Medical Science News

RSS

Airplane wastewater pilot shows how airports could track pathogens across borders

Researchers showed that airplane wastewater from a shared US-UK transatlantic route could be collected and analyzed to detect respiratory and enteric pathogen genetic material. The pilot also captured SARS-CoV-2 lineage patterns, including earlier detection of XEC on UK-origin flights, while showing the need for harmonized assays and broader sampling.

4 Aug 2026

Daily social connections may improve long-term health and cognition

Calling a friend after a long day. Showing up to a neighbor's dinner when you'd rather stay home. Lingering a little longer in a conversation that didn't need to last.

3 Aug 2026

Child-friendly lung test identifies subtle abnormalities before stem cell transplant

As spirometry requires coordinated deep breathing and can be challenging for children to perform, researchers from the USA, as part of the TRANSPIRE study investigating lung complications in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), explored the potential of oscillometry, a simple and child-friendly lung function test.

3 Aug 2026

Review explores mechanisms driving cardiovascular aging and disease risk

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. Aging is an inevitable biological process marked by progressive functional decline and elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

3 Aug 2026

Restricting select amino acids may mimic protein restriction’s healthy aging benefits

A review finds that restricting protein, particularly methionine, isoleucine, and valine, may improve metabolism and influence key aging pathways, largely in experimental models. Short human studies suggest metabolic benefits, but effects on lifespan remain unknown and restriction may harm people with unmet or increased protein needs.

3 Aug 2026

Perilla oil may curb platelet reactivity and inflammatory signaling in smokers

An eight-week randomized trial found that daily perilla oil increased plasma and red-cell ALA, plasma EPA, and platelet closure time in healthy smokers. Perilla oil also reduced TNF-α and TBX21 gene expression, but it did not improve broader coagulation, lipid, endothelial, or postprandial markers.

3 Aug 2026

New AI model generates detailed maps of aging in brain regions

USC researchers have developed an approach that uses artificial intelligence to generate detailed maps that highlight differences in how distinct parts of the brain age.

3 Aug 2026

UCLA researchers find strategy to improve prostate cancer therapies

UCLA researchers have identified a promising strategy to make a new class of targeted cancer therapies more effective against one of the deadliest forms of prostate cancer, potentially overcoming treatment resistance that has limited their success.

3 Aug 2026

Newly-discovered protein acts as off switch for human immune cells

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a protein that cancer cells use to shut down the body's immune response, a discovery that could help scientists develop new treatments that make cancer immunotherapies more effective.

3 Aug 2026

Automated oxygen delivery system improves precision for hospitalized patients

A University of Colorado Anschutz-led clinical trial has found an automated oxygen delivery system helped hospitalized patients spend significantly more time in their target oxygen range compared with standard care, while also reducing exposure to both low and high oxygen levels.

3 Aug 2026

Researchers recreate imagined melodies from brain activity

In a study led by Jii Kwon and Chun Kee Chung, from Seoul National University, researchers explored whether they could recreate melodies from the brain activity of people imagining how songs continue after listening to a few bars.

3 Aug 2026

New blood marker could help track MS progression and monitor treatment response

Modern therapies have transformed care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Yet the disease continues to progress in a substantial proportion of patients, even in the absence of relapses.

3 Aug 2026

Digital twin of the gut-brain axis aims to advance neurostimulation therapies

The gut and brain are in constant conversation, exchanging signals that regulate hunger and digestion, as well as the body's response to stress.

3 Aug 2026

Air humidity significantly increases physiological strain during sauna bathing

A newly published Finnish study demonstrates that, in addition to temperature, air humidity is a significant determinant of physiological strain during sauna bathing.

3 Aug 2026

Upright body posture improves decision making and human emotions

A person's posture appears to affect their emotions and decision-making ability more than they realize, according to new research from McGill University.

3 Aug 2026

New analytical strategies can measure thousands of gut microbial proteins

The trillions of microorganisms living in our intestine influence our health, from digestion and metabolism to immunity.

3 Aug 2026

Study uncovers brain mechanism that drives sustained motivation

What enables us to sustain effort toward goals, even when the task becomes increasingly difficult? A recent study by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan revealed the underlying brain mechanism, showing that orexin neurons play a crucial role in driving and regulating motivated behavior.

3 Aug 2026

A 10-country survey finds an unexpected air pollution awareness gap

Researchers surveyed 10,618 adults across 1,372 localities in the world’s 10 most populous countries and matched their responses with average 2019-2021 PM2.5 concentrations. Higher PM2.5 exposure was associated with lower air-quality knowledge but greater concern and more frequent protective behaviors, with patterns differing across demographic groups.

2 Aug 2026

RNA-based therapeutic strategy targets brain pathway behind cancer-associated cachexia

A new path has opened toward stopping cancer-associated cachexia, a devastating complication that gradually wastes patients away.

2 Aug 2026

Traditional Japanese medicine for obesity may help reduce age-related tissue fibrosis

A traditional Japanese medicine used for obesity may do more than support weight loss. Researchers at the University of Osaka, working with Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. investigated whether Bofutsushosan could protect aging tissues from fibrosis - the excessive buildup of scar-like tissue that can make organs stiff and less functional.

2 Aug 2026