Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Mutations let JC polyomavirus evade antibodies, offering clues for vaccines and treatments

In people with severely compromised immune systems, JC polyomavirus can trigger an untreatable, often fatal brain disease. An international research team has identified how virus mutations can strategically interfere with ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Innovative algorithm makes genomic surveillance faster and more affordable for global disease outbreaks

Genomic surveillance—the process of monitoring and sequencing pathogens—is one of the most important tools for detecting emerging viral threats. But global surveillance systems remain costly, unevenly distributed and often ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Biomarker-guided care to improve antidepressant response rates and reduce trial-and-error prescribing

For millions of people living with depression, finding an effective treatment can feel like a long and uncertain journey. Patients often spend months trying different medications, enduring side effects and persistent symptoms ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Ultra-processed foods linked to higher levels of 'bad' fatty acids in blood, study suggests

Consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) results in a distinct metabolic "signature" in the blood, associated with potentially adverse health conditions, suggests a new study by an international team of researchers. The ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / How skimping on sleep leads to weight gain

People who shortened their sleep by around 80 minutes a night for six weeks gained weight—1 pound on average—and were more sedentary, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons found.

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Natural regulator may slow several cancers by shutting down fibroblasts, study finds

An international research team co-led by the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC-CSIC-University of Cantabria) and CIC bioGUNE, member of BRTA, has identified a novel molecular mechanism that helps ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / PET scans reveal stage-linked tau signal in Huntington's disease brains

A study conducted by the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) and Hospital de Sant Pau has identified for the first time in living individuals a brain pattern related to the tau protein that changes according to the ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Editing AI mistakes can cost doctors time when writing to patients

Errors and irrelevant details mean physicians may spend more time editing AI-drafted responses than it would take to write them, a large study of an online patient portal shows. Artificial intelligence is spreading rapidly ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Men living in different regions show marked differences in sperm quality despite similar lifestyles, novel study finds

A new study has found substantial regional differences in sperm quality, with men in the highest-performing region recording almost double the total motile sperm count of those in the lowest-performing region.

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Nature-based mental health care is worth the investment, researchers say

A new study underlines the annual AU$7 trillion (US$5 trillion) value of nature in mental health benefits and is calling for urgent government action to expand access to nature as a frontline response to the worsening global ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Air pollution may alter how sperm genes function, major fertility study finds

New research presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) suggests that exposure to air pollution may affect genes associated with sperm development, raising new ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Fibronectin pathway may drive Marfan aortic damage, opening new drug targets

A new study published in Nature Communications identifies a molecular signaling pathway that contributes to the development of life-threatening aortic aneurysms and dissections in Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting ...

Jul 6, 2026