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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Jun-2026 03:16 ET (9-Jun-2026 07:16 GMT/UTC)

Uncovering cancer's hidden oncRNA signatures: From discovery to liquid biopsy

Arc Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have systematically mapped approximately 260,000 cancer-specific small RNAs, called oncRNAs, across 32 cancer types, revealing distinctive molecular "barcodes" that can identify cancer type with over 90% accuracy and predict patient outcomes through simple blood tests. In a study published January 23 in Cell Reports Medicine, Arc Institute Core Investigator Hani Goodarzi and colleagues found that each cancer produces unique patterns of these orphan non-coding RNAs, with about 30% actively secreted into the bloodstream. In 192 breast cancer patients from the I-SPY 2 trial, those with high residual oncRNA levels after chemotherapy had nearly 4-fold worse overall survival. This finding required only 1 milliliter of serum and remained significant even when controlling for standard clinical measures. Because cancer cells actively secrete these RNAs rather than passively shedding DNA, oncRNA-based liquid biopsies could enable earlier detection of recurrence and real-time treatment monitoring, addressing a key challenge in cancers that don't shed much DNA into the bloodstream.

Journal: Cell Reports Medicine

Multiple maternal chronic conditions and risk of severe neonatal morbidity and mortality

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this study, risks of severe neonatal morbidity or mortality increased with an increasing number of preexisting maternal chronic conditions. These findings suggest that women and adolescents with multiple chronic conditions may benefit from preconception counseling to optimize chronic disease management, monitoring in pregnancy for earlier identification of complications, and enhanced newborn supports.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Interactive virtual assistant for health promotion among older adults with type 2 diabetes

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial of older adults with diabetes, participants in the smart speaker group showed significant improvements in mental distress, quality of life, diabetes self-care, and glycemic control. These findings suggest that this easily implemented self-management intervention could enhance health outcomes in this population.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

CDI scientist joins NIH group to improve post-stem cell transplant patient evaluation

Hackensack Meridian Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Project Task Force recently published a report of their refined approach in the journal, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

Journal: Transplantation and Cellular Therapy

Hemispheric asymmetry in the genetic overlap between schizophrenia and white matter microstructure

Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research paper by scientists at Tianjin Medical University employed the conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate (cond/conjFDR) approach to investigate the genetic overlap between schizophrenia and white matter microstructure..

The research paper, published on Jan. 9, 2026 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

Journal: Cyborg and Bionic Systems

Researchers explain the neural mechanisms that enable conscious experience

Boston University School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Recently, there has been convergence of thought by researchers in the fields of memory, perception, and neurology that the same neural circuitry that produces conscious memory of the past not only produces predictions of the future, but also conscious perception of the present.

In a new perspective in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, researchers explain that although our conscious perception appears to simply mirror the external world, due to neural processing delays this intuitive feeling must be wrong. Instead, unconscious perceptual mechanisms represent a timeline that is then consciously remembered. Because the default mode network, along with the frontoparietal control and salience networks, are critical for simulation and memory, they are also critical for consciousness.

Journal: Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Nano-immunotherapy synergizing ferroptosis and STING activation in metastatic bladder cancer

Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research paper by scientists at Wenzhou Medical University developes a mannose-modified pH/glutathione (GSH) dual-responsive nano-delivery system (MPP@IKE-aPD-1/diABZI) that synergistically activates ferroptosis and immune responses to achieve efficient antitumor therapy.

The research paper, published on Jan. 9, 2026 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

Journal: Cyborg and Bionic Systems

Two days of oatmeal reduce cholesterol level

University of Bonn
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A short-term oat-based diet appears to be surprisingly effective at reducing the cholesterol level. This is indicated by a trial by the University of Bonn, which has now been published in the journal Nature Communications. The participants suffered from a metabolic syndrome – a combination of high body weight, high blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose and blood lipid levels. They consumed a calorie-reduced diet, consisting almost exclusively of oatmeal, for two days. Their cholesterol levels then improved significantly compared to a control group. Even after six weeks, this effect remained stable. The diet apparently influenced the composition of microorganisms in the gut. The metabolic products, produced by the microbiome, appear to contribute significantly to the positive effects of oats.

Journal: Nature Communications

University of East London partners with The Queen's Reading Room on second pioneering neuroscience study with The Bentley Foundation

University of East London
Business Announcement

The University of East London (UEL) is leading a major new neuroscience research project in partnership with The Queen’s Reading Room, founded by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, and The Bentley Foundation. Headed by Professor Sam Wass, Director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth (ISEY) at UEL, the laboratory-controlled study will examine the psychological and physiological impact of shared reading and book clubs, exploring how reading together can reduce stress, strengthen social bonds and improve mental wellbeing.

Building on The Queen’s Reading Room’s groundbreaking 2024 study which found that just five minutes of reading can reduce stress by nearly 20% and lower loneliness by up to 70%, the research will apply rigorous neuroscientific methods to understand the wider health and social benefits of communal reading.