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

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Dec-2025 21:11 ET (24-Dec-2025 02:11 GMT/UTC)

22-Dec-2025

MIT study: High-fat diets make liver cells more likely to become cancerous

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from researchers at MIT and elsewhere reveals how a high-fat diet rewires liver cells and makes them more susceptible to becoming cancerous.

Journal: Cell
Funder: A Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowship, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, National Institutes of Health, MIT Stem Cell Initiative through Foundation MIT

22-Dec-2025

Exposure to multiple fine particulate matter components and incident depression in the US Medicare population

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cohort study of the U.S. Medicare population, specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5) components (sulfate, elemental carbon, and soil dust) were associated with increased depression risk in older adults, particularly those with preexisting comorbidities. These findings underscore the importance of targeted regulation of harmful PM2.5 components to protect vulnerable populations.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

22-Dec-2025

Risk of burdensome health care spending over time in the US

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This cohort study found that the U.S. health care system imposes cost burdens on a larger share of the population than suggested by cross-sectional analyses, and most individuals in the U.S. will experience such burdens during their lifetimes. Policies that reduce out-of-pocket costs might improve the well-being of individuals in the U.S.

Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine

22-Dec-2025

Nirsevimab against hospitalizations and emergency department visits for lower respiratory tract infection in infants

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this meta-analysis, nirsevimab was associated with reduced lower respiratory tract infection-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits in infants and young children. These findings support nirsevimab’s potential to reduce respiratory-related morbidity in young children and health care utilization.

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics

22-Dec-2025

As measles cases rise, views of MMR vaccine safety and effectiveness -- and willingness to recommend it -- drop

Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Reports and Proceedings

As U.S. cases rise, a nationally representative panel survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds a small but significant drop in the proportion of the public that would recommend that someone in their household get the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. The survey finds drops in both the perceived safety and effectiveness of the MMR vaccine as well as two other vaccines.

22-Dec-2025

Super Mario Bros. help fight burnout: New study links classic games to boosted happiness

JMIR Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published by JMIR Serious Games reports that popular video games, such as the Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi games, may offer meaningful emotional benefits for young adults.

Journal: JMIR Serious Games

22-Dec-2025

A new strategy for immune tolerance

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) and the Faculty of Medicine at Kanazawa University has developed a new class of engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs) capable of inducing antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs), the immune cells that play a central role in suppressing excessive immune responses. The findings, now published in Drug Delivery, may pave the way for next-generation therapies for autoimmune and allergic diseases, where unwanted immune activation must be precisely controlled.

Journal: Drug Delivery