https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Reducing the damage sustained by the heart during a myocardial infarction remains one of the major challenges in cardiology, even when the blocked coronary artery is reopened in a timely manner. Part of the myocardial injury continues to be difficult to prevent despite advances in reperfusion therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-iv-atorvastatin-myocardial-infarction-pre.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:40:05 EDT news700296770 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 Many of the deadliest forms of cancer are caused by a pathological mutation in the RAS protein. Yet, to date, no effective treatment for this cancer protein has been found. A new research approach aims to prevent the protein from forming in the first place by destroying its blueprint—the mRNA. Based on this strategy, the research group led by Peng Wu at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology has now developed a new type of "molecular eraser" targeting the mRNA of the cancer protein NRAS. Their findings are published in JACS Au. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-molecular-eraser-destroys-cancerous-mrna.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:40:05 EDT news700316222 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 new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute has found that an ultrasensitive blood test called HPV-DeepSeek could help identify which people with HPV-associated head and neck cancer still had cancer cells in their bodies after surgery and may benefit the most from additional treatments. The results are published in Science Translational Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ultrasensitive-blood-neck-cancer-relapse.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT news700242001 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 Psychiatrists have long treated depression using transcranial magnetic stimulation—noninvasive magnetic pulses that stimulate neurons. Now, new research is allowing them to fine-tune their approach, potentially targeting specific symptoms and opening new possibilities for precision care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-secrets-mental-illness.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:40:03 EDT news700315124 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 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 One of the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents for colorectal cancer is 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a cornerstone treatment that has improved outcomes for countless patients. However, repeated treatment often leads to drug resistance, allowing cancer cells to adapt and gradually evade the effects of therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-key-protein-chemotherapy-resistance-colorectal.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:40:01 EDT news700215948 An estimated 80% of the cigarettes smoked in Australia last year were illegal, according to new wastewater data from the Bureau of Statistics. We asked respiratory experts what could be in them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-cigarettes-australia-illegal.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:00:02 EDT news700233152 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 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 Our brain prepares the body for an incoming meal before we even take the first bite. The aroma of food simmering on the stove, for instance, can trigger the brain to send signals to the pancreas, which in turn releases insulin into the bloodstream. A new Nature Metabolism study reveals how a key group of neurons helps mediate this process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-mechanism-reveals-food-aroma.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:40:07 EDT news700234239 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 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 A cancer researcher at the University of Houston is reporting what makes malignant soft tissue cancer grow in children, identifying key mechanisms and molecular targets to prevent tumor progression in patients in future therapies of the fatal rhabdomyosarcoma. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-uncovers-deadly-childhood-cancer-highlighting.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:40:08 EDT news700233945 Microtubules, part of heart muscle cells' internal "skeleton," help determine how the heart changes shape under stress, and a common signaling pathway called the ERK pathway acts as a key controller of where the building materials for these cells' growth are delivered inside them, a pair of new studies show. These findings, from a team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, point to possible new ways to address harmful heart remodeling that can be linked to heart failure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-molecular-mechanics-heart-cell-revealed.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:20:04 EDT news700228322 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 How can we combat the growing global health crisis of antibiotic resistance? At Leiden University, researchers are tackling this issue from multiple angles. Ph.D. candidate Vladyslav Lysenko develops and redesigns new antibiotic molecules, while Sebastian Tandar studies how existing antibiotics can be used more effectively. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tiny-molecular-revived-tuberculosis-antibiotic.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:00:03 EDT news700215911 An investigator at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received international recognition for innovative imaging research that may help physicians identify patients at increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) before they undergo surgery for kidney tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mri-method-kidney-disease.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:40:01 EDT news700215902 Muscle spasticity is a common and often debilitating consequence of spinal cord injury that can significantly affect mobility and quality of life. Spasticity is a condition in which muscles become abnormally stiff or tight because of disrupted nerve signaling, often causing exaggerated reflexes, involuntary muscle spasms, and difficulty with movement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gene-therapy-approach-muscle-spasticity.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:40:01 EDT news700203961 Researchers in the del Monte Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) are the first to observe defects in the protein repair system associated with the peculiar, misfolded protein plaques previously observed in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-unraveling-mystery-misfolded-proteins-heart.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:00:02 EDT news700201862 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 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 University of Maine researchers have published new findings about how muscles form, why certain muscle diseases develop and why symptoms may not appear until years after muscle degeneration begins. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mylpf-protein-molecular-linchpin-muscle.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:00:02 EDT news700157941 A new Northwestern Medicine study suggests that a simple blood test could help identify which patients with head and neck cancer will be most likely to benefit from immunotherapy, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-blood-immunotherapy-response-neck-cancer.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:40:02 EDT news700144202 New research tracks how cells prepare gene regulatory decisions that will define their fate during the earliest stages of human development. The study reconstructs a timeline of chromosome folding that brings remote DNA regulatory regions into physical contact with genes they control. This work, from a team at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London, with collaborators from the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, shows that some of these contacts form long before genes are activated, persist through later development and may help preselect the future gene targets of these regions. These findings highlight how the genome's 3D structure helps shape cell identity and could offer clues to how developmental disorders arise. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-3d-genome-architecture-pre-wires.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:40:01 EDT news700146517 Our genomes contain hundreds of genes with antiviral jobs that are called into action when a virus succeeds in infecting one of our cells. By acting cooperatively, these genes provide defense against a wide range of viruses, comprising what scientists refer to as the innate immune system. However, viruses evolve more rapidly than we do, and many viruses have acquired their own genes—sometimes brazenly stolen from their animal hosts!—that counteract innate immunity. But does this mean that viruses always have the upper hand when it comes to infecting humans? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tiny-protein-tail-immune-gene.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:00:07 EDT news700149781