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SSRIs: Media claims that antidepressants don't work is rebutted
The theory that antidepressant drugs, such as the SSRIs, do not work, which has gained considerable international media attention, has been rebutted by an...
A toast to moderate alcohol use – Danish and US studies
Moderate alcohol consumption over three-to-four days a week is associated with a markedly reduced risk of diabetes in both men and women, according to...
Vaccination programmes successfully wipe out HBV and HAV
A universal hepatitis B vaccination programme introduced for all newborn Alaskan children in the 1980s has wiped out hepatitis B (HBV) infection and liver...
CTE almost universal among ex-NFL football players
13A study of the brains of 202 former American football players found that 87% showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain...
Reversal of brain volume loss in a toddler after drowning
US specialists report the case of the reversal of brain volume loss in a two-year-old drowning victim unresponsive to all stimuli treated with normo-baric...
ACE's role in opioid addiction and later higher healthcare usage
Physical, sexual or emotional abuse as a child, or other childhood stresses, can lead to higher levels of health service use throughout adulthood, found...
Artificial sweeteners may leave a bitter aftertaste
Artificial sweeteners may be linked to risk of weight gain and a greater risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, found...
Wealthy foot bill for 87% of SA's private and state healthcare – Econex
The way healthcare‚ hospitals and doctors are paid for in SA does not 'punish the poor' as the National Health Insurance policy papers...
Brain Health Crossword — ACROSS: Risk factors (9) DOWN: Stress scenarios (27)
One third of dementia cases might be prevented if brain health is improved throughout life by targeting 9 risk factors, reports a Lancet Commission....
British experts want UN Rights of the Child intervention to remove the tackle from rugby
A cautionary approach requires the removal of the tackle from school rugby as the quickest and most effective method of reducing high injury rates...
Long-term PPI usage is linked to increased mortality risk
Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), widely used as an over-the-counter treatment for heartburn, ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems, is linked to a 25%...
SA Law Reform Commission examines spiralling medico-legal claims
Comment is sought by the SA Law Reform Commission on an issue paper exploring reasons for spiralling number of medico-legal claims, particularly against the state,...
New countrywide training initiative to combat lifestyle diseases
A new approach to patient care has been launched, developed at Stellenbosch University and spearheaded by Pharma Dynamics. The training initiative, aimed at reducing chronic lifestyle diseases,...
Two large studies link coffee consumption with longer lifespan
A coffee drinking habit is associated with longer lifespan, according to two major international studies. Researchers cautioned against media hype, noting that the studies...
'Not even its supporters agree' on what NHI means for private health
Even supporters of the National Health Insurance disagree on what the shift will mean, especially for private medical schemes, writes Amy Green in a...
EthiQal and MPS take up the debate on mediation for medical negligence claims
Graham Howarth, the Medical Protection Society's head of medical services Africa, and JP Ellis, EthiQal's medical malpractice legal manager, respond to Advocate Alan Nelson's...
Study queries usefulness of genome sequencing in primary care
For all the promises of genomics ushering in a new era, with scientists urging people to get their DNA sequenced, a first pilot study...
NHI White Paper 'a fantasy that ignores the SA economic downturn'
The SA National Health Insurance White Paper is a 'wan fantasy' that ignores SA's ailing economy poor regulatory mechanisms and the role of private...
Red meat consumption associated with significantly increased risk of dying
Eating more red meat, both processed and unprocessed, is associated with a 26% increased risk of dying from eight common diseases as well as...
Gauteng’s negligent medical ‘professionals' get off scot-free
Gauteng Health has paid out over R1bn since January 2015 to settle medical negligence, yet not a single disciplinary actionhas been taken against any...
100-year-old technique has 'significant benefits' for fertility
Rates of pregnancy and live births were higher among women who underwent fallopian tube flushing with oil contrast than with water contrast. Almost 40% of...
SA ups its game but still ranks in bottom half of global healthcare access survey
South Africa was ranked 119 out of 195 countries in the latest Healthcare Access and Quality Index, one rank below Namibia.It was, however, among...
Hawks widen investigation into SA medical school 'places for sale'
Three Durban restaurateurs arrested by the Hawks, accused of selling places to study at the University of KwaZulu Natal's medical school for up to half...
Strong recommendation against knee arthroscopy
Knee arthroscopy is strongly recommended against in almost all patients with degenerative knee disease, a panel of international experts report in The BMJ. A...
Ant-vax movement gains traction by targeting vulnerable groups
Anti-vaccine groups are targeting specific vulnerable communities, reports The Washington Post. In one Somali community in Minnesota, the vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) among immigrant...
Tranexamic acid decreasing death risk from post-partum blood loss
Tranexamic acid has gone largely unused in maternity wards since its development in Japan in the 1960s. Now a massive international trial has shown...
UK's experiment with cancer drugs' funding 'a failure'
A special UK Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) set up to help patients receive cancer drugs not routinely paid for by the NHS, spent over $1.55bn failed...
Taking some antibiotics may raise miscarriage risk
A large Canadian study found that taking several classes of antibiotic – including macrolides, quinolones, tetracyclines, sulphonamides and metronidazolethe – raised the chances of having...
LVADs should be a tool to assist patients with severe heart failure
A UK study has shown that nearly 40% of severe heart failure patients initially fitted with a mechanical heart pump, which was later removed,...
Vitamin C's effect on colds and pneumonia
A University of Helsinki meta-analysis identifies two controlled trials found a statistically significant vitamin C dose–response for the duration of common cold symptoms. Five...
Yo-yo dieting hikes death, heart and diabetes risks
Among people with coronary artery disease, fluctuation in body weight was associated with double the mortality and a double rate of cardiovascular events independent...
Stand-in doctor cleared in historic SA case
The legal duty of doctors when they cover for each other has for the first time being dealt with in SA, after a Durban High...
Aspirin therapy may not help patients with PVD – meta-analysis
Aspirin use in peripheral vascular disease (PVD) might not be associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes or worse bleeding outcomes, a University of Florida Health...
Lawyers must be barred from medical negligence process – Health MEC
The KwaZulu-Natal Health, in a Sunday Times interview, has called for lawyers to be excluded from the compensation process for medical malpractice, because "crooked" lawyers are...
Diabetes is even deadlier than previously thought – Study
Nearly four times as many Americans may die of diabetes as indicated on death certificates, a rate that would bump the disease up from...
Confidence, not maths ability, hinders path to science degrees
Girls rate their mathematics abilities markedly lower than boys, even when there is no observable difference between the two, a US study found. Confidence...
Five simple tests to predict heart disease risk
Five simple medical tests together provide a broader and more accurate assessment of heart-disease risk than currently used methods, cardiologists at University of Texas...
Lack of funds has health departments struggling to fill posts
Financial problems are plaguing South Africa's health system, with the national Department of Health unable to hire sufficient nurses and doctors and the Gauteng...
Insulin pumps no more effective than injections for type 1 diabetes
Insulin pumps do not take away the need for vital education on diabetes self-management and were no more effective than injections in helping adults...
‘Parasitical’ legal vultures face curbs over medical negligence
A legislative crackdown is looming against ‘criminal’ and ‘parasitical’ lawyers who are ‘milking’ provincial health departments in aggressive medical negligence claims. National Treasury said...