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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 6-Jun-2026 14:16 ET (6-Jun-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)

From lab bench to bedside – research in mice leads to answers for undiagnosed human neurodevelopmental conditions

Baylor College of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have established a gene-disease association between human astrotactin 1 gene, ASTN1, and neurodevelopmental disorders. The findings have provided answers to families that until now had no diagnosis for their child’s condition.

Journal: American Journal of Human Genetics

How food shortages reprogram the immune system’s response to infection

Weill Cornell Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When food is scarce, stress hormones direct the immune system to operate in “low power” mode to preserve immune function while conserving energy, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. This reconfiguration is crucial to combating infections amid food insecurity.

Journal: Immunity

Fall prevention programs in emergency departments may help older adults after discharge

Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Falls are one of the most common reasons older adults are treated in the emergency department, and many patients are discharged home the same day. That transition can be a vulnerable moment, especially if the factors that led to the fall aren’t fully addressed. A new study suggests that emergency departments may be able to take meaningful steps during visits to help older adults stay safer once they return home.

Journal: Academic Emergency Medicine

Research reveals impact of tinnitus on employment

Anglia Ruskin University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study has found that nearly one in five adults with tinnitus say the condition has forced them to cut their working hours or leave employment altogether.

Led by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), in collaboration with the University of Colorado and Linkoping University, the study surveyed 449 adults with tinnitus and found 7% reported it had forced them to leave their job, while a further 11% said it had caused them to reduce their working hours.

Journal: Brain Sciences

Synthetic oxytocin may prevent anxiety caused by social stress, according to a study in an animal model

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research from São Paulo State University shows that carbetocin, when administered before social stress situations, prevents anxiety in laboratory rats without having direct anxiolytic effects.

Journal: Progress in Neurobiology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

University of Missouri conducts first in-person clinical trial for nuclear medicine breakthrough device

University of Missouri-Columbia
Business Announcement

In a major leap for cancer care at the University of Missouri, the School of Medicine and MU Health Care have launched their first clinical trial using a leading-edge therapy manufactured on campus at the university’s research reactor. The achievement also showcases the breadth of research capabilities across campus to bring a radiopharmaceutical from development, through testing, to human clinical trials.

Genotype-specific response to 144-week entecavir therapy for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B with a particular focus on histological improvement

Xia & He Publishing Inc.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) poses a major global health burden, with China particularly affected. Effective antiviral therapy is crucial to prevent disease progression, but responses may vary by Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype. This prospective study aimed to compare genotype-specific responses to 144-week entecavir (ETV) therapy in HBeAg-positive CHB patients, with particular emphasis on histological improvement assessed through paired liver biopsies.

Journal: Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology

Eva Vailionis, MS, CGC is presented the 2026 ACMG Foundation Genetic Counselor Best Abstract Award by The ACMG Foundation

American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics
Grant and Award Announcement

Eva Vailionis, MS, CGC is the 2026 recipient of the ACMG Foundation Genetic Counselor Best Abstract Award. The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine selected Ms. Vailionis based on her abstract, “Prevalence and Tumor Characteristics of Patients with TMEM127 Pathogenic Variants in a Large, Pan-Cancer Cohort,” which will be delivered as a featured platform presentation at the 2026 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting.

Bacterial hitchhikers can give their hosts super strength

Dartmouth College
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Dartmouth study finds that microscopic DNA molecules called plasmids that live inside bacteria can hijack their hosts and corral them into tightly packed groups that are extra-resistant to treatments such as antibiotics. Plasmids can force multiple bacterial species into a single community and impart antibiotic resistence to bacteria that are not otherwise genetically resistant, the researchers report. The findings introduce a previously unknown avenue through which bacterial infections can become more difficult to treat.

Journal: Current Biology