Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Pain-sensing neurons kick-start immune responses that drive allergies and asthma

Pain-sensing neurons in the gut kindle inflammatory immune responses that cause allergies and asthma, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine. The findings, published in Nature, suggest that current drugs may not ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Gene therapy 'switch' may offer non-addictive pain relief

A preclinical study uncovered a new gene therapy that targets pain centers in the brain while eliminating the risk of addiction from narcotics treatments, a breakthrough which could provide hope for the more than 50 million ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Team captures first-ever 'twitch' of the eye's night-vision cells as they detect light

For the first time, an international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has recorded a tiny mechanical "twitch" in living human and rodent eyes at the exact moment a rod photoreceptor ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Ophthalmology
Medical Xpress / As we age, immune cells protect the spinal cord, study reveals

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that the nervous system's own immune cells help protect the spinal cord from age-related damage. The results, which may contribute to new knowledge about how certain neurological ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Want to speed brain research? It's all in how you look at it.

To get a better look at brains, Harvard researchers are making microscopes work more like human eyes.

Jan 7, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Liquid biopsy advances could yield new tool for detecting lung cancer mutations

In Brazil, the early detection of genetic alterations in lung cancer through liquid biopsies could be a valuable tool for expediting diagnoses and guiding patient treatment.

Jan 7, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Exercise to treat depression may yield similar results to therapy

Exercise may reduce symptoms of depression to a similar extent as psychological therapy, according to an updated Cochrane review that appears in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. When compared with antidepressant ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / Higher intake of food preservatives linked to increased cancer risk

A higher intake of food preservatives, widely used in industrially processed foods and beverages to extend shelf-life, is associated with a modestly increased risk of cancer, finds a study from France published in The BMJ.

Jan 7, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Microbial patterns in colorectal tumors may predict patient survival and disease progression

A recent study shows that bacteria living inside colorectal tumors form distinct ecosystems that are closely linked to how the disease progresses and patient outcomes. These "tissue-resident" microbes appear to play an integral ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Stopping weight loss drugs linked to weight regain and reversal of heart health markers

Stopping weight loss drugs is followed by weight regain and reversal of beneficial effects on heart and metabolic health markers such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, finds a study published in The BMJ.

Jan 7, 2026 in Health
Medical Xpress / Cooler bedroom temperatures help the heart recover during sleep, finds study

Maintaining a bedroom temperature of 24°C (75°F) at night while sleeping reduces stress responses in older adults, according to new Griffith University research published in the journal BMC Medicine.

Jan 7, 2026 in Health
Medical Xpress / Dramatic decline in new cases of orphanhood in Uganda driven by HIV treatment and prevention programs

The scale-up of HIV treatment and prevention programs has led to remarkable declines in orphanhood rates in Rakai, Uganda, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Antiretroviral therapy ...

Jan 7, 2026 in HIV & AIDS