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Editor's Pick
ADHD drugs have wider life benefits – Swedish-UK study
Medication can help people newly diagnosed with ADHD to reduce their risk of substance misuse, suicidal behaviour, transport accidents and criminality, scientists have suggested.
The...
Long delays in dementia diagnosis – global study
Recent analysis of data from 13 previously published studies of more than 30 000 people has highlighted a major gap that often keeps people...
Which milk is safer? Norwegian data provide the answer
Research from Norway reveals that choosing low-fat milk over whole milk could lower your risk of dying from heart disease or any cause, reshaping...
Scientists find link between genes and ME – Scottish study
A team of scientists has found the first robust evidence that people’s genes affect their chances of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome...
Global shortcomings in life-saving surgery highlighted in Lancet study
Alarmingly, say experts, the world is still a long way from meeting targets for safe and affordable surgical care for all, according to their...
‘Zombie’ cells the link between ME/CFS and long Covid – Stellenbosch study
Researchers from Stellenbosch University believe they may have found a common underlying factor linking myalgic encephalomyelitis – or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) – and long Covid:...
Most liver cancer preventable, Lancet Commission finds
As many as three in five liver cancer cases could be prevented, according to a report from The Lancet Commission on liver cancer, which...
UK study explores effectiveness of OTC anti-depressants
Over-the-counter (OTC) products like St John’s wort and omega-3s have long been touted for helping with depression, but after 64 different products were tested...
New drug could halt Alzheimer’s
Research presented at the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto offers hope that a new drug could halt the progression of the disease,...
New type 1 diabetes tied to African patients – cross-sectional study
Researchers have suggested their recent discovery could change how type 1 diabetes is diagnosed and managed in people of African descent, with the study...
US transplant experts find new options for preserving more hearts
Two American university hospitals are pioneering new ways to expand lifesaving heart transplants for adults and babies – advances that their surgeons suggest could...
SA study highlights need to monitor IV antibiotic use in hospitals
The findings of a study analysing intravenous (IV) antibiotic usage in a private mining hospital in North West Province have emphasised the need for...
Dogs sniff out Parkinson’s years before symptoms – UK trial
People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have an odour that can be reliably detected from skin swabs by trained dogs, a recent study has shown,...
Aluminium in vaccines no effect on paediatric diseases – Danish study
A large, nationwide study in Denmark, spanning 1.2m children and 24 years of data, found no link between aluminium in childhood vaccines and autism,...
Dirty air tied to brain tumours that can trigger other issues – Danish study
After following nearly 4m people over 21 years, Danish researchers have suggested that exposure to higher levels of air pollution over time was tied...
Childhood obesity tied to early, serious health issues – SA study
A study by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH) has linked childhood obesity to an escalation...
Dementia risk may be lower in cancer survivors – Korean study
Findings from a large Korean study suggests that radiation therapy may reduce by up to 23% the risk of dementia for some cancer survivors,...
Planned C-sections tied to childhood cancer risk – Swedish cohort study
Researchers from the Swedish Karolinska Institutet have suggested that children born via planned Caesarean section procedures might have a heightened risk of developing certain childhood cancers,...
Half of SA’s Covid-19 patients had long-term mental issues – UCT study
A study by the University of Cape Town funded by the SA Medical Research Council found that more than 50% of South Africans who were...
Calls for more stringent vape regulation in South Africa
An editorial in BusinessLIVE has called for the government to rein in the manufacturers of vapes and subject them to the same regulatory control...
Mental health risk doubled with autoimmune disease – Scottish study
A study of UK data from more than 1.5m people suggests that having an autoimmune disease could almost double the risk of mental health...
Treatment of malnourished children challenged: UK-MSF study
A study has called for another look at existing global treatment guidelines in treating children with critical levels of malnutrition, suggesting that dated recommendations...
Blood test IDs cancer three years before symptoms – US study
Fragments of tumour DNA can appear in the bloodstream up to three years before a cancer diagnosis, offering a potentially revolutionary window for early...
Critically-ill patients' faeces may predict imminent death – US cohort study
The contents of a patient’s entrails could be key to assessing how close they are to death, according a team of doctors who created...
Severe diabetics ‘cured’ after new treatment – small US trial
A single infusion of a stem cell-based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1...
Chemo-free combo leukaemia treatment hailed – phase 3 UK trial
A combination of targeted drugs, offering a chemotherapy-free approach to leukaemia, has been hailed as a milestone in cancer care by scientists after a...
Study flags role of dairy in reducing fracture risk in older women
Consuming more dairy in liquid form appears to reduce the risk of osteoporotic and other fractures, while cheese is specifically linked to a reduced...
Hydration levels key to prevent heart conditions – Israeli study
Scientists have made surprising findings from a major study of more than 400 000 healthy adults indicating that even sodium levels within the high...
One in 36 men has hidden dementia risk gene – Perth study
Scientists have warned that men carrying two copies of a common genetic variant face double the risk of dementia, according to their findings from...
Common drug may reduce preterm births – Zimbabwe randomised trial
A study of almost 1 000 pregnant women in Zimbabwe found that a daily dose of a commonly used, safe and inexpensive antibiotic may...
Scientists hail ‘breakthrough’ in quest for HIV cure – Australian study
Researchers in Melbourne found a new way to force the HIV out of hiding inside human cells, saying the virus’ ability to conceal itself...
New prostate cancer risk gene identified – US study
Scientists have recently identified MMS22L as a potential major gene associated with prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility, with implications for both risk prediction and personalised treatment, they say.
Building on...
Risks of stopping beta-blockers after heart attack – French trial
Researchers have found that interruption of beta-blocker treatment after an uncomplicated myocardial infarction (MI) leads to sustained increases in blood pressure and heart rate,...
Overweight boys risk genes of future offspring – Norwegian study
Boys whose fathers were overweight as teenagers had epigenetic markers associated with asthma, obesity and low lung function, according to a recent study, with...
Link between Alzheimer’s and cold sores emerges in new data
Recent research suggesting an unexpected link between a common form of herpes and Alzheimer’s disease could mean that anti-viral treatments might offer a potential preventative measure, said...
Common weed shows potential to fight cancer – SA study
South African researchers have discovered that a common weed – usually dismissed as an invasive plant – might have the potential to fight cancer,...
US clinical trial gives hope for spinal cord injury patients
Texas researchers have said that unprecedented rates of recovery were exhibited in patients with spinal cord injuries who had received a combination of stimulation...
Mini-strokes need to be taken more seriously – US study
Transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) can eventually lead to cognitive declines as steep as those after a full-on stroke, suggests recent research, which found that...
Alzheimer’s risk factors may be detected before 30 – US study
Alarming findings from a study led by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the Columbia Butler Ageing Centre suggest that risk...
Key differences in health risks for males and females – Berlin-UK study
An international study led by researchers from Queen Mary University of London’s Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) has cast new light on the...