Investigators from VHIO, which is part of the Vall Hebron Campus, publish the first study to address the impact of the exposome on early-onset colorectal cancer through epigenetic signatures.

The researchers compared epigenetic methylation marks in patients with early-onset colorectal cancer with those of patients with late-onset colorectal cancer and confirmed previously identified risk factors including diet, education level, and smoking.

They have now identified exposure to picloram, a widely used herbicide, as a new risk factor associated with the development of colorectal cancer in individuals younger than 50 years old. Using population data, the investigators report that US counties with a higher use of this pesticide have higher rates of early-onset colorectal cancer, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors and the use of other pesticides.

Published today in Nature Medicine, this research has been possible thanks to the funding received from the "la Caixa" Foundation and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.

A consistent, caring adult during childhood can make a profound difference for child survivors of physical or sexual abuse. That is the key finding of a new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, which examined health outcomes among more than 2,100 American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults in the United States.

On April 17, 2026, during the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases in Prague, Czech Republic, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) awarded the Committee of National Societies (CNS) Medal to Prof. Dr Radmila Matijević, MD, PhD, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. The CNS Medal is awarded annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to bone health advocacy, alongside significant contributions to the IOF Committee of National Societies through active participation and by strengthening IOF’s outreach at the national level.

Stronger pretend play ability at ages two to three linked to fewer mental health difficulties in early primary school

Links remained after accounting for family income, mother’s mental health, language ability and parent-child attachment

Mental health difficulties affect about 14 percent of Australian children, yet prevention efforts focus on later childhood or adolescence.