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Normal view

Advancing cancer detection and treatment using longitudinal routine clinical data

Liu et al. develop Oncoformer, a multimodal transformer that reads routine laboratory tests and chest X-rays already collected in everyday care. Across more than 3.6 million individuals, it detects cancer, infers tumor stage, and stratifies treatment response and recurrence risk, pointing toward risk-adapted cancer care built on data already in hand.

Digitally Adapting LGBTQ-Affirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chinese Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV: User-Centered Design Approach

Background: Chinese men who have sex with men living with HIV (MSMLWH) experience substantial psychological distress driven by minority stress and HIV-related challenges. However, culturally tailored digital mental health interventions that address HIV-specific maladaptive cognitive schemas and culturally specific psychosocial stressors remain scarce in China. Objective: This study aimed to systematically adapt an evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention Effective Skills to Empower Effective Men (ESTEEM) into a WeChat (Tencent) Mini-Program–based intervention (iESTEEM) specifically for Chinese MSMLWH and to evaluate its preliminary feasibility and usability. Methods: We used a three-phase user-centered design approach guided by the Assessment, Decision, Adaptation, Production, Topical Experts, Integration, Training, and Testing (ADAPT-ITT) framework. The study proceeded in three phases: (1) a qualitative needs assessment using semistructured interviews with 20 MSMLWH (mean age 23.25, SD 3.08 years); (2) systematic intervention adaptation and platform development, including theater testing (n=5); and (3) a 2-week pilot study involving 10 MSMLWH and five counselors to evaluate feasibility, usability, and acceptability through focus groups and objective platform analytics. Results: Phase 1 identified 3 major themes of psychological distress: persistent health anxiety fueled by catastrophizing, intersectional stigma internalization, the disclosure dilemma, and intimacy barriers rooted in defectiveness and shame schemas. Participants also prioritized anonymity and bite-sized learning. Guided by these findings, iESTEEM was developed as a counselor-assisted, privacy-preserving WeChat Mini-Program incorporating HIV-specific scenarios, multimodal learning modules, and a back-end risk-alert system. During the 2-week pilot, participants logged into the platform 14.1 (SD 6.7) times per person and completed 134.3 (SD 103.1) minutes of learning activities; all participants accessed module 1, and 90% (9/10) accessed modules 2‐5. Anxiety scores decreased from 8.9 (SD 2.3) to 7.2 (SD 3.0), whereas depression scores remained stable. All participants expressed a willingness to continue using the program and to recommend it to peers. Participants and counselors endorsed its contextual relevance, privacy protections, and clinical utility. Conclusions: This study provides a theory- and evidence-informed model for culturally adapting digital mental health interventions for highly stigmatized populations. By integrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-affirmative CBT principles, HIV-specific adaptations, and a privacy-preserving, counselor-assisted WeChat Mini-Program, iESTEEM demonstrated promising preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and engagement among Chinese MSMLWH. These findings support the potential of culturally tailored digital interventions to expand access to psychological support for this stigmatized population in resource-constrained settings. Ongoing randomized controlled trials will further evaluate its efficacy, implementation outcomes, and mechanism of action. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2400080263; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=216926

Molecular basis for methylation-sensitive editing by Cas9

Nature, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10384-z

ThermoCas9, a genome-editing enzyme that is sensitive to the DNA methylation status of the target locus, is characterized and shows promise for targeting hypomethylated DNA regions in cancer cells.

EBV strain interacts with host HLA to drive nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk

Nature, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10416-8

A genome-to-genome association study identifies host and viral risk factors that interact to drive nasopharyngeal carcinoma endemicity in southern China.

Transplantation of encapsulated mitochondria alleviates dysfunction in mitochondrial and Parkinson’s disease models

A mitochondrial transplantation approach rescues mitochondrial deficiency and prevents mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, Leigh syndrome, and Parkinson’s disease in cellular and mouse models.

Restoring circadian rhythms in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus reverses aging biomarkers and extends lifespan in male mice

Enhancing circadian amplitude in mouse hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus neurons by 3′-deoxyadenosine treatment alleviates age-related pathologies and extends lifespan.

CSF1R T567M mutation induces microglial dysfunction and synaptic impairment in patient iPSC-derived cerebral organoids of CSF1R-related disorder

Cell Death Discovery, Published online: 12 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41420-026-02995-2

CSF1R T567M mutation induces microglial dysfunction and synaptic impairment in patient iPSC-derived cerebral organoids of CSF1R-related disorder

Dexamethasone promotes neutrophil ROS-mediated tumor killing through the glucocorticoid receptor

Oncogene, Published online: 06 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41388-026-03708-w

Dexamethasone promotes neutrophil ROS-mediated tumor killing through the glucocorticoid receptor
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