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A Practitioner's Must Read
SA leg of MMR trial to protect healthcare workers against Sars-CoV-2
Researchers are preparing to launch the South Africa leg of an international trial investigating whether the well-established measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot used...
Eating out riskier than public transportation or haircuts — CDC analysis
Eating out may come with a higher risk of catching COVID-19 than riding public transportation or getting a haircut at a salon, a study...
Cannabis use has a debatable impact on cognitive functioning
Cannabis is the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the world. Because so many young people use cannabis, it is important to understand its...
Airborne spread of COVID-19 and ventilations factors — 2 studies
Two recent studies highlight the role of airborne spread of COVID-19 and the importance of efficient ventilation systems. One study found that patients can...
American Thoracic Society: New clinical practice guidelines on COPD and hypercapnia
A subcommittee of the American Thoracic Society Assembly in Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology has released new clinical practice guidelines to help advise clinicians on...
Breast screening women in their 40s to save lives – long-term UK study
A 23-year follow-up of a large UK trial found that screening women aged 40-49 led to a substantial and significant 25% reduction in breast...
Doubt cast on targeting 'bad' cholesterol to curb heart disease risk
Setting targets for ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol levels to ward off heart disease and death in those at risk might seem intuitive, but a systematic...
Plant protein diets linked to lower risk of death – International evidence review
Diets high in protein, particularly plant protein, are associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, finds an analysis of the latest...
Blood test may identify which COVID-19 patients are best candidates for steroid treatment
A study led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System confirms the findings of the large-scale British trial of steroid use...
Follow-up finds dolutegravir use at conception not tied to neural tube defects in infants
Contradicting 2018 interim findings that dolutegravir use in pregnancy increased the risk of the rare birth defects, a Botswana follow-up study found no significant difference...
Wits scientist says firms are 'exploiting ignorance and fear' with deep cleans
Scientists say “deep cleans” of offices, schools and other spaces every time a positive case is reported, is unnecessary. A Bizcommunity report says many...
Smell tests should be part of routine COVID-19 screenings — STAT News
Temperature checks could well join the long list of fumbled responses to the pandemic, from the testing debacle to federal officials’ about-face on masks,...
Countries with early adoption of face masks showed modest coronavirus infection rates
Regions with an early interest in face masks had milder COVID-19 epidemics, according to a new letter. Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong...
Survey shows that SA doctors are taking psychological strain
A third of South African doctors surveyed by MPS, the international medical defence organisation, have experienced a decline in mental wellbeing as the COVID-19...
Up to 45% of covid infections may be asymptomatic — Scripps analysis
An extraordinary percentage of people infected by the virus behind the ongoing deadly COVID-19 pandemic never show symptoms of the disease, according to the...
Evidence supports physical distancing, masks, and eye protection — WHO commissioned meta-analysis
A comprehensive review of existing evidence supports physical distancing of two metres or more to prevent person-to-person transmission of COVID-19, says an international team...
UK Scientific Advisory Group: High proportion of recovering patients 'cannot get back to a normal life'
Coronavirus patients could suffer "extreme tiredness and shortness of breath for several months", government scientists have warned. The Daily Telegraph reports that newly-released papers...
People with HIV not at higher risk of death or severe illness from COVID-19
Two studies of COVID-19 cases published in recent days lead investigators to the cautious conclusion that people living with HIV are not at higher...
Long-acting ARV given as two monthly injectable PrEP protects against HIV
It’s not an Aids vaccine but it may be the closest thing to one so far. A long-acting antiretroviral drug given as an injection...
HIV-1 salvage therapy can omit NRTIs and remain efficacious and safe
People with HIV-1 infection (PWHIV) who have virologic failure can safely omit nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in new regimens that include more than...
Act amendment allows extension of expiring prescriptions from 6 to 12 months
People with expiring prescriptions, in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, are set for some relief, says a Health24 report. In what appears to...
Delaying treatment changes costs lives — SA study
Promptly switching antiretroviral therapy (ART) when individuals have viral rebound saves lives, Aidsmap reports an important study has found. Delayed switching more than doubled...
The case for healthcare worker screening to prevent hospital transmission
There is a strong case to be made for the mass testing of health care workers to mitigate workforce depletion by unnecessary quarantine; reduce...
New treatment relieves depression in 90% of participants in small study
A new form of magnetic brain stimulation rapidly relieved symptoms of severe depressioZn in 90% of participants in a small study conducted by researchers...
Public use of surgical masks 'could help slow' COVID-19 pandemic's advance
In laboratory experiments, the masks significantly reduced the amounts of various airborne viruses coming from infected patients, measured using the breath-capturing "Gesundheit II machine"...
Higher daily step counts strongly associated with lower mortality risk
A study has found that higher daily step counts were associated with lower mortality risk from all causes. The research team, which included investigators...
NICD's guidelines for SA's GPs in treating COVID-19
For many people suspecting they've been infected with the new coronavirus, general practitioners (GPs) will be the first people they turn to. News24 reports...
Breastfeeding and risks of allergies and asthma
A study has found exclusive breastfeeding for the first three months was linked with a lower risk of respiratory allergies and asthma when children...
Booster shots for tetanus and diphtheria not necessary if vaccinated in childhood
Adults don't need tetanus and diphtheria boosters if they were fully vaccinated as children, a study has found. The conclusion aligns with the World...
No evidence for daily emollient to prevent infant eczema
A randomised controlled trial in 12 hospitals and four primary care sites across the UK found no evidence that daily emollient during the first year of...
Researchers question new guidelines on aspirin in primary prevention
There has been considerable confusion from three large-scale randomised trials of aspirin in high risk primary prevention subjects, leaving doctors understandably confused about whether...
NHS trials sleep pods for doctors' and nurses' power naps
The UK National Health Service (NHS) is trialling sleep pods for doctors and nurses to grab power naps during their shifts, reports The Guardian....
Moderate egg consumption not tied to risk of heart disease
Moderate egg intake, which is about one egg per day in most people, does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or mortality even...
Three-pronged approach could eliminate cervical cancer within 100 years
More than 74m cervical cancer cases and 62m deaths could be averted in the next 100 years if 78 of the world’s poorest countries...
Long-term medication for schizophrenia is safe
A Karolinska Institutet data analysis suggests that long‐term antipsychotic use does not increase severe physical morbidity leading to hospitalisation, and is associated with substantially...
UK licences radical ketamine-like drug to treat depression
A radical ketamine-like drug has been licensed for use in the UK for severe depression, a decision that offers hope to the millions of...
Just one dose of the HPV vaccine found to be effective
A new study revealed that one dose of the HPV vaccine may prevent infection from the potential cancer-causing virus, according to research from The...
Induction at 41 weeks the safer option for women and their babies
Inducing labour at 41 weeks in low risk pregnancies is associated with a lower risk of new-born death compared with expectant management (a “wait...
Tenofovir does not increase risk of kidney disease in those at low risk
Antiretroviral treatment containing the older formulation of tenofovir (TDF) did not increase the risk of chronic kidney disease in previously untreated people with HIV...
In the long run, drugs and talk therapy hold same value for depression patients
Spending an hour in talk therapy with a trained counsellor costs much more, and takes more time, than swallowing an inexpensive antidepressant pill. But...