https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. 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 Researchers in the lab of Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) member Xing Wang have discovered the influential role of structural chirality, or "handedness," of a DNA nanostructure to dictate cancer cell response to targeted therapeutics. The team's findings are reported in Advanced Materials. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-left-dna-tubes-cancer-drug.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:40:02 EDT news700148697 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 Millions of older adults have tiny brain hemorrhages called cerebral microbleeds, which are strongly associated with dementia, cognitive decline, and stroke. However, their precise molecular mechanisms have remained unclear, largely because of the lack of suitable animal models that isolate this condition from other confounding pathologies. A study published in the journal Brain helps fill this critical gap. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-crispr-links-faulty-collagen-brain.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:06 EDT news699621841 A research team led by Associate Professor Noriyuki Kurita from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology and by Associate Professor Pornpan Pungpo from Ubon Ratchathani University in Thailand has proposed a novel therapeutic agent for tuberculosis, using high-precision molecular simulation techniques. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-simulation-uncovers-tuberculosis-drug-candidates.html Fri, 29 May 2026 11:20:05 EDT news699269760 A University of California, Riverside-led study has found that heavily used high-puff electronic cigarettes may contain higher levels of harmful chemicals than fresh e-cigarettes, raising concerns about potential health risks for users. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-high-puff-cigarettes-toxic.html Fri, 29 May 2026 10:00:04 EDT news699267181 Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can translate a tumor's complex genetic profile into predictions about how that cancer may respond to treatment. The model, called MutationProjector, was trained on genomic data from more than 30,000 tumors across 10 solid cancer types and offers a new framework for connecting cancer mutations to the biological pathways that drive treatment response. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-links-tumor-mutations-treatment.html Tue, 26 May 2026 10:00:11 EDT news698914539 In April 2026, a passenger boarded a Dutch cruise ship in Ushuaia, Argentina after a bird-watching trip. Ten days later, he died. The cause of his death, while initially unclear, was determined to be Andes hantavirus (ANDV), which he picked up prior to boarding the ship. His wife, sickened by the same virus, later died as well. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-andes-hantavirus-people.html Fri, 22 May 2026 07:40:01 EDT news698646901 Chronic itch is often described as an "invisible torment." It can persist for weeks or months, severely affecting sleep, mental health, and quality of life. In patients with cholestatic liver disease, chronic itch remains a major clinical challenge, and current treatments often provide limited relief. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-scientists-class-drug-candidate-chronic.html Mon, 18 May 2026 18:40:06 EDT news698339937 The human brain constantly adapts in response to experiences, forming new connections between neurons and reorganizing existing ones. The brain's ability to adapt in response to experiences is known as neuroplasticity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-brain-memory-gate-cryo-em.html Mon, 18 May 2026 13:51:16 EDT news698315449 Researchers at the TechMed Center of the University of Twente have built a swallowable soft robot that samples stomach fluid and measures acidity in real time. The robot has no battery, chip, nor any other electronics. Health care workers can move it with a handheld magnet, while it glides through the stomach like a penguin on its belly. The researchers published their work May 8 in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-robotic-penguin-endoscopy-optional.html Mon, 11 May 2026 08:35:59 EDT news697707326 Thousands of times per year, a family's moment of joy turns to unexpected grief. A seemingly healthy infant stops smiling or making eye contact. Their limbs grow weak. The tiny child suffers seizures and breathing problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-children-rare-debilitating-brain-diseases.html Fri, 08 May 2026 14:00:05 EDT news697453981 Severe bleeding after trauma can rapidly become life-threatening. In a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet, Marcus Wannberg examines how the body's coagulation system begins to fail early after injury, which injuries most often lead to fatal bleeding, and how high-risk injuries can be identified. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-qa-body-clotting-severe-trauma.html Wed, 06 May 2026 15:40:08 EDT news697299481 Jeffrey Stansbury, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research and professor at the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, has four properties he wants the next generation of dentures to include: that they are cheaper, faster to make, and more durable than current dentures; and that they are potentially able to combat bacteria and fungus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-qa-3d-revolutionize-dentures.html Tue, 05 May 2026 16:40:06 EDT news697215721 By 2030, the population in the United States aged 65 and older is expected to reach 71 million or about 20% of Americans. This growth is likely to increase the burden of age-related diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), affecting about 1 in 9 adults over 65. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-obesity-alzheimer-linked-disease-metabolic.html Tue, 05 May 2026 10:20:04 EDT news697193941 Researchers at Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute and collaborators have developed and validated a new genetic risk test that can estimate a person's inherited risk for eight common cardiovascular conditions, offering a more comprehensive approach to prevention. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-validation-reveals-tool-patients-genetic.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:00:07 EDT news696607261 Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have developed an anti-cancer therapy inspired by bacteria found in cancer tumors. When tested in combination with radiation in animal models of prostate cancer, it was highly effective—the approach effectively shut down tumor growth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-tumor-bacteria-peptide-starves-prostate.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:00:01 EDT news696666786 Depression, one of the most widespread mental health disorders, is characterized by a persistent low mood and a loss of interest in everyday activities, along with possible sleep disruptions and/or changes in appetite. Some people diagnosed with this disorder can harm themselves and, in most serious and severe cases, attempt suicide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-algorithm-obvious.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news696502440 White matter pathways allow distant parts of the brain to communicate, supporting memory, emotion, and language. One such pathway, the uncinate fasciculus, connects the front of the temporal lobe with regions of the frontal cortex involved in decision-making and social behavior. Despite its importance, little is known about the microscopic structure of this tract in the human brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-free-optical-imaging-enables-automated.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:20:07 EDT news696257761 Researchers at Mass General Brigham, the Broad Trauma Initiative, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have identified scalable, blood-based biomarkers associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across multiple organ systems. The findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that routine laboratory tests could one day inform PTSD care by capturing its effects on the body and helping explain why PTSD is linked to many chronic physical health problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-common-lab-reveal-blood-biomarkers.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:40:02 EDT news696254221 Over 1 billion people worldwide are living with one or more mental health disorders that affect their mood, thinking processes and behavior, impacting their daily functioning to varying degrees. Identifying variations in the brain's structure and organization that are commonly linked with mental health disorders could help to devise more effective tools to diagnose these conditions or create personalized treatment plans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-real-world-mri-brain-signatures.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:00:01 EDT news695638187 A team of scientists from NTU Singapore has developed a new biochip that, when paired with artificial intelligence, can quickly and accurately detect extremely small amounts of microRNAs, which are tiny genetic markers linked to diseases such as heart disease. Introduced in an article published in the journal Advanced Materials, the new biosensing platform combines a specially designed nanophotonic chip with AI-automated image analysis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-powered-biochip-genetic-markers.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:20:03 EDT news695463755 Every thought, memory, and feeling we experience depends on trillions of tiny connection points in the brain called synapses. These are the junctions where one neuron passes signals to another, forming the vast communication network known as the connectome—the brain's wiring diagram. Although scientists have developed powerful tools to increase or decrease neural activity, directly redesigning the brain's physical wiring has remained far more difficult. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-synapses-brain-circuit-memory-stronger.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:40:01 EDT news695488201 Researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) show that active mitochondria maintain dendritic cells, the immune system's sentinels, in a "ready-to-respond" state, linking cellular metabolism to gene regulation and T-cell activation. The findings, published in Cell Metabolism, open new avenues to improve vaccines and cancer immunotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-mitochondria-key-immune-cells-ready.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:08 EDT news695463601 Scientists have created a new "molecular map" uncovering how an important human receptor involved in blood clotting and inflammation works—an advance that could help us design better drugs for conditions such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. The study, led by an international team including researchers from Trinity College Dublin and published in Nature Communications, used advanced cryo-electron microscopy to capture high-res images of the thromboxane A2 receptor while it was active and primed to send signals across the membrane to the cell interior. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-molecular-treatments-heart-lung-diseases.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:20:03 EDT news694798081 Photodynamic treatment of cancer is based on administering an initially inactive substance that is only activated in the tumor via targeted light irradiation. It then generates reactive oxygen species that kill the cancer cells. However, this method reaches its limits when no oxygen is present, as is the case with many fast-growing tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-tumors-independently-oxygen-photodynamic-therapy.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:40:04 EDT news694794061 In new research, scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers at Harvard University and Brigham Young University, used the Stanford-SLAC Cryo-EM Center to capture, for the first time, the formation of an immune signaling complex inside intact human cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-scientists-capture-early-stages-immune.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:00:01 EDT news694191606 As early as the 1880s, there was evidence that smoking tobacco damaged your lungs. But it took almost 100 years to definitively show that smoking causes lung cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-strongest-evidence-vaping-cancer.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:30:03 EDT news694174806 Cells behave like cities and organelles carry out infrastructural roles: mitochondria are powerhouses, the endoplasmic reticulum serves as a transport hub and lysosomes help with waste disposal. Communication between different parts of a cell is important for metabolism. This inter-organelle communication can occur at sites where these parts are in contact with each other, known as membrane contact sites. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-fda-cancer-drug-fedratinib-reshapes.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:40:02 EDT news692625241 Research on rare diagnoses and the development of precision medicine depend on patients being able to share their health data in a secure and ethical manner. The research study, published in Scientific Reports, in which a digital platform was developed to collect electronic informed consent, shows that many participants want to contribute to research and appreciate the digital solution, but also that the technology needs further development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-electronic-consent-rare-diseases-strong.html Sat, 31 Jan 2026 15:50:01 EST news688923734