Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / The brain on the edge of chaos: What keeps our vision under control?

Every glance triggers a complex exchange of signals among millions of neurons. Some cells excite the network, others inhibit it, while additional signals arrive from the thalamus and neuromodulatory systems. This activity ...

15 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Trusted supplements in the hot seat: Could they harm the aging brain?

You reach into your pantry for a bottle of vitamin D. Then get some fish oil capsules from the fridge. Gulp! What's a little fish burp for a healthier brain, right? But then you see the headline: Studies link vitamin D, fish ...

9 hours ago
Medical Xpress / High-fat diets suppress enzyme in immune cells, promoting fat tissue inflammation in mice

A group of innate immune cells, known as group 2 lymphoid cells (ILC2), are essential for maintaining a stable metabolism in adipose tissue. Obesity significantly impairs the number and function of ILC2 cells, leading to ...

7 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Lonely? Socially isolated? It may cost you 6 healthy years of life

The numbers paint a grim picture. Roughly half of all U.S. adults are lonely, according to a 2023 report, and nearly as many feel socially isolated. Though just as serious as other health risks, loneliness and social isolation ...

15 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Year-old brain organoids reveal astrocytes may fuel early-onset epilepsy

Tiny, year-old human brain organoids that mimic the brain of a newborn are providing new clues to potential treatments for a leading genetic cause of childhood epilepsy that typically manifests as the brain matures shortly ...

13 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Scientists unveil the most detailed and precise map of the mouse motor cortex to date

The brain's motor cortex plans, controls and executes voluntary muscle movements. Whether you're playing catch, writing your name or chewing food, it all points back to this region and its connections to other parts of the ...

7 hours ago
Medical Xpress / A shorter, better-tolerated treatment for Chagas disease is possible

A 30-day course of benznidazole taken once a day could offer people with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection a safer and more practical option than the current standard treatment, taken twice a day for 60 days. The results ...

13 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Blood-brain barrier modulation stimulates myelin-producing cells

Researchers at Sunnybrook Research Institute and the University of Toronto, led by Isabelle Aubert, Ph.D., have published results of a preclinical study examining focused ultrasound's potential to stimulate the production ...

9 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Hundreds of chemicals used in pesticide products may increase breast cancer risk

A new study by Silent Spring Institute has identified hundreds of chemicals commonly used in pesticide products that could increase the risk of breast cancer. The list includes active pesticide ingredients as well as a significant ...

16 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Predictive anatomical guidance system helps novice users acquire trauma ultrasound images

Ultrasound is widely used in emergency and trauma care because it can provide rapid information at a patient's bedside. One of its most common applications is the focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) examination, ...

4 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Collagen scaffolding helps cancer cells survive inside nutrient-starved tumors

In a study focused on aggressive breast and pancreatic cancers, scientists have discovered how tumors surrounded by a protective "scaffold" of dense, scar-like tissue manage to thrive—despite the scaffold severely restricting ...

8 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Study finds brain differences linked to obesity risk in preschoolers

Children as young as 4 with a higher body mass index (BMI) show differences in several brain regions involved in reward, taste and hunger, according to a new study from Florida International University. The findings suggest ...

9 hours ago