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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 06:17 ET (23-Oct-2026 10:17 GMT/UTC)

A stem cell pathway offers a new route to periodontal bone regeneration

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

Periodontitis can damage tooth-supporting bone as stem cells lose their regenerative capacity with age. Researchers at Sichuan University found that IGFBP5 reduced cellular senescence and restored bone-forming ability in dental follicle stem cells by modulating WNT5B-related signaling. An engineered hydrogel carrying IGFBP5-overexpressing cells improved periodontal bone regeneration in rats. The findings highlight a potential strategy for rejuvenating therapeutic stem cells and supporting the development of regenerative treatments for age-related periodontal bone loss.

Journal: International Journal of Oral Science
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Sichuan Science and Technology Program

Coloring on devices can improve student wellbeing, study finds

University of Southampton
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Colouring using phones and tablets was just as effective as using pencils and paper in reducing stress, depression and anxiety in young people.

Journal: Journal of Mental Health

South County Health becomes first health system in Rhode Island to join Mayo Clinic Care Network

Mayo Clinic
Business Announcement

South County Health (SCH) and Mayo Clinic today announced SCH has become the first healthcare organization in Rhode Island to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a select group of independent healthcare organizations carefully vetted by Mayo Clinic and granted special access to Mayo Clinic's knowledge, expertise and resources.

Underwater umbrellas for coral reefs could help protect against heat damage, study finds

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Historically high sea temperatures are damaging coral reefs around the world. Very high heat stress leads to coral bleaching, and prolonged bleaching can lead to coral colony death. But now scientists have found a simple method that can help protect the most vulnerable Caribbean corals: the installation of temporary shades, which protect against UV and irradiance damage, over particularly delicate corals. In an experiment in the Florida Keys, carried out in 2024 — the second-hottest summer on record in those waters — they found these shades minimized bleaching and even helped corals recover some of their color, indicating improved health.

Journal: Frontiers in Marine Science
Funder: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Little capsule bot sweeps to success

University of Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A small capsule could change how we study the microbiome of the small intestine. A team, led by researchers at the University of Tokyo, has created a pill-shaped device designed to take samples from the small intestine using a tiny extendable brush. Still in the early stages of development, they have demonstrated that the device could be magnetically controlled to move through extracted pig intestines and sweep useful samples from the intestinal surface. In the future, this type of device could provide a more comfortable and complementary option to current endoscopic procedures.

Journal: Device
Funder: This work was supported by JST [Moonshot R&D]

Study across eight European countries shows that screening for type 1 diabetes can be effectively implemented in children across Europe (EDENT1FI)

European Association for the Study of Diabetes
Reports and Proceedings

Study screened children across Germany, UK, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, Portugal, Poland

Around 1 in 45 children with a near relative with T1D was found to be in the early stages of the condition, and 1 in 350 children with no relative

Protocol developed by German team could be rolled out across Europe and other countries

Researchers recommend general population screening at age 2–4 years for T1D, if islet antibody-negative again at age 6–8 years and at age 10–15 years for detecting individuals with early-stage type 1 diabetes.

Integrating such screening into other health initiatives should be targeted, this will vary for each country

Children who have never been screened could catch up by joining this schedule at the earliest opportunity

Meeting: Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

Very low carbohydrate diets linked to health benefits in children with type 1 diabetes, largest study of its kind finds

European Association for the Study of Diabetes
Reports and Proceedings

Very low carbohydrate (VLC) diets may be associated with health benefits in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and were not associated with acute diabetes complications, new research being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) has found.

Meeting: Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

Nationwide study in Norway shows a relative 11% increase in incidence of type 1 diabetes in children aged 0.5 to 5 years after nationwide introduction of rotavirus vaccine, but secondary analyses suggest vaccine probably not the cause

European Association for the Study of Diabetes
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Incidence of T1D was increased by 11% in the post-vaccination cohort from September 2014 compared with the pre-vaccination cohort

Study contradicts authors hypothesis that protection from infection would reduce incidence of type 1 diabetes

However additional analyses suggest that the increased incidence of T1D may not be caused by the vaccine and further studies are needed

Journal: Diabetologia
Meeting: Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

Cellular recycling changes with age, but not how we expected

Sanford Burnham Prebys
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute published findings September 27, 2026, in Aging Cell adding new wrinkles to our understanding of the links between aging and autophagy. The study showed that autophagy rates do not simply decline with age but instead vary in different types of cells and based on the sex of research participants. The researchers also show that exercise may modify autophagy levels in humans.

Journal: Aging Cell

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