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Editor's Pick
Harmful chemicals found in SA sanitary products – UFS study
Menstrual products used by millions of South Africans may contain hormone-disrupting chemicals – even when marketed as “free from harmful chemicals” – suggests research...
High deaths rates among starving Limpopo children – Wits study
Thousands of South African children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), say concerned experts, calling for urgent review of data quality and reporting...
Surprising link between aspirin, cancer deaths – ASPREE trial follow-up
A team of researchers has suggested that low-dose aspirin was not associated with a reduced incidence of cancer in older adults, but was associated...
Statin pills safer than advertised, major British review finds
Cholesterol-lowering statins, used by millions, are far safer than previously thought, a major review has found, with the authors suggesting packaging leaflets should be...
Semaglutide shows heart benefits in key group – global study
An analysis by an international team of researchers has concluded that taking oral semaglutide may reduce heart-related hospitalisations and deaths among those with a...
Men’s heart attack risk speeds up in their 30s – US study
Experts have recommended that screening for heart attack risk in men should start earlier than for women, warning that cardiovascular disease (CVD) starts climbing when men...
Menopause linked to Alzheimer’s-like brain changes – Cambridge study
British scientists have suggested that menopause is linked to changes in the brain similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s, and that hormone replacement therapy...
Alzheimer’s risk may be driven by a single gene – London study
British researchers say their recent study showed the APOE gene was the major link to most cases of Alzheimer’s disease across four cohorts, and...
Young men targeted for unnecessary testosterone tests – Danish study
Despite screening for low testosterone being medically unwarranted in most young men, this category is being aggressively targeted online by “influencers” and wellness companies...
Hidden mpox exposure found in healthy Nigerians – Cambridge study
The mpox virus appears to be circulating silently in parts of Nigeria, in many cases without the symptoms typically associated with the disease, according...
Fish oil supplement cuts heart risks in dialysis patients – global trial
A recent international trial has delivered striking results for people on dialysis, showing that daily fish oil supplements can sharply reduce serious heart-related events,...
Experts call for SA lens on contraceptive link to meningioma
Increasing evidence has shown an association between the popular contraceptive injection depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (dMPA) – known as depo provera – and meningioma, leading...
Drug combo boosts hope for multiple myeloma survival
A new therapy for bone-marrow cancer is creating a stir and raising hopes of a potential cure, reports The Washington Post.
Oncologist Luciano Costa waited...
People who stop weight-loss jabs regain weight in two years – UK study
A landmark study, led by researchers from Oxford University, has found that people who stop taking weight loss jabs regain all of the weight...
How effective is intermittent fasting for health benefits?
The notion behind intermittent fasting is supposedly simple: eat less for a time and improve your metabolism, but the reality is more complex, suggest...
Experts flag headache in 46% of haemorrhagic stroke cases
Nearly half of all patients with haemorrhagic stroke also experience headache across its acute and chronic phases that could contribute to long-term morbidity, according...
Numerous heart attacks being missed – US-Canada analysis
Alarming research has suggested that current screening techniques may be failing to flag nearly half of those who experience a heart attack, with the scientists...
Blood proteins could predict life expectancy – UK study
Imagine if a simple blood test could offer a glimpse into your future health. Not just whether you have heart disease or cancer today,...
High-fat dairy link to good brain health – Swedish study
A large study has suggested a connection between eating more cream and high-fat cheese – like cheddar, Brie and Gouda – and a lower...
New obesity drug delivers higher weight loss reduced knee pain
Eli Lilly’s next generation obesity drug has delivered the highest weight loss yet in a late stage trial while reducing knee arthritis pain, clearing...
Bleeding alert for cancer patients on extended blood-thinners
Researchers who have identified four predictors of clinically relevant bleeding in patients receiving extended anticoagulation with apixaban (Eliquis) for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) said...
Positive results for chronic migraine treatment – Italian-Norwegian study
A collaborative team of Norwegian and Italian researchers has announced promising results for migraine prevention, saying a combination of onabotulinumtoxinA and atogepant was effective...
Covid jabs had lower risk of death than any cause – study of 68m people
A French study published in JAMA Network Open has confirmed the safety of mRNA vaccines, which were distributed globally on a massive scale for...
Hair-loss drug boosts hair growth by 539% – Irish study
After decades of limited options for male-pattern baldness, a new topical drug has delivered encouraging results in late-stage clinical trials, which showed significant hair...
Seventh HIV cure tied to stem cell transplant
A handful of people with HIV have been cured after receiving HIV-resistant stem cells – but a man who received non-resistant stem cells has...
Experts flag rise in premature infant blindness – SA study
Local experts have sounded the alarm after their recent study showed a spike in premature infant blindness, detracting from the progress made in the...
RA begins long before symptoms appear – seven-year US study
Scientists who say dramatic immune changes occur years before rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms appear have now mapped the hidden immune battle that unfolds way...
Monthly jab can control severe asthma – global trial
An international clinical trial has suggested that a monthly injection could allow people with severe asthma to stop taking daily steroid tablets altogether –...
Why screening for the deadliest cancer misses most cases – US study
Recent research has found that current lung cancer screening guidelines could be missing most cases, prompting calls for changes to detect the disease earlier,...
PARP inhibitors under-used for prostate cancer – Utah study
Experts say it’s concerning that nearly half of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who are eligible for PARP inhibitors – which could improve...
Pesticides damaging Western Cape children’s brains – SA-Swiss study
Routine exposure to agricultural pesticides may be affecting the brains of children living in South Africa’s farming regions, and affecting their cognitive abilities.
This is...
Ultra-processed food harms every major organ – Lancet review
The world’s largest scientific review has warned that consumption of UPFs poses a seismic threat to global health and well-being, the scientists noting that...
General anaesthesia safe option for C-sections – US review
Regional anaesthesia, typically with a spinal or epidural block, has long been favoured for Caesarean births, due partly to concerns about the effects general...
High BP in children climbing
The global prevalence of childhood hypertension has escalated in recent years, but with considerable variation by diagnostic approach, an updated systematic review and meta-analysis...
Two superbugs responsible for Soweto newborn deaths – Wits study
Over the past 10 years, researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand’s vaccines and infectious diseases analytics unit analysed small tissue samples of 1...
Pre-surgery drugs tied to more infections – Swiss study
A large cohort study conducted in Switzerland suggests that use of non-beta-lactam antibiotics before surgery should be avoided when possible, the researchers have reported...
Rise in CKD linked to other chronic conditions – US study
The number of adults with chronic kidney disease is growing, according to a recent study published in The Lancet, which suggests the statistics might...
Women need less exercise than men for heart benefits – Chinese study
A recent study has suggested that women may have an edge over men when it comes to heart health and exercise, deriving more benefits...
Acute viral infections increase risk of CVD
In the weeks after a bout of flu or Covid, the risk of heart attack or stroke may rise dramatically, and chronic infections such...
Sleeping pill may slow Alzheimer’s protein build-up – US study
There’s still so much we don’t know about Alzheimer’s disease, but the link between poor sleep and worsening disease is one being explored with gusto by...