https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Extreme heat and cold are growing cardiovascular risks that can trigger heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death, according to a recent scientific statement by experts at Weill Cornell Medicine and other leading institutions. The statement from the American Heart Association, published in Circulation, outlines contributing factors that endanger health and recommendations to mitigate the rising cardiovascular risks posed by extreme temperatures. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-heart-health-era-temperature-extremes.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:20:01 EDT news700128962 Studies in mice reveal a new target for potentially treating and preventing life-threatening cardiovascular complications in the millions of patients with sleep apnea worldwide. The study, presented at ASM Microbe 2026, showed how microbes modify bile to help protect mice from sleep apnea's heart and metabolic toll. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-bile-acid-receptor-emerges-apnea.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 10:00:05 EDT news699885241 There's a lot of buzz about the gut microbiome—the trillions of microbes that help us digest food and support the immune system. But your mouth is also home to its own highly specialized microbial community, and new research suggests that these oral microbes may play an equally important role in maintaining health. The work is published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-road-health-requires-microbes-mouth.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:34:56 EDT news699719609 A new PET tracer targeting carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) has demonstrated exceptional sensitivity and high tumor-to-background contrast in detecting clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), according to early clinical research. The newly developed tracer, 68Ga-RCC78, successfully identified additional metastatic lesions missed by standard imaging while significantly reducing abdominal background noise, offering a powerful new tool for kidney cancer staging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-generation-pet-tracer-enables-rapid.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:00:06 EDT news699521341 Virtually every living thing on Earth, from Patagonian penguins to newborn human babies, has been touched by the synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a sample of human blood, tissue, or breast milk without detectable levels of at least one type of PFAS. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pfas-fingerprints-blood-clues.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT news699528902 FDA-approved carbon copies of brand-name drugs with expired patents—over the last 30 years, these generic drugs have saved trillions of dollars for hundreds of millions of people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-global-access-glp-drugs.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:40:05 EDT news699535682 Ceramides—lipid molecules in cells that affect many physiological functions including cell differentiation, migration, and death—and their metabolites have been implicated in the development of cancer and other conditions. New research indicates that different ceramide metabolism in Black and white individuals with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer may help explain why they tend to experience different responses to anti-prostate cancer androgen receptor pathway blocking medications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ceramide-lipid-metabolism-affect-response.html Tue, 26 May 2026 03:00:01 EDT news698914483 On a typical night out, the rhythm of drinking can be hard to control. Rounds arrive quickly, glasses are topped up before they're empty, and intentions to "take it slow" often dissolve by the second or third drink. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself waking up with a dreaded hangover the next morning. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-zebra-striping-night-potentially-hangover.html Mon, 25 May 2026 09:20:03 EDT news698919122 In a recent study from Peking University Health Science Center, doctoral student Kang Ning and colleagues found that air pollution reductions alone cannot offset the impact of rapid population aging on dementia deaths in China. The study has been published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-china-cleaner-air-pm25-dementia.html Wed, 20 May 2026 18:00:01 EDT news698506452 Airborne diseases like measles, influenza and COVID-19 can easily spread between units in multi-family buildings via a type of bathroom ventilation system commonly used around the world, new research suggests. The study, conducted inside an older high-rise in Spain early in the coronavirus pandemic, adds to a growing body of evidence that airborne viruses can spread between separated indoor spaces, transmitting disease without face-to-face contact. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-diseases-apartments-ventilation.html Wed, 13 May 2026 15:29:51 EDT news697904461 Researchers have proposed new standards into the decades-old prosthetic donations market, improving the quality of lower limb prosthetic feet by two-thirds—a major quality of life boost for recipients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-prosthetic-feet-curb-medical-equipment.html Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:03 EDT news697886281 For many people who smoke, quitting is not just a matter of willpower. It is a tug-of-war in the brain—between the pull of reward and the ability to resist. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-rewiring-urge-brain-people.html Mon, 11 May 2026 07:00:01 EDT news697701302 Annual medical checkups typically cover the basics: diet, exercise and mental state. Surprisingly, many primary care providers fail to ask about one of the fundamental contributors to well-being: sleep. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-apnea-compromises-good-night-rest.html Wed, 06 May 2026 16:00:02 EDT news697293100 Lithium chloride may affect many cellular level changes in Alzheimer's disease, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) shows. The work is published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-lithium-uncovers-fresh-alzheimer-tau.html Wed, 06 May 2026 15:40:04 EDT news697289761 If you're over the age of 10, the World Health Organization recommends that you consume at least 25 grams of fiber every day. The best fiber-containing foods come from plants: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-fiber-strong-indigestibility-digestive-healthy.html Mon, 04 May 2026 11:40:01 EDT news697109762 A study shows that small doses of the antibiotic minocycline may help treat panic disorder. Experiments conducted at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in mice and at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in humans showed that minocycline has a similar effect to clonazepam, the most commonly prescribed anti-panic medication and best known by its brand name, Rivotril. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-small-dose-antibiotic-yields-good.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:00:03 EDT news696781261 Households could cut lighting energy use by more than 15% without sacrificing comfort, according to new research from the University of East London (UEL), which shows how improved lighting design combined with modern LED technology can make homes cheaper to run and better to live in. The paper is published in the journal Buildings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-smarter-home-energy-health.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news696767642 The World Stroke Organization is warning that climate change poses an escalating threat to brain health, with extreme heat in particular increasing the risk of having a stroke and of patients dying from stroke. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-climate-global-threat-brain-health.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:40:02 EDT news696767521 When we think about the causes of climate change, the usual suspects often come to mind: coal-fired power plants, traffic-choked roads, industrial agriculture. Rarely do we picture hospitals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-uncomfortable-truth-health-protector-contributor.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:00:04 EDT news696680886 On May 6, 1954, Sir Roger Bannister did what was deemed impossible in athletics: he ran a mile in less than four minutes. The milestone was celebrated worldwide, not just by athletics fans. It was considered at the time to be a similar achievement to scaling Mount Everest for the first time, which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had done the year before. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-men-marathon-barrier-thought-unbreakable.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:09 EDT news696505844 If you piled all of Phoenix's pavement into one spot, it would be enough to cover San Francisco four times over. Roads, parking lots, and other paved surfaces blanket a lot of land—an estimated 40% of Arizona's capital city. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-asphalt-bad-health.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT news696075781 A major study involving Durham University shows that a radical rethink of rural housing design in sub-Saharan Africa can protect children from the three deadliest childhood diseases. The three-year trial in Tanzania found that children living in specially designed two-story "Star Homes" had dramatically lower rates of malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections compared with children in traditional mud-and-thatch houses. The children in the Star Homes also grew taller as a result of their better health. The research is published in the journal Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-unusual-story-homes-rewriting-child.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT news695994577 Exposure to wildfire smoke was associated with a significantly increased risk of lung, colorectal, breast, bladder, and blood cancer, according to results from a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17–22. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-exposure-wildfire-linked-cancers.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:00:13 EDT news695977418 Cancer treatments can take a toll on a person's body. A patient's treatment may cause nausea, changes in appetite, taste and smell, diarrhea, or constipation, making it harder to meet their nutritional needs. Fortunately, there are strategies that patients and caregivers can use to cope with these side effects. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-diet-cancer-treatment.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:00:09 EDT news695572618 Replacing just one meat dish with a vegetarian option in workplace cafeterias can significantly shift what people eat, cutting both calories and carbon emissions, according to a new study from researchers at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. In the new study published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers tested the change in six English worksite cafeterias, asking managers to swap one meat-based lunch option for a vegetarian dish while keeping prices, choice and all other menu features the same. Customers were not told about the change, and meat options remained available. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-simple-menu-tweak-boost-vegetarian.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:00:01 EDT news695484721 It's easy to see discarded plastic as nothing more than waste. Much of it ends up in landfill, breaking down into microplastics that seep into water supplies and threaten the environment, and potentially human health. But what if the same plastic waste could instead be transformed into life-saving medicines? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-parkinson-drug-plastic-world.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:20:01 EDT news695380742 A new research study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR) has found that unlike other modalities, linens and disposable supplies account for the vast majority of ultrasound's annual carbon emissions—not equipment energy use. The study, titled "Harmonizing Diagnostic Ultrasound Practice with Environmental Sustainability: A Life Cycle Assessment of Diagnostic Ultrasound in a Single Adult University Hospital," determined that linens (35%) and other single-use supplies (34%) accounted for most of ultrasound's greenhouse gas emissions, whereas production (7%) and energy use (3%) of the ultrasound equipment were minor contributors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-linens-equipment-emissions-dominate-ultrasound.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 18:30:02 EDT news694876193 The cells that line the blood vessels in our brains are highly selective. By deciding which molecules are allowed in and out of our most important organ, the barrier these cells form is critical for keeping us alive. But how the brain chooses what passes beyond this barrier has been difficult to decipher. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blood-brain-barrier-proteins-future.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:40:06 EDT news694962661 An international study published across 34 countries shows that the biological age of the brain can be accelerated or delayed by environmental risk (air pollution, public housing conditions) and protective factors (socioeconomic equality, access to health care). The stronger effects arise from interactions among environmental, social, and political conditions. The paper is published in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-global-combined-pollution-inequality-brain.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 05:00:03 EDT news694350782 Researchers have demonstrated a new class of low-cost, scalable sensors that can be used to monitor electrical activity in human cerebral organoids. Because electrical signals are key to understanding brain function, this advancement facilitates research into both neurodevelopment and genetic disorders such as Angelman syndrome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scalable-sensors-genetic-disorders.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:00:04 EDT news694342087