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. Cash transfer programs, which provide money directly to recipients, are growing in the United States, but face significant scrutiny, with questions over their value. In addition, some contend that these payments can lead to harm—recipients, they claim, will use the cash to immediately buy alcohol or drugs, leading to injury or death. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-eleven-year-alaska-analysis-spike.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:00:01 EST news689855762 The increased size of, and lesser blood supply to, a key brain structure in patients with long COVID tracks with known blood markers of Alzheimer's disease and greater levels of dementia, a new study finds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-covid-linked-alzheimer-disease-mechanisms.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 07:00:03 EST news689848021 The signals that drive many of the brain and body's most essential functions—consciousness, sleep, breathing, heart rate and motion—course through bundles of "white matter" fibers in the brainstem, but imaging systems so far have been unable to finely resolve these crucial neural cables. That has left researchers and doctors with little capability to assess how they are affected by trauma or neurodegeneration. In a new study, a team of MIT, Harvard, and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers unveil AI-powered software capable of automatically segmenting eight distinct bundles in any diffusion MRI sequence. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ai-algorithm-enables-tracking-brainstem.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:00:01 EST news689869299 Knee injuries are among the most serious and common injuries in rugby. Developing effective prevention strategies requires the identification of aspects of physical performance—such as power, muscle strength, and balance—that contribute to severe knee injuries during competition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-quantifying-physical-knee-injury-factors.html Sat, 07 Feb 2026 09:00:08 EST news689436986 Severe bleeding is one of the most common and preventable causes of death after traumatic injury, yet currently available tools have poor ability to determine which patients urgently need blood transfusions. A new multinational study, just published in Lancet Digital Health, suggests artificial intelligence (AI) may help close that gap. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ai-tool-trauma-patients-blood.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:08:57 EST news689508481 In 2022, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned to a game against the Buffalo Bills after sustaining a head injury that the NFL later acknowledged should have been classified as a concussion. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ai-voice-analysis-concussion-seconds.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:00:01 EST news689407975 Air ambulance pre-hospital care (HEMS) may make surviving critical injury more likely as it's associated with saving five more lives than would be expected in every 100 major trauma cases, suggests an analysis of survival data for one regional service in South East England, and published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-air-ambulance-pre-hospital-surviving.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:30:07 EST news689319542 In a prospective imaging study of 200 adults with lung cancer, photon-counting CT reduced radiation exposure, yielded fewer adverse reactions and provided higher image quality and better detection of malignant features compared with conventional CT. Results of the study are published in Radiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-photon-ct-outperforms-conventional-lung.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:20:01 EST news689350599 On Oct. 25, 2023, a 40-year-old man named Robert Card opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at a bowling alley and nearby bar in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others. Card was found dead by suicide two days later. His autopsy revealed extensive damage to the white matter of his brain thought to be related to a traumatic brain injury, which some neurologists proposed may have played a role in his murderous actions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-brain-injuries-linked-violent-crime.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:54:29 EST news689341981 A study of more than 500 people living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their caregivers, co-led by researchers at Mass General Brigham, found that survey participants viewed the ability to regain basic communication as the minimum acceptable outcome after severe brain injury. The study, published in Critical Care Medicine, shows that many individuals living with TBIs consider outcomes involving significant disability to be acceptable. These results challenge longstanding assumptions by TBI researchers and providers about what constitutes a "favorable" outcome after a severe brain injury, and should inform future care discussions and clinical trials, according to the authors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-people-traumatic-brain-injury-caregivers.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:16:38 EST news689332561 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 A tiny roundworm has helped University of Queensland scientists uncover minuscule structures in skin tissue that may protect the body's ability to feel temperature, touch and pain. The research is published in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-pleasure-pain-tiny-worm-reveals.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:37:23 EST news688991821 Recovering from acute kidney damage isn't just about growing kidney cells—it also requires kidney tissue to stiffen temporarily, University of Connecticut researchers report Dec. 3 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-toughen-kidney-temporary-tissue-stiffening.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:04:33 EST news688907042 Analysis of hospital registry data found that people who were hospitalized due to bleeding in the brain and who had taken multiple antiplatelet medications, or medications stronger than aspirin, were more likely to die before leaving the hospital compared to those not taking any antiplatelet medication, according to a preliminary study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026, held in New Orleans, Feb. 4–6, 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-analysis-multiple-antiplatelets-linked-worse.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 06:31:41 EST news688890661 Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in the world. According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people live with epilepsy, a condition marked by recurring seizures that can also affect mood, memory, and day-to-day thinking. While many medications can reduce seizures, up to 40% of patients don't respond well enough, and today's drugs generally don't stop the condition from worsening over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-tiny-peptide-epilepsy.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:30:04 EST news688822094 Each year, 20,000 children and adolescents across the U.S. lose a parent to gun violence, while an estimated two to three times more have a parent who has been injured due to a firearm. To better understand the mental health impact of parental firearm injury, investigators from Mass General Brigham analyzed records from a large health insurance database, finding that in the year following a parent's injury, children had increases in psychiatric diagnoses and mental health visits, especially if the parent had suffered a severe injury. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-parental-firearm-injury-linked-mental.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:00:01 EST news688639621 Taking certain antidepressants at the time of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not associated with an increased risk of death, brain surgery, or longer hospital stays, according to a new study. For the study, researchers looked at serotonergic antidepressants, which treat anxiety and depression by increasing serotonin activity in the brain. These included selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-antidepressants-linked-worse-early-outcomes.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:00:02 EST news688813802 Researchers have developed a way to grow a highly specialized subset of brain nerve cells that are involved in motor neuron disease and damaged in spinal injuries. Their study, published today in eLife, presents fundamental findings on the directed differentiation of a rare population of special brain progenitors—also known as adult or parent stem cells—into corticospinal-like neurons. The editors note that the work provides compelling data demonstrating the success of this new approach. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-scientists-specialized-nerve-cells-degenerate.html Tue, 27 Jan 2026 20:00:01 EST news688751614 Physical trauma is the leading cause of death in young adults. About 1 in 4 patients with multiple trauma is alcohol-intoxicated at the time of injury, typically suffering from a fall or a traffic accident. The medical assessment of severely injured people on the scene and en route to the hospital is a crucial and challenging step, determining life-saving measures, time-critical interventions, transport decisions, and hospital destinations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-alcohol-intoxicated-severely-patients-misdiagnosed.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:00:01 EST news688655580 Expanded eligibility for advanced stroke therapies and new recommendations for diagnosing and treating stroke in children and adults are among the major updates in the new 2026 Guideline for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, published today in the journal Stroke. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-guideline-treatment-adults-pediatric-guidance.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:43:59 EST news688646582 When most people think of concussion, the first type of patient that comes to mind is a youth athlete. However, concussion is also common in early childhood, largely due to kids' naturally exploratory behavior as they experience and learn their world. A new study from researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital finds that while a toddler's concussion experience is often different than an older child's, symptoms can last just as long. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-younger-children-persistent-symptoms-concussion.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:40:27 EST news688642562 What's the first thing you did when you woke up this morning? Maybe you swung your legs over the side of your bed, placed your feet on the floor and stood up. Simple, right? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-diamond-coated-electrodes-people.html Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:02:10 EST news688212062 The medical consequences of traumatic brain injuries are well-studied and affect millions of Americans every year. But one of the brain's complexities is less explored: how much force from a car crash, explosion or other injury makes its way into the brain itself. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-tbis-lab-brain.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:59:30 EST news688136341 People with spinal cord injuries often lose some or all their limb function. In most patients, the nerves in their limbs work fine, and the neurons in their brain are still operational, but the damage to their spinal cords prevents the two areas from communicating. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-noninvasive-brain-scanning-paralyzed-limbs.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:00:03 EST news688064041 Imagine a simple saliva test that makes concussion screening faster and more objective than ever before. Thanks to neurotechnology being developed and piloted by Andrew Cordssen-David (BSc '22, MBET '23), co-founder and CEO of HeadFirst, a small, game-changing device aims to remove the uncertainty surrounding head injuries in contact sports and beyond. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-rapid-concussion-saliva.html Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:00:04 EST news688040631 Running with your kids can be a great way to spend time together and build some healthy habits. But when is the right age to start? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-kids.html Mon, 19 Jan 2026 10:41:30 EST news688041662 As populations age, older adults are increasingly involved in traffic crashes, particularly those riding motorcycles and scooters. In Taiwan, nearly half of traffic deaths among people aged 65 and above involve two-wheeled vehicles. Ensuring that these riders receive the right level of care at the right time has become a growing challenge for emergency systems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-scene-scoring-tool-ems-older.html Sun, 18 Jan 2026 17:20:01 EST news687705255 In a proof-of-concept study, researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have shown that an innovative, noninvasive technique can be used to quickly collect 3D images of the human body, from head to foot. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-3d-hybrid-imaging-limitations-mri.html Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:00:02 EST news687776305 Strokes are a medical emergency, yet imaging can capture only snapshots of how brain damage develops in the hours and days that follow. For many other organs, blood tests can indicate acute injury, but until now the brain has lacked a comparable marker. Researchers at LMU University Hospital and international partners report that a new blood biomarker, brain-derived tau (BD-tau), can track the extent of brain injury after ischemic stroke over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-blood-extent-brain-injury-reveals.html Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:15:47 EST news687701701 After the summer break, you're ready to get back into exercise. You put on your shoes, pop on your headphones and head out the door on your first run of the new year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-difference-sprained-ankle.html Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:50:19 EST news687606602