Medical Science News

RSS

Early childhood growth predicts adult height but not puberty timing, study finds

Children’s growth in the first two years of life significantly influences their pubertal growth and adult height, but not when puberty begins, according to a Swedish study. Early-life height is a strong predictor of final adult stature, highlighting the critical window for developmental monitoring.

10 May 2025

Delayed puberty in boys raises risk of type 2 diabetes later in life, study shows

A large Israeli study found that boys who experience delayed puberty are significantly more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in early adulthood. This increased risk persists even after accounting for body weight, socio-economic status, and other confounding factors.

10 May 2025

Researchers find 8,500 tonnes of antibiotics enter rivers every year

A global study led by McGill University estimates that 8,500 tonnes of antibiotics enter river systems annually, mostly from human use—even after wastewater treatment. The findings warn that chronic exposure poses risks to aquatic life and fuels antibiotic resistance, especially in regions with poor sanitation.

10 May 2025

Maternal testosterone levels shape boys' activity and girls' strength by age 7

Boys born to mothers with PCOS or high third-trimester testosterone levels are less physically active at age 7, particularly on weekends. Girls exposed to high prenatal testosterone show reduced muscle strength but not lower activity levels.

10 May 2025

Obesity in teens alters brain regions tied to memory and emotion

Adolescents with abdominal obesity have larger brain regions linked to memory and emotional control, potentially due to inflammation, according to a large MRI-based study. These brain changes, coupled with socioeconomic disadvantage, may impair cognitive and emotional development during adolescence.

10 May 2025

Study reveals phthalate exposure harms early sexual development in children

Maternal exposure to phthalates during pregnancy is linked to shorter anogenital distance in 3-year-old boys, a marker of impaired sexual development. Girls showed similar outcomes from their own postnatal exposure, highlighting the lasting hormonal risks of environmental pollutants.

10 May 2025

Researchers uncover why women handle body fat more efficiently

Women’s fat cells break down fat faster than men’s once activated, even though they require higher hormone levels to initiate the process. This may help explain why women are less prone to metabolic complications despite higher body fat.

10 May 2025

Mothers' early pregnancy weight influences kids’ BMI into adolescence

Children born to mothers with higher BMI in early pregnancy have greater weight and BMI from birth through age 10, regardless of prenatal lifestyle interventions. Paternal BMI also plays a significant role in childhood obesity risk.

10 May 2025

Low phosphate levels may help explain male infertility, study finds

Men with fertility problems were significantly more likely to have low blood phosphate levels, a mineral essential for energy and reproductive function. Researchers found lower phosphate was linked to poorer sperm motility, suggesting a possible pathway for new fertility treatments.

10 May 2025

KL-6 levels help differentiate interstitial lung disease from abnormalities

Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6), predominantly expressed by type II alveolar cells, is linked to the prognosis and severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

10 May 2025

Advancing noninvasive EEG with high spatiotemporal resolution through focused ultrasound

A research paper by scientists from Tianjin University proposed a noninvasive method for locating and decoding intracranial endogenous signals with high spatiotemporal resolution.

10 May 2025

Mitochondrial transplantation as a strategy to address metabolic decline in aging

Announcing a new publication for Acta Materia Medica journal. Aging impairs adipose tissue function and contributes to metabolic disorders, such as obesity and insulin resistance.

10 May 2025

Study reveals colonic inflammation as the trigger for beta cell growth in obesity

Researchers at the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine have uncovered a key primary step in the hepatic ERK pathway that leads to increased insulin production.

9 May 2025

Most of today’s children could endure historic heatwaves as planet warms

A Nature study projects that millions born after 1960 will face unprecedented lifetime exposure (ULE) to climate extremes, such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods. The risks grow with global warming and disproportionately impact socioeconomically vulnerable populations.

8 May 2025

MicroRNA breakthrough offers hope for dental bone regeneration

Dental caries, or tooth decay, is a common oral health condition that often causes significant pain and discomfort and may even lead to tooth loss.

8 May 2025

Why your baby’s first steps may be written in their DNA

Researchers identified 11 genetic loci linked to the age at which infants start walking, revealing that this milestone is influenced by thousands of common genetic variants. These genetic factors also correlate with brain development, cognitive traits, and neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD.

8 May 2025

Precision nano therapy targets tumor nerves in pancreatic cancer

Announcing a new publication for Acta Materia Medica journal. A preclinical study has developed a precision nano-intervention strategy targeting tumor-associated nerves to destroy nerve-fueled tumor growth in pancreatic cancer.

8 May 2025

St. Jude Children's scientists use brain organoids to study rare encephalopathy

While extremely rare, encephalopathy (a condition affecting brain function) triggered by mutations in the UBA5 gene has devastating impacts, with affected individuals reaching few developmental milestones and experiencing frequent and early-onset seizures.

8 May 2025

AI tool uses facial images to predict biological age and cancer survival

Eyes may be the window to the soul, but a person's biological age could be reflected in their facial characteristics. Investigators from Mass General Brigham developed a deep learning algorithm called FaceAge that uses a photo of a person's face to predict biological age and survival outcomes for patients with cancer.

8 May 2025

AI reveals how hearing, mood, and sleep predict who suffers most from tinnitus

Researchers used machine learning and UK Biobank data to identify predictors of subjective tinnitus presence and severity. Hearing health was the strongest factor, but mood, sleep, and neuroticism shaped how severely tinnitus affected individuals over time.

8 May 2025