https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The powerful role of exercise in maintaining skeletal muscle could be the key to improving health and resilience in older age, according to new research from Monash University. The new research, published on the bioRxiv preprint server, used preclinical models to uncover the key role a protein found in skeletal muscle, NOX4, plays in this process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-secret-healthy-aging-skeletal-muscle.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:20:03 EDT news700326134 People who follow a short-term low-calorie diet may have reduced markers of inflammation associated with gum disease. A study by King's College London, published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, highlights how lifestyle modifications could be important alongside plaque control in managing gum disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fasting-mimicking-diet-gum-disease.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:10:05 EDT news700242182 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 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 Physician-scientists at Kanazawa University have demonstrated, for the first time, the clinical efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy in patients with ultra-rare urachal cancer. Furthermore, their reverse translational research elucidated the mechanism by which the addition of immunotherapy enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-clinical-efficacy-chemoimmunotherapy-ultra-rare.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:40:02 EDT news700306698 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 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 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 An international research team, led by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), the Institute for Lung Health (ILH) in Giessen, and the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, has identified a promising mechanism for combating lung cancer. The researchers discovered that a specific endogenous metabolic process can induce the immune system to directly attack tumor cells and stop their growth. This opens new avenues for targeted therapies. The results have been published in the journal Cell Metabolism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-metabolic-lung-cancer-reprograms-immune.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:20:06 EDT news700156441 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 Oral GLP-1 medications have the potential to increase access to therapies that can help lower blood sugar and reduce bodyweight. At the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Session, Mass General Brigham physician investigator Vanita Aroda, MD, presented findings from SOLSTICE, a Phase IIb randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial that tested the oral GLP-1 RA known as elecoglipron. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-glp-oral-pill-lowers-blood.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:20:04 EDT news699868611 "Compound 10" is how Ursula Quitterer refers to the chemical compound that her team has developed and that could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Quitterer is a professor of molecular pharmacology at ETH Zurich and has so far tested the active ingredient first in mice, revealing promising effects: The typical death of nerve cells seen in dementia is significantly slower, and the animals survive longer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drug-alzheimer.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT news700148673 Huntington disease is a rare, inherited brain disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells, leading to worsening movement, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene, the fatal disease affects coordination, memory, mood and the ability to think clearly. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-huntington-simpler-drug-path-brain.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:00:03 EDT news699868617 An anticancer medication called TLD1433, a ruthenium(II) complex that has entered Phase II trials for conditions such as non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, is now being repurposed to address one of the biggest public health issues globally—bacterial infections. Despite being preventable or treatable in many cases, bacterial infections kill an estimated 7.7 million people each year, resulting in one in eight deaths worldwide. With these numbers, it stands as the second-leading cause of death on the planet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ultrasound-anticancer-molecule-deep-lung.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:00:08 EDT news700143190 It's no accident that we spend a third of our lives asleep. It is essential to our health, and even animals for whom resting is complicated—such as aquatic mammals that need to surface to breathe, or birds that go up to 10 days without touching dry land—manage to sleep with surprising adaptations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-good-night-healthy-gut-bacteria.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 20:30:02 EDT news699540301 For a long time, the likelihood of surviving pancreatic cancer has been extremely low. For patients who were diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer between 2015 and 2021, about 97% died within five years of their diagnosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drug-survival-advanced-pancreatic-cancer.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 18:30:01 EDT news699706917 Chromosomal instability is a common feature in many solid tumors and is associated with greater aggressiveness. For years, its main contribution to cancer was thought to be driving the evolution of tumor genomes, causing cells to gain chromosomes with growth-promoting genes or lose chromosomes with tumor-suppressor genes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tumors-healthy-neighboring-cells-reveals.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:20:01 EDT news699875179 In 2025, the European Medicines Agency approved two antibodies for Alzheimer's disease: lecanemab (LeqembiTM, from Biogen) and donanemab (Kisunla, from Eli Lilly and Co.), both based on immunotherapy (the use of molecules from the immune system to treat diseases). These antibodies, obtained in the laboratory, act against the Aβ peptide, a protein fragment that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Elimination of this protein by the immune system helps slow the characteristic cognitive decline of the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-antibody-fragment-hemorrhages-alzheimer-treatments.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:40:01 EDT news699875268 Creatine, the organic acid that is popularly taken as a supplement by athletes and bodybuilders, supercharges a critical class of immune cells that activate and prepare the body's key cancer-fighters, according to new UCLA research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-creatine-supercharge-immune-cells-key.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:00:02 EDT news699881579 A class of flu drugs may reduce cognitive decline and premature aging in people living with chronic viral infection, reports a new study led by Northwestern University that began with blood samples from people with HIV and extended into preclinical drug trials. The findings point to a potential new therapy for cognitive problems in people with HIV, with broader implications for other aging-related diseases, such as dementia. The study is published in Med. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-flu-drugs-cognitive-decline.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:03 EDT news699781862 An international research team has succeeded in elucidating key immunological and biochemical mechanisms underlying granulomatous skin diseases. The findings, recently published in Science Advances, identify new therapeutic targets for these chronic inflammatory diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-macrophages-marathon-mode-skin-granulomas.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:40:06 EDT news699803333 Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues found that a new drug, obexelimab, significantly reduces the risk of relapse in patients with IgG4-related disease, a rare chronic immune condition often misdiagnosed as cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drug-relapse-rare-immune-disorder.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:20:07 EDT news699803308 Researchers from VIB, KU Leuven, the UK-DRI and Muna Therapeutics have uncovered a critical biological transition that may determine whether Alzheimer's disease pathology leads to dementia. Studying brain tissue from older adults with and without cognitive decline, as well as cognitively healthy centenarians, the team identified distinct cellular programs and immune-cell states associated with disease progression and resilience. Their findings, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that changes in microglia—the brain's resident immune cells—could represent an important target for future Alzheimer's therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-alzheimer-revealed-brain-immune-cells.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:06 EDT news699793862 When thinking of the immune system, most people imagine white blood cells putting up a fight against invading germs in the bloodstream. But now, in research published in Molecular Cell, scientists detail a separate but equally important route by which our bodies fight infection—directly inside already infected cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-cells-infection-newly-adx-pathway.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:00:05 EDT news699715321 Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks islets, certain areas of the pancreas, and destroys cells that would otherwise produce insulin, a hormone crucial for regulating blood sugar levels. One emerging treatment is transplantation—replacing islets with healthy cells—but patients would have to take medication to subdue the immune system, so the body would not reject the therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-retraining-immune-diabetes.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:40:02 EDT news699724141 A stroke is a devastating condition that disrupts proper brain function. After a stroke, many patients will typically experience pain in the limbs on the side of their bodies opposite to the brain lesion. In rare cases, pain also develops on the same side as the lesion, spreading bilaterally in a mirror-like manner. This is a phenomenon known as bilateral pain, or mirror-image pain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mirror-image-pain-lpa-driven.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:00:06 EDT news699714841 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a previously hidden druggable site in a cancer-related protein that could open the door toward the development of a new generation of more precise cancer drugs. The finding also reveals important limitations in today's artificial intelligence tools for drug discovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-cancer-drug-revealing-lab.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:05 EDT news699716761 For millions of people living with osteoarthritis, daily life can involve a frustrating cycle of pain and stiffness. While current treatments like over-the-counter medications or steroid injections can temporarily dull the ache, they do not stop the joint from deteriorating. A Yale study published in the journal Bioactive Materials found that the medication lacosamide acts as a highly effective, dual-purpose treatment that relieves joint pain and reverses cartilage damage in osteoarthritis, especially when a specialized hydrogel delivers the drug directly into the joint. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hydrogel-relieves-osteoarthritis-pain-cartilage.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:02 EDT news699706023