Medical Research News

RSS

Three NHS genetics labs fail to routinely share vital variant data

Three out of England's seven NHS genetics laboratories are failing to routinely share vital information about genetic variants in public databases that helps patients with rare diseases access diagnosis and care, reveals an investigation by The BMJ today.

8 Oct 2026

HPV vaccination may protect against adverse pregnancy outcomes

Having received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine before pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of major pregnancy complications including preterm birth, with the greater reduction in risk seen among women vaccinated at an earlier age, finds a large Swedish study published by The BMJ today.

8 Oct 2026

Low uptake limits benefits of maternal RSV vaccination

Vaccination against a common respiratory virus during pregnancy lowers the risk of severe disease in babies by 74 per cent, but uptake in many countries remains low, a new review suggests.

8 Oct 2026

Study highlights need for smarter, locally tailored trauma-care systems

A study of almost 9,000 injury patients across Africa and South Asia has found that nearly half were dead or disabled after three months - highlighting the need for smarter, locally tailored trauma-care systems.

8 Oct 2026

Hydroxyurea does not increase infection risk in children with sickle cell anemia

Children living with sickle cell anemia have no higher incidence of clinically diagnosed infections when treated with hydroxyurea.

8 Oct 2026

HPV vaccination linked to lower risk of pregnancy complications

The benefits of the HPV vaccine may extend beyond protection against cancer. In a study published in The BMJ, researchers at Karolinska Institutet found that women who had been vaccinated against HPV were less likely to experience several pregnancy and childbirth complications, particularly preterm birth.

7 Oct 2026

Epilepsy drugs may reduce effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives

People with epilepsy who use certain hormonal birth control methods may be at risk for reduced contraceptive effectiveness because of interactions with certain antiseizure medications, according to a study published October 7, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Oct 2026

Lessons from tobacco control could help reduce demand for firearms

Public health strategies that helped reduce cigarette smoking in the United States could provide a model for reducing the appeal and use of firearms, particularly handguns, according to a new paper from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

7 Oct 2026

Gut inflammation may explain food sensitivities in IBD patients

A new study, to be published in Gastroenterology, finds that gut inflammation can change the way gut bacteria break down food - possibly triggering immune reactions to foods that were previously fine to eat.

7 Oct 2026

Study uncovers a protective role for microglia in Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of Oxford have uncovered a previously unrecognized protective role for microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, in Parkinson's disease.

7 Oct 2026

Adults with ADHD face higher risk of developing dementia later in life

A new study led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers finds that adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face a significantly higher risk of developing dementia or mild cognitive impairment later in life.

7 Oct 2026

Single tRNA controls prostate cancer identity and treatment resistance

Researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center have identified a previously overlooked molecular regulator that helps determine whether prostate tumors remain sensitive to treatment or evolve into a more aggressive, drug-resistant form of the disease.

7 Oct 2026

Dementia status influences end-of-life care decisions despite advance directives

People were about 19 percentage points less likely to recommend life-sustaining treatment for a seriously ill patient with dementia than for a patient without dementia, even when an advance directive requested life-sustaining care, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz.

7 Oct 2026

Babies use saliva sharing to map out close relationships

Imagine you're an infant. Just a few months in the world, trying to gather your faculties, testing gravity - you're pretty helpless and fully reliant on the people around you.

7 Oct 2026

Warning signs for chronic pelvic pain emerge during adolescence

A new McMaster University study of nearly half a million people has found that many people who go on to develop chronic pelvic pain (CPP) may have been showing warning signs years before diagnosis, offering a potential opportunity to identify people at increased risk earlier in life.

7 Oct 2026

County analysis reveals deep geographic and racial heart disease disparities

Despite sustained declines in overall cardiovascular disease mortality in the U.S., disparities based on race, ethnicity and place still persist, with mortality varying far more across counties than states, according to a county-by-cause-by-population analysis published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

7 Oct 2026

Childhood poverty increases risk of atherosclerosis in adulthood

People who grew up in low-income families are at greater risk of developing atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries later in life.

7 Oct 2026

New modeling reveals high societal value of early Alzheimer's care

New treatments that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease could provide significant lifetime benefits to patients and society, with even greater benefits when initiated earlier, according to new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

7 Oct 2026

Researchers identify new protein regulator of muscle stem cell differentiation

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute on Aging—Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena and the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg in Senftenberg have identified a previously unknown regulator of muscle stem cell differentiation.

7 Oct 2026