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

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 15-Jul-2025 12:11 ET (15-Jul-2025 16:11 GMT/UTC)

U. of I. team develops weight loss app that tracks fiber, protein content in meals

University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Many people struggle to maintain a healthy weight, and choosing the optimal meals for weight loss can be challenging. A research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has developed a weight management program that helps individuals plan meals with the assistance of a web application and support from a registered dietitian. In a new study, they discuss the app’s features, development, and implementation.

Journal: JMIR Formative Research
Funder: U.S. Department of Agriculture

How human activity has shaped Brazil Nut forests’ past and future

Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the German Max Planck Institutes of Geoanthropology and Biology Tübingen use genomic data to study the decline in genetic diversity in the Amazon Basin, particularly in Brazil Nut trees. The research uses genomic data to understand this keystone species’ genetic health and adaptability, help reconstruct its demographic history, and assess the long-term impacts of human interaction on forest ecosystems. The findings emphasise the need for conservation strategies to consider both ecological and anthropogenic factors.

Journal: Current Biology

Doctors test a new way to help people quit fentanyl 

University of California - San Francisco
Peer-Reviewed Publication

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when fentanyl overdoses surged, doctors were desperate to find ways of helping their patients. 

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

Long read sequencing reveals more genetic information while cutting time and cost of rare disease diagnoses

University of California - Santa Cruz
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study shows that long-read sequencing has the potential to improve the rate of diagnosis while reducing the time to diagnosis from years to days — in a single test and at a much lower cost.

Journal: American Journal of Human Genetics
Funder: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Duration in immigration detention and health harms

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, detained immigrants experienced a high prevalence of poor health, mental illness, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with detention periods of 6 months or more associated with higher rates compared with those detained less than 6 months. Duration of custody is one mechanism by which immigration detention might be a catalyst for worsening health.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Fruit flies’ courtship song may hold key to controlling mosquitoes

University of Iowa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Iowa researchers have found and confirmed a gene that allows female fruit flies to get on the same frequency as courting males. Mosquitoes have the same gene and a similar courtship ritual, meaning that canceling the gene could in theory control mosquito population growth. Findings published in eNeuro, an open access journal of the Society for Neuroscience.

Journal: eNeuro
Funder: The U.S. National Science Foundation, University of Iowa Office for Undergraduate Research, JSPS Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan, Nagoya University, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency FOREST program funded the research.

Moffitt study shows how genomic tests could help treat prostate cancer more effectively

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new review led by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center assessed how three genomic tests — Decipher, Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) and Prolaris — can help doctors make better decisions about how to treat patients with early stage prostate cancer. The review, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, shows that these tests can provide more detailed information about the cancer, but experts say more data is needed on the cost-effectiveness and clinical utility of these tests, as well as their impact on racial and ethnic groups, especially Black men.

Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine
Funder: Department of Veterans' Affairs