https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Sjögren's disease is a widespread chronic autoimmune disorder that attacks the body's own glands, yet its underlying disease mechanisms remain poorly understood. In a recent study, researchers from Japan discovered a self-reinforcing loop between different immune cells that sustains autoimmune responses in patients with Sjögren's disease. Their findings pave the way for safer and more effective therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-scientists-reveal-autoimmune-vicious-sjgren.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 09:00:04 EDT news700386541 Researchers at the University of California San Diego have completed a massive genetic study that identifies key biological drivers of cocaine addiction, uncovering a potential new target for treatment that resides in the liver rather than the brain. The study, published in Nature Communications, used a genetically diverse group of nearly 900 rats to map the genetic markers associated with compulsive drug use. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-genetic-cocaine-addiction-brain-liver.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 05:00:01 EDT news700299781 Hip dips are having a moment. The perfectly normal indentations that sit below your hips on the outer thigh have become the latest body feature to be scrutinized, fixed and agonized over on social media. But what are they? Can you actually get rid of them? And should you even try? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hip-dips.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:20:02 EDT news700306705 How diseases develop and how the body ages can differ between females and males, but the biological reasons for these differences are not fully understood. Researchers are studying the role of sex chromosomes to better understand what may be driving these differences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hidden-dna-genome-protector-health.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 18:40:03 EDT news700329901 The race to complete the human pangenome—which comprises all genetic information across the human species—has been underway since 2022, when the first complete reference human genome sequence was released by the international Telomere-to-Telomere Consortium. Now, a team led by scientists at the Research Organization of Information and Systems has made a significant contribution to a more complete understanding of human genetics with 20 near-complete variant groups located in disease- and immune-related regions from 10 Japanese men. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pangenome-graph-variant-groups-japanese.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:40:01 EDT news700326962 Researchers at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, together with Newcastle University's Translational and Clinical Research Institute and the Department of Immunology at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, have identified an important driver of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This discovery reshapes understanding of IBD and opens the way to targeted approaches to diagnosis and treatment in a subset of patients. The findings suggest that inflammatory bowel disease is not a single condition, but a group of biologically distinct diseases driven by different underlying mechanisms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-decades-puzzle-scientists-uncover-inflammatory.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:00:03 EDT news700323061 A new study identified protein targets and drug candidates, including opportunities to repurpose existing drugs. Six key proteins were highlighted as potentially providing new insights and supporting future treatment development for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-protein-reveal-drug-repurposing-multiple.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:40:05 EDT news700318533 Difficulty conceiving a pregnancy may be associated with small differences in children's learning and behavior, according to a new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, titled "Associations of subfecundity and infertility treatment with child neurodevelopment in ECHO." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-difficulty-small-neurodevelopmental-differences-children.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:40:01 EDT news700323541 One of the most detailed maps to date of meningioma—the most common brain tumor in adults—reveals how the tumor's surrounding environment helps drive disease behavior and patient outcomes, according to new research from Mayo Clinic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-tumor-immune-cell-states.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:20:03 EDT news700322821 Healthy sleep and regular exercise can work to counteract genetic mutations in white blood cells that are associated with cardiovascular disease and are most common among older people, Mount Sinai researchers have found. In a study published in Nature, the team reported for the first time that sufficient sleep and exercise can help reduce the cancer-like cell expansion and atherosclerotic risk linked to mutations that spontaneously occur in white blood cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-curb-heart-mutant-white-blood.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:40:03 EDT news700321651 To better understand what drives the emergence of symptoms in Rett syndrome, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital took a closer look at brain cells in mice modeling Rett syndrome before symptoms appeared. They identified a set of dysfunctional genes and specific cell types that are vulnerable early to genetic changes. The study appears in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-early-rett-syndrome-clues-emerge.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:04 EDT news700303441 A Northwestern Medicine study has offered new clues as to why immunotherapy works well for some bladder cancer patients but fails for others, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-immune-biomarkers-response-bladder-cancer.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:40:04 EDT news700313521 In 2020, Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for her work on the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology that allows scientists to precisely modify DNA by cutting it at specific locations. Six years later, a new study in Nature by a team led by Doudna has uncovered a powerful new approach to selectively kill cancer cells using a CRISPR enzyme called Cas12a2. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-crispr-enzyme-precisely-shreds-dna.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT news700314843 Canadian women have to advocate for themselves when it comes to seeking treatment for high blood pressure, according to a new study from a team of researchers at the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa. The findings are published in the journal CJC Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-canadian-women-advocate-treatment-high.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:00:05 EDT news700306082 Experts in Heidelberg, Germany, have developed an AI system that can classify brain tumors with unprecedented accuracy using standard microscopic tissue sections. Using digitized standard stains, the system identifies more than 100 molecular subtypes of central nervous system tumors, delivers results within minutes and could accelerate the diagnosis of brain tumors worldwide. The work appears in Nature Cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-brain-tumors-minutes-weeks.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 05:00:08 EDT news700235281 Our parents' genes, even the ones we didn't inherit, leave a measurable lasting imprint on our lives. An international team led by researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health developed a new approach to analyze genetic data from tens of thousands of families. The study, published this Tuesday in Cell Genomics, found that for height, body weight, and school test performance, the environment shaped by our parents' genes can be nearly as important as the genes we actually inherited from them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-human-traits-inherited-genes-imprint.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:20:01 EDT news700243681 An international research team has identified dozens of new genetic risk factors linked to lumbar spinal stenosis, a common degenerative condition of the lower spine. The study, led by researchers at the University of Oulu, provides new insight into the biological mechanisms behind one of the most frequent causes of mobility problems in older adults. The work was published in the journal Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-nerve-pain-genetic-clues-reshape.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:00:01 EDT news700243022 For patients diagnosed with IDH-mutant glioma, an incurable brain tumor that often affects adults in their 30s and 40s, treatment typically works at first. However, the cancer almost always returns, and when it does, it frequently stops responding to treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-recurring-brain-tumors-paths-revealing.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:40:01 EDT news700234797 A machine learning model developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center filters out the biological noise in liquid biopsy samples, helping clinicians better match therapies to their patients' tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-machine-accuracy-liquid-biopsy-results.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:40:08 EDT news700229822 When heart cells burn fat without normal metabolic controls, they can deplete a lipid needed to keep mitochondria functioning properly, according to a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, identify a mechanism linking disrupted energy metabolism to heart failure and point to potential strategies for earlier intervention. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-disrupted-metabolism-linked-heart-failure.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:20:02 EDT news700228982 To function properly, neurons need to recycle cellular waste before it becomes toxic. When neurons can no longer do that, either due to aging or harmful genetic mutations, neurodegenerative disease can set in. One sign that neurons are losing their recycling function is the buildup of pigmented material called lipofuscin that accumulates with age. Understanding how it forms could help illuminate the aging process and, in turn, how age-related neurodegenerative diseases progress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-aging-neurodegeneration.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:20:05 EDT news700234021 It might soon be "game over" for the video game controller. Yale researchers have developed a new kind of brain-computer interface (BCI) that lets humans play video games directly with their brains. Using real-time fMRI (functional MRI), they confirmed that the technology could help humans control a computer with their brain activity in a highly efficient way. The study appears in the journal Nature Neuroscience. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-interface.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:00:02 EDT news700235475 By their nature, cancer cells have different nutritional needs than healthy cells. "Cancer cells have a distinct metabolism," said Gary Patti, the Michael and Tana Powell Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis and a professor of genetics and medicine at WashU Medicine. Cancer cells are also ravenous eaters. Patti is trying to turn their hunger against them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-cancer-cells-hunger-reveal-ways.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:50:01 EDT news700233797 New research from the Snow Center for Immune Health is challenging long-held assumptions about autoimmune disease, revealing that celiac disease may be driven not just by an overactive immune system, but by subtle defects in how immune cells function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-celiac-weaker-helper-cells-overactive.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:40:03 EDT news700228381 Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed what they describe as a fundamentally new type of vaccine using artificial intelligence (AI). The vaccine's key component was designed entirely by AI and has now been tested in people for the first time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-world-aidesigned-vaccine.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:40:09 EDT news700221361 A father's health before conception may leave a biological imprint on his future children, according to a new study from Washington State University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fathers-children-health-theyre.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:30:01 EDT news700225641 New research has found an association between taking glucosamine, a popular over-the-counter supplement used for joint pain, and a higher likelihood of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. The finding by University of Florida neuroscientists is based on a large retrospective analysis of patients' records as well as supporting data from advanced imaging technology used to scan human brain specimens and Alzheimer's disease mouse models. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-popular-joint-pain-supplement-dementia.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:00:09 EDT news700152841 A study led by researchers at King's College London and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has analyzed genetic data on anxiety symptoms in 693,869 people of European ancestry, revealing new insights into the genetic pathways involved in the condition. Published in Nature Human Behaviour, the research has found the largest number of genetic associations with anxiety to date. By linking genetic data to the severity of symptoms rather than the yes-or-no category of a clinical diagnosis, the work brings new understanding to the biological continuum behind anxiety that can range from healthy stress responses to debilitating disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-genetic-links-anxiety-symptoms-uncovered.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:00:01 EDT news700152962 Even what many Americans consider moderate drinking is linked to an increased risk of death, disability, and chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, published at Rutgers University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-daily-longer-harmless-alcohol-rewrite.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 01:00:01 EDT news699698341 A technological platform developed by Brazilian researchers could revolutionize the treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis and vitiligo. The group, affiliated with the NanoGeneSkin laboratory at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Ribeirão Preto, is developing nanoparticles capable of delivering therapeutic RNA molecules directly to skin cells. These nanoparticles can precisely silence the genes responsible for chronic inflammation at the molecular level. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-nanoparticles-psoriasis-genes-aiming-million.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:40:01 EDT news700133160