https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. An unexpected lab observation has led a team of scientists to discover how diet can influence survival in animal models of glioma, one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital and collaborating institutions report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences how limiting a single nutrient, the amino acid methionine, in the diet destabilized DNA organization and led to cancer cell death and increased animal survival. These findings open new possibilities for treating one of the most challenging forms of brain cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-diet-remodels-chromatin-survival-glioma.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 18:20:08 EDT news700329661 A new review from the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Osteoimmunology Working Group, published in Osteoporosis International, provides a comprehensive evaluation of the role of vitamin D in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The authors conclude that while vitamin D deficiency is common and clinically important, current evidence does not support a direct disease-modifying effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-vitamin-d-inflammatory-rheumatic-diseases.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:20:01 EDT news700143880 A pilot study published today in Communications Medicine demonstrates the potential of a new approach to treating anorexia nervosa, a disorder for which effective treatments have been significantly limited. The research from UC San Diego School of Medicine reports that a ketogenic nutritional intervention—a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diet—was feasible and safe for patients with weight-normalized and mildly underweight anorexia nervosa. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-evidence-ketogenic-therapy-treatment-anorexia.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:00:01 EDT news700135008 Children who spend more time playing outdoors between the ages of 2 and 4 may be less likely to develop emotional and behavioral difficulties later in childhood. That's according to new research led by the University of Exeter, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-outdoor-play-ages-linked-mental.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:20:04 EDT news700132244 Many Australians have stopped worrying about respiratory viruses. The pandemic has passed and attention has shifted. COVID no longer dominates the headlines, and influenza is often dismissed as a routine winter illness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-flu-overtook-covid-australia-deadliest.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:10 EDT news699699901 People who drink a glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie each day as part of the U.K.'s 5-a-day healthy eating guidance see improvements in their mental well-being, according to new research from Newcastle University, U.K. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-daily-fruit-juice-depression-scores.html Wed, 27 May 2026 09:40:01 EDT news699092920 Taking steps to lower levels of harmful LDL cholesterol at a much earlier stage than current medical practice indicates could be a far more effective way to reduce the risk of future heart attacks and strokes, according to a major new analysis by researchers from Imperial College London. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-early-action-bad-cholesterol-delays.html Tue, 26 May 2026 15:20:03 EDT news699021002 A report comparing the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (MCCPDC) to copayments or coinsurance under employer-sponsored insurance found that patients with high-cost generic prescriptions could lower their out-of-pocket costs from $140 to $25 by bypassing their insurance and using MCCPDC. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-consumer-pharmacies-commercially-patients-high.html Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:01 EDT news698991361 Research led by a Keele University oncologist has found that a one-week course of post-surgery radiotherapy is just as safe and effective as the traditional three-week course for people with early-stage breast cancer. The FAST-Forward trial, led by Keele's Professor Murray Brunt and sponsored by The Institute of Cancer Research, London, followed more than 4,000 patients for a decade after their treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-oneweek-radiotherapy-shown-safe-effective.html Thu, 21 May 2026 17:20:05 EDT news698592061 Calcium is widely known for its role in maintaining strong bones and teeth, but it is also one of the body's most important cellular messengers. Calcium signals help regulate muscle contraction, neural function, immune cell activation and many other physiological processes. Because cells rely on calcium signals to decide when and how strongly to respond, the movement of calcium must be tightly controlled. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-newly-peptides-safer-immunotherapies.html Tue, 19 May 2026 15:40:05 EDT news698419681 A new blood test could help doctors identify whether a treatment for advanced prostate cancer is failing weeks earlier than current tests, according to a U.K.-wide study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Nature Cancer, shows that men could switch or intensify treatment much sooner than is currently possible if their cancer is not responding to treatment, potentially saving precious time and improving outcomes for patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-blood-prostate-cancer-treatment-weeks.html Mon, 18 May 2026 16:00:05 EDT news698335482 An AI technology is effective at planning the delivery of life-saving radiotherapy for cervical cancer and prostate cancer, according to results from a large international trial led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-tool-radiotherapy-global-effort.html Sun, 17 May 2026 19:10:01 EDT news698071201 When a baby is born, hospital staff move quickly through a standard checklist of newborn care: taking measurements, administering antibiotic eye ointment to prevent eye infections, and giving a small injection of vitamin K. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-newborn-vitamin-shot-parent.html Fri, 15 May 2026 14:20:06 EDT news698071261 It can be easy to think you get plenty of vitamin D when you live in a country bathed in sunshine, but the reality is more complicated. Almost one in four Australian adults have vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplements are now one of the most commonly used complementary medicines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-vitamin-d-winter-bone-immune.html Fri, 15 May 2026 08:48:42 EDT news698053682 A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal has identified that the vast majority of neonatal (newborn infant in the first 28 days of life) deaths caused by infections in South Africa and other low-and-middle-income countries could be prevented through improved clinical care and targeted medical interventions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-infection-linked-newborn-deaths-south.html Thu, 14 May 2026 17:14:49 EDT news697997642 A weekly dose of semaglutide (2.4 mg) leads to a clinically significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) and related health outcomes in young adults with severe obesity who are treatment resistant following hospital-based non-pharmacological obesity care during childhood, according to a randomized controlled trial being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO26) in Istanbul, Turkey (12–15 May). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-semaglutide-bmi-treatment-resistant-young.html Thu, 14 May 2026 11:49:25 EDT news697978081 With three people dead and 11 cases from the recent hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, UMD's internationally renowned expert on airborne viruses, Dr. Don Milton, joins public health colleagues in an opinion piece in the BMJ calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to shift its default response to emerging respiratory viruses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-experts-revisit-approach-airborne-hantavirus.html Wed, 13 May 2026 13:34:36 EDT news697898042 Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the tools that are central to global health decision-making in areas like disease control policies, financing and vaccination strategies, such as infectious disease modeling. This brings new opportunities to the modeling landscape, but could also exacerbate existing disparities, according to Matt Ferrari, professor of biology and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences at Penn State. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-qa-ai-democratizing-global-health.html Mon, 11 May 2026 16:00:02 EDT news697733475 Exposure to one of the most toxic forms of mercury (methylmercury) may also disrupt the body's metabolic health, according to the findings of a new international study. The research, involving University of Bristol scientists and published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, found the element may have wider health effects than previously known. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-mercury-pollution-affect-brains-clues.html Thu, 07 May 2026 16:40:06 EDT news697378078 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is most prevalent in Northern Europe and Canada, and more common in the northernmost latitudes. In recent years, the number of cases has grown, particularly among women. The disease causes the patient's own immune system to attack a protective coating known as myelin that surrounds nerve cells. When this sheath is destroyed, neuronal function decreases and the cells can ultimately die. This can result in visual disturbances, fatigue, mobility difficulties, and other neurological symptoms that may be permanent. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-drug-strategies-boost-myelin-ms.html Mon, 04 May 2026 16:00:05 EDT news697125301 In people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), the immune system shuts down the body's ability to make the hormone insulin, responsible for regulating blood sugar and providing cells with glucose to produce energy. As a result, they are dependent on external sources of the hormone for the rest of their lives. Predicting who will develop T1D remains difficult, as existing genetic risk scores are largely limited to individuals with well-known high-risk variants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-genetic-diabetes-accurate-machine.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:40:06 EDT news696763921 A combination blood stem cell and pancreatic islet cell transplant from an immunologically mismatched donor completely prevented or cured type 1 diabetes in mice in a study by Stanford Medicine researchers. Type 1 diabetes arises when the immune system mistakenly destroys insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. None of the animals developed graft-versus-host disease—in which the immune system arising from the donated blood stem cells attacks healthy tissue in the recipient—and the destruction of islet cells by the native host immune system was halted. After the transplants, the animals did not require the use of the immune-suppressive drugs or insulin for the duration of the six-month experiment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gentler-stem-cell-transplant-diabetes.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:40:03 EDT news696176600 Damage to white matter in the brain can trigger features associated with neurodegenerative disease, Cambridge researchers have discovered in a new study published in the journal Nature. Until now, it was thought that neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease were primarily associated with changes to the brain's gray matter. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-overlooked-brain-chain-reaction-neurodegeneration.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:20:03 EDT news696081352 Young adults spend hours a day on social media platforms filled with exercise influencers, fitness trends, and other appearance-focused content that can reinforce unrealistic body ideals. And for many of these younger people, the messages they're receiving online are echoed at home, where parents, friends, and romantic partners engage in "weight talk"—comments about body size, dieting, or weight loss. While these remarks may seem harmless or may even be well-intentioned, they can contribute to body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and internalized weight stigma, particularly during the vulnerable developmental years of adolescence and young adulthood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-dieting-weight-loss-youth-body.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:20:03 EDT news696081241 A new study has found that the effects of anemia—a condition caused by a lack of hemoglobin needed to carry oxygen to organs and tissues—may stretch beyond fatigue, shortness of breath, and pale skin. They reach into the brain, raising the risk of dementia and linking to higher levels of biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and neurodegeneration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-anemia-adults-older-linked-higher.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:40:08 EDT news696074987 The 340B Drug Pricing Program must be reformed to better patient health and disincentivize institutional profit-seeking behaviors, says the American College of Physicians (ACP). In a new policy, "Reforming 340B to Promote Program Integrity and Better Serve Vulnerable Populations: An American College of Physicians Policy Brief," published today in Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP issues recommendations to preserve the health and longevity of the program and its patients through policy changes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-340b-drug-discounts-drifting-patients.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:40:07 EDT news695985809 For years, pomegranates have enjoyed a reputation as a "heart-healthy" fruit. As a cardiovascular researcher, I have often been asked a seemingly simple question: If pomegranates are so good for us, how exactly do they work? Our recent study, published in Antioxidants, set out to answer that question—not by focusing on the fruit itself, but by following what happens after the body and, crucially, the gut microbiome gets involved. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pomegranates-artery-wall-gut-derived.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:00:04 EDT news696000279 People with type 2 diabetes on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet may have a better chance of reversing their diabetes than those on a low-fat diet, according to a small study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-keto-diet-beta-cell-function.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:02 EDT news695894744 Using data from hospitals and emergency medical service providers to map out areas with the greatest need for trauma care and prehospital whole blood transfusions can enable hospital systems to deploy scarce blood resources quickly and minimize waste, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cities-efficiently-deploy-blood-resources.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:06 EDT news695543553 New research from the University of Oxford finds that more than one in five children born after 2013 experience poverty for at least half of their childhood (from birth to age ten). The study provides the first comprehensive evidence on trends and drivers in long-term childhood poverty across birth cohorts in Britain. The paper is published in the Journal of Social Policy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-term-childhood-poverty-rose-sharply.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:40:07 EDT news695305330