Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Daytime napping patterns may reveal hidden health decline in older adults

New research reveals that as people age, naps may be an easily trackable warning sign of underlying conditions or declining health. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham and Rush University Medical Center ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Scientists map how HIV hijacks human cells—and how cells can fight back

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the cause of AIDS, is a master of deception, using just nine genes to hijack the complex cellular machinery of the human body. Yet, even after decades of research on how the ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Gut microbiome changes may signal Parkinson's disease risk

Analysis of microbes in the gut can reveal whether a person faces an elevated risk of Parkinson's disease, before they have developed any symptoms, suggests a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers. ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / A newly uncovered gene switch rewires infant heart cells and opens a treatment path for a deadly disease

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have made an important advance toward understanding—and potentially treating—a rare cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease) that is present from birth. The condition, known ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / AI screening in brain organoids uncovers two drug candidates for Leigh syndrome

The need for medical treatments for rare diseases such as Leigh syndrome is high. However, low patient numbers make research into treatments difficult. Together with a team from the University of Luxembourg, researchers from ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Video game improves emergency doctor trauma triage decision-making

Emergency physicians who play a video game about trauma triage outperform their peers who only receive standard education when it comes to properly caring for severely injured older adults. These findings are published in ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Gut 'microbial fingerprints' predict melanoma recurrence with up to 94% accuracy

The specific mix of bacteria living in a person's gut can predict the chances that melanoma will recur after surgery and immunotherapy, which helps immune cells target cancer cells. This is according to a new study led by ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Within primary breast tumors, a high-risk cell state may seed future metastases

Understanding which cells within a tumor will go on to form metastases remains one of the major challenges in cancer research. A study led by the Cell Plasticity in Development and Disease laboratory, headed by Ángela Nieto ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / How neurons sense bacteria in the gut

Recent studies suggest that animals and people alike have close and complex relationships with the bacteria around and within them. The human gut microbiome, for instance, has been associated with both depression and Parkinson's ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Rural patients face triple the drive for dental specialists, nationwide analyses show

For millions of Americans living in rural communities, getting specialized dental care can mean driving an hour, or more, just to sit in the dental chair. A patient in rural Wyoming needing a root canal may travel over an ...

Apr 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Cardiorespiratory fitness may cut dementia, depression and psychosis risk

Many studies carried out over the past decades have explored the relationship between mental and physical health, showing that the two are often interlinked. One well-established indicator of overall physical health is cardiorespiratory ...

Apr 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Robust flu protection may rely on B cells that are long-lived residents in the lungs

Deep in the lungs, resident memory B cells stand guard against influenza reinfection—but whether they remain there may depend on how strongly they are signaled through their own receptors. New research using an animal model ...

Apr 19, 2026