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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-May-2026 19:15 ET (17-May-2026 23:15 GMT/UTC)

A smarter way to measure how streams clean themselves

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A widely used method for measuring how well streams absorb excess nutrients has a hidden flaw: it systematically overestimates uptake length under high-nutrient conditions. Researchers at Duke Kunshan University have derived a corrected zero-order analytical approach that better captures stream nutrient processing when nutrients are abundant, improving the accuracy of tools used to assess river health and guide restoration decisions.

Journal: HydroResearch
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China

New review confirms alcohol causes dozens of health harms, some reversible

Society for the Study of Addiction
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new review published in the journal Addiction confirms drinking causes substantial harm to health. Some of those harms may be reversible if the person reduces or stops drinking.

Journal: Addiction
Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

From lab to market: MedTech Hackathon GBA 2026 accelerates commercialization of medtech innovations

The University of Hong Kong
Meeting Announcement

The MedTech Hackathon GBA 2026, co-organised by The University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) Techno-Entrepreneur Core (TEC) and Techno-Entrepreneur Academy (TEA) in collaboration with Bay Charm, presented the pioneering medical solutions of its top ten finalist teams at the Asia Summit on Global Health this week. The teams showcased their innovations to a distinguished panel of life sciences experts, demonstrating a sophisticated synergy between cutting-edge laboratory research and real-world clinical demand.

HKU unveils innovative portable AI optical sensing device for rapid, non-invasive cancer risk detection

The University of Hong Kong
Grant and Award Announcement

Professor Chi Ming Che, Zhou Guangzhao Professor in Natural Sciences and Chair Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), and the Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Limited (LSCCB), and Dr Wei Liu, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, HKU, and LSCCB, have developed an innovative portable AI-enabled optical sensing device that enables rapid, non-invasive cancer risk detection using just a saliva sample. This innovative technology integrates advanced chemical sensing with artificial intelligence and was awarded a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2026), recognising its scientific excellence and strong potential for practical application.

AI-assisted MRI workflow enables real-time spine positioning and analysis in multicenter study

Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in Research describes a deep-learning system designed to assist lumbar spine MRI at the point of image acquisition rather than only after scanning. The system, named Lumbar VNet Pro (LVP), was embedded directly into the MRI workflow and evaluated in a multicenter clinical setting. According to the study, the platform supports automated anatomical localization, scan-plane optimization, and real-time structural analysis during MRI scanning, offering a possible route toward more standardized and intelligent imaging workflows.

Journal: Research
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital Full-time High-level Talent Introduction Foundation, Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou—Key Project, Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, Scientific Research Fund of the Medical Equipment Society of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Presidential Foundation of Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Clinical Medicine Special Fund Project of the Zhejiang Medical Association, President’s fund of Nanfang Hospital, Science and Technology Projects of Guangzhou, Provincial Training Program of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Undergraduates

Refugees reveal hidden trauma of life in the UK

University of East Anglia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

From relentless cycles of intrusive memories to loneliness and physical pain - a new study reveals the struggles of refugees who entered the UK as unaccompanied minors. Researchers interviewed refugees who fled Afghanistan as children and endured family separation, human rights abuses, and violence. Their stories show years of silent suffering, human resilience, and the need for social connection.

Journal: Transcultural Psychiatry

New drug approval pathway benefits industry over patients, argues expert

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new UK drug approval pathway, designed to speed up the availability of new medicines, benefits industry over patients and the NHS, argues an expert in The BMJ today.

Journal: The BMJ

Semaglutide effective for severe obesity even in young people who have been treatment resistant for many years, finds randomised controlled trial

European Association for the Study of Obesity
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A weekly dose of semaglutide (2.4 mg) leads to a clinically significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) and related health outcomes in young adults with severe obesity who are treatment resistant following hospital-based non-pharmacological obesity care during childhood, according to a randomised controlled trial being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May).

Meeting: European Congress on Obesity 2026 (ECO2026)

Study shows that people who gain the most weight are at more than double the risk of certain cancers

European Association for the Study of Obesity
Reports and Proceedings

New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that people who gain the highest amount of weight across adulthood are at greatly increased risk of certain obesity related cancers. The study is by Associate Professor Anton Nilsson and Associate Professor Tanja Stocks, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues.

Meeting: European Congress on Obesity 2026 (ECO2026)

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