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

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 12-Oct-2025 03:11 ET (12-Oct-2025 07:11 GMT/UTC)

USPSTF recommendation statement on screening for intimate partner violence and caregiver abuse of older or vulnerable adults

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that clinicians screen for intimate partner violence in women of reproductive age, including those who are pregnant and postpartum. The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for caregiver abuse and neglect in older or vulnerable adults. Intimate partner violence affects millions of U.S. residents across the lifespan and is often unrecognized. Abuse of older or vulnerable adults by a caregiver or someone else they may trust is common and can result in significant injury, death, and long-term adverse health consequences. The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness of preventive care services and this recommendation is consistent with its 2018 recommendation.

Journal: JAMA

New 3D modeling method quantifies light-shading impact of freshwater microalgae

Hun-Ren Ökológiai Kutatóközpont
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research have developed a novel three-dimensional modeling method that accurately quantifies how microalgae affect underwater light conditions—one of the most critical factors in aquatic ecosystem health.

Journal: Water Research
Funder: Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (NKFIH OTKA), The authors are grateful for the possibility of using HUN-REN Cloud ht

Modifiable risk factors linked to spread of Alzheimer’s tau tangles, suggesting path to slower disease progression

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Education, body mass index (BMI), and hypertension play a role in the spread of tau tangles, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, according to longitudinal PET imaging data presented at the 2025 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Annual Meeting. For patients, timely modification of these risk factors could slow down disease progression.

Journal: Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Meeting: Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025 Annual Meeting

Alcohol-related liver disease linked to higher HBV reactivation risk in liver transplant patients

Higher Education Press

This study published in Engineering offers new insights into the impact of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) on post-transplant outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Researchers found that ALD significantly increases the risk of HBV reactivation and worsens survival outcomes following liver transplantation. Using advanced machine learning techniques, the study identified key metabolic factors associated with HBV reactivation and developed a novel risk stratification index to better predict patient outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of considering ALD in the management of liver transplant recipients with HBV-related HCC.

Journal: Engineering

“We’re aiming for a cure.” Massey and VIMM researchers achieve potential breakthrough in brain cancer treatment

Virginia Commonwealth University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) discovered a new and potentially revolutionary way to treat glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive type of brain cancer with no curative treatment options. An innovative study – led by Paul B. Fisher, MPh, Ph.D., FNAI, and Swadesh K. Das, Ph.D., and recently published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer – created a novel molecule that demonstrated the capability to introduce a combination of treatment outcomes – direct toxicity and immunotoxicity – to kill the tumor while exploiting immunotherapy to potentially prevent the recurrence of GBM via a “Fusion Superkine” (FSK), containing dual acting therapeutic cytokines in a single molecule.

Journal: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer

More than 130 physicians urge federal government to prioritize beans, peas, lentils in next dietary guidelines

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Business Announcement

In a June 24, 2025, letter, 134 physicians urged the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure that the next Dietary Guidelines for Americans include science-backed recommendations to prioritize the consumption of beans, peas, and lentils as a protein source.

Handy ‘MasSpec Pen’ collection could help detect opioids from the skin

American Chemical Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Opioids like fentanyl, morphine and oxycodone are the drugs most linked to overdoses in the U.S. Typical screening methods for drug usage involve collection of blood, saliva or urine samples. Now, in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry, researchers demonstrate a pen-like tool that can quickly and non-invasively collect molecules from the skin’s surface to be screened for opioids with mass spectrometry.

Journal: Analytical Chemistry