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Monday, 2 February, 2026
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Editor's Pick

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...

Bad gums tied to big brain risks – US study

Scientists in South Carolina have tied periodontal disease to cerebral small vessel disease and stroke, reports Medpage Today, with data from the Atherosclerosis Risk...

Why gluten may not be the culprit – Australian review 

Social media and lifestyle magazines have turned gluten – a protein in wheat, rye and barley – into a dietary villain, with athletes and celebrities often promoting...

Anti-depressant side effects review prompts call for guidelines update

A major review of the potential side effects of certain anti-depressants has found that some people can gain as much as 2kg in weight...

Shingles jab slashes CVD events, dementia – US study

Having shingles increased the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) like vascular dementia, heart attack, stroke and death by roughly a quarter –...

Importance of African dietary guidelines underlined in SA study

Twelve African nations now have official dietary guidelines, creating opportunities to strengthen public health, preserve traditional diets, and address climate challenges. So say the authors...

Sugary flavours in infant food harming health – Stellenbosch study

Researchers from Stellenbosch University have called for infant food flavourings to be evaluated and for labelling regulations to be strengthened and enforced after their...

Tramadol offers limited relief, risks serious side effects – Danish review

The strong opioid painkiller tramadol is not that effective at easing chronic pain for which it's widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of...

Quitting smoking stubs out dementia risk – London study

British researchers have found that giving up smoking in middle age not only halves the rate of decline in verbal fluency and slows memory...

Male circumcision simplified with South African device – US study

Voluntary medical male circumcision is one of the most important ways to reduce new HIV infections. The foreskin contains receptors that the HIV virus...

‘Planetary diet’ could avoid 40 000 daily deaths – global report

According to a landmark report by 70 experts from 35 countries, adoption of a plant-rich “planetary health diet” could prevent 40 000 early deaths...

Scientists detect protein clusters tied to Parkinson’s – Canadian-UK study

Marking a significant first, scientists have, for the first time, directly visualised and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson’s disease, signalling a...

Repeat Covid-19 infections double long Covid risk – long-term NIH study

Most people now view Covid-19 as more of a nuisance than a danger, thanks to vaccines and past exposure to the virus – all...