EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-May-2026 05:15 ET (16-May-2026 09:15 GMT/UTC)

14-May-2026

Improved life satisfaction linked to being in nature

Anglia Ruskin University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A major international study has found that contact with the natural world is linked to higher levels of life satisfaction – and we have our bodies to thank for unlocking this benefit.

The research analysed responses from 50,363 people aged 18 to 99, from across 58 nations, making it the largest multinational study of its kind ever carried out.

Led by Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the study discovered that contact with nature helps people develop more positive body image, and it is this increased “body appreciation” that is responsible for greater life satisfaction.

Journal: Environment International

14-May-2026

UCLA to lead $9M study on pesticides’, air pollutants’ link to Parkinson’s disease risk

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Grant and Award Announcement

UCLA Health will lead a $9 million, multi-institution research project to further elucidate the link between exposure to pollutants including certain pesticides, air pollution and the increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Funder: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

14-May-2026

Research by Ochsner experts explores making behavioral health care more accessible

Ochsner Health System
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study published this month in the American Journal of Managed Care explores how integrating behavioral health care into primary care can improve outcomes and be cost-effective for adults with depression, anxiety and chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy.

14-May-2026

Targeted therapeutics show promise in fighting off drug-resistant bacteria

University of Queensland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Alternative therapies that aid the body’s immune system to fight bacteria have shown promise in addressing the global threat of antibiotic resistance.

Journal: Science Immunology
Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project, Rebecca Cooper Foundation, European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, DFG fellowship, Swiss National Science Foundation PostDoc Mobility grant, University of Queensland postdoctoral research fellowship, NHMRC Investigator and Project Grants, NHMRC Investigator and Project Grants, Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, NHMRC Investigator grant, NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship, NHMRC Investigator Grant, NHMRC fellowship, Stafford Fox Foundation fellowship, NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship, NHMRC Investigator Grant

14-May-2026

CU Anschutz School of Medicine introduces 3-year MD program to address cost, physician shortages

University of Colorado School of Medicine
Business Announcement

In response to physician shortages in certain specialties of medicine, as well as changes in federal student loan borrowing limits, the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine is joining the ranks of medical schools nationwide that offer an accelerated three-year MD degree.

“There are about 35 medical schools around the country that are doing this right now,” says Jennifer Adams, MD, professor of internal medicine, associate dean of medical education, clerkship phase, and director of accelerated pathway programs. “We're joining a small but mighty group that is trying to address two important factors. One is rising concerns around student debt and the cost of medical education, and the second thing is physician workforce shortages.”

14-May-2026

AMS Science Preview: “Ornamental twilight,” heat deaths, hurricane eyes

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The latest research from journals of the American Meteorological Society discusses heat deaths and warning thresholds, forecasting "flaming clouds", hurricane reconnaissance, increased U.S. precipitation volatility, and more.

14-May-2026

Ochsner Children’s cardiologist named one of several principal investigators in $15 million initiative to treat heart valve disease

Ochsner Health System
Grant and Award Announcement

Ochsner Health proudly announces that Craig Sable, MD, a pediatric cardiologist with Ochsner Children’s, has been named one of several principal investigators in a project that’s part of a landmark $15 million research network funded by the American Heart Association (AHA). The network is dedicated to advancing the early detection and treatment of valvular heart disease.

Funder: American Heart Association

14-May-2026

Study is first to detect, track multiple cancer-causing viruses in wastewater

Baylor College of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This study is the first comprehensive approach to detect all known cancer-causing or oncogenic viruses concurrently by analyzing viral genomes in wastewater. The work, a collaboration between Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, shows that it is feasible to monitor the presence and levels of cancer-causing viruses, enabling the possibility of public health interventions in the future.

Journal: Applied and Environmental Microbiology

14-May-2026

Serum extracellular vesicle n-glycome identified as promising non-invasive biosignature for childhood epilepsy

Higher Education Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Childhood epilepsy lacks reliable non-invasive biomarkers for precise diagnosis. A new study in Engineering reveals that N-glycans on serum extracellular vesicles act as a promising liquid-biopsy signature. Researchers optimized extracellular vesicle isolation and used mass spectrometry combined with machine learning to identify 47 key glycans that clearly distinguish healthy children from those with focal or generalized epilepsy, offering a new path for better clinical detection and monitoring.

Journal: Engineering