EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 14-Jun-2026 13:15 ET (14-Jun-2026 17:15 GMT/UTC)

11-Mar-2026

How one flu virus can hamper the immune response to another

Weill Cornell Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Prior exposure to one strain of influenza virus may weaken children’s ability to mount an effective antibody response against their subsequent exposure to a different flu strain, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The analysis of the pediatric response to H3N2 and H1N1 influenza A viruses, two of the most common causes of flu, provides insight into the concept of “immune imprinting,” and supports the idea that childhood vaccination, if properly designed, may be able to mitigate its adverse effects.

Journal: Nature

11-Mar-2026

Foreign aid cuts to tuberculosis services could cost families $80 billion worldwide

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study in PLOS Medicine led by Boston University School of Public Health estimated that the loss of USAID support could generate about $7.5 billion in additional costs for low- and middle-income households that include at least one person diagnosed with TB. An additional four million households could experience “catastrophic costs,” defined by the World Health Organization’s End TB Strategy as costs that include related medical and nonmedical costs, as well as indirect costs, that exceed 20 percent of a person’s annual household income.

Journal: PLOS Medicine

11-Mar-2026

MYC amplification in metastatic prostate cancer associated with reduced tumor immunogenicity

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY — March 11, 2026 — A new research paper was published in Volume 13 of Oncoscience on February 7, 2026, titled “Reduced immunogenicity of MYC amplified, metastatic prostate cancer.”

Journal: Oncoscience

11-Mar-2026

Active ingredient of Viagra helps treat rare genetic disease

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sildenafil – an active ingredient also marketed under the name of Viagra – improves symptoms in patients with Leigh syndrome. This has now been reported in the Cell* journal by researchers at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, together with teams from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP in Hamburg. Leigh syndrome is a rare, previously untreatable metabolic disorder occurring in childhood and causing severe neurological and muscular symptoms. In a pilot study involving six patients, sildenafil showed a positive effect on the course of the disease.

Journal: Cell

11-Mar-2026

Pew awards fellowships to seven scientists advancing marine conservation

Pew Charitable Trusts
Grant and Award Announcement

The global ocean faces major threats—from illegal fishing to vanishing coastal habitats to plastic pollution. Now, a new cohort of scientists will work to bridge the knowledge gaps hindering effective ocean protections.

The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today that seven fellows—based in Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Thailand—will receive $150,000 grants over three years to pursue conservation-focused research aimed at strengthening ocean health and the communities that depend on it.

11-Mar-2026

Severe COVID-19, flu facilitate lung cancer months or years later, new research shows

University of Virginia Health System
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Severe COVID-19 and influenza infections prime the lungs for cancer and can accelerate the disease’s development, but vaccination heads off those harmful effects, new research indicates.

Journal: Cell
Funder: UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center

11-Mar-2026

Housing displacement, employment disruption, and mental health after the 2023 Maui wildfires

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, wildfire exposure and its socioeconomic consequences were associated with graded increases in psychological distress extending beyond the burn zone. These findings highlight the importance of integrating mental health care, housing stability, and economic recovery as central pillars of disaster response and climate resilience strategies.

Journal: JAMA Psychiatry

11-Mar-2026

GLP-1 receptor agonist use and survival among patients with type 2 diabetes and brain metastases

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: The findings of this cohort study suggest that glucagon-like peptide–1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use was associated with significant reduction in all-cause mortality among patients with cancer with brain metastases and type 2 diabetes, with generally consistent association across subgroups. These results build upon existing evidence that GLP-1 receptor activation modulates pathways relevant to neuro-oncologic health, including attenuation of neuroinflammation, preservation of blood–brain barrier integrity, and reduction of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

11-Mar-2026

What changes happen in the aging brain?

Salk Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Salk researchers create epigenetic atlas of cell type-specific changes in the aging mouse brain, representing eight different brain regions and 36 different cell types to show clear epigenetic differences associated with different ages. The new resource—available publicly on Amazon Web services—can be used to unravel age-related contributions to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.

Journal: Cell