EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

A new study led by researchers at Vanderbilt Health has identified medical conditions that often precede an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. The findings, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, could open opportunities to develop interventions that reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Journal: Alzheimer s Research & Therapy

24-Feb-2026

Lasers and drones assess health of world forests and help track climate change

University College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Highly detailed 3D scans of dense tropical rain forest plots are enabling precise estimates of tree structure, volume and stored carbon, as part of a first-of-its-kind pilot initiative, led by UCL researchers.

Journal: Earth System Science Data

24-Feb-2026

New research finds heart health benefits in combining mango and avocado daily

Wild Hive
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study suggests that a daily combination of avocado and mango may support vascular function and heart health in adults with prediabetes.

Journal: Journal of the American Heart Association
Funder: National Mango Board, Hass Avocado Board

24-Feb-2026

Research identifies blind spots in AI medical triage

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

ChatGPT Health, a widely used consumer artificial intelligence (AI) tool that provides health guidance directly to the public—including advice about how urgently to seek medical care—may fail to direct users appropriately to emergency care in a significant number of serious cases, according to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The study, fast-tracked in the February 23, 2026 online issue of Nature Medicine [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04297-7], is the first independent safety evaluation of the large language model (LLM)-based tool since its January 2026 launch. It also identified serious concerns with the tool’s suicide-crisis safeguards.

Journal: Nature Medicine

24-Feb-2026

Researchers discover how an anti-obesity drug improves metabolism beyond weight loss

University of Barcelona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tirzepatide is one of the drugs that has revolutionized the treatment of obesity and other conditions such as diabetes in recent years. Despite its clinical success, its precise molecular and cellular mechanisms are still not fully understood. A study in mice shows that the drug has a direct impact on improving metabolism by activating brown adipose tissue, a type of fat specialized in energy expenditure. According to the researchers, these results help to better understand the mechanisms of action of tirzepatide and open up new avenues for developing more comprehensive treatments for obesity and other metabolic diseases.

Journal: Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy

24-Feb-2026

Dysregulation of the immune system differentiates depression and psychosis in young adulthood

University of Cologne
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In the early stages of both mental illnesses, patients often show certain levels of inflammation in the blood as well as changes in the grey matter of the brain. A better understanding of these biomarkers opens up new diagnostic options and therapeutic measures / Publication in “JAMA Psychiatry”

Journal: JAMA Psychiatry