Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Speed-focused brain training tied to 25% lower dementia risk after 20 years

A simple brain-training exercise could reduce people's risk of developing dementia by 25%, a study said Monday, but with outside researchers expressing caution in interpreting the results.

Feb 9, 2026 in Gerontology & Geriatrics
Medical Xpress / Itaconate identified as a new target for pediatric brain tumors called ependymomas

Ependymomas are tumors that grow in the brain or spinal cord and are the third-most common type of brain tumor in children. This type of cancer affects about 250 children in the United States each year and is most often diagnosed ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Immunology
Medical Xpress / Physical pressure on the brain can trigger neurons' self-destruction programming

To think, feel, talk and move, neurons send messages through electrical signals in the brain and spinal cord. This intricate communication network is built of billions of neurons connected by synapses and managed and modified ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Overlooked group of gut bacteria appears key to good health, global study finds

In a huge global study led by University of Cambridge researchers, a single group of bacteria—named CAG-170—has repeatedly shown up in high numbers in the gut microbiomes of healthy people. CAG-170 is a group of gut bacteria ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Health
Medical Xpress / Clinical trial explores whether a genetic test can improve early detection of prostate cancer

A genetic test developed by researchers at Broad Clinical Labs and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is now enabling a large, nationwide clinical trial aimed at improving health care for men at increased risk of ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / The nervous system plays an active role in pancreatic cancer development, researchers discover

Notoriously tricky to detect, pancreatic cancer also often resists traditional therapy. So, researchers are urgently looking for new ways to disrupt tumor formation. Though scientists know that the nervous system can help ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / How immune cells in the adult brain can regulate generation of new neurons

A new study, recently published in the journal Nature Communications, is leading to a new understanding of how immune cells can influence adult neurogenesis, the process of creating new neurons in the brain. Neurons are the ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / New study reveals gaps in Apple Watch's ability to detect undiagnosed high blood pressure

In September 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the Apple Watch Hypertension Notifications Feature, a cuffless tool that uses the watch's optical sensors to detect blood flow patterns and alert users when ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Cardiology
Medical Xpress / Why flu season can strain your heart, and what a new mRNA approach suggests

Mount Sinai researchers have identified a cellular mechanism linking infections from influenza A viruses (IAVs) to cardiovascular disease, providing critical insights on how influenza can damage the heart and increase the ...

Medical Xpress / AI algorithm enables tracking of brainstem's vital white matter pathways

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 ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Does a vegetarian upbringing stunt growth? A study of nearly 1.2 million infants suggests not

While the global shift toward plant-based living continues to accelerate, a critical question has lingered for parents and pediatricians: Can a vegan or vegetarian diet support the rapid growth required in the first two years ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Pediatrics
Medical Xpress / Outdated Medicare rule delays nursing care and wastes hospital resources, study finds

A long-standing Medicare policy meant to manage rehabilitation services in nursing homes may keep older Americans in hospitals longer than necessary without improving patient health or saving Medicare money, new research ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Medical economics