Illnesses and conditions

A new study has identified one of the reasons why cancer frequently spreads from elsewhere in the body to the lungs: an amino acid called aspartate. The findings improve our understanding of cancer and open the door to new treatments for metastatic disease.

While tobacco and alcohol are known to increase the risk of head and neck cancer, new research has found the amount of coffee and tea we drink can have a protective effect, reducing the risk of developing these sorts of cancers. Yes, even decaf.

Working with a line of colon cancer cells, Korean researchers figured out a way to throw a few genetic switches to cause the cells to revert back to a healthy state. The technique could have major implications in the way we approach cancer treatment.

Nearly half of US adults admit they’d take one of the newer, injectable weight loss drugs; that number falls significantly when they learn the weight might come back when the meds are stopped. It’s something that has medical professionals concerned.

Taking one of the most widely-used painkillers for a prolonged period increases the risk of serious complications in older folks, according to a new study. It may mean rethinking the drug’s use as a first-line treatment for chronic conditions.

A new study has found that eating a better-quality diet was directly associated with a reduction in chronic pain severity, regardless of body fat. The findings suggest that upping diet quality could be an affordable and effective way to manage pain.

Common ivy is better known as a garden invader or a rather attractive indoor plant that's prone to triggering allergies. Now, for the first time, it's been found to be very effective in blocking pain signals – by instead invading a key pain receptor.

If you were given a choice of vaccine delivery method, would you rather a needle or a skin cream? Thought so. Well, the latter might be a viable option soon, as Stanford scientists have used a topical cream to strongly vaccinate mice against tetanus.

A new kind of cancer gene therapy can be remotely activated at a specific part of the body. The team developed a version of CRISPR that responds to ultrasound, and demonstrated how it can be used to clear cancer in mice.

Balloons that trick the stomach into feeling full have long been used for weight loss. But, they become less effective the longer they stay inflated. Engineers have devised a balloon that inflates and deflates on demand – it reduced food intake by 60%.

Researchers have flipped the script on the usual approach to pain relief in a new study, demonstrating that a short course of non-invasive brain stimulation before a painful event such as surgery can prevent the development of chronic pain.

A naturally occurring fat molecule reduced heart inflammation and scarring caused by diabetes, thereby improving cardiac function, according to new research. The findings open the door to developing a new treatment for diabetes-induced heart disease.

Studies presented at a recent American Heart Association conference have confirmed the heart health benefits provided by the new anti-obesity drugs, semaglutide and tirzepatide, and how lifestyle interventions for weight loss affect heart biomarkers in diabetics.

Mosquitoes do a superb job of spreading diseases like malaria – now researchers have shown it's possible to hijack these pests and distribute vaccines via mosquito bite. In human trials, these mozzie-borne vaccines proved around 90% effective.

A peptide hormone produced in the brain that triggers physiological changes in reproduction has been 'hacked' to create an effective, safe and non-invasive way to treat chronic gut pain. Scientists are calling it an entirely new class of painkiller.