https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The start of the year often comes with attempts at big life changes that we're hoping will make us feel more grounded, fulfilled or in control. Maybe you've decided it's time to change careers, move overseas or run a marathon. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-grand-small-tweaks-life.html Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:30:03 EST news689860838 Research suggests young, active people are increasingly being diagnosed with osteoarthritis at much earlier ages than many expect. I have seen its effects firsthand among my own friends. One, a keen marathon runner, developed stage 2 osteoarthritis in her mid-30s. Several well-known public figures, including Robbie Williams, Tiger Woods and Andy Murray, have also spoken openly about experiencing the condition relatively young. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-young-adults-osteoarthritis.html Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:30:02 EST news689860737 A study comparing one- and three-month antibiotic treatments to prevent active tuberculosis (TB) finds that a high percentage of patients successfully completed both regimens and suffered few adverse side effects. A team led by Richard Chaisson, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, U.S.A., reports these findings in PLOS Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-shorter-treatment-regimens-safe-options.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:00:02 EST news689872753 Stimulating two brain areas, nudging them to collectively fire in the same way, increases a person's ability to behave altruistically, according to a study published in the PLOS Biology by Jie Hu from East China Normal University in China and colleagues from University of Zurich in Switzerland. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-gamma-synced-brain-nudge-people.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:00:01 EST news689849702 Learning to read reshapes how the brain processes language. New research from Baycrest and the University of São Paulo shows that learning to read fundamentally changes how the brain responds to spoken language, even when no written words are present. While previous brain imaging studies have demonstrated that literacy strongly affects how the brain responds to written words, this study is among the first to show differences in brain activity during listening alone. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-brain-reshapes-language.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:52:24 EST news689874721 According to conventional wisdom, a great way to lose weight is to do some exercise. While being active is beneficial in many ways for our health, it may not be very helpful if you want to shed a few inches off your waistline. And now, a new study published in Current Biology offers an explanation for why. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-weight.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:40:08 EST news689860446 Where kids are born in a family can be important. But it is not just about who gets more grown-up privileges or parental pressure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-younger-siblings-screens-big-sisters.html Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:00:06 EST news689338422 The benefits of physical activity for children are enormous. As researchers of physical education (PE)—and ex-PE teachers—we know evidence shows it can have a positive impact on mental and physical health, social relationships, emotional control and confidence, as well as on academic performance. Why not make movement the framework that the rest of the school day is built upon? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-physical-boost-children-health-central.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:50:01 EST news689596055 Glioblastoma is the most prevalent and aggressive brain tumor. It proliferates very rapidly, is highly invasive, and there is currently no treatment capable of halting its progression or curing it, which means life expectancy after diagnosis is very short. The standard procedure involves surgical resection of the tumor followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but even with this aggressive treatment, recurrences are very common, often within a year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-experimental-bioadhesive-patch-brain-tissue.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:43:30 EST news689607781 The brains of mammals continuously combine signals originating from different regions to produce various sensations, emotions, thoughts and behaviors. This process, known as information integration, is what allows brain regions with different functions to collectively form unified experiences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-central-thalamus-anesthesia-neural-basis.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:20:01 EST news689595211 Children and adolescents affected by juvenile fibromyalgia show greater sensitivity to non-painful sensory stimuli, such as sounds and bright lights. This hypersensitivity is closely related to the severity of the disease and to the brain function of the young people affected, according to research by a team from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro) at the University of Barcelona. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-children-adolescents-affected-juvenile-fibromyalgia.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:48:54 EST news689593690 A new study examines how COVID-19 restrictions affected children and adolescents' movement skills, analyzing measured changes in motor competence before and after lockdowns, school closures and reduced access to physical activity. The analysis, published in the Journal of Sport Sciences identifies a consistent decline in motor competence following pandemic restrictions. It suggests that there was a trend of reduced ability to balance and move well—that is, to jump, hop, run and skip. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-covid-restrictions-linked-global-decline.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:20:02 EST news689512433 A hallmark of Parkinson's disease is the buildup of Lewy bodies—misfolded clumps of the protein known as alpha-synuclein. Long before Lewy bodies form, alpha-synuclein can interfere with neurons' ability to transport proteins and other cargo along their axons to the synapses. When present at high levels, alpha-synuclein binds too tightly to structures inside the axon, creating the cellular equivalent of traffic jams. These disruptions may even help set the stage for the later accumulation of Lewy bodies in the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-mutation-parkinson-protein-eases-cellular.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:40:06 EST news689527352 A research team from POSTECH and ImmunoBiome in Korea, led by Professor Sin-Hyeog Im, has uncovered a new mechanism showing how butyrate—a short-chain fatty acid produced by gut commensal bacteria—enhances T follicular helper (Tfh) cell activity to promote antibody production and strengthen mucosal vaccine efficacy. This study identifies a new microbiota–immune–antibody production axis linking microbial metabolism to mucosal immune responses, providing a strategy to maximize the protective effects of mucosal vaccines. The findings are published in the journal Microbiome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-gut-microbe-derived-butyrate-immune.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:00:40 EST news689511601 Memories must be flexible so animals can adapt when the world changes. FMI neuroscientists have found that in fruit flies, simply tasting a sugar reward again can weaken all previous associated memories. This process may inspire new ways to safely update harmful or unwanted memories. The paper is published in the journal Current Biology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-sweet-reset-sugar-brain-quiet.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:00:01 EST news689505124 A team of researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center discovered an innovative way to use a drug already approved for treating irregular heartbeat to selectively target specific functions of enzymes in lymphoma, effectively killing cancer cells and reducing tumor growth with little to no toxicity. Recent findings published in Pharmacological Research set the groundwork for how this strategy could help transform the future of precision medicine in cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-arrhythmia-drug-myc-driven-lymphoma.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 07:00:08 EST news689488631 Following a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of all types of stroke among women, according to a study published in Neurology Open Access. The study does not prove that the Mediterranean diet is the cause of the lower risk of stroke; it only shows an association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-mediterranean-diet.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:48:31 EST news689446081 A new Crohn's & Colitis Foundation–led survey of more than 1,500 people living with or at risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) found that 93% would be interested in a test to predict their or their family's risk of developing IBD in the future. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-survey-ibd-community-strategies.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:00:03 EST news689244302 Alex Balmes' symptoms were uncommon for a 32-year-old—irregular heartbeat, fatigue, shortness of breath, bloating, unexpected weight gain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-common-heart-failure-symptoms-young.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:09:37 EST news689324898 The flu is hitting kids hard this season. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-kids-died-flu-season-child.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:40:01 EST news689257952 You check into a hotel and toss and turn all night, but your sleep improves the following night. Scientists at Nagoya University wanted to understand why this happens. Working with mice, they have identified a group of neurons that become active when an animal enters a new environment. These neurons release a molecule called neurotensin that maintains wakefulness. The effect protects them from potential dangers in unknown surroundings. The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-poorly-environments-brain-circuit-animals.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:05 EST news688997187 Stroke survivors often face substantial and long-lasting problems with their arms. Both arms often decline together: When one arm is more severely affected by the stroke, the other becomes more difficult to use as well. Compared with a healthy person's dominant hand, a stroke survivor may take up to three times longer to complete everyday tasks using their less-impaired arm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-survivors-counterintuitively-recovery-stronger-arm.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:17:35 EST news689260622 Coffee first entered human lives and veins over 600 years ago. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-coffee-blood-pressure.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:37:45 EST news689254622 We may not need to completely overhaul our lives to live healthier for longer, according to a large UK-based study. This is welcome news, particularly as many people will already have abandoned their New Year's resolutions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-small-physical-diet-linked-longer.html Sat, 31 Jan 2026 10:50:04 EST news688988825 Is living in a leafy neighborhood enough to improve your mental health? Not necessarily. What matters most is frequent exposure to nature across different settings, especially while being physically active. That's the takeaway from a study led by Université de Montréal postdoctoral fellow Corentin Montiel, supervised by professor Isabelle Doré of UdeM's School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences and School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-nature-daily-life-linked-mental.html Sat, 31 Jan 2026 10:50:03 EST news688815798 Elevated body mass index (BMI) and physical inactivity are metabolic drivers of hypertension-related chronic kidney disease (HT-CKD), with elevated BMI exerting a greater impact, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in Frontiers in Nutrition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-elevated-bmi-physical-inactivity-metabolic.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 19:30:01 EST news689002002 Being more active in the morning or afternoon is not just a matter of personal preference. Chronotype, which is each person's biological tendency to function better at certain times of the day, can play a significant role in preserving muscle mass, as well as its quality and strength, and also in metabolic health. Understanding this relationship can help explain why not everyone responds the same way to the same health routines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-night-owl-early-bird-chronotype.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:20:02 EST news689002459 If you name it, you can tame it. That's a new tool for fighting cigarette cravings, according to assistant research psychologist Golnaz Tabibnia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-technique-cigarette-cravings.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:32:21 EST news688984321 We're all familiar with the idea that we have to use antibiotics wisely. You've probably seen a poster at your local health center warning about their loss of effectiveness, and with good reason—bacterial resistance to these drugs is currently one of the biggest threats to global health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-dentists-antibiotics-countries-dont-guidelines.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:10:01 EST news688912359 A new in vivo pharmacokinetic recall study involving 114 participants in the Estonian Biobank has provided the first clinical confirmation that previously uncharacterized genetic variants in the drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 significantly affect how drugs are processed in the human body. These results emphasize the need to look beyond common pharmacogenetic markers to improve the precision of personalized drug therapy. The paper is published in the journal npj Genomic Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-rare-cyp2c19-cyp2d6-variants-drug.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:00:01 EST news688916512