Adaptive radiation therapy increases safety and preserves quality of life, says study

For over two decades, finasteride—a popular prescription drug taken by millions of men to treat hair loss—has quietly carried a shadow. Behind its cosmetic promise lay disturbing signs of deeper harm: depression, anxiety, and in some cases, suicide.

The new Nordic dietary guidelines, which consider both our health and the health of the planet, are associated with longer life, according to a new study from Aarhus University.

Parkinson's disease causes both movement and cognitive deficits, and for a long time both were thought to be caused by the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. But a new Nature Communications study has found that the cognitive deficits arise through a different—and unexpected—mechanism.

In a clinical practice guideline issued by the American Gastroenterological Association and published in the October issue of Gastroenterology, conditional recommendations are presented for the diagnosis and management of gastroparesis.

A team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet, together with colleagues from Linköping University, has uncovered the function of a gene called DIORA1 (FAM167A), previously linked to autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus and Sjögren's disease. Until now, the role of DIORA1 in the body was unknown.

A specially developed cannabis extract relieves chronic lower back pain, according to a clinical trial published Wednesday that experts are calling the first high-quality evidence that something in the cannabis plant can treat pain.

New research from Indiana University School of Medicine scientists has revealed that a well-known cancer-fighting gene also plays an unexpected role in regulating how certain immune cells can support tumor growth. This insight into pancreatic cancer progression could lead to more effective treatments against one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

With nearly 5 billion people flying each year, medical emergencies in the air may be more common than most realize and they can be deadly.

A new mRNA vaccine stopped allergens from causing dangerous immune reactions and life-threatening inflammation in mice, according to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Cincinnati Children's. The vaccine, outlined in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, may one day be tested and tailored to a variety of seasonal and food allergies.

Radiation therapy could be an underused tool to reduce pelvic relapse risk for patients with locally advanced, muscle-invasive bladder cancer, according to results of a new Phase III randomized trial.

A new phase III clinical trial finds that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and proton beam therapy resulted in similar quality-of-life outcomes and low rates of side effects for people with locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. The TORPEdO trial, a randomized study conducted across the United Kingdom, found no meaningful differences between the treatments in patient-reported quality of life, swallowing function or feeding tube dependence at one year.

Until now, weight reduction has been the primary therapeutic goal for people with prediabetes. An analysis of a large Tübingen study shows that patients who bring their blood sugar levels back within the normal range through a healthy lifestyle but do not lose weight, or even gain weight, still reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by 71%. Researchers from the University Hospital of Tübingen, Helmholtz Munich, and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) were involved in the study published in Nature Medicine.

Dementia is a condition that results in progressive memory or thinking problems. It's now the most common cause of death in Australia. There are many different causes of dementia, but Alzheimer's disease accounts for about 60%–80% of all cases.

It's 2:47 a.m. and your phone buzzes on the nightstand. The notification suddenly glows in the darkness: "You're on a 7-day streak!"; "Don't break your streak!" You feel the need to open the app right away for an emergency breathing exercise. Half-awake, you fumble for the device, chest tightening. Another buzz: "What's your positive intention for the day?"

Group-based and online lifestyle counseling can support middle-aged and older men in making health-promoting dietary changes. These dietary changes, in turn, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, especially among men with a high genetic risk, a study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland shows.

Two countries, two different approaches to protecting children from chickenpox. While the UK prepares to introduce a combined vaccine covering measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) in a single jab, the US is moving in the opposite direction—restricting parents' ability to choose that same combination for their youngest children.

The largest study of its kind has found menopause is not associated with an increased risk of disability in women with multiple sclerosis (MS). Until now, the impact of reduced sex hormones on women with MS had only been the subject of small studies, some with conflicting results.

Cancer cells are subjected to high mechanical pressure that leads to a rupture of the nuclear envelope when migrating through narrow tissue structures, as in the case of metastasis. DNA would normally leak out in the process, causing damage to the cell. However, researchers at the University of Freiburg's Cluster of Excellence CIBSS—Center for Integrative Biological Signaling Studies succeeded in demonstrating that a protective mechanism takes effect at this moment.