https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. People with problematic Internet use are unconsciously drawn to certain types of online content. These findings could help researchers develop targeted training programs to support people with problematic Internet use. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-online-content-exerts-irresistible.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:20:01 EDT news699631202 A newly developed portable, point-of-care PET technology can image any organ, delivering high-quality results to guide interventional procedures. With real-time visual feedback, the bedside technology provides a cost-effective approach for hospitals to perform biopsies, tumor ablations, and other procedures in constrained clinical environments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-bedside-pet-scanner-enables-real.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:30:04 EDT news699521521 The integration of AI into digital pathology through general-purpose foundation models promises to significantly enhance various tasks, such as cancer detection and subtyping. However, these powerful AI systems also introduce severe vulnerabilities, rendering them susceptible to adversarial attacks. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-microscopic-noise-multiple-cancer-pathology.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:20:06 EDT news699549601 A disease's name can have a significant influence on its diagnosis and treatment—or lack thereof. Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide. For decades, doctors thought the condition mostly affected the ovaries, but its misleading name has left many people undiagnosed and at risk of developing several related chronic conditions at a young age. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-renaming-pcos-pmos-10year-patients.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:40:04 EDT news699528361 A Kaiser Permanente study published by NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery provides real-world data on a new approach to cervical cancer screening: giving patients the option to skip the traditional pelvic exam and collect their own vaginal samples to test for the human papillomavirus (HPV)—the cause of nearly all cervical cancers. The study is the first within a U.S. health care organization to demonstrate the potential of large-scale, population-based HPV self-collection—both via mail and in clinics—to improve access to preventive care and overcome barriers to traditional screenings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-hpv-boosts-screening-pelvic-exams.html Wed, 20 May 2026 15:00:13 EDT news698504622 Camille Nebeker, EdD, MS, a professor at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and an affiliate of both the Design Lab and Qualcomm Institute, with decades of experience conducting empirical research on digital health research ethics, argues that there needs to be a rethink about informed consent in the digital health era. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-digital-health-era-consent.html Wed, 20 May 2026 08:00:01 EDT news698476622 Scientists at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), in collaboration with ZEISS and MetaCell, have developed a powerful new imaging pipeline called Neuroplex. As described in a paper published in eLife, the technique allows simultaneous monitoring of the activity of up to nine distinct neuronal populations in freely moving mice, dramatically accelerating the pace of scientific exploration into how the brain controls behavior. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-imaging-approach-captures-brain-cell.html Tue, 19 May 2026 17:20:08 EDT news698426461 A new study from scientists at the University of California San Diego in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and other institutions, demonstrates that an artificial intelligence-powered CPR coaching agent can outperform 911 dispatchers in guiding bystanders through cardiopulmonary resuscitation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-powered-cpr-outperforms-dispatchers.html Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:08 EDT news698056769 Onerous caring responsibilities reduce brain function for people aged 50 and over, whereas light caring duties can actually be beneficial to middle-aged and older people's mental abilities, finds a new study led by University College London. For the study, published in Age and Ageing, the researchers used 2004–05 to 2021–23 data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a long-running, UCL-led nationally representative survey that gathers a wide range of information from around 20,000 people aged 50 and older in England who are re-interviewed every two years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-heavy-responsibilities-hasten-cognitive-decline.html Tue, 12 May 2026 19:10:02 EDT news697814821 In the 1940s, medical researchers began using randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy of health interventions. In RCTs, researchers create randomly assigned treatment and control groups, administering the potential remedy to only the first group, and comparing how the participants fared. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-randomized-trials-nonprofits-experts.html Tue, 12 May 2026 17:20:01 EDT news697800923 Can AI help people resist misinformation? Initial research findings suggest that artificial intelligence-driven conversations can strengthen people's resilience to health misinformation, outperforming traditional educational methods. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-chatbot-combating-health-misinformation.html Tue, 12 May 2026 11:20:08 EDT news697802521 Researchers at McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (RI-MUHC) have developed a novel device to transplant insulin-producing cells that integrates directly with existing blood vessels in the body. The technology, which showed promising results in preclinical trials, aims to overcome key challenges of emerging long-term cell-based treatments for Type 1 diabetes. As well as serving as an artificial pancreas, it potentially could be used to replace or support the function of other organs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-implant-links-insulin-cells-blood.html Thu, 07 May 2026 17:20:05 EDT news697386852 Since a landmark 2009 study, researchers have known that a common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon. But until now, the exact mechanism the toxin uses to latch onto those cells remained a mystery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-year-mystery-scientists-gut-bacteria.html Thu, 07 May 2026 16:00:02 EDT news697378722 Embodying surgical robots with next-gen AI can safely augment practice if ethical and regulatory questions are addressed, say experts writing in Frontiers in Science. A team of pioneering surgeons and researchers from King's College London says AI-enhanced surgical robotics could enable "true personalized surgery" and enhance the performance, situational awareness, decision-making, and effectiveness of surgical teams. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-embodied-surgical-robots-revolutionize.html Thu, 07 May 2026 05:00:03 EDT news697280901 Researchers at the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomedical Engineering have developed a new method to mature lab-grown heart cells, so they more closely resemble adult human heart tissue. By optimizing the chemical cocktail in which these cells are grown, the team improved their structure, electrical activity, and ability to contract. This advance could help create more reliable models for studying heart disease and testing new drugs, where current lab-grown cells often fall short due to their immature state. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-optimized-formula-lab-grown-heart.html Tue, 05 May 2026 17:20:04 EDT news697219022 Jeffrey Stansbury, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research and professor at the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, has four properties he wants the next generation of dentures to include: that they are cheaper, faster to make, and more durable than current dentures; and that they are potentially able to combat bacteria and fungus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-qa-3d-revolutionize-dentures.html Tue, 05 May 2026 16:40:06 EDT news697215721 New insight into decision-making pathways in the brain may impact the way engineers think about artificial intelligence, according to new research from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Led by electrical and computer engineering professor Yurii Vlasov and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the group's findings highlight the involvement of early brain regions in decision-making, challenging long-held assumptions about brain hierarchy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-early-brain-regions-play-greater.html Fri, 01 May 2026 13:40:04 EDT news696859261 How can ADHD be both a source of daily struggle for millions and a common trait among highly accomplished artists and innovators like Justin Timberlake and Simone Biles? The science behind this paradox is the focus of new research from Constructor University neuroscientist Dr. Radwa Khalil published in iScience, which explores the shared neurological mechanisms that connect creativity and attention. The study demonstrates how certain cognitive processes associated with ADHD—such as defocused attention—can also be potent sources of creative thinking when properly harnessed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-creative-therapy-rewire-adhd-brain.html Sun, 26 Apr 2026 15:00:02 EDT news696251705 Findings from the Can Escalation Reduce Acute Myocardial Infarction Mortality in Cardiogenic Shock (CERAMICS) registry demonstrate that early use of a small heart pump improves outcomes in patients experiencing a severe form of heart failure called cardiogenic shock after suffering from a heart attack and undergoing a stenting procedure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-survival-patients-cardiogenic.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:40:04 EDT news696153757 Combining microchip engineering techniques with cutting-edge gene profiling, scientists at Columbia University have developed a new way to study drug responses in living slices of human brain tumor cells. The system, using a type of chip called a microfluidic device, has already revealed new details about how these aggressive tumors resist chemotherapy drugs and could help researchers develop more effective treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-microfluidic-chip-reveals-glioblastoma-slices.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:40:05 EDT news696068521 McGill University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can identify small groups of cells most responsible for driving aggressive cancers. The tool, called SIDISH, offers scientists a clearer path to designing targeted therapies by showing which cells inside a tumor are most strongly linked with poor patient outcomes, rather than treating all cancer cells as if they behave the same way. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-tool-reveals-rare-cancer.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news695490302 It can be estimated theoretically that more unique biological interactions exist than stars in our known universe. The biological foundations of life are built on an unimaginably vast network of interactions, where molecules, cells, systems and organisms are constantly colliding. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-biology-potential-era-health.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:40:01 EDT news694950660 Artificial intelligence can write text messages encouraging physical activity that most older adults consider appropriate and good quality, but their feelings about AI—and whether they know AI wrote the message—impact their response, suggests a new study in the Journals of Gerontology. The research is an important first step in helping health programs use AI to support large-scale behavior change, said lead author Allyson Tabaczynski, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pocket-sized-personal-trainer-ai.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:40:05 EDT news694965722 Nearly one in 10 people who are implanted with a surgical fix to their spine will develop a serious bacterial infection, despite prophylactic antibiotic treatment. In a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have engineered a device they hope will help prevent this devastating complication. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-antibiotic-reservoir-surgical-infections.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EDT news693764941 Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have developed a polymeric biohybrid cardiac device that harnesses the power of light to electrically and mechanically control living heart tissue without the use of metal electrodes. The innovation represents a leap forward in how scientists study heart disease, test cardiac drugs and potentially treat life-threatening arrhythmias. The project is outlined in a paper published in the journal Cell Biomaterials. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-powered-biohybrid-cardiac-interface-synchronize.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:00:07 EDT news693671942 When a person with cancer finds out they carry an inherited genetic variant that puts them at higher risk of cancer, the results can help inform their treatment or steps to prevent additional cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-online-intervention-cancer-patients-genetic.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:05 EDT news693564516 Geneticist Anne Brunet explores what aging really is, how lifestyle choices might influence longevity, and the promising frontiers of aging research. Aging is a process that affects us all. But how many of us can clearly define what happens in our bodies when we age? For an inevitable and universal experience, it's shockingly mysterious. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-science-aging-qa-geneticist.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:10:08 EDT news692952962 Characterized by weakened or damaged heart musculature, heart failure results in the gradual buildup of fluid in a patient's lungs, legs, feet, and other parts of the body. The condition is chronic and incurable, often leading to arrhythmias or sudden cardiac arrest. For many centuries, bloodletting and leeches were the treatment of choice, famously practiced by barber surgeons in Europe, during a time when physicians rarely operated on patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-deep-heart-failure-patients-worsen.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:20:05 EDT news692616002 Many families who use donor-assisted fertilization intend to tell their children about their origins, only to find that a decade later, they still haven't found the right words. To bridge that gap, Patricia Hershberger, professor at the U-M School of Nursing, and her team created the Tool to Empower Parental Telling and Talking—the TELL Tool—a digital resource suite that helps parents discuss conception origins with children ages 1–16. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-silence-tool-donor-families-discuss.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:50:02 EDT news692542733 A new clinic-ready web-based risk prediction tool called PsyMetRiC is now available to forecast the risk of young people with psychosis developing cardiometabolic disorders such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-tool-physical-health-young-people.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:30:05 EDT news692452561