Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Colorectal cancer may quietly damage nerves prior to chemotherapy

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that, in preclinical models of colorectal cancer, tumors can start damaging peripheral nerves before chemotherapy begins. These findings suggest tumor-related ...

Aug 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / High-dose vitamin D may improve cognition among those at risk of dementia, study finds

With more than 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer's dementia—a number projected to reach nearly 13 million by 2050—new Emory University research suggests that higher vitamin D supplement intake may be associated with ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / AI-calculated brain age predicts dementia risk years before doctors can see it

Memory clinics still rely on visual rating scales to assess brain atrophy, yet these tools lack the sensitivity to catch subtle changes associated with early dementia. A measure of how old a person's brain appears on brain ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Compound produced after eating pomegranates targets stiff-heart failure pathway, early tests suggest

A compound produced in the body after eating pomegranates improves heart function by up to 80% in a type of heart failure with limited treatment options.

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Supercentenarians have an abundance of cancer-killing immune cells

The human immune system has specialized cells called CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD4 CTLs), which have been shown to kill tumor cells in some cancers. When a person gets sick, these cells multiply in a process called clonal ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Gut bacteria may transform spinach, beets and plant iron into protective compounds

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that gut bacteria can convert dietary nitrate and iron into protective molecules that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The study, published ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Aging reprograms skin genetic activity and promotes inflammation, study reveals

As we age, the skin loses part of its ability to regenerate, heal wounds and maintain an effective barrier against the outside world. Among the causes of this deterioration is low-grade, persistent age-associated inflammation, ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Human multi-organ chip tracks breast cancer spread to bone and lung

Cancer spreading beyond the primary tumor—a process known as metastasis—is responsible for at least two-thirds of cancer deaths. Drugs targeting metastatic progression have largely failed, in part because of the lack of predictive ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / World's largest psilocybin brain-imaging study maps how context reshapes psychedelic effects

A landmark five-year study by Monash University has found psychedelics reorganize brain patterns, giving clinicians powerful new insights into their therapeutic potential.

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Newly found 'immune organ' inside skull directs brain defense

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered lymph node-like structures in the skull bone marrow of mice for the first time and demonstrated that they act as rapid first responders ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Why do we get sleepy? How neurons control sleep drive

Why does staying awake inevitably make us sleepy? Researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, have identified neuronal populations in the brains of mice that become activated during prolonged wakefulness and are ...

Aug 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Brain organoids survive nearly six years, mirroring later human development

A scientific team has shown that, under the right circumstances, 3D cell culture models of human brain tissue, known as organoids, can express features of later-stage brain development. This breakthrough could turn previously ...

Aug 19, 2026