Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Many head and neck cancer trials end early. Why?

Head and neck cancer trials are frequently derailed before they can deliver answers. A new analysis suggests that the most common reasons are sponsor decisions related to safety or effectiveness and poor patient recruitment.

Jan 12, 2026 in Medical research
Medical Xpress / Whole-genome sequencing may optimize PARP inhibitor use for cancer patients

A whole-genome sequencing approach shows early promise over current commercial methods for identifying more patients likely to benefit from PARP inhibitor cancer treatments, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Axonal protein synthesis defect identified as potential early driver in ALS progression

Researchers at VIB and KU Leuven have identified a molecular process that allows motor neurons to maintain protein production, a process that fails in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Uncovering how occludin protein maintains blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers

The blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers are protective systems that prevent harmful substances from entering the brain and eyes. These barriers are created by cells that are joined tightly together by proteins. Dysfunctional ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Toddlers in England spending two hours on screens a day, doubling recommended screen time

Two-year-olds in England watch television, videos or other digital content for an average of two hours each day, double the daily recommended screen time, new UCL-led research finds.

Jan 12, 2026 in Pediatrics
Medical Xpress / Intraoperative tumor histology may enable more-effective cancer surgeries

The first line of treatment for cancer is, whenever possible, to remove the cancerous tissue from the body. Though often remarkably effective, removing only the cancerous tissue is a challenge for doctors and surgeons. With ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Medical research
Medical Xpress / New brain study explains how binge drinking contributes to long-lasting negative feelings

New research has identified that neuroinflammation driven by microglia (immune cells in the brain) is a primary underlying driver of prolonged negative feelings caused by repeated, sustained binge drinking (binge exposure). ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / Why leaving things unfinished messes with your mind

There's a personal story that Yale psychologist Brian Scholl often shares when he explains his scholarly interest in the vexing power of what he calls "unfinishedness," or that nagging frustration you experience when tasks ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / Microbially produced secondary bile acids accelerate colorectal cancer development, study shows

For the first time, a team of experts from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), RWTH Aachen University, and the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) has demonstrated the causal role of microbially ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / How aggressive breast cancer controls protein production

A previously unknown mechanism that makes it possible for aggressive so-called triple-negative breast cancer to fine-tune its production of proteins has been discovered by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden. The discovery ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / AI-driven insurance decisions raise concerns about human oversight

As health insurers increasingly turn to AI, researchers explore the promise of efficiency—and the risk of amplifying existing flaws.

Jan 12, 2026 in Medical economics
Medical Xpress / Like alcohol units, but for cannabis—experts define safer limits

Researchers at the University of Bath in the UK are proposing thresholds for safe—or at least safer—cannabis use and hope their findings will help people monitor consumption and keep it within recommended limits—similar ...

Jan 12, 2026 in Health