Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / The aggressive use of antibiotics could fuel mood disorders and anxiety

Antibiotics (ABs) are among the most used pharmaceutical drugs worldwide, as they are currently the most effective medicines for the treatment of bacterial infections. An excessive use of these drugs, however, can damage ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / The protein periostin may promote the spread of pancreatic cancer—and pain—through nerves

A new Brazilian study has revealed the key role of the protein periostin and stellate pancreatic cells in allowing pancreatic cancer to infiltrate nerves and spread early, increasing the risk of metastasis. The research demonstrates ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Can biology reveal parental manipulation?

Parental alienation is when one parent manipulates the child into distancing themselves from the other parent. But does this leave detectable biological evidence?

Jan 14, 2026 in Genetics
Medical Xpress / How a 'quality-control' protein causes neurodegenerative disease

When it comes to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and certain forms of dementia, researchers have known that protein quality control and damage to the nuclear pore are key players. However, ...

Medical Xpress / Maternal microbiome compound may hold key to preventing liver disease

Children born to mothers who consume a high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding face a higher risk of developing fatty liver disease later in life.

Medical Xpress / How a unique class of neurons may set the table for brain development

The way the brain develops can shape us throughout our lives, so neuroscientists are intensely curious about how it happens. A new study by researchers in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT that focused ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Gut bacteria molecule boosts lung cancer treatment response

UF Health Cancer Institute researchers have discovered a small compound produced naturally by gut bacteria that doubled the response to lung cancer immunotherapy treatment in mice and can now be made into a drug for testing ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Customizable stainless steel neural probes enable safer, less expensive brain sensing

The human brain is complex. Understanding deep brain function usually requires the insertion of probes that frequently result in irreversible tissue damage. Current neural probes are made out of silicon, a brittle material ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Specialized clinic visits reverse population weight gain in statewide pilot test

For years, endocrinologist Leigh Perreault, MD, felt there had to be a better way to help patients with weight management than sending them home with advice to change their diet and increase their exercise.

Jan 14, 2026 in Overweight & Obesity
Medical Xpress / Bacterial toxin can counteract colorectal cancer growth

A toxin secreted by cholera bacteria can inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer without causing any measurable damage to the body. This is shown by a new study by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden. Systemic administration ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Near-atomic imaging reveals promising target for 'Brain on Fire' condition

Scientists have identified a promising target for treatment of a devastating autoimmune disease affecting the brain.

Medical Xpress / New synaptic formation in adolescence challenges conventional views of brain development

Researchers from Kyushu University discovered a previously unrecognized synaptic "hotspot" that forms during adolescence, challenging the long-held view that adolescent brain development was dominated by synaptic pruning. ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry