Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Spontaneous changes in brain state influence the readiness to form memories, neuroscientists find

Most everyday moments are quickly forgotten, while others stay with us for a lifetime. How the brain determines which memories are retained and which are lost remains an open question.

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Death of girl in Chinese gene-editing trial kept secret: Report

A 6-year-old Chinese girl died last year after receiving an experimental gene therapy to correct a non-life-threatening condition, according to an investigation by Science and Retraction Watch.

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Distinct brain circuits explain contradictory behaviors of new weight-loss drugs

Cambridge scientists have solved the mystery of why both stimulating and blocking a particular "switch" in the brain can help people lose weight—findings that could help boost the effectiveness of obesity drugs.

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Your gut can get jet lag too: How not to waste the first days of your vacation

A dream vacation, an exotic destination, a long-haul flight and finally some well-deserved rest. The problem is that many travelers arrive at their destination only to spend the first days of their vacation struggling with ...

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Large-scale brain analysis reveals multiple pathways to placebo effects on pain

Scientists have long known that expectations can reduce pain. What remained unclear was whether different ways of generating placebo effects rely on the same biological mechanisms. A new study published in Nature Communications ...

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / New mechanoresistant cancer cells show how they survive high stress environments

When a cancer cell leaves the original tumor to spread to a new, faraway location, it first has to survive what most cells cannot: periodic high-force moments in the vessels and heart of up to 5,000 dynes per centimeter squared ...

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Potential new therapeutic targets for preeclampsia discovered

Unusual behavior in the cells of mothers and babies with preeclampsia may provide new therapeutic targets for the condition, a new UCL-led study finds.

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Could this enzyme help remove 'zombie' cells from our tissues?

Our population is aging. The United Nations reports that by 2050, the number of people age 85 and older on our planet is set to triple. But a longer life span isn't the same as a longer health span (the number of years we ...

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Giving antibodies 'eyes' may help target hidden KRAS mutations in cancer cells

Antibodies are like "guided missiles" that find and attack cancer cells, but cancer-causing mutations inside cells have remained a "blind spot" for treatment because antibodies cannot reach them. KAIST researchers have now ...

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Oral antiviral blocks airborne measles-like virus spread in ferret model

A new oral antiviral drug candidate, administered either before or after direct-contact or airborne exposure to canine distemper virus, which causes measles-like disease in ferrets, blocks virus transmission and reduces clinical ...

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Licensed Zaire Ebola vaccine may offer partial protection against Bundibugyo outbreak

Ebolaviruses are among the most dangerous known human pathogens. Three ebolavirus species have repeatedly caused major disease outbreaks on the African continent. Most outbreaks have been caused by Zaire ebolavirus. Vaccines ...

Jul 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Red meat-related gut byproduct tied to higher atrial fibrillation risk

A Cleveland Clinic-led study shows a connection between elevated blood levels of TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide)—a byproduct of gut bacteria digestion of nutrients found in red meat and other animal products—and a higher risk ...

Jul 24, 2026