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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Jun-2026 10:15 ET (19-Jun-2026 14:15 GMT/UTC)

Common asthma drug shows promise for reversing fatty liver

Medical University of South Carolina
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MUSC researchers are tackling MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, a liver disease affecting hundreds of millions worldwide. It is also a leading cause of liver transplantation, yet treatment options remain limited. A new paper published in Nature partner journal (npj) Metabolic Health and Disease suggests that a widely used asthma medication, formoterol, could potentially offer a different therapeutic pathway altogether.

Journal: npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Funder: Department of Veterans' Affairs, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Department of Veterans' Affairs

A tiny cell structure with a big role in brain development

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A largely overlooked structure inside our cells may play a crucial role in how the brain forms, offering new insight into developmental disorders and potential therapies.

Journal: Cell Reports

Amplified Sciences enrolls patients in PanAMP real-world, multicenter clinical utility study

Purdue University
Business Announcement

Amplified Sciences, a diagnostics life sciences company revolutionizing early disease detection, announced Friday (May 8) the launch of PanAMP, a clinical utility study for its PanCystPro assay.

Pregnant women’s mental images are directly linked to vaccine hesitancy and uptake

University of Plymouth
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study explored whether women visualised a vaccine would have a positive or negative impact on their babies, and if that affected their decision to be vaccinated. The findings, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, showed that mental images were common and – depending on whether that mental image was a positive or negative one, and about the impacts of diseases or the vaccine itself – could be used in some cases to predict if and when the women ultimately became vaccinated during pregnancy.

Journal: Social Science & Medicine
Funder: Channel 7 Telethon Trust, Forrest Research Foundation, National Health and Medical Research Council

New study finds no significant joint damage in astronauts after short-duration spaceflight, highlighting promise of ultrasound monitoring

National Jewish Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at National Jewish Health have published new findings demonstrating that short-duration spaceflight may not significantly impact lower extremity joint structures, while also identifying a promising, non-invasive tool to monitor astronaut musculoskeletal health on future long-duration missions.

Journal: International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology

Expanded tuberculosis screening does not speed up treatment initiation or improve survival in hospitalized patients with HIV

Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A clinical trial conducted in Tanzania and Mozambique and published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases concludes that expanding the use of diagnostic tests not based on sputum samples to detect tuberculosis in hospitalised people living with HIV does not improve early treatment initiation nor reduce short-term mortality.

Journal: The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Funder: EDCTP2 programme

Study finds multiple PFAS, the man-made ‘forever chemicals’, in 98.5% of people tested in US study

Taylor & Francis Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Man-made 'forever chemicals' have been detected in 98.8% of blood tests, in a new study which examined more than 10,500 samples.Man-made 'forever chemicals' have been detected in 98.8% of blood tests, in a new study which examined more than 10,500 samples.

Journal: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

Exercise can help people quit smoking—and even a single workout may cut cravings fast

Journal of Sport and Health Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A systematic review suggest exercise may be a practical tool to help people quit smoking. Analyzing 59 randomized controlled trials involving 9,083 participants, researchers found that exercise modestly improved smoking abstinence, reduced cigarette consumption by about two cigarettes per day, and cut cravings after a single exercise session. The findings suggest exercise could be a safe, accessible, low-cost addition to smoking cessation support, although more research is needed on long-term effects and vaping.

Journal: Journal of Sport and Health Science
Funder: Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leaders, Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Award, Centre of Research Excellence in Driving Global Investment in Adolescent Health, NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence

Chinese Medical Journal article review explores organoid models in investigational new drug regulation and development

Chinese Medical Journals Publishing House Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Over the past decade, organoid research has boomed and revolutionized biomedicine, with wide industrial applications and regulatory recognition. However, comprehensive reviews on organoid-related regulations and IND-approved drugs remain insufficient. This article reviews relevant advances in regulations and IND applications, and discusses the prospects and limitations of organoid models.

Journal: Chinese Medical Journal
Funder: Zhejiang Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology Project, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Research Project of Guangdong Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The ability establishment of sustainable use for valuable Chinese medicine resources, “500 Elite Talent Plan” (Level B) of Taizhou City