Medical Research News

RSS

First 24 hours shape the body's antiviral defense response

Age, genetics and lifestyle are known to influence how people respond to viral infections. Scientists also know that differences in immune response play an important role, but exactly how these factors shape the course of an infection has remained unclear.

19 Aug 2026

Parental loss doubles children's risk of mental health disorders

A new, large-scale Curtin University study has found children who experience parental loss are twice as likely to develop a mental health disorder, compared to those living with both parents.

19 Aug 2026

New studies reveal hidden control hub for MYC-driven cancers

In a rare pair of papers published back-to-back in the journal Genes & Development, research teams led by senior author Anindya Bagchi, PhD, associate professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, establish a unified framework that governs one of cancer's most powerful master regulators.

19 Aug 2026

BMJ investigation exposes unhealthy food products at major UK school catering exhibition

As the government prepares to introduce updated school food standards, an investigation by The BMJ finds that more than a third of the firms exhibiting at the UK's biggest school food show sell products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS).

19 Aug 2026

Intravenous iron before heart surgery cuts transfusion needs

Giving intravenous iron to patients with anemia before heart surgery reduces the need for a red blood transfusion and results in an extra day at home in the first 90 days after surgery, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

19 Aug 2026

A single blood test could offer a glimpse of disease risk years in advance

Machine learning-derived cellular aging clocks mapped more than 7,000 plasma proteins to over 40 cell types, revealing marked differences in how individual cell populations age. These blood-based signatures were associated with future risks of Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, and mortality across follow-up extending to 15 years.

19 Aug 2026

Review reveals how nicotine damages blood vessels and heart health

A review published today in Nature Reviews Cardiology provides the most detailed picture yet of how nicotine damages the cardiovascular system – tracing the biological chain of events from the moment nicotine binds to receptors in blood vessel walls through to the atherosclerotic plaque rupture that triggers heart attacks and strokes.

19 Aug 2026

NSF grant supports UH researchers to investigate how mutation rates evolve across species

A nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow University of Houston researchers to investigate how mutation rates evolve across species - work that could offer critical insights into cancer progression and antibiotic resistance.

19 Aug 2026

Scripps scientist receives NIAID award for immunotherapy research

Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to advance basic understanding of immune processes that could aid the design of next-generation immunotherapies.

19 Aug 2026

Dry cleaner proximity associated with increased Parkinson's disease risk

People living near dry cleaners may have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease according to a new nationwide study led by researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

19 Aug 2026

Paternal valproate use not linked to offspring neurodevelopmental risks

Use of the antiseizure drug valproate by fathers before conception is not associated with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their children, according to a new study published August 19, 2026, in Neurology®, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Aug 2026

Colorectal tumors may damage nerves before chemotherapy

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that, in preclinical models of colorectal cancer, tumors can start damaging peripheral nerves before chemotherapy begins.

19 Aug 2026

Bladder infection amplifies cognitive problems after traumatic brain injury

A urinary tract infection that follows a moderate brain injury can worsen cognitive problems caused by the injury, new research in mice shows.

19 Aug 2026

$Pomegranate-derived compound shows promise against preserved ejection fraction heart failure$

Pomegranate-derived compound shows promise against preserved ejection fraction heart failure

A compound produced in the body after eating pomegranates improves heart function by up to 80% in a type of heart failure with limited treatment options.

19 Aug 2026

Immediate access puts test results in patients’ hands, but the next challenge is making sense of them

A nationally representative US study found that 68.6% of adults with access to medical records viewed immediately released test results before hearing from a healthcare practitioner. Among these viewers, only 34.9% rated their understanding as very good, with comprehension varying by region, digital literacy, patient-centered communication, and experiences of medical care discrimination.

19 Aug 2026

A decades-long study raises questions about sugary drinks and stomach cancer

A large prospective U.S. study followed more than 111,000 adults to examine whether sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage intake was associated with gastric cancer incidence. Researchers identified 278 gastric cancer cases over 3.2 million person-years and found that associations differed according to beverage type and level of consumption.

19 Aug 2026

Why pregnancy vaccination looks very different in Germany than it did 19 years ago

A 19-year German claims analysis of more than 2.8 million pregnancies found that recorded maternal vaccination increased substantially after national recommendations for influenza and pertussis immunization were introduced. Influenza vaccination reached 19.4% and pertussis vaccination about 37% in 2020-2022, while COVID-19 vaccination was not captured in the databas

19 Aug 2026

Lower-calorie meals look cheaper, but there’s a catch in the price

Analysis of 7,392 menu items from 200 large restaurant chains found that lower-calorie options on two major UK food delivery platforms carried a substantially higher cost per 100 kcal than higher-calorie items. The findings suggest that per-calorie pricing may create financial disincentives for choosing lower-calorie foods, with potential implications for diet-related health inequalities.

19 Aug 2026

Special journal issue highlights precision prevention in cancer epidemiology

Cancer epidemiology is not merely about counting cases; it is a dynamic field that informs screening policies, resource allocation, and clinical trial design.

19 Aug 2026

Hemp brands exploit social media to market intoxicating products to youth

Brands that market hemp-derived, intoxicating cannabinoid products are capitalizing on lack of oversight on social media platforms to reach consumers, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

19 Aug 2026