Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Common mucus-clearing treatments don't help ICU patients breathe easier and may cause harm, clinical trial finds

For patients struggling to breathe because of acute respiratory failure, clearing mucus from the airways is a routine part of treatment. Mucoactive agents are widely used for this purpose. But after years of clinical use, ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Human red blood cells form without central 'hub' seen in mouse models, upending understanding of our physiology

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that one of the body's most fundamental biological processes—how red blood cells are made—works differently in humans than previously thought, according to a new study published ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Long sitting bouts linked to increased cancer risk

Each additional hour of prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behavior in a person's day is associated with a 9% higher risk of cancer death, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine by Frederick Ho of the University ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Dual-mobility hip replacement implant can lower dislocation risk by 70%

A new type of hip replacement implant reduces the risk of joint dislocation after surgery by 70%, according to a new study involving 1,600 patients across 44 hospitals in Sweden and the UK, published in The Lancet. The new ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Men should speed up slower to avoid 'hitting the wall' in marathons, new research suggests

Male runners may be twice as likely as female runners to suddenly slow down—known as "hitting the wall"—during a marathon, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The authors suggest that men may be able to ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / BCG vaccine may rewire brain immunity, shift Alzheimer's markers over 12 months

New research led by Mass General Brigham investigators suggests that the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine—which is delivered through the skin to prevent tuberculosis—may remodel the human brain's immune environment, ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / 'Polypill' for heart failure cuts hospitalizations and ER visits by 60% in trial

A "polypill" combining three medications recommended to treat heart failure into a single daily dose proved far more effective for patients than taking the drugs separately, a randomized clinical trial led by UT Southwestern ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Precision fMRI maps prefrontal cortex in individuals, revealing fine-scale structures

Much like camera settings—filters, flashes and focus—affect what we notice in a final photo, the way scientists measure something can affect how we interpret and understand it. This is especially true when imaging things ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Dementia-causing substance turns into a therapeutic 'switch' with new Alzheimer's drug strategy

A substance that worsens dementia has become a "switch" that initiates treatment. KAIST researchers have developed a new therapeutic approach that uses hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), a reactive oxygen species that damages cells ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / COVID's lingering shadow faded after omicron—but not for everyone

Six years after the world first learned of COVID-19, the pandemic has faded into an unpleasant memory for many. For others, however, it never fully ended. A long-term study by Hiroshima University has found that while lingering ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Inhaled analgesia is as effective as morphine for early pain relief, study shows

Treating pain while in the field can be very demanding. Researchers have finally identified an effective alternative for providing pain relief during the earliest phase of prehospital care, when establishing intravenous access ...

Jul 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Biomarker-matched drug combos shrink treatment-resistant melanoma in preclinical models

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has identified a way to tailor drug combinations based on specific tumor biology to improve outcomes for treatment-resistant advanced melanoma.

Jul 2, 2026