https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from British Medical Journal A chemical widely used in food preservation is implicated in an uptick in recent UK deaths by suicide, with a disproportionately high number of cases among young people and boys/men, finds a comprehensive analysis of available data for the period 2019–24, published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-widely-food-implicated-uptick-uk.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:30:07 EDT news695916121 The average age of a young fatal stab victim is now 14, indicates an analysis of the causes of death among children and teens in England between 2019 and 2024, published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-knife-deaths-average-victim-age.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:30:02 EDT news695894812 Children born to mothers who used buprenorphine for opioid addiction during pregnancy do not have a greater risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, compared with children whose mothers took methadone, finds a large US study published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-buprenorphine-safe-treatment-opioid-addiction.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:07 EDT news695466902 Extending vaccination opportunities, involving community members alongside health care professionals in communicating about vaccines, and providing financial incentives are among the most effective ways to increase vaccine uptake, finds an analysis of international trial evidence published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-vaccination-access-community-outreach-incentives.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:06 EDT news695467686 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing a petition to revoke the approval of Roche's top-selling drug ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) for treating primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)—a form of MS thought to affect around 15% of patients. The petition alleges that the drug was approved despite internal concerns about a lack of effectiveness in women and a potential increased risk of breast cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-women-primary-ms-bestselling-drug.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:02 EDT news695468221 A substantial amount of medical information provided by five popular chatbots is inaccurate and incomplete, with half (50%) of the responses problematic: 30% were somewhat, and 20% were highly problematic. These are the results of a study published in the journal BMJ Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-popular-ai-chatbots-confidently-medical.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:30:04 EDT news695294988 Timing exercise to match body clock chronotype—the natural predisposition to morning or evening alertness—may lower cardiovascular disease risk among those who are already vulnerable, suggests research published in the open access journal Open Heart. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-body-clock-chronotype-cardiovascular-disease.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:30:03 EDT news695294521 Quitting tobacco could give a major economic uplift to the incomes of more than 20 million households in India, suggests an economic analysis published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tobacco-climb-ladder-million-indian.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:30:03 EDT news694952042 Two new vaccines to prevent tuberculosis (TB) are safe for use in adults and children, but they do not offer protection against all forms of TB, finds a large trial from India published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-tb-vaccines-safe-fall-short.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694949221 Shisha smoking continues to be overlooked as a public health issue in the UK, argue experts in The BMJ. This could change with the advent of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, legislation currently making its way through Parliament, but only, they say, with more recognition and culture-specific campaigns and support in affected communities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-shisha-overlooked-health-issue-uk.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694189442 Kinesio taping, or "KT tape" as it's usually known—widely used to ease joint/muscle pain and boost range of movement—may not be all that effective, suggests a pooled data analysis of the existing evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-effectiveness-widely-kt-tape-jointmuscle.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:30:04 EDT news694157840 Having more brothers and sisters may make it easier to cope with the death of a parent in midlife, particularly when it's the mother who dies, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-siblings-ease-midlife-grief-mother.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:30:03 EDT news694157810 Damaging variants in genes involved in a rapid immune response (innate immunity) are significantly linked to earlier breast cancer onset in carriers of the harmful BRCA1 genetic mutation, reveal preliminary findings published online in the Journal of Medical Genetics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-genetic-variants-involved-rapid-immune.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694157846 The Trump administration's decision to halt most US foreign aid and development work constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under international law, argue experts in The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-health-emergency-international.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EDT news693656401 Maternal deaths rise by around 11% in countries that rely on US aid following a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration, suggest the findings of a data analysis published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. This is equivalent to around 45 additional deaths for every 100,000 live births, eroding a fifth of the decline in global maternal deaths that has been achieved since 1985, conclude the researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-foreign-aid-analysis.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:30:03 EDT news693563401 Preparing a home-cooked meal at least once a week may cut older people's risk of dementia by 30%, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. This risk may be 70% lower in older novice cooks with few culinary skills, the findings indicate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-home-cooked-meal-week-older.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EDT news693562681 A clinical decision support tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze scans after a stroke alongside treatment recommendations is associated with better quality care and long-term outcomes for patients compared with usual care, finds a study from China published in The BMJ. The study researchers say the tool "offers a more efficient and scalable method for improving stroke care and prognosis, with the added benefits of lower cost and greater sustainability." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-tool-linked-outcomes.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:10:02 EDT news693154741 Detection of a bowel cancer marker (CDH1) in wastewater may offer a new community-level early warning system for the disease, suggests a proof-of-concept study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Wastewater surveillance could complement traditional screening methods and could help target areas for cost-effective, practical community screening, particularly amid rising rates of the disease among young people, say the researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-bowel-cancer-marker-wastewater-early.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:30:07 EDT news692959862 The combined Mediterranean and blood pressure lowering diet may slow the structural changes related to brain aging, finds new research published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. This diet is associated with less tissue loss over time, especially gray matter—the brain's information processing hub, with a key role in memory, learning, and decision-making—and less ventricular enlargement, which reflects brain atrophy, where tissue loss is accompanied by the enlargement of cerebrospinal fluid-filled spaces. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mind-diet-adherence-linked-slower.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:30:06 EDT news692960161 Findings published by The BMJ reinforce previous research linking use of the antiseizure drug valproate during pregnancy to neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and autism in children, and indicate no substantial risk for several other antiseizure drugs including levetiracetam and lamotrigine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-epilepsy-drugs-pregnancy-developmental.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:30:07 EDT news692452681 The rise in invasive cosmetic procedures demands tighter regulation, better consumer protection, and greater awareness to protect patient safety and reduce cosmetic tourism, argue experts in The BMJ. The global market for cosmetic procedures is growing rapidly and is projected to exceed $180bn by 2033, note Danielle Griffiths at the University of Liverpool and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-cosmetic-procedures-tighter-experts.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EDT news692445062 Wegovy, a GLP-1 agonist for weight loss, may carry the highest risk of "eye stroke" (ischemic optic neuropathy) and sudden sight loss of the semaglutide drugs, finds an analysis of unintended side effect reports published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-wegovy-highest-eye-sight-loss.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:30:08 EDT news692354473 A woman's suicide risk may be influenced by the suicidal intention of her female first degree relatives, with sex-specific effects of a shared familial environment and possibly other social factors having a key role, finds a large population study published in the online journal BMJ Mental Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-million-swedes-links-women-suicide.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:30:06 EDT news692354033 A species of gut bacteria called Roseburia inulinivorans is specifically associated with human muscle strength and improved muscular performance in mice, finds research published online in the journal Gut. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-specific-gut-bacteria-species-linked.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EDT news692354547 As the UK government considers adding health warnings to new wood-burning stoves, as part of a public consultation on solid fuel burning, councils in England are being threatened with legal action for running public health campaigns warning against their use, reveals an investigation published in The BMJ. Freedom of Information requests show that just under a third of the 50 councils in England with the highest concentration of wood-burning stoves had been threatened with legal action or lobbied by the Stove Industry Association (SIA). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-councils-uk-industry-legal-threats.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EST news691835941 Around six deaths a year are linked to clubbing in the UK, finds a 15-year retrospective study published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. Physical assault, including stabbings and head trauma, or too much ecstasy (MDMA) are the primary causes, the findings indicate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-deaths-year-linked-clubbing-uk.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:30:13 EST news691662602 Sleeping for 7 hours and 18 minutes every night may be the sweet spot for warding off the risk of insulin resistance—the precursor to type 2 diabetes—suggests a large observational study published in the open access journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. But weekend catch-up sleep is associated with a heightened risk of impaired glucose metabolism in those who sleep beyond the optimal threshold every night, the findings indicate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-hours-mins-optimal-length-diabetes.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:30:10 EST news691662786 Pollen exposure is linked to poorer exam results taken at the end of secondary (high) school (matriculation), with the effects especially noticeable in subjects involving math, including physics and chemistry, finds research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-pollen-exposure-linked-poorer-exam.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EST news691662775 Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is associated with a significantly reduced risk of invasive cervical cancer, with no indication of waning protection up to 18 years after vaccination, finds a study from Sweden published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-hpv-vaccination-sustained-cervical-cancer.html Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:30:03 EST news691231682 Many post-authorization studies registered with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) fail to comply with legal requirements and recommendations to make their findings public, finds a study published by The BMJ. Post-authorization studies (PAS) are carried out after a medicine is approved to collect further "real-world" data about its safety and effectiveness. The results show that only six of every 10 finalized and ongoing post-authorization studies had uploaded a protocol and less than seven of every 10 finalized post-authorization studies had uploaded results to the EMA's database. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-authorization-comply-disclosure.html Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:30:01 EST news691231381