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

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Dec-2025 04:11 ET (31-Dec-2025 09:11 GMT/UTC)

CNIC scientists report the first use of CRISPR activation to treat a cardiac disease in mice

Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (F.S.P.)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The results, published in the European Heart Journal and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, opens the way to new therapies for patients with genetic heart diseases

Journal: European Heart Journal
Funder: CIBERCV, European Innovation Council of the European Union., Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities

Rice scientists develop hydrogel platform for long-lasting, precision drug delivery

Rice University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rice scientists have developed a new drug delivery platform that could make it easier for patients to take their medications and may even boost drug efficacy.

Journal: Nature Nanotechnology
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, NIH/National Institutes of Health, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, Welch Foundation

Mount Sinai Morningside unveils new, state-of-the-art facility for patients who need inpatient rehabilitation

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Business Announcement

Renovated location will offer pioneering treatments and lead innovative research in rehabilitation medicine

UVA to test if MRI can reveal undetected brain injuries in soldiers

University of Virginia Health System
Grant and Award Announcement

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have received a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to test whether a cutting-edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner can identify now-undetectable brain injuries in soldiers exposed to blasts.

Funder: U.S. Department of Defense

Childhood traumatic events and transgender identity are strongly associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors in university students

IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The university stage, particularly its beginning, is a time of tension and emotional stress for young students-many of whom are under the age of 20. This is a group in which suicidal ideation has increased significantly in recent years, surpassing the general population. The study, part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative led by Harvard University, invited nearly 73,000 students from 71 universities in eighteen countries to participate. It is the most comprehensive study conducted to date on this population. Experiencing traumatic events during childhood and having parents with mental health disorders are the main risk factors for suicidal behavior. In addition, transgender students are 2.4 times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts than other students.

Journal: Psychiatry Research

Key components for promoting recovery colleges globally

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center

Recovery colleges (RCs) support personal recovery through education, skill development and social support for people with mental health problems, carers and staff. Guided by co-production and adult learning principles, RCs represent a recent mental health innovation. Since the first RC opened in England in 2009, RCs have expanded to 28 countries and territories. However, most RC research has been conducted in Western countries with similar cultural characteristics, limiting understanding of how RCs can be culturally adapted. The 12-item Recovery Colleges Characterisation and Testing (RECOLLECT) Fidelity Measure (RFM) evaluates the operational fidelity of RCs based on 12 components, but cultural influences on these components remain underexplored. The authors aimed to assess associations between Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and RFM items to identify cultural influences on fidelity components.

Journal: General Psychiatry

Highly sensitive, next-generation wearable pressure sensors inspired by cat whiskers

Shinshu University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Flexible pressure sensors can detect subtle mechanical stimuli, making them suitable for use in wearable sensors for human health monitoring and motion analysis. However, current sensors suffer from insufficient sensitivity, poor durability, and subpar stability. In a new study, taking inspiration from cat whiskers, researchers developed novel biomass fiber/sodium alginate aerogel (BFA)-based sensors that demonstrated excellent pressure sensitivity, durability, and rapid response, while being suitable for human physiological monitoring and motion analysis.

Journal: Advanced Functional Materials
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, TAKEUCHI IKUE Scholarship