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Editor's Pick
How donating blood can boost your health – global study
The life-saving act of giving blood may not only be beneficial to the patient but also to the donor, researchers have suggested, because frequent donations encourage...
High wastage of anaesthetic drugs in SA theatre – Bara study
Reducing anaesthetic drug wastage in hospitals is crucial for improving operating room efficiency and controlling costs, particularly in developing countries where resources are limited,...
WHO study sheds light on maternal deaths
Haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders like pre-eclampsia are the leading causes of maternal deaths globally, according to a study released this week by the World...
Higher sperm quality could be linked to longevity – Danish study
Men with higher levels of strong, agile sperm may live nearly three years longer than those with poor swimmers incapable of making it to...
Weight loss of 20%-30% can reverse type 2 diabetes – Qatar analysis
The more weight lost by people with type 2 diabetes, the greater the odds that the disease will go partially or even completely into...
Breast cancer deaths to rise 68% by 2050 – WHO study
Global cancer researchers have warned that breast cancer diagnoses and deaths are expected to surge worldwide in the coming decades, rising to more than...
Long-term strategy vital to combat cholera threat in Africa
Southern and eastern African countries are facing a resurgence of cholera, threatening worldwide progress toward eliminating the disease, a recent analysis has said.
The study,...
Study flags risks of taking seniors off blood thinners
Clinicians often worry about prescribing blood thinning medications to older patients because of concerns about falls and major bleeding, but research in England suggests...
Gene therapy improves sight in paediatric blindness
A pioneering genetic medicine has delivered life-changing improvements in sight to four children born with severe vision impairment from a rare genetic deficiency that...
Prenatal treatment for spinal muscular atrophy shows promise
Doctors have reported that the first prenatal therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has showed promising results – that more than two years after...
Common painkiller in pregnancy tied to ADHD risk – US study
Children may have a higher risk of developing ADHD if their mothers used paracetamol – also known as acetaminophen – during pregnancy, adding weight...
Some hormonal contraceptives linked to clots – Danish study
A team of researchers has suggested that some progesterone-only hormonal contraceptives may carry similar clot risk to certain combined pills, according to their study.
The Danish...
Rise in children’s cannabis poisonings in Australia
As access to medicinal cannabis in Australia increases, so too does the risk of poisoning, especially in adolescents and children, experts have warned, noting...
Omega-3 plus exercise may slow ageing – Swiss study
Scientists in Switzerland have suggested that, in combination with regular exercise, omega-3 and vitamin D supplements might help slow biological ageing by several months over...
Legalised cannabis tied to more schizophrenia cases – Canadian study
Scientists have suggested that Canada’s legalisation of cannabis may be linked to an escalation in schizophrenia cases, according to their research findings.
Over a 16-year...
Global study gives snapshot of nurses’ mental health burden
A first-of-its-kind study provides an insight into the substantial mental health burden on nurses around the world, the research documenting the impact of three...
Swedish study identifies gaps in preterm infant pain treatment
Repeated pain in newborn babies can be under-diagnosed and thus under-treated, risking long-term cognitive and other complications, say Swedish experts after a recent nation-wide...
Frequent cannabis use could affect crucial memory skill – US study
Scientists say more frequent use of marijuana could damage the brain’s working memory, which may lead to issues with safety, communications and work success,...
Brazilian couples study finds gene that boosts Covid-19 protection
A group of South American couples has helped to discover a biomarker of resistance to the Covid-19 virus, say scientists, after a study conducted...
Major review shows common meds linked to reduced dementia risk
In the largest systematic review of its kind, covering more than 1m cases of dementia from the records of more than 130m people, researchers...
Green tea reduces cognitive decline – Japanese study
For centuries, people have extolled the health benefits of green tea, like reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, maintaining skin health, promoting weight loss,...
ADHD linked to earlier deaths – UK study
Recent concerning findings in a British study of more than 30 000 adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) showed that on average,...
Antibiotic for MDR-TB halves risk – SA, Vietnamese trial
Two recent simultaneous trials – one conducted in South Africa among children, the other involving Vietnamese adults – found that levofloxacin reduced the risk of...
Weight is not ultimate predictor of early death – US-UK analysis
Obesity is often considered one of the most important factors in the likelihood of early death, but a recent US review reveals that cardiorespiratory fitness actually...
Daily glass of milk could slash bowel cancer risk – UK study
Recent British research involving more than half a million women suggests that upping your daily milk intake by as little as one glass could...
Veganism has major benefits, reduced disease risk – global analysis
A vegan diet can potentially transform your gut and metabolism, and slash your risk of chronic diseases, according to recent research, with scientists suggesting...
Immunotherapy may boost bladder cancer patients’ survival – UK trial
There’s hope on the horizon for bladder cancer sufferers, according to a recent British clinical trial carried out among more than 1 000 people,...
Exercise may cut cancer mortality – SA study
The role of exercise in cancer management is being explored as a potential benefit, with a recent study suggesting that physical activity before diagnosis...
Neurotoxic risks of too many multivitamins
More and more people are presenting with symptoms linked to high levels of vitamin B6, pathologists say, while the supplement industry goes unpoliced, and...
More than 900m people globally have incurable STI – Qatar analysis
Research led by a team in Doha has confirmed genital herpes is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world that does...
One smoke shortens life by 20 minutes – UK analysis
Updated research has found that cigarettes shorten life expectancy even more than originally thought – that a single cigarette could slice about 20 minutes...
Genetics put African men most at risk of prostate cancer
Breakthrough research, and the largest study of its kind, has identified the genetic risk factors contributing to increased prostate cancer in African men.
The study,...
Millions of mental diagnoses linked to lead in petrol – US study
A recent study has suggested that a history of lead in petrol – going back to as early as the 1920s – could be...
Chocolate comparison weighs up type 2 diabetes risks – Harvard-led study
Eating at least five tiny servings of dark chocolate each week may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 21%, according to...
Major leap in asthma treatment
A new way of treating serious asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attacks could be a “game-changer” and is the first leap in...
Common thyroid medicine linked to bone loss
Levothyroxine, a drug used to treat hypothyroidism, can lead to reduced bone mass and density in older adults with normal thyroid levels, a small...
Swedish study links some HRT medicines to higher cardio risks
Researchers who analysed almost a million women in Sweden have found those taking certain HRT tablets suffered higher rates of heart complications and blood...
Covid linked to cancer regression in US study
In what could be a significant development, American researchers have found what they believe is an extraordinary link between infection with Covid and cancer regression,...
Alarming finds from AMR study of hospital surfaces in six countries
Antimicrobial resistance – when bacteria and other microbes that can cause infections gain the ability to resist treatment by antibiotics or other antimicrobial medicines...
Pumps help human hearts to self-repair at higher rate – Swedish study
After severe heart failure, the ability of the heart to heal by forming new cells is very low. However, according to a recent study,...