https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Microbiology researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have discovered why patients with the autoimmune disease lupus are susceptible to serious bacterial infections. Their new study published in Cell Press Blue shows that lupus-associated inflammatory signals can reprogram white blood cells, rendering them less effective against Staphylococcus aureus infection. Instead of producing the most protective antibacterial response, these neutrophils shift toward a less effective form of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-lupus-linked-immune-misdirection-patients.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:40:03 EDT news704980201 A new way for hard-to-treat cancer cells to protect themselves from being killed by anticancer drugs has been found. The novel method involves tumors hijacking specific defenses for repairing damaged DNA, which are easier to block than previously known mechanisms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-weak-linked-dna-aggressive-drug.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:00:07 EDT news704389621 A clinical trial led by researchers from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) and the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) compared the effectiveness of abatacept and hydroxychloroquine in preventing the development of rheumatoid arthritis in patients with palindromic rheumatism, an autoimmune disease that progresses to arthritis in approximately half of all patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drug-rheumatoid-arthritis-clinical-trial.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:20:04 EDT news700323722 A combination of two widely available anti-rheumatic drugs offers the first effective and affordable treatment for patients with Sjögren's disease with systemic disease activity, according to new results from a clinical trial coordinated by UMC Utrecht. The study showed that treatment with leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine reduced disease activity in patients with moderate-to-severe disease while maintaining a favorable safety profile. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-common-arthritis-drugs-sjgren-disease.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:40:03 EDT news699978269 A study led by investigators from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that some patients with discoid lupus erythematosus—a form of skin lupus commonly diagnosed in young to middle-aged Black women that causes disk-shaped plaques to form on the body—were less likely to experience complications, such as diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease if they were prescribed hydroxychloroquine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-hydroxychloroquine-people-skin-lupus-heart.html Tue, 26 May 2026 13:40:01 EDT news699017341 Scripps Research scientists have developed a new class of drug compounds that reduce harmful inflammation while leaving the body's ability to fight infections intact—a long-sought goal in treating autoimmune diseases. The compounds, called ENDOtollins, work by interrupting a "molecular handshake" between two proteins inside immune cells. The research, published in Nature Chemical Biology, could lead to more targeted treatments for conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile arthritis, which together affect more than 15 million Americans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-class-molecules-dial-inflammation-compromising.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:40:03 EDT news694711322 Ivermectin was originally celebrated as a revolutionary treatment for parasitic disease in humans and animals. It has since evolved into a focal point of misinformation and heated debate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ivermectin-touted-covid-cancer.html Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:30:01 EST news691242018 A feature of pancreatic cancer cells' surroundings determines whether they grow fast or become resistant to chemotherapy, a new study shows. The ability of these cancer cells to adapt quickly and toggle between biological responses makes them more likely to survive and harder to treat, the study authors say. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-local-fibers-pancreatic-tumors-cancer.html Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:00:02 EST news690453661 The National Cancer Institute, the federal research agency charged with leading the war against the nation's second-largest killer, is studying ivermectin as a potential cancer treatment, according to its top official. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ivermectin-ability-cancer-cells.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 07:00:04 EST news690014139 Antiphospholipid syndrome, also known as APS, is an autoimmune disease that sits at the intersection of inflammation and blood clotting. Antiphospholipid syndrome is best known for increasing the risk of blood clots or pregnancy complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-gene-blood-personalize-antiphospholipid-syndrome.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 13:04:30 EST news689951042 More than 18 million people worldwide suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, including nearly 1.5 million Americans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-rheumatoid-arthritis-homing.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:34:54 EST news688653241 Many cancer survivors live with the worry that their cancer might come back. This "recurrence" occurs when cancer cells hide somewhere in the body—like in the bone marrow—and start growing again, sometimes years later. Scientists have been trying to understand how to stop these cells from reactivating and causing cancer to spread. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-antibiotics-antimalarials-repurposed-drugs-cancer.html Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:20:05 EDT news681038402 Imagine walking into your pharmacy, handing over your prescription and having it denied. Now imagine that the reason is not insufficient insurance coverage or the wrong dose, but a pharmacist who personally objects to your medication. What right does a pharmacist have to make moral decisions for their patients? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-conflict-drugstore-pharmacists-patients-values.html Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:30:03 EDT news678975487 Only a few decades ago, a diagnosis of lupus could mean giving up the dream of having children. Women with systemic autoimmune diseases like lupus were warned that pregnancy was too risky—both for them and their unborn babies. Fast forward to today, and the story is remarkably different. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-pregnancy-unique-people-autoimmune-diseases.html Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:28:06 EDT news675516482 When we think about the side effects of medicines, we might think of nausea, fatigue or dizziness. But there's another, lesser-known risk that can have lasting—and sometimes permanent—consequences: hearing loss. A wide range of prescription and over-the-counter drugs are known to be ototoxic, meaning they can damage the inner ear and affect hearing or balance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-painkillers-antibiotics-medicines.html Tue, 22 Jul 2025 11:40:01 EDT news672401351 Public access to government records that document the handling of illnesses, faulty products, and safety lapses at health facilities will slow after mass firings at the federal Department of Health and Human Services swept out staff members responsible for releasing records, according to transparency advocates and health experts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-federal-health-agencies-decimate-offices.html Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:50:05 EDT news663259486 Americans pay a lot of money for prescription medications. In 2023, spending on prescription drugs in the United States topped $722 billion, a trend that's expected to continue. Yet, nearly 30% struggle to pay for their prescriptions and more than half of adults are worried about the affordability of their family's medications, according to polling by KFF. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-qa-drug-repurposing.html Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:42:04 EDT news662910121 As a measles outbreak spreads across the U.S., doctors are now seeing a new and unexpected danger: children getting sick from taking too much vitamin A. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-measles-outbreak-dangerous-vitamin-toxicity.html Fri, 28 Mar 2025 13:40:01 EDT news662386687 In Europe, ten people died from measles in 2024, and the US has had several major outbreaks. Bird flu has affected dairy herds in 17 US states from North Carolina to California and has just been reported in cats. So far, it is reluctant to spread among people, although people can both get it and give it to animals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-years-pandemic-world-poorly.html Tue, 11 Mar 2025 19:40:01 EDT news660918921 U.S. outpatient prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin increased 2- to 10-fold above pre-pandemic rates, respectively, to treat COVID-19, despite strong evidence disproving their effectiveness, new UCLA-led research shows. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-ivermectin-hydroxychloroquine-prescriptions-covid-pandemic.html Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:43:04 EST news659288581 A fringe anti-vaccine movement took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to bring conspiracy theories to a much wider audience, propelling dangerous misinformation about life-saving jabs that still endures five years later, experts warn. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-vaccine-misinformation-side-effect-covid.html Sun, 19 Jan 2025 05:30:02 EST news656486642 Donald Trump's election win opens the door for vaccine denier Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to play a significant role in the administration and drastically change the nation's public health practices. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-trump-victory-rfk-jr-free.html Thu, 07 Nov 2024 09:00:01 EST news650188790 As the hunt for effective cancer therapies intensifies, some scientists are turning back to look at old drugs in a new light. The anti-malarial hydroxychloroquine is one such drug that has been "repurposed" to fight cancer. Despite its effectiveness at blocking the resupply of needed resources to cancer cells, clinical trial results have been disappointing, in part because cancer cells eventually become resistant to the drug. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-drug-exploring-cancer-limitations-hydroxychloroquine.html Mon, 04 Nov 2024 17:19:04 EST news649963141 In March 1951, Andrew Ivy—at the time, one of the most renowned scientists and medical ethicists in the U.S.—held a press conference in Chicago to announce Krebiozen, a recently discovered wonder drug that Ivy said could dramatically help cancer patients. The announcement created a frenzy among cancer patients, who deluged the University of Illinois's Chicago campus, where Ivy was vice president in charge of the professional schools at the time, with telephone calls trying to obtain it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-explores-history-phony-cancer-drug.html Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:26:07 EDT news647018759 A new study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine is shedding light on how scientific evidence and the uncertainty surrounding three unproven therapeutics were portrayed by the U.S. news media during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-analysis-unproven-therapeutics-portrayed-media.html Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:13:03 EDT news644170381 An mpox outbreak spreading across several African countries, which the World Health Organization has called a global emergency, has caused a spike in online disinformation about the viral disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-mpox-epidemic-disinformation-debunked.html Thu, 22 Aug 2024 18:30:02 EDT news643552961 Hydroxychloroquine appears to be a safe and effective treatment option for anogenital lichen sclerosus that only has mild adverse effects, according to a study published online July 19 in the International Journal of Dermatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-hydroxychloroquine-safe-effective-treatment-anogenital.html Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:09:03 EDT news641218142 Imagine a world where breathing is a luxury and a cough marks the sound of an inner battle. Interstitial lung disease (ILD), a condition characterized by inflammation and fibrosis, is a major cause of severe respiratory illness and can occur in children. While researchers have made progress in slowing the disease in adults, the situation for children remains grim: there are currently no effective treatments, and lung transplantation is their only hope for survival. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-interstitial-lung-disease-children.html Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:56:29 EDT news637512985 A study led by researchers from the University of Arizona Cancer Center at UArizona Health Sciences identified a biological mechanism that could lead to more effective treatments for breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-potential-pathway-breast-cancer-brain.html Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:35:45 EDT news636982541 Despite national guidelines, a small proportion of children were prescribed ineffective and potentially harmful medications for acute COVID-19, according to a study published online May 8 in Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-children-nonrecommended-meds-covid.html Tue, 14 May 2024 11:10:02 EDT news634903117