https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Many repetitive regions of the genome have been considered "junk DNA" because the available technologies did not allow them to be studied at sufficient resolution. This is the case for the SST1/NBL2 macrosatellites, considered irrelevant and, until now, virtually invisible, which may have a more complex and decisive biological role than previously thought in nuclear organization, genome regulation, chromosomal instability and even cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hidden-junk-dna-regions-cancer.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:20:04 EDT news699873009 Losing muscle strength is a natural part of aging. At the core of this decline is a drop in the number of muscle stem cells (MuSCs), the specialized cells responsible for maintaining and regenerating muscle tissue throughout our lives. Loss of muscle strength can severely affect mobility, increasing the risk of falls, fractures and, most importantly, the loss of independence. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-recharge-aging-muscle-stem-cells.html Mon, 18 May 2026 15:20:06 EDT news698330818 Fine particles (PM₂.₅) were associated with around 79,000 preventable deaths, followed by nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃) and coarser particles (PM₂.₅-₁₀, particles with a diameter between 2.5 and 10 micrometers). These are among the findings of a new study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center–Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), which provides the first Europe-wide estimate of short-term mortality associated with the combined effects of multiple pollutants across 31 European countries. The findings, published in Nature Health, support the development of impact-based early warning systems to help protect the population from the health effects of air pollution. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-combined-short-term-effects-air.html Wed, 13 May 2026 16:38:53 EDT news697909082 Being around trees is proven to enhance health, from lowering stress to increasing longevity. However, a new national study led by Michigan State University researcher Amber Pearson reveals a surprise: The biological benefits of nature are not experienced equally across all populations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-trees-health.html Thu, 07 May 2026 15:00:01 EDT news697383242 Air pollution has been linked to a host of poor health outcomes, from respiratory infections to suicide risk. Now, new research in the Wasatch Front of Utah—which occasionally experiences the worst air quality in the nation—has found an association between high air pollution and risk of post-surgical complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-heavy-air-pollution-linked-worse.html Wed, 06 May 2026 13:40:04 EDT news697292995 Exposure to wildfire smoke was associated with a significantly increased risk of lung, colorectal, breast, bladder, and blood cancer, according to results from a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17–22. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-exposure-wildfire-linked-cancers.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:00:13 EDT news695977418 Between 2020 and 2024, the number of unique sites in the United States where phase I clinical trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were conducted decreased by 44% and became increasingly concentrated at the top 20 highest-volume clinical trial sites largely located in major cities, according to results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17–22. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-phase-lung-cancer-trials-sites.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:40:06 EDT news695906102 In patients developing end-stage liver disease, the damage has become too severe for the liver's normally extraordinary regenerative capacity to repair or compensate for it. Once this "point of no return" has been reached, the only option is an organ transplant. However, getting a liver transplant is extremely difficult due to high demand and limited supply—about 9,000 to 10,000 people with liver disease are on the U.S. national transplant list at any given time, and roughly 20% of them become too sick to receive a transplant or die while waiting. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-liver-tissue-body-ease-donor.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:00:01 EDT news695634913 As warming temperatures spread dengue to new regions, Stanford researchers are using AI-powered drones to hunt down hidden mosquito breeding sites. Anyone who has left water standing in a wading pool or empty flower pot knows how quickly mosquitoes arrive. But these backyard nuisances can spawn serious diseases: dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are all transmitted by mosquitoes breeding in water that collects in shallow containers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-drones-ai-flight-combat-mosquito.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:20:02 EDT news694861202 Southern California's Salton Sea was once a resort playground, with sunny beaches, celebrities and people waterskiing on the vast inland lake in the 1950s and '60s. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-toxic-california-salton-sea-children.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:40:01 EDT news694678148 Researchers have created a detailed map of a deadly childhood cancer, showing it uses "shields" and "bodyguards" to protect itself, paving the way for new treatments. The team's paper, titled "Spatial multi-omics characterization of neuroblastoma reveals ferroptosis-associated metabolic features in high-risk tumors," appears in Genome Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-shields-bodyguards-scientists-uncover-hidden.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:20:05 EDT news694192741 In October 1948, a thick haze rolled into Donora, Pennsylvania, a steel town in the Monongahela Valley, south of Pittsburgh. For five days, toxic fumes from a zinc smelter—a plant that turns zinc ore into pure zinc metal—poured out of the factory's stacks, became trapped in the valley and thus blanketed Donora. The air was filled with sulfur oxides, heavy metal dust and airborne particulates. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-pittsburgh-air-pollution-year-epa.html Sat, 21 Mar 2026 08:30:04 EDT news693141139 While urban life is often associated with stress and pollution, living in more intensely developed neighborhoods may actually protect against stroke, a new University of Michigan study suggests. The research published in Cities & Health tracked more than 25,000 adults across the United States for over a decade, and found that residents in areas with higher levels of development, characterized by more buildings, sidewalks and infrastructure, had a 2.5% lower risk of suffering a first-time stroke compared to residents in less developed areas. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-urban-shield-longitudinal.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:00:03 EDT news693156137 Musculoskeletal disorders are a primary cause of disability worldwide, especially in aging societies like Japan. As individuals age, reductions in muscle mass and physical activity weaken the body's structural support, increasing the likelihood of falls, bruises, fractures, and subsequent functional decline. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-immune-cell-subset-muscle-regeneration.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:10:09 EDT news692971501 More than 10,000 Americans who suffer from chronic liver disease are on a waitlist for a liver transplant, but there are not enough donated organs for all of those patients. Additionally, many people with liver failure aren't eligible for a transplant if they are not healthy enough to tolerate the surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-satellite-livers-alternative-liver-transplantation.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:00:06 EST news691772479 A recent study links satellite and brain imaging data to identify how environmental factors can impact mental health, cognition and brain development in young people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-satellite-neuroimaging-reveal-environment-impact.html Tue, 12 Nov 2024 16:19:04 EST news650650741