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. A common kidney medication could be the key to treating a type of infertility that affects up to 3% of women under 40, according to a study published in Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-kidney-drug-fertility-premature-ovarian.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:00:03 EST news689857457 Overcoming tumor resistance to chemotherapy drugs has long been a challenge for oncology clinicians and researchers. Now, a new study suggests that blocking a key protein, p300, may force damaged cancer cells into a state of uncontrolled transcriptional activity, thereby creating a novel form of cellular stress that can make even chemo-resistant tumors sensitive again to treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-chemo-resistant-cancer-cells-resensitized.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:20:08 EST news689608103 When UNSW Associate Professor Shafagh Waters explains cystic fibrosis (CF) to the children she works with, she asks them to imagine what is happening inside their own bodies. "I tell them to picture an airport," she says. "There's a gate at the surface of every cell. It's meant to open so water and salts can flow through—just like planes leaving a gate. In cystic fibrosis, that gate might be stuck closed, built in the wrong place, or it could be so unstable that it falls apart as soon as it forms." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-tiny-mini-grown-children-cells.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:43:37 EST news689589781 Shift work and irregular eating patterns could affect liver function and disrupt its delicate circadian rhythm, University of Queensland researchers have found. Dr. Meltem Weger from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience said the body has various circadian clocks that regulate critical biological processes including liver function. She said the liver operates its own body clock, releasing proteins in a 24-hour rhythm, and disruptions to this cycle are linked with chronic conditions such as obesity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-shift-irregular-impact-liver-body.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:12:27 EST news689530321 One of the biggest hurdles in developing an HIV vaccine is coaxing the body to produce the right kind of immune cells and antibodies. In most vaccines, HIV proteins are attached to a larger protein scaffolding that mimics a virus. Then, a person's immune system produces a range of antibodies that recognize different bits of those proteins. Often, however, some of those antibodies react not to HIV itself, but to the scaffold used to deliver the vaccine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-invisible-vaccine-scaffolding-boosts-hiv.html Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:11 EST news689444942 Results from the largest-ever clinical trial of its kind found administering a synthetic protein can reduce bleeding and improve outcomes for certain patients at the highest risk of continued bleeding following a type of stroke called an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-synthetic-protein-potentially-outcomes-intracerebral.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:00:04 EST news689331361 DNA is often described as the instruction manual for building the fundamental components of life. Proteins are helpers that aid DNA in carrying out essential processes such as replication, repair, and transcription. Under normal conditions, proteins do not hang around near DNA when not needed, but in some cases, they become covalently and permanently bound to a DNA strand. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-premature-aging-result-immune-responses.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:20:01 EST news689314598 Protein is having a moment, with federal guidelines significantly raising the recommended amount people should eat every day and products ranging from coffee drinks to Pop-Tarts touting enhanced levels of the nutrient. Eating enough protein is important for good health, Denver-area dieticians said, but people who want to increase their intake need to make sure they choose quality foods and don't crowd out healthy carbohydrates and fats. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-protein-rage.html Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:40:02 EST news688973610 A new study reveals how bacteria in the gut can help determine whether the amino acid asparagine from the diet will feed tumor growth or activate immune cells against the cancer, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. This casts the gut microbiome, comprising the trillions of microorganisms that live in the intestine, as a central player in the body's response to cancer and to modern cancer treatments like immunotherapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-gut-bacteria-tumors-fueling-immunity.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:40:02 EST news688919619 Since it was first detected in the U.S. in 2014, H5N1 avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has jumped from wild birds to farm animals and then to people, causing more than 70 human cases in the U.S. since 2022, including two fatalities. The virus continues to circulate among animals, giving it the opportunity to develop the ability to spread among humans and potentially cause another pandemic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-nasal-bird-flu-vaccine-strong.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:01 EST news688927202 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 Microglia are the brain's immune cells that clean out debris, such as damaged proteins and old cell parts, to keep the organ healthy. But the very properties that make these cells so useful might also be a driving factor in Alzheimer's disease. According to a new study published in the journal Nature, microglia may be accidentally destroying vital brain connections as they struggle to deal with backlogs of aging proteins. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-brain-protein-cleanup-play-role.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:30:02 EST news688918581 A new commentary says the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans give undue prominence to meat, dairy, and "bad" fat, and risk the public's health. The Viewpoint article, titled "When Nutrition Science is Ignored/Potential Public Health Cost of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines," expresses concern that the new guidelines ignored the advice of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which emphasized limiting meat, added sugars, and high-sodium foods in favor of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and plant proteins; instead releasing guidelines not based on scientific evidence. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-commentary-evidence-dietary-guidelines.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:40:01 EST news688836998 Researchers at LUMC have made a breakthrough in understanding PALB2 mutations, an important cause of hereditary breast cancer. By identifying which mutations affect the function of PALB2, doctors can now assess much more accurately which mutations are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-hereditary-breast-cancer.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:45:44 EST news688833901 When our body fights an infection, the immune system must quickly activate defenses and trigger a beneficial inflammatory response. But it is just as important to resolve that inflammation and return to homeostasis. Macrophages play a key role in this balance: they are cells specialized in phagocytosing, or engulfing, cells that have died due to viral infection and in repairing infection—or inflammation—related tissue damage. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-interferon-reprograms-macrophage-mitochondria-inflammation.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:00:31 EST news688812541 A multicenter research effort in China conducted clinical trial testing of oral berberine for six months in diabetes-free adults with obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Visceral adipose tissue area and liver fat content showed no significant differences between berberine and placebo. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-berberine-advantage-placebo-liver-belly.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:41:47 EST news688815598 A Purdue University team has discovered a new therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer. The research, led by Kyle Cottrell, an assistant professor of biochemistry, spotlights double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA)-binding proteins. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-therapeutic-breast-cancer-involves-stranded.html Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:20:05 EST news688745455 New research shows that after the body's defenses kill the virus behind COVID-19, leftover digested chunks of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can target specific immune cells based on their shape. The revelations could explain why certain populations of cells that detect and fight infection are depleted in patients with severe COVID-19, and shed light on the omicron variant's milder symptoms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-leftover-covid-spike-fragments-crucial.html Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:10:07 EST news688745230 The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) for 2025-2030 have caused significant controversy, with polarized opinions between their supporters and detractors. They are disruptive, to say the least, both in how they are presented and the recommendations they make. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-food-pyramid-scientifically-upends-decades.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 13:30:01 EST news688656209 Researchers in Class of 1942 Professor of Chemistry Matthew D. Shoulders' lab have uncovered a sinister hidden mechanism that can allow cancer cells to survive (and, in some cases, thrive) even when hit with powerful drugs. The secret lies in a cellular "safety net" that gives cancer the freedom to develop aggressive mutations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-cancer-secret-safety-net-hidden.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:34:42 EST news688649641 Scientists from A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB) have identified why certain lung cancer cells become highly resistant to treatment after developing mutations in a key gene called EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-scientists-lung-cancer-bodyguard.html Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:30:03 EST news688303607 Northwestern Medicine scientists have zeroed in on a cellular gatekeeper that may hold promise for treating abnormal protein accumulation in neurodegenerative diseases, according to a study published in Nature Communications. "In all neurodegenerative diseases, there is an accumulation of misfolded proteins," said Robert Kalb, MD, the Joan and Paul Rubschlager Professor, chief of Neuromuscular Disease in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, and director of the Les Turner ALS Center, who was senior author of the study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-key-proteins-als.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:12:47 EST news688324321 A research team at Université Laval may have discovered why physical exercise and living in favorable socioeconomic conditions reduce the risk of depression. In lab animals exposed to chronic social stress, one of the main causes of depression, physical activity and an enriched environment helped maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier in areas of the brain associated with mood and emotion regulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-enriched-environments-brain-barrier-stress.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:08:48 EST news688324081 Earlier this month, the federal government issued new dietary guidelines that place an emphasis on protein, including red meat; recommend full-fat dairy, and offer less specific guidance on alcohol intake. The new guidelines also offer a stronger focus on limiting added sugars and highly processed food, according to Stephani Johnson, a clinical dietitian and adjunct assistant professor in the Rutgers School of Health Professions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-qa-dietary-guidelines.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:29:42 EST news688321742 Functioning brain cells need a functioning system for picking up the trash and sorting the recycling. But when the cellular sanitation machines responsible for those tasks, called lysosomes, break down or get overwhelmed, it can increase the risk of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurological disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-atlas-neurological-disease.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:25:38 EST news688321501 An international research team has succeeded in deciphering a key mechanism that controls the growth of pancreatic cancers. The scientists identified a potential central mechanism by which cancer cells protect themselves from attack by the body's own immune system. Blocking this mechanism resulted in a dramatic reduction in tumors in laboratory animals. Could this mark a shift in how we think about cancer therapy? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-pancreatic-tumors-myc-protein-evade.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:00:04 EST news688227601 Long-distance cyclists can preserve fat-free body mass while on a plant-based diet, according to new research involving a University of Alberta nutrition expert. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-based-diets-fuel-ultra-athletes.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:50:26 EST news688301401 Proteins form the building blocks of life, but when they form unusual clumps inside the brain, they raise an alarm that something isn't right. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-lewy-body-formation-parkinson-disease.html Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:40:01 EST news688216946 A simple blood test can help detect cancer in patients with non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain or weight loss. This is according to a Swedish study from Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital and others, published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-blood-cancer-patients-specific-symptoms.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:40:04 EST news688129332 The functioning of neurons, cells that transmit information in the nervous system, heavily relies on the production of proteins. Proteins are synthesized both inside cells (i.e., in the soma) and locally along axons, projections via which signals are transmitted to other cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-closer-local-protein-production-als.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:10:01 EST news687787329