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

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Aug-2025 15:11 ET (13-Aug-2025 19:11 GMT/UTC)

Global Virus Network meeting unites Caribbean and Latin America to tackle emerging viral threats

Global Virus Network
Meeting Announcement

GVN, UWI, and SUNY hosted experts in Jamaica to tackle virus surveillance, vaccines, and pandemic prep amid climate and global health threats.

Incidence rates of some cancer types have risen in people under age 50

NIH/National Cancer Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have completed a comprehensive analysis of cancer statistics for different age groups in the United States and found that from 2010 through 2019, the incidence of 14 cancer types increased among people under age 50.

Journal: Cancer Discovery

Exoskeleton technology shows promise in protecting workers in one of the most dangerous jobs

Texas A&M University

In a recent study, Kim and co-author Woodam Chung, PhD, a forest engineer at Oregon State University, were the first to objectively measure biomechanical stress experienced by professional timber fellers during actual timber felling operations. They also evaluated forest workers’ perceptions of wearable exoskeletons—emerging technology already being used in other physically demanding industries such as shipbuilding and automotive and aerospace manufacturing.

Journal: International Journal of Forest Engineering
Funder: Economic Development Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Characterization of research grant terminations at the National Institutes of Health

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: Between February 28, 2025, and April 8, 2025, 694 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants were terminated across 24 of the 26 institutes and centers (including the Office of the Director) that administered active NIH grants. Targeted grant terminations have affected more than $1.8 billion in NIH funding. Terminations were spread across nearly all NIH institutes and centers, although cuts disproportionately impacted the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (30% of all funding).

Journal: JAMA

Unlocking the mechanics of protein misfolding

University of Pennsylvania
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An interdisciplinary team led by University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Lee C. Bassett and Dani Bassett, also of the School of Arts & Sciences, have studied the mechanical properties of prions, the mysterious shape-shifting proteins that are infamous for mad cow disease yet essential for yeast survival. Their findings could offer key insights into neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s diseases and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and pave the way for novel drug delivery systems.

Journal: Newton
Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Army Research Office

Depression and heart failure in US veterans

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cohort study, depression among veterans was associated with an increased hazard of incident heart failure after controlling for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors. Higher incident heart failure rates in patients with depression remained consistent in an otherwise low-risk cohort.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Experiences of care and gaslighting in patients with vulvovaginal disorders

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, a patient-centered measure of adverse experiences in vulvovaginal care was developed. Participants reported common past experiences with gaslighting (a patient’s concerns are dismissed without proper evaluation) and substantial distress; they frequently considered ceasing care. There is an urgent need for education supporting a biopsychosocial, trauma-informed approach to vulvovaginal pain and continued development of validated instruments to quantify patient experiences.

Journal: JAMA Network Open