https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from Karolinska Institutet People who have experienced adverse childhood experiences are at increased risk of developing depression later in life that is difficult to treat. This is shown in a new twin study from Karolinska Institutet based on Swedish twin data, published in the journal JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-childhood-trauma-tough-depression-cases.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:20:06 EDT news695996572 Despite new diagnostic methods and expanded vaccination programs, many children in Uganda continue to suffer from severe brain infections, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet. The researchers' analysis highlights simple clinical signs that can help health care providers more quickly identify children at high risk of death. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-early-brain-infection-children.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:40:08 EDT news695995262 Most older adults maintain stable cognitive functioning, independence and healthy social lives as they age, according to a new longitudinal study from Karolinska Institutet. The findings also show that stronger social support may help some people cope with declining cognition without losing everyday independence. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-social-older-adults-stay-independent.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:40:07 EDT news695994327 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden have developed an improved method for creating insulin-producing cells from human stem cells. The results, published in Stem Cell Reports, demonstrate that these cells effectively regulate blood sugar levels in laboratory tests and can reverse diabetes in mice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lab-grown-insulin-cells-reverse.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:01 EDT news695471943 An anterior cruciate ligament injury is a serious knee injury that often affects young, physically active people. On April 30, Dzan Rizvanovic will defend his thesis "Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: rationale for graft choice and treatment of associated injuries" in which he has investigated how treatment choice affects outcomes after ACL reconstruction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-qa-choice-graft-surgeon-term.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:40:01 EDT news695384634 Anemia detected in health care is associated with an increased risk of both cancer and higher mortality, according to a new population-based study from Karolinska Institutet, published in BMJ Oncology. The findings may help guide clinical follow-up of patients with anemia in routine care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-anemia-adults-early-cancer.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:06 EDT news694946777 The composition of gut bacteria appears to be associated with how much latent HIV remains in the blood of people receiving antiretroviral therapy. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Gut Pathogens. The findings offer clues as to how the gut microbiome may influence the amount of virus that persists in the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gut-bacteria-linked-latent-hiv.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:40:08 EDT news694963381 Many older adults in Sweden help care for partners, relatives or friends, but those who provide the most intensive support often face challenges that affect their own health. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-health-older-caregivers.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:01 EDT news694780021 People with long COVID are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in eClinicalMedicine. The results show that the risk of conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias and coronary artery disease is higher even among those who were not hospitalized during the acute infection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-covid-cardiovascular-disease.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:30:05 EDT news694273802 An increasing proportion of patients with heart failure receive a combination of four medications shown to improve prognosis and recommended in guidelines. However, there is still room for improving adherence and persistence to heart failure therapy, which appears linked to a lower risk of hospitalization for heart failure and cardiovascular death. These findings are shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the European Heart Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-patients-heart-failure-treatment-swedish.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:10:01 EDT news694263481 A collaboration between Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, and SciLifeLab has integrated whole genome sequencing into routine diagnostic investigations for rare diseases at Karolinska University Hospital. To date, more than 15,000 patients have had their entire genome sequenced, with 23% receiving a genetic diagnosis, according to a study published in Genome Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-precision-medicine-patients-genetic-diagnosis.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:40:01 EDT news694089181 M-CHAT does not catch all children with autism in the neonatal high-risk group, shows a study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open. The researchers see a need to supplement the test with other assessment methods. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-chat-autism-screening-high-toddlers.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:40:01 EDT news693838243 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps pain sensing nerve cells stay healthy and respond to injury. The findings, published in Nature Communications, may improve understanding of chronic pain and nerve damage and maintenance of myelin integrity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-pain-neurons-nerve-health-therapeutic.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:20:03 EDT news693834781 Inherited variations in antibody genes can affect how we respond to infections and vaccines, show two new studies from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Immunity. The researchers have mapped immune gene variation across multiple global populations and shown how these variations affect the ability to form neutralizing antibodies, for example against the influenza virus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-global-flu-vaccines-common-ighd.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:50:02 EDT news693763861 Living with a dog does not seem to worsen long-term asthma severity in children with allergic asthma, but may increase the risk of asthma exacerbations slightly, according to a study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden that has been published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-dogs-asthma-outcomes-children.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:50:03 EDT news693660841 Digital CBT treatment reduced cardiac-related anxiety and improved patients' quality of life and physical function after a heart attack. This is shown in a new randomized study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, in which researchers at Karolinska Institutet compared digital CBT with standard care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-digital-cbt-shown-cardiac-anxiety.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:00:01 EDT news693651121 Children living with obesity but showing no signs of metabolic complications still have a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and abnormal blood lipid levels later in life. A new study from the Karolinska Institutet, published in JAMA Pediatrics, also shows that these children benefit greatly from obesity treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-children-obesity-illness-results.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:40:06 EDT news693486481 Although people in Japan tend to live long lives, this does not necessarily mean they are healthier than other populations. New research from Karolinska Institutet and collaborators shows that Japanese and Swedish older adults have a similar number of healthy life years—if "healthy" is defined as living at home without the need for formal elder care. However, mortality among individuals receiving elder care is lower in Japan than in Sweden. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-japan-longer-death-elder.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:20:06 EDT news693482990 Fathers in Sweden are less likely to receive a psychiatric diagnosis during their partner's pregnancy and in the months following the birth of their child. However, diagnoses of depression and stress-related disorders increase a year later, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Sichuan University in China. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-fathers-psychiatric-disorders-year-child.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:00:12 EDT news693216781 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have created the first detailed map showing how genetic activity is controlled in individual cells of the adult human brain and spinal cord. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that oligodendroglia, the cells that form the brain's insulating myelin, retain an "epigenetic memory" of developmental programs long after these genes are no longer active. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-neural-reveals-adult-brain-cells.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:20:04 EDT news693143941 Older people with a genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease did not experience the expected increase in cognitive decline and dementia risk if they consumed relatively large amounts of meat. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open. The results may contribute to the development of more individually tailored dietary advice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-high-meat-consumption-linked-dementia.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:00:07 EDT news693048001 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a rapid and cost-efficient sequencing method that can identify antibiotic resistance within the same working day. The technique, called s5PSeq, measures how bacterial ribosomes respond within minutes after exposure to an antibiotic, offering a molecular readout of growth instead of waiting for traditional cultures. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-rapid-sequencing-method-day-antibiotic.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:00:04 EDT news692885761 Simple field-based tests of muscle strength can provide early clues about the risk of developing several long-term illnesses. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-strength-diseases.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:30:01 EDT news692619421 Patients with experience of self-admission describe increased autonomy, improved conditions for recovery and reduced strain in relationships with relatives. They also report that access to self-admission provides a greater sense of security and greater room for maneuver in everyday life. This is shown in a new study from the Centre for Psychiatry Research at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with Region Stockholm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-psychiatric-admission-stress-emergency.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:30:01 EDT news692529629 The immune system in the uterus can regenerate after both uterus transplantation and bone marrow transplantation. This is shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet. The new insights into how the uterine immune environment functions may be significant for the treatment of infertility and complications during pregnancy. The research, "Reconstitution of the uterine immune milieu after uterus or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation" is published in Science Translational Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-uterus-immune-regenerate-transplantation.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:20:02 EDT news692528859 The healing of the spinal cord depends on carefully timed interactions between injured nerve cells and their surrounding environment, according to a study published in Science Advances by researchers at Karolinska Institutet titled "Time-dependent adaptations of damaged neurons and their microenvironment in the regenerating adult zebrafish spinal cord." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-crucial-spinal-cord-zebrafish.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:40:03 EDT news692263586 Behavioral changes—such as anxiety, depression, irritability, apathy or agitation, collectively known as neuropsychiatric symptoms—may appear long before a dementia diagnosis. A new study from Karolinska Institutet and the University of Perugia, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, shows that these symptoms form recognizable patterns across older adults ranging from cognitively unimpaired to those with dementia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-machine-behavior-symptom-profiles-early.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:40:03 EDT news692262200 During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were global concerns that children with cancer might experience delayed diagnoses and disruptions to treatment, which in turn could worsen prognosis. However, a new register-based study from Karolinska Institutet, appearing in PLOS Medicine, indicates that childhood cancer care in Sweden was largely maintained throughout the pandemic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-decline-childhood-cancer-survival-sweden.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 15:50:01 EST news691947721 Large protein machines in the body carry out many of the cell's most essential tasks, from energy production to the regulation of signal transmission. Although they can now be imaged in great detail using cryo-electron microscopy, it has long been difficult to understand how these complexes actually move and function. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now developed a computational method capable of simulating the movements of some of the cell's largest protein complexes. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-simulation-movements-cell-largest-protein.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:03 EST news691861081 People who use drugs with anticholinergic effects, including certain antidepressants, drugs for urinary incontinence and common antihistamines, are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in BMC Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-common-anticholinergic-medicines-cardiovascular-large.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:20:02 EST news691850615