https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Mesothelioma deaths and diagnoses continue to rise in the United States despite decades of asbestos regulation and reduced industrial use, according to a new national analysis from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mesothelioma-cases-deaths-decades-asbestos.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:00:01 EDT news700387621 Jules Netherland traveled from her home in the Bronx to the New York state Capitol in Albany several times in the past few years, hoping to persuade the legislature to pass a medical aid-in-dying bill, allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives with a lethal prescription. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-september-americans-states-legal-aid.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:00:04 EDT news700325161 An 8-month-old infant with severe genetic epilepsy has become the first patient in the world to receive an experimental gene replacement therapy designed to restore the function of the WWOX gene directly in the brain. The treatment, administered at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, represents a significant milestone in the development of precision genetic therapies for rare neurological disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-world-gene-therapy-infant-brain.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT news700135092 The rods and cones in your eyes are responsible for helping you see, but what is responsible for helping them? Retinal pigment epithelium cells are their caretakers, but environmental, genetic and aging factors can strain them and make them less effective. This is known as age-related macular degeneration—a leading cause of blindness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-lab-grown-aging-eye-reveals.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 06:20:01 EDT news700029566 For a long time, the likelihood of surviving pancreatic cancer has been extremely low. For patients who were diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer between 2015 and 2021, about 97% died within five years of their diagnosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drug-survival-advanced-pancreatic-cancer.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 18:30:01 EDT news699706917 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Hepcludex (bulevirtide‐gmod) injection to treat chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection in adults without cirrhosis or compensated cirrhosis. Approval of Hepcludex was granted to Gilead Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fda-treatment-chronic-hepatitis-delta.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:20:01 EDT news699860042 Inside the brain is a dense network of neurons that receive, process, and relay information. The synapse, where neurons meet, is the epicenter of this communication. Neurons that send information, called presynaptic neurons, hold tiny packages of neurotransmitters—waiting for a chemical signal from the brain to be released. How this system is regulated by the brain during periods of learning has, until now, been out of reach. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-cellular-3d-reveal-synapses.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:01 EDT news699880261 The discovery of insulin in 1921 revolutionized diabetes care. Type 1 diabetes went from being a death sentence to a manageable chronic condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-insulin-core-element-diabetes-treatment.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:00:01 EDT news699797011 A new Yale study reveals that major organ systems in the body aren't just passive structures operating on directions from command central—the brain—but instead are active participants in controlling their own functions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-nervous.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:30:02 EDT news699724742 A study by the University of Barcelona has discovered why the two main types of lung cancer—adenocarcinoma of the lung and squamous cell carcinoma—respond differently to anti-angiogenic therapy, that is, drugs that block the formation of new blood vessels that tumors need in order to grow. The results, published in the journal Cell Death & Disease, show that these differences largely depend on the environment surrounding the tumors, particularly on some very abundant benign cells called fibroblasts. This finding opens the door to the development of more personalized therapies, tailored to the specific characteristics of each tumor's microenvironment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-breakthrough-personalized-treatments-lung-cancer.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT news699711403 Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a new antibiotic that kills some of the world's most dangerous and drug-resistant bacteria—and does so by targeting a previously unknown vulnerability, opening the door to an entirely new class of treatments. The new compound, called manikomycin, was identified by a team led by McMaster Professor Gerry Wright and has shown early effectiveness against priority pathogens including Salmonella, E. coli, and Klebsiella. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-antibiotic-drug-resistant-bacteria-previously.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:00:05 EDT news699704761 Published in Nature, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center report a previously unrecognized change in how the cell's genetic material is packaged into structures called chromosomes that helps explain how some aggressive cancers sustain unlimited growth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-unexpected-chromosome-interaction-fuels-aggressive.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:14 EDT news699608341 Cancer researchers highlighted several treatment breakthroughs during their annual summit in Chicago that concluded Tuesday, including preliminary but encouraging data on potential benefits of weight loss medications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-cancer-advances-emerging-treatments.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 04:04:34 EDT news699678172 A new breakthrough technology, co-developed by UCL scientists, that simultaneously records and manipulates neuron activity deep within the brain could transform our understanding of neural circuits and neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tiny-brain-probe-reveals-deep.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:06:16 EDT news699530701 Your heart already has its own built-in bypass system that predicts whether the heart muscle is alive or dead—according to new research from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-heart-natural-bypass-patients-risky.html Sun, 31 May 2026 18:00:01 EDT news699190681 Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) and the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) have made a significant breakthrough in the treatment of severe heart failure: For the first time, a clinical trial has demonstrated that laboratory-grown heart muscle tissue can improve the pumping function of damaged hearts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-lab-grown-heart-patch-boosts.html Thu, 28 May 2026 12:40:05 EDT news699187501 Two researchers at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), have developed a new strategy based on artificial intelligence and computer simulations that makes it possible to obtain detailed brain information more quickly from MRI scans using far less data than usual. The method, published in the journal Communications Medicine, can reduce the time required for certain advanced MRI scans by up to 90% while maintaining a high level of accuracy, paving the way for more efficient and accessible neuroimaging in clinical settings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-simulations-advanced-brain-mri.html Wed, 27 May 2026 17:40:03 EDT news699118742 An international team led by University of Manchester scientists has created the most detailed picture yet of how genetic differences shape the way the human eye works. The breakthrough could help explain why millions of people develop sight-threatening conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as rarer inherited eye diseases. The research is published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-genetic-human-eye-reveals-clues.html Tue, 26 May 2026 08:20:03 EDT news699001502 Detecting melanoma before it becomes visible is a major challenge in dermatology. Now, with researchers from Université de Montréal, scientists at Université du Québec's Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) have developed a promising solution. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-intelligent-tattoo-skin-cancer.html Mon, 25 May 2026 12:40:04 EDT news698931061 Researchers have mapped how lung damage begins early in life for children with cystic fibrosis, providing new insights that will help reshape future care. The research team, led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center, has created the largest-ever lung atlas of the lower airways in young cystic fibrosis patients, offering new clues into preventing long-term disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-early-lung-children-cystic-fibrosis.html Mon, 25 May 2026 07:00:03 EDT news698904602 Humans have around 30 trillion cells in our adult bodies. Amazingly, each of these cells came from a handful of about 100 stem cells in the earliest days of development. The ability of these embryonic stem cells to turn into any cell type makes them pluripotent—something that researchers are harnessing in science and medicine today. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-stem-cells-potent-potential-diabetes.html Sat, 23 May 2026 17:00:01 EDT news698499757 A study by researchers at the University of Birmingham has identified a new biomarker for response to a specific cancer therapy, treating children with Ewing Sarcoma and other tumor types. The study, which is a Phase I/II treatment arm within the eSMART Trial, was carried out at the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU), recruited 70 patients, and of those 66 were treated across four countries (the UK, France, the Netherlands and Spain). All these patients had solid tumors, 36 had Ewing Sarcoma and 34 had various other tumor types, mainly types of sarcoma and central nervous system tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-indicator-response-therapy-pediatric-cancers.html Fri, 22 May 2026 18:20:01 EDT news698677086 In a new study published in Nature Immunology, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital demonstrated that pairing the original COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with an immune system enhancer, known as an adjuvant, improved the duration of the vaccine's protection in mice. The combo also showed a more pronounced response against omicron viral components than the vaccine alone. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-covid-mrna-vaccine-immune-boosters.html Fri, 22 May 2026 05:00:04 EDT news698572864 Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, such as following a spinal cord injury, has made great strides in recent years. However, high-frequency stimulation pulses, which are used in many current applications, appear less efficient at activating those nerve fibers that are believed to contribute decisively to therapeutic effects. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by an international team with the participation of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-spinal-reveal-high-frequency-pulses.html Thu, 21 May 2026 19:00:02 EDT news698593321 For ten years, the Fr1da study, coordinated by Helmholtz Munich, has been investigating whether early stages of type 1 diabetes in children can be detected in routine pediatric care. The latest evaluation shows that the screening program is sustainably feasible and identifies most children who will later develop stage 3 (clinical) type 1 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-early-diabetes-children-feasible-routine.html Thu, 21 May 2026 16:10:01 EDT news698597221 Minuscule movement patterns collected from smartphones and often undetectable to humans have been used to predict cravings and compulsive behaviors with groundbreaking accuracy—potentially offering timely and bespoke treatment for smoking and other addictions and conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-smartphone-cravings-lapses-potential-addiction.html Thu, 21 May 2026 15:40:05 EDT news698587201 Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which comprises the inflammatory conditions Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affects about 1.6 million Americans, many of whom cannot be effectively treated. This is mostly due to a lack of understanding of what exactly causes the increased inflammation, fibrosis, and compromised intestinal barrier that underlie this disease and its manifold symptoms, ranging from severe abdominal pain, to diarrhea, weight loss, rectal bleeding and anemia, to anxiety and depression. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-decoding-inflammatory-bowel-disease-chip.html Thu, 21 May 2026 14:20:07 EDT news698581214 It's not surprising if someone experiences memory loss, or a "blackout," while drinking alcohol. While common, blackouts are considered a public health concern linked to injury, arrest, assault, and overdose. Given these consequences, the ability to identify and intervene in a blackout could reduce people's risk for alcohol-related harm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-tool-blackouts.html Wed, 20 May 2026 12:00:07 EDT news698496181 The protein p53 is often called the guardian of the genome for its central role in preventing cancer. Yet paradoxically, it is also one of the most frequently mutated and dysfunctional proteins in human tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-code-p53-fragility-genome-guardian.html Wed, 20 May 2026 09:20:13 EDT news698486641 The intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells from family donors is safe and improves symptoms such as pruritus (itching), sleep disturbances, and fatigue associated with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB), popularly known as "butterfly skin." This is one of the primary conclusions of a clinical trial conducted by researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Fundación Jiménez Díaz Health Research Institute (IIS-FJD), the CIBER Rare Diseases (CIBERER), and the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-family-donor-stem-cells-safe.html Mon, 18 May 2026 19:20:03 EDT news698344141