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

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Jun-2025 03:10 ET (21-Jun-2025 07:10 GMT/UTC)

People who are immunocompromised may not produce enough protective antibodies against RSV after vaccination

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have shown that people 60 years or older with weakened immunity do not respond as strongly to vaccines against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as people in the same age group with normal immune function.

Journal: Journal of the American Medical Association
Funder: COVID Protection After Transplant Data Coordinating Center, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Immune Tolerance Network at the Benaroya Research Institute at the Virginia Mason Medical Center

Improved health care value cannot be achieved by hospital mergers and acquisitions alone

American College of Surgeons
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mergers and acquisitions of U.S. hospitals and health systems rarely improve the quality of care delivered or result in lower health care costs and prices.

Journal: Journal of the American College of Surgeons

Brain structure differences are associated with early use of substances among adolescents

NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study of nearly 10,000 adolescents funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has identified distinct differences in the brain structures of those who used substances before age 15 compared to those who did not. Many of these structural brain differences appeared to exist in childhood before any substance use, suggesting they may play a role in the risk of substance use initiation later in life, in tandem with genetic, environmental, and other neurological factors.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Pain coping skills training for patients receiving hemodialysis

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In this randomized clinical trial of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis, pain coping skills training had benefits on pain interference and other pain-associated outcomes. While the effect on the overall cohort was of modest magnitude, the intervention resulted in a clinically meaningful improvement in pain interference for a substantial proportion of participants.

Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine

Pitfalls of FDA-approved germline cancer predisposition tests

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY – December 30, 2024 – A new editorial was published in Oncotarget’s Volume 15 on December 24, 2024, titled “Pitfalls and perils from FDA-approved germ-line cancer predisposition tests.“

Journal: Oncotarget

Kitchen hygiene matters

BfR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
Reports and Proceedings

Salmonella, Listeria or noroviruses: there are quite a few illness-causing germs in foods. However, the most common pathogen behind foodborne infections in Germany is not as common: Campylobacter. Reason enough to take a closer look at this great stranger in the spotlight of the new issue of BfR2GO. Proper food handling plays a major role in determining whether the food has after effects. “Every year in Germany, around 100,000 illnesses are reported that may be linked to bacteria, viruses or parasites in food. The real number is likely far higher,” says BfR President Professor Andreas Hensel. “By following a few simple rules, people can avoid unpleasant and in extreme cases even life-threatening foodborne infections.” The current issue of BfR2GO provides an overview of the ABCs of kitchen hygiene on a pull-out poster.

Small milk fat globules promote good bacteria, study reveals

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study reveals that the structure of milk fat globules, rather than their chemical composition, plays a key role in their interactions with bacteria. Small globules promote the growth of beneficial bacteria like Bacillus subtilis, while larger ones trigger biofilm formation, a behavior linked to bacterial adaptation. These findings demonstrate milk’s natural protective mechanisms and highlight its potential to support gut health, offering significant implications for dairy science and nutrition.

Journal: Food Chemistry