Genetics
Cholesterol-lowering drugs could reduce risk of dementia, study finds
Low cholesterol can reduce the risk of dementia, a new University of Bristol-led study with more than a million participants has shown.
Oct 13, 2025
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Top medical news headlines for the week 42
Oncology & Cancer
Targeting enzymes to weaken cancer cells could supercharge prostate cancer treatment
An international study has uncovered a new vulnerability in prostate cancer cells that could help improve treatment for one of the most common cancers affecting men.
Oct 13, 2025
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257
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Veterans study finds updated COVID-19 shot reduces hospital visits and death
Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis reports that the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with lower risks of COVID-19–related emergency visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in a national cohort ...
Genetics
Large genetic study links cannabis use to psychiatric, cognitive and physical health
University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with the genetic testing company 23andMe, have identified regions of the human genome associated with cannabis use, uncovering new relationships ...
Oct 13, 2025
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126
Health
AI nutrition study finds 'five every day' may keep the doctor away
In a new study using AI and machine learning, EPFL researchers have found that it's not only what we eat, but how consistently we eat it that plays a crucial role in gut health.
Oct 13, 2025
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98
Neuroscience
Answering a century-old question: How do brain oscillations emerge?
Waves of synchronized, coordinated neuronal activity have been observed and studied in the brain for over a century. But for the first time, Yale researchers have identified where a certain type—known as gamma activity—emerges ...
Oct 13, 2025
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84
Psychology & Psychiatry
Surge in cannabis use seen among individuals with psychosis after legalization
Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School-led research is signaling that adults with psychosis have engaged in a sharp rise in cannabis use after states legalized and commercialized recreational sales.
Cardiology
Precise gene editing technique changes one DNA base to correct heart disease
Faulty versions of the LMNA gene can cause a wide range of health problems, including heart muscle disease (dilated cardiomyopathy) and muscle weakness (muscular dystrophies). Many of these diseases are caused by single-point ...
Oncology & Cancer
mRNA directs body to produce nanobodies that unlock immune attack on colorectal cancer tumors
A tiny molecule called a nanobody may succeed where today's cancer drugs often fail, according to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researcher Stefan Moisyadi, who has been refining the concept for nearly a decade.
Oct 14, 2025
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103
Ophthalmology
Large cohort study links allergic rhinitis to higher risk of vision-threatening optic neuritis
Sungkyunkwan University researchers in Korea ran a nationwide cohort analysis linking allergic diseases to increased optic neuritis risk, with allergic rhinitis showing the strongest association.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Medicaid for undocumented immigrants under 1% of spending, analysis reveals
Authors affiliated with Emory University, the Lown Institute, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health report that emergency Medicaid represented only a small share ...
Oncology & Cancer
Cancer's hidden sugar code: Glycan genes open diagnostic opportunities
The complex sugar molecules that festoon our cells are often treated as little more than biological decoration. A new study suggests they hold hidden patterns—distinct signatures that can separate one cancer from another. ...
Oct 14, 2025
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42
Gerontology & Geriatrics
Glycation-lowering compounds curb hunger, lower insulin resistance and extend lifespan in mice
The same chemical reaction that makes a piece of freshly toasted bread delicious also happens in our bodies, with far less appetizing consequences. We're talking about the Maillard reaction, where sugars react with protein ...
Oct 14, 2025
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41
Pediatrics
Hundreds of kids forced into quarantine as measles outbreaks spread
Health officials in several states are battling new measles outbreaks that have forced hundreds of unvaccinated students into quarantine.
Oct 14, 2025
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40
Genetics
Longevity gene from supercentenarians offers hope for disease that causes rapid aging in children
A new breakthrough in a rare genetic disease which causes children to age rapidly has been discovered using 'longevity genes' found in people who live exceptionally long lives—over 100 years old. The research, by the University ...
Oct 15, 2025
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180
Inflammatory disorders
Combination of pre- and probiotics offers superior anti-inflammatory benefits compared with omega-3 or prebiotic alone
A new study, led by researchers at the University of Nottingham, has found that combining certain types of dietary supplements is more effective than single prebiotics or omega-3 in supporting immune and metabolic health, ...
Oct 15, 2025
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170
Medications
First drug treatment for sleep apnea may be within reach
The drug sulthiame reduces the number of breathing pauses and improves sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, according to a European clinical study in which the University of Gothenburg played a significant ...
Oct 15, 2025
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112
Health
Food processing level outweighs plant-based label for heart health benefits, study finds
Previous studies have reported that a high consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, while other studies have shown that a diet including a large proportion ...
Oct 15, 2025
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97
Genetics
Epigenetic 'scars': Unveiling how childhood trauma affects our genes
Child maltreatment, which includes abuse and neglect, is one of the most serious public health concerns worldwide. These adversities leave a lasting impact on the emotional well-being, memory, and social development of affected ...
Oct 15, 2025
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Psychology & Psychiatry
Brain chemical linked to suicide risk after childhood trauma
Neuroscientists at Columbia and McGill have discovered that high levels of a brain chemical cause depression and suicidal thoughts in people who experienced trauma or adversity during childhood.
Oct 15, 2025
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93
Neuroscience
Neuroscientists—with the help of AI—can now pinpoint the moment that a brain makes a decision
For the first time, scientists can freeze-frame the exact moment an animal makes up their mind and commits to a choice—simply by looking at their brain activity.
Oct 15, 2025
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87
Immunology
A missing protein may hold key to rejuvenating aging blood cells
As our hair goes gray and our muscles weaken with age, our immune system also changes. In particular, the stem cells that become blood or immune cells can develop mutations, potentially leading to cancers or other dysfunctions.
Oct 16, 2025
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217
Neuroscience
Men experience more brain atrophy with age despite women's higher Alzheimer's risk
Women are far more likely than men to end up with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This may, at least partially, be due to women's longer average lifespans, but many scientists think there is probably more to the story. It would ...
Oncology & Cancer
Tumor infiltration of major blood vessels, not metastasis, may be primary cause of cancer death
The ultimate cause of death from cancer may not be metastatic disease, as researchers have long surmised, but an infiltration of tumors into major blood vessels that cause blood clots and multiorgan failure, a one-of-a-kind ...
Oct 16, 2025
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Cardiology
AI analyzes world's largest heart attack data sets—and reveals new treatment methods
A landmark international study led by the University of Zurich has shown that artificial intelligence can assess patient risk for the most common type of heart attack more accurately than existing methods. This could enable ...
Oct 16, 2025
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70
Medications
Muscle wasting reversed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis increased their leg muscle volume when treated with an anti-rheumatic drug, offering new hope for improved muscle health.
Oct 16, 2025
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68
Psychology & Psychiatry
Sex-specific differences in blood-brain barrier may elucidate why women face greater depression risk
Women are affected by severe depression twice as often as men. The reasons for this have not yet been fully clarified. One potential factor is sex-specific differences in the blood-brain barrier. This barrier is formed by ...
Oct 16, 2025
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66
Psychology & Psychiatry
A 'flight simulator' for the brain reveals how we learn—and why minds sometimes go off course
Every day, your brain makes thousands of decisions under uncertainty. Most of the time, you guess right. When you don't, you learn. But when the brain's ability to judge context or assign meaning falters, thoughts and behavior ...
Oct 16, 2025
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60
Neuroscience
Deep sleep supports memory via brain fluid and neural rhythms, research finds
Researchers led by Masako Tamaki at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan report a link between deep sleep and cerebrospinal fluid, the clear liquid that surrounds and supports the brain and spinal cord. Published in ...
Oct 17, 2025
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230
Psychology & Psychiatry
Fecal microbiota transplant may help patients with IBS and depressive symptoms
A meta-analysis of randomized trials suggests fecal microbiota transplantation can ease depressive symptoms, with stronger effects reported for endoscopic or enema delivery, according to researchers at the Department of Nursing, ...
Immunology
How immune cells deliver their deadly cargo: An unexpected connection to lipid metabolism
When immune cells strike, precision is everything. New research reveals how natural killer and T cells orchestrate the release of toxic granules—microscopic packages that destroy virus-infected or cancerous cells.
Oct 17, 2025
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76
Neuroscience
How the auditory cortex syncs with behavior to help the brain become a better listener
When we are engaged in a task, our brain's auditory system changes how it works. One of the main auditory centers of the brain, the auditory cortex, is filled with neural activity that is not sound-driven—rather, this activity ...
Oct 17, 2025
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61
Oncology & Cancer
Leukemia cells evade treatment by reshaping their mitochondria, researchers discover
Researchers from Rutgers Health and other institutions have discovered why a powerful leukemia drug eventually fails in most patients—and found a potential way to overcome that resistance.
Oct 17, 2025
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60
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Missing molecule holds clues to Down syndrome
New research suggests a missing brain molecule may hold the key to understanding—and potentially treating—the faulty neural circuits seen in Down syndrome. Restoring the molecule, called pleiotrophin, could enhance brain ...
Oct 17, 2025
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Medical research
Building stronger health systems saves lives, Madagascar experiment shows
The idea that building better health care systems can improve and save people's lives may seem obvious, but until now there has been little published with the data and statistical muscle to prove it.
Oct 17, 2025
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45
Medical research
Lab-grown brains with all major cell types support next-generation therapy research
A new 3D human brain tissue platform developed by MIT researchers is the first to integrate all major brain cell types, including neurons, glial cells and the vasculature into a single culture. Grown from individual donors' ...
Oct 18, 2025
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130
Neuroscience
Social media usage linked to lower cognitive performance in preteens
Increasing social media usage among children has been linked to a decline in cognitive performance. A JAMA study involving 6,554 adolescents aged 9–13 found that those who spent more time on social media scored lower in ...
Medical research
Music could help ease pain from surgery or illness. Scientists are listening
Nurse Rod Salaysay works with all kinds of instruments in the hospital: a thermometer, a stethoscope and sometimes his guitar and ukulele.
Oct 18, 2025
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Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
New monoclonal antibody prevents malaria infection in early clinical trial
Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death among children in sub-Saharan Africa, claiming more than 600,000 lives each year worldwide with limited efficacy in currently available treatments and vaccines. Now a new ...
Oct 18, 2025
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46
Health
Which cooking oil is best? Asking how they're made could tell you more
Vegetable oils are everywhere, and almost everyone has an opinion about them. From clever marketing in supermarket aisles to headlines about deforestation, they have become both the heroes and villains of the modern diet. ...
Oct 18, 2025
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2
Oncology & Cancer
Oral drug combination extends progression-free survival in advanced ER-positive breast cancer
Patients with estrogen-receptor-positive HER-2-negative advanced breast cancer showed significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with an oral combination regimen that includes giredestrant, a novel, next-generation ...
Oct 18, 2025
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0
Pediatrics
Sleep practices during infant illnesses may increase risk of sudden infant death
When a child falls ill, caregivers often change how and where the infant sleeps—wanting to keep them close through the night. But new research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center suggests that some of these changes—although ...
Oct 18, 2025
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0
Oncology & Cancer
Research finds COVID-19 mRNA vaccine sparks immune response to fight cancer
Patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy drugs lived significantly longer than those who did not get the vaccine, researchers have found.
Oct 19, 2025
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390
Oncology & Cancer
mRNA-based COVID vaccines generate improved responses to immunotherapy
Patients with cancer who received mRNA-based COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint therapy were twice as likely to be alive three years after beginning treatment, according to a new study led by researchers ...
Oct 19, 2025
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242
Medications
Drug combo cuts risk of death in advanced prostate cancer by 40%, clinical trial finds
Men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery or radiation therapy may now benefit from a new drug combination shown in clinical trials to cut the risk of death by more than 40%.
Oct 19, 2025
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64
Oncology & Cancer
Ibuprofen: How an everyday drug might offer protection against cancer
Ibuprofen is a household name—the go-to remedy for everything from headaches to period pain. But recent research suggests this everyday drug might be doing more than easing discomfort. It could also have anti-cancer properties.
Oct 19, 2025
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23
Oncology & Cancer
VT3989 continues to show promising early results in patients with advanced mesothelioma
The first-in-class YAP-TEAD inhibitor VT3989 continued to be well tolerated and demonstrated notable initial antitumor activity, particularly in patients with refractory mesothelioma, according to results from a trial led ...
Oct 19, 2025
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14
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Mpox strain that may be more severe and easily spread is found in L.A. County for first time
Two cases of a potentially more severe strain of mpox have been confirmed in Los Angeles County.
Oct 19, 2025
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Medications
Should I take a magnesium supplement? Will it help me sleep or prevent muscle cramps?
Magnesium supplements are everywhere—lined up on pharmacy shelves and promoted on wellness blogs and social media.
Oct 19, 2025
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