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VCU study identifies key factors driving risk of second cancers

Risk of developing a subsequent primary cancer varied significantly by age at initial diagnosis, sex, and type of first cancer, according to a study by Oxana Palesh and Susan Hong and colleagues at Virginia Commonwealth University, U.S., published April 28th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.

28 Apr 2026

Scientists identify specialized cells that trigger bone marrow cavity growth

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue located within the hollow center of bones, serving as the primary site for the continuous production of red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells.

28 Apr 2026

Emergency settings more likely to initiate risky medications for seniors

Initial prescriptions for medications affecting cognition, such as antipsychotics, are disproportionately likelier to come from acute and post-acute settings such as emergency rooms, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities than they are from doctors' offices, new UCLA research suggests.

28 Apr 2026

Baylor researchers develop SAMENT method to map metastatic tumor niches

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions developed a method that reveals the cellular makeup of tissues that support metastatic cancer growth, which is the primary cause of death for most patients with solid tumors.

28 Apr 2026

Study links socioeconomic stressors to worse pregnancy outcomes for black women

Stresses experienced by black women, such as socioeconomic inequalities, may alter key processes in the body that predispose them to worse pregnancy outcomes than white women, a study by the University of Cambridge has found.

28 Apr 2026

Harvard scientists create first detailed map of smell receptors

For most of us, the sense of smell is an integral part of everyday life; it plays a critical role in providing information about our surroundings, alerting us to potential dangers, enhancing our sense of taste, and evoking emotions and memories.

28 Apr 2026

Study identifies protein essential for repairing damage after inflammation

Whenever there is a wound or infection, the body produces an inflammatory response. This is the body's first line of defense, and macrophages — cells of the innate immune system — play a key role: first, they help eliminate pathogens and other infectious agents, and then they trigger the mechanisms that repair the damage caused during the inflammatory process.

28 Apr 2026

Engineered gut bacteria successfully treat metabolic drivers of liver disease

When the liver fails, toxins - such as ammonia - that should be filtered from the blood build up and reach the brain.

28 Apr 2026

Study identifies "RNA dicing" as a key cancer driver

Scientists have uncovered an unexpected way cells can generate cancer-driving proteins—by cutting RNA into shorter, functional fragments rather than following the standard blueprint.

28 Apr 2026

Study finds no causal link between antibiotics and celiac disease risk

The risk of celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction driven by gluten, is not a reason to avoid antibiotic treatment.

28 Apr 2026

Stanford research shows group brain scan averages hide unique individual activity

Studying cognition by averaging data from many people's brain scans hides how individuals use their brains, new Stanford Medicine research has shown.

28 Apr 2026

UBC researchers develop new way to target previously undruggable proteins

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer have developed a new way to target proteins long considered "undruggable," opening the door to new treatments for prostate cancer and other serious diseases.

28 Apr 2026

Virginia Tech team identifies proteins that can reverse lung scarring

A Virginia Tech team has identified a promising new therapeutic strategy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), showing that blocking two proteins can halt and even reverse lung scarring in pre-clinical models.

28 Apr 2026

Global survey shows digital health literacy higher in developing nations

A cross-national survey of 31,000 adults in 30 countries finds that digital health literacy is highest in low- and middle-income countries and lowest in high-income countries, challenging assumptions that national wealth translates into stronger digital skills.

28 Apr 2026

Soy-based nutrients may help reduce COPD symptom burden

Higher isoflavone consumption is associated with improved respiratory health in former smokers with COPD, highlighting diet's role in disease management.

28 Apr 2026

Biliary epithelial cells found to actively prevent liver fibrosis development

Many liver diseases share a common characteristic: fibrosis, that is, the progressive accumulation of scarring in the liver tissue.

28 Apr 2026

New light-based technique reveals the inner workings of cells

Human cells adjust to ever-changing conditions while preserving internal states necessary for survival, but exactly how they achieve both adaptability and stability remains unclear. For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, used a light-based technique called Raman spectroscopy to create snapshots of the entire protein landscape inside an E. coli cell in a nondestructive manner.

28 Apr 2026

The simple link between core strength and brain health

The brain is more mechanically connected to the body than previously appreciated, scientists reported today (April 27) in Nature Neuroscience. Through a study using mice and simulations, the team found a potential biological mechanism underlying why exercise is thought to benefit brain health: abdominal contractions compress blood vessels connected to the spinal cord and the brain, enabling the organ to gently move within the skull.

28 Apr 2026

Scientists uncover why brain damage continues after stroke

Every stroke begins with a sudden interruption of blood flow in the brain. But what happens afterward—why neurons continue to lose function and die over the following days—has remained one of the most important unanswered questions in neuroscience.

28 Apr 2026

A new biological switch to slow atherosclerosis progression

A study by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions reveals a previously unrecognized way blood vessels can protect themselves from damage and slow the development of atherosclerosis. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have implications for both vascular precision medicine and the safety of certain emerging cancer treatments.

28 Apr 2026