EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 12-Jun-2026 20:16 ET (13-Jun-2026 00:16 GMT/UTC)

27-Feb-2026

Cognitive and neuropsychiatric function in former American football players

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of former American football players, prior American football participation was associated with worse later-life cognitive and neuropsychiatric function. These findings support a dose-response association with years and level of play, providing context to help clinicians and researchers assess the risk of symptoms among former players.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

27-Feb-2026

Acoziborole Winthrop, developed by DNDi and Sanofi, receives European Medicines Agency positive opinion as three-tablet, single-dose treatment for most common form of sleeping sickness

Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
Business Announcement

Recommendation based on Phase II/III study demonstrating up to 96 per cent success rates at 18 months across both early and advanced stages of T.b. gambiense, the most common form of sleeping sickness

The therapy, given as a single dose of three tablets, could offer a simpler alternative to longer, more complex regimens and help support the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of eliminating the disease by 2030

Sanofi will donate the medicine to WHO through its philanthropic arm Foundation S

27-Feb-2026

Study identifies opposing roles for IL6 and IL6R in long-term mortality

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY — February 27, 2026 — A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on February 6, 2026, titled “Causal effects of inflammation on long-term mortality: a Mendelian randomization study.”

Journal: Aging-US

27-Feb-2026

Reduced international donor funding associated with higher household economic burden of Tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries, according to modelling study

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Reduced international donor funding associated with higher household economic burden of Tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries, according to modelling stud

Journal: PLOS Medicine

27-Feb-2026

AI accurately spots medical disorder from privacy-conscious hand images

Kobe University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An AI can accurately diagnose a rare endocrinological condition just by analyzing pictures of the back of the hand and the clenched fist. The privacy-conscious achievement by Kobe University holds promise for establishing more efficient referral systems and reducing healthcare disparities across communities.

Journal: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
Funder: Hyogo Foundation for Science Technology

27-Feb-2026

New insights into how the immune system recognizes viral RNA

Institute of Science Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Study reveals how two proteins cooperate in a key early step of antiviral detection, as reported by researchers at Science Tokyo. Using cryo-electron microscopy and high-speed atomic force microscopy, they found that LGP2 binds to viral RNA and recruits MDA5 molecules, as if threading beads on a string. This creates a scaffold that facilitates the formation of a large signaling complex, which ultimately triggers an innate immune response.

Journal: Molecular Cell
Funder: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Daiichi Sankyo Foundation of Life Science, Takeda Science Foundation, Uehara Memorial Foundation

27-Feb-2026

Beyond amyloid: A roadmap for integrated, multi-target Alzheimer’s therapy

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Despite recent FDA approvals of amyloid-targeting antibodies, reversing Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains an ultimate challenge. A new review highlights the shift from single-target treatments to holistic strategies, integrating Tau pathology, genetics, aging, and systemic health factors to pave the way for next-generation interventions.

Journal: Science China Life Sciences

27-Feb-2026

Yes! The role of YAP and CTGF as potential therapeutic targets for preventing severe liver disease

The University of Osaka
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from The University of Osaka have found that a specific signaling pathway, the integrin αV–YAP–CTGF axis in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, may be associated with the development of liver fibrosis, portal hypertension, and liver cancer in patients with chronic liver congestion. These findings have important implications for the development of therapies aimed at preventing more severe forms of liver disease.

Journal: Gastroenterology
Funder: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development

27-Feb-2026

A highly precise target for medications against tropical diseases

Ruhr-University Bochum
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers working with Professor Ralf Erdmann at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have discovered a critical vulnerability shared by the pathogens that cause African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis. The PEX38 protein plays a crucial role in the formation of certain organelles of the trypanosomes that are essential for their energy supply. Because humans do not require this protein, it represents a promising target for new treatments against tropical diseases that affect over one billion people worldwide every year. Current treatments are often limited by high toxicity and increasing drug resistance. The team led by Ralf Erdmann reports its findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) from February 26, 2026.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: European Union, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Ruhr University Bochum