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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-May-2026 12:16 ET (26-May-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

Data-driven subgroups for 3-year risk stratification of incident diabetes and complications in diabetes-free Chinese adults

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

Chinese Medical Journal study highlights the value of data-driven metabolic subtyping for risk stratification of diabetes and its complications. By analyzing large population cohorts of diabetes-free adults, researchers identified distinct metabolic subgroups linked to different risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, and stroke, supporting earlier identification of high-risk individuals and more targeted prevention strategies.

Journal: Chinese Medical Journal

Engineered tissue offers hope for children born with ‘missing’ food pipe

University College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and University College London (UCL) have created the first lab‑grown oesophagus - the food pipe - shown to safely replace a full section of the organ and restore normal function, including swallowing, in a growing animal without the need for immunosuppression.

Journal: Nature Biotechnology

Genes tied to impulse control play a major role in addiction risk

Rutgers University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Most of the genetic risk for developing a substance use disorder comes from genes that broadly affect how our brains process rewards, regulate impulses and weigh consequences – not from genes that specifically influence substance use disorder or any single drug.

Researchers of a Rutgers Health–led study headed by Holly Poore, a faculty instructor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, analyzed genetic data from previously published genome-wide association studies totaling more than 2.2 million individuals to understand how genes shape vulnerability to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and opioid use disorders.

Journal: Nature Mental Health

A new questionnaire to reliably measure patients’ anxiety about their cancer

Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fear that their cancer will progress or worsen is one of the most common concerns among people living with this disease. Several studies indicate that between 20% and 70% of cancer patients experience significant levels of anxiety related to the progression of their health. Identifying and measuring this concern is key to providing appropriate psychological care and improving patients’ quality of life. This has been the aim of a study led by the University of Barcelona (UB), the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and CEU-San Pablo University, which for the first time has validated in the Spanish population the Spanish version of the Assessment of Survivor Concerns (ASC) questionnaire, a brief tool specifically designed to assess cancer- and health-related concerns.

Journal: Scientific Reports

King's research team secures funding to advance ultrasound-led detection of congenital heart disease

King's College London
Grant and Award Announcement

Researchers from King’s College London have been awarded over £191,000 for a project to detect congenital cardiac risks before birth using ultrasound images and computational models.

Promising active substance against hepatitis E identified

Ruhr-University Bochum
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Around 70,000 people die each year from infections with the hepatitis E virus. There is currently neither a vaccine nor a specific drug against this virus. This could change with the identification of bemnifosbuvir as a compound effective against hepatitis E viruses (HEV). An international research team from Bochum, Germany, Heidelberg, Germany, and Beijing, China, has filtered this so called nucleotide/nucleoside analogue out of a library of such active substances. Since the drug is also effective against the hepatitis C virus and is already in clinical trials for this indication, the researchers hope that it could also become available as a treatment option against the hepatitis E virus in the foreseeable future. They report their findings in the journal “Gut” on March 6, 2026.

Journal: Gut
Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China, Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, German Center for Infection Research, National Natural Science Foundation of China

Uncovering the molecular mechanisms that drive cartilage-to-bone transition

Editorial Office of West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Animal studies have shown that some cartilage cells can transition to a bone-like phenotype, challenging the belief that bone cells arise solely from stem cells in the bone marrow and growth plate. However, the molecular mechanisms driving this process remain unclear. Researchers have now developed in vitro and in vivo models of bone formation that enable tracking of cartilage-to-bone transition, providing new insights into the mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in cartilage-derived bone formation.

Journal: Bone Research

Scientists listen in to determine coral reef health

Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research (OLAR)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Coral reef health is being threatened by climate change and human activity. A group of researchers recently developed an acoustic assay that tracks the number of photosynthetic oxygen bubbles created by a coral reef to help determine the photosynthetic rate and health of the ecosystem.

HKUST engineers develop CarGAP, a vitamin B₁₂ and light-controlled molecular valve to precisely regulate cell communication

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed CarGAP, a groundbreaking chemo-optogenetic tool that uses vitamin B₁₂ and green light to precisely control gap junctions, the microscopic channels enabling direct cell-to-cell communication. This innovation allows on-demand closing and opening of these intercellular bridges, providing unprecedented spatiotemporal control over vital molecules and electrical signals. Demonstrated in both mammalian cells and living fruit flies, CarGAP provides a powerful new way to study development, immunity, and neural activity, with far-reaching potential for understanding disease mechanisms and advancing regenerative medicine.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences