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

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Jun-2025 21:10 ET (21-Jun-2025 01:10 GMT/UTC)

Addressing youth mental health crisis: YMCA Dallas and health experts introduce vital new program

Center for BrainHealth
Business Announcement

The YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas in partnership with Grant Halliburton Foundation, Metrocare, Momentous Institute and Center for BrainHealth, have developed the “YES YOU CAN!” pilot program set to launch in June 2025. Made possible in part through support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, the Hersh Foundation/Ken Hersh and Regen Horchow, and The Bette Rathjen Foundation for Emotional Health, this initiative is specifically designed to reinforce the concept of brain plasticity, the brain's ability to change and adapt. The program will also focus on refining existing training, platforms and interventions from partner organizations in a cohesive approach to support comprehensive care to children, teens, parents and counselors at select Y summer programs.

Five insights about birds in San Francisco’s community gardens

Stanford University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Plus how community gardens provide access to nature across neighborhoods

Journal: Landscape and Urban Planning

Enhanced CAR T cell therapy offers new strategy for lymphoma

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A phase I study of a next-generation CAR T cell therapy showed a 52 percent complete remission rate for patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma. The findings, led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Journal: New England Journal of Medicine

Eating ultra processed foods may speed up early signs of Parkinson's disease

American Academy of Neurology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson’s disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra processed foods, according to a study published in the May 7, 2025, online in Neurology^®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that eating more ultra processed foods causes early signs of Parkinson’s disease; it only shows an association.

Journal: Neurology

Sleep apnea during REM sleep linked to memory-related brain changes

American Academy of Neurology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes lower oxygen levels during sleep, is linked to degeneration of brain regions associated with memory through damage to the brain’s small blood vessels, according to a study published May 7, 2025, online in Neurology^®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found the brain changes were strongly associated with the severity of drops in oxygen levels during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The study does not prove that sleep apnea causes this degeneration; it only shows an association.

Journal: Neurology

National Jewish Health develops advanced molecular test to improve diagnosis of a genetic form of COPD

National Jewish Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

National Jewish Health researchers with the Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories have developed a groundbreaking molecular diagnostic test capable of accurately diagnosing a major genetic cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) known as Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD). The novel 23-SNP alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) assay, as described in a recent study published in CHEST Pulmonary, significantly improves the speed and precision of AATD diagnosis by identifying multiple genetic mutations associated with the disease. The test addresses a long-standing challenge in the medical community.

Journal: CHEST Pulmonary

Researchers identify measure of pulse rate that can predict faster cognitive decline in older adults

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Healthy hearts are adaptable, and heartbeats exhibit complex variation as they adjust to tiny changes in the body and environment. Mass General Brigham researchers have applied a new way to measure the complexity of pulse rates, using data collected through wearable pulse oximetry devices. The new method, published in Journal of the American Heart Association, provides a more detailed peek into heart health than traditional measures, uncovering a link between reduced complexity and future cognitive decline.

Journal: Journal of the American Heart Association
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health, BrightFocus Foundation