EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health - News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Dec-2025 18:11 ET (21-Dec-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)

Rising complexity in pediatric patients is reshaping hospital care

University of Rochester Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The new study shows sharp increases in hospitalizations, bed days, and costs for children with complex chronic conditions. This care is increasingly concentrated in urban teaching children’s hospitals, raising significant challenges for staffing, training, and Medicaid reimbursement.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

For those living with dementia, new study suggests shingles vaccine could slow the disease

Stanford Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new analysis of a vaccination program in Wales found that the shingles vaccine not only appeared to lower new dementia diagnoses by 20%, it also helped those who already have the disease.

Journal: Cell

Popular pre-workout supplements linked to shorter sleep among Canadian adolescents

University of Toronto
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the Canadian Study of Adolescent Behaviors reveals that adolescents and young adults who use pre-workout dietary supplements, such as Bang!, Jack3D, and C4, are significantly more likely to report dangerously short sleep durations.

Journal: Sleep Epidemiology

December 2025 issues of APA Journals feature new research on borderline personality disorder, depression, trauma interventions in schools, and more

American Psychiatric Association
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The latest issues of two American Psychiatric Association journals (The American Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Services) are now available online.

Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry

New technique maps genetic variants driving neurodegenerative disease risk

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine developed a new method that better maps genetic variants that can lead to brain diseases. The approach identified 75% more relevant genes and uncovered new therapeutic targets for conditions like Alzheimer’s and ALS.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health

Intelligent hydrogel microstructures enable the precise application of force to cellular systems

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Within tissues, cells are embedded in complex, three-dimensional structures known as the extracellular matrix. Their biomechanical interactions play a crucial role in numerous biological processes. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have now developed a novel lab-on-a-chip system based on intelligent hydrogel structures, which enables precise pressure forces to be applied to cellular microenvironments. The recently presented method could find future applications in medical diagnostics for mechanical disorders in living tissues.

Journal: Lab on a Chip

Study finds people on colchicine need less joint replacement

Boston University School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has found that people with gout who were prescribed colchicine had a modest 12% risk of joint replacement compared to those who did not receive the drug. Additionally, those with both gout and osteoarthritis who took colchicine had a 23% lower risk of needing joint replacement.

Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatology