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Gene-based therapies could transform future pancreatitis treatment

Pancreatitis is a complex inflammatory disease driven by both genetic and environmental factors. It poses substantial clinical challenges due to a lack of disease-modifying therapies.

22 May 2026

Study identifies major causes of fatigue among disaster responders

Real time data collected during the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake response show that unclear tasks and command structures, and lack of meal- and rest breaks increased self-reported fatigue among disaster responders.

22 May 2026

Bioinformatics accelerates discovery of marine-derived bioactive therapeutic peptides

Marine organisms have evolved a remarkable arsenal of host-defense peptides under conditions of extreme variability and constant pathogen exposure. Generally defined as short chains of 2 to 20 amino acid residues, these molecules have become a focal point for biomedicine, food science, and materials science.

22 May 2026

University of Ottawa study links heart attacks with brain damage

A new study led by a team from the University of Ottawa takes a major step forward in understanding how a heart attack can dramatically reshape brain function and trigger neurological effects, from depression and anxiety to different types of cognitive decline.

22 May 2026

Tulane study explains why gut damage persists despite HIV treatment

For many people living with HIV, today's treatments can suppress the virus and dramatically improve health. But even when HIV is controlled, damage to the gut caused by the disease can persist, fueling chronic inflammation linked to serious health problems.

22 May 2026

Combination therapy improves response rates for chronic hepatitis B patients

The optimal management strategy for adults with immune-tolerant (IT) chronic hepatitis B infection remains undefined. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and predictive factors of a pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN)-based treatment strategy in IT patients with chronic HBV infection.

22 May 2026

Optimized extended PCLS culture system extends tissue viability up to two weeks

Precision-cut liver slice (PCLS) technology has long been regarded as a promising ex vivo platform because it preserves the native multicellular architecture of liver tissue.

22 May 2026

What medicine-exposed rats reveal about the next urban zoonotic threat

Researchers found that more than half of urban rats sampled from low-income communities in Salvador, Brazil, carried active pharmaceutical ingredients in their brain tissue. These pollutants were associated with altered zoonotic infection patterns, including lower Leptospira infection probability in rats carrying azithromycin and higher Capillaria infection probability in rats carrying citalopram.

22 May 2026

Could blocking inflammation help treat difficult-to-treat depression?

A small proof-of-concept RCT found that tocilizumab, an IL-6 receptor blocker, showed a non-significant but clinically suggestive pattern of improvement in difficult-to-treat depression linked to low-grade inflammation. The study found that baseline hs-CRP, rather than IL-6, may help identify patients most likely to respond, supporting larger trials of immune-targeted depression care.

22 May 2026

Disrupted sleep rhythms may increase dementia risk through impaired waste clearance

Why are conditions such as chronic stress, depression, cardiovascular disease, fragmented sleep, and aging all associated with a higher risk of dementia? In a new review piece in Science, University of Rochester Medicine neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard, MD, DMSc, proposes that many of these seemingly different conditions may converge on the same biological problem: disruption of a sleep-dependent brain rhythm that helps clear waste from the brain.

22 May 2026

Study supports routine childhood screening for type 1 diabetes

For ten years, the Fr1da study, coordinated by Helmholtz Munich, has been investigating whether early stages of type 1 diabetes in children can be detected in routine pediatric care.

21 May 2026

Bacterial sexually transmitted infections reach highest level in a decade

The latest Annual Epidemiological Reports from ECDC indicate a surge in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe.

21 May 2026

New study shows how exercise hormone reduces multiple sclerosis symptoms

A new study offers clues as to why exercise can improve neurological symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

21 May 2026

Structured approach to a healthy lifestyle may help slow important aspects of aging

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found evidence of slowed aging from lifestyle behaviors like healthy eating and exercise as part of a major clinical trial.

21 May 2026

First-of-its-kind pregnancy hormone test reveals why female IBD patients face severe symptom flares

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which comprises the inflammatory conditions Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affects about 1.6 million Americans, many of whom cannot be effectively treated.

21 May 2026

Poor sleep may flag early Alzheimer’s risk in genetically vulnerable older women

Poorer subjective sleep quality was linked to worse visual memory and greater limbic tau burden in older women with higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest sleep complaints may help identify women at elevated risk for early AD-related brain and cognitive changes, but larger longitudinal studies are needed.

20 May 2026

Longevity science and public health must unite for aging populations

A new editorial was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on May 18, 2026, titled "Public health in the age of longevity interventions: from prevention to system-wide resilience."

20 May 2026

New AI framework maps systemic obesity damage at cellular resolution

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) and collaborating institutions have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework that maps disease-related changes throughout the entire mouse body at cellular resolution.

20 May 2026

Plant-based eye drops harness photosynthesis to heal dry eyes

What if your eyes could use light to heal themselves? Drawing inspiration from how plants harness sunlight, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are pioneering a revolutionary treatment for dry eye disease.

20 May 2026