daily pill, long used to prevent HIV, and a newer injectable treatment given every two months, without requiring them to disclose details of their sex lives or explain why they wanted protection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hiv-stigma.html Sat, 27 Jun 2026 15:00:02 EDT news701683988 Each unit of cost invested in Helicobacter pylori screening can generate approximately a fivefold return in gastric cancer prevention benefits. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pylori-screening-fivefold-gastric-cancer.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 20:20:01 EDT news701691039 Researchers at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, have developed a new calculator that estimates a person's risk of developing serious muscle disorders from statins. The tool could help patients and clinicians make more informed decisions about using these widely prescribed medications to prevent heart attacks and strokes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-statin-muscle-side-effects-rare.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:40:01 EDT news701691181 From detecting pneumonia on a chest X-ray to assessing whether a dark spot on the skin is benign or malignant, medical AI systems are playing an increasingly important role in clinical diagnosis. Unfortunately, the models used to train these AI systems are often victims of cyberattacks, specifically membership inference attacks (MIAs), which can lead to people's personal information being stolen or revealed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-patient-groups-vulnerable-privacy-medical.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:20:01 EDT news701690772