Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Periods may trigger pain for many who have sickle cell disease

Pain related to sickle cell disease (SCD) increases during menstruation, as do emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, for many women and girls—according to a new, nationwide study led by researchers at UC ...

Medical Xpress / Prenatal infection may raise adult alcohol misuse risk, study suggests

Exposure to infection and other immune stress in the womb increases the likelihood of alcohol misuse in adulthood, a risk that may be reduced through prenatal antioxidant treatment, a new Washington State University study ...

Feb 19, 2026 in Addiction
Medical Xpress / A possible Alzheimer's biomarker? Why REST protein levels are drawing attention

Globally, millions of people are affected by Alzheimer's disease, with around 120,000 individuals in Norway alone. Witnessing a loved one gradually decline because of this devastating condition can be heart-wrenching. "Alzheimer's ...

Feb 19, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Blood and urine DNA tests may help some bladder cancer patients avoid surgery

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have reported promising findings that may help redefine treatment for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a potentially aggressive form of the disease traditionally ...

Feb 19, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Study maps brainstem nerve cells that stabilize blood pressure minute to minute

Doctors usually focus on a person's average blood pressure, but research increasingly shows that how much blood pressure fluctuates from moment to moment is just as important. Excessive short-term variability is a strong ...

Feb 19, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / High-performance ECG patch eliminates cold gel and irritating adhesives

Conventional ECG patches often require cold gels and adhesives, which can cause skin irritation and leave marks. These materials can also lose effectiveness during vigorous movement, compromising signal quality. Addressing ...

Feb 19, 2026 in Cardiology
Medical Xpress / Study finds Medicaid disenrollment spikes at age 19, with rates up to 83.9%

In most states, Medicaid eligibility rules shift at age 19, when individuals transition from child to adult classification. A new study led by the University of Chicago finds that this policy threshold coincides with a sharp ...

Feb 19, 2026 in Pediatrics
Medical Xpress / Childhood BMI changes genetically linked to adulthood diabetes and heart disease

A University of Queensland study has modeled how genes can influence a child's body mass index (BMI) over time and how they may contribute to the risk of developing diseases, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes, later ...

Feb 19, 2026 in Genetics
Medical Xpress / Early hydrocortisone treatment can protect extremely premature babies from lung disease

Early hydrocortisone treatment of extremely premature babies increases their chances of survival without lung disease, according to a study led by Linköping University. The study also shows that the treatment is safe to ...

Medical Xpress / Recurrent prostate cancer: Two treatment strategies with uncertain outcomes compared

Imperial College London investigators compared focal therapy with prostate removal surgery for men with prostate cancer that returned after radiotherapy. Matched analyses estimated 10-year cancer-specific survival at 92% ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / People prefer the empathy of humans, but rate 'fake' AI empathy higher

Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents, particularly the large language models (LLMs) underpinning the functioning of ChatGPT and other popular conversational platforms, are now used daily by millions of people worldwide. As ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / Kirigami-inspired sensors precisely map activity of neurons in the primate brain

Recent technological advances have opened new exciting possibilities for the development of smart prosthetics, such as artificial limbs, joints or organs that can replace injured, damaged or amputated body parts. These same ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Neuroscience