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Editor's Pick
Leading Alzheimer’s study under investigation over possible manipulation
Critical elements of one of the most cited pieces of Alzheimer’s disease research in the past two decades, published in 2006, may have been...
Many commonly used insomnia drugs poorly tolerated and have adverse results – Oxford meta-analysis
Insomnia is a highly prevalent disorder, with a chronic course and heavy burden for patients and the healthcare system.
Although both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions...
Boosting protein intake may be key to healthier eating, weight loss – US study
Protein is an essential component of a healthy diet, including among people on weight loss programmes. A recent study found that upping their protein...
Commonly used treatment for birth asphyxia linked to serious adverse events – US study
When a child is born with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, commonly called birth asphyxia – poor consciousness, not crying, not sucking, not breathing on their own...
Weekend exercise enough to stay fit – decade-long US cohort study
Good news for those who are desk-bound during the week and can only exercise on weekends: a US study has discovered that a big...
Experts believe name change may diminish stigma of schizophrenia
The term schizophrenia carries an incredible load. It is not just a moniker for a serious mental condition but also a tool to support...
Keto vs Mediterranean diet and diabetes – Stanford randomised trial
Both the ketogenic and Mediterranean diets successfully cut blood sugar levels in patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, according to a small randomised...
Psoriasis study shows promising new treatment strategy
As part of a study, a MedUni Vienna research team has now discovered a key starting point for inhibiting inflammation in both psoriasis and...
Badly-fitting school shoes give children foot deformities – SA study
South African children who usually go barefoot risk developing clawed and retracted toes, heel spurs and foot arthritis because school shoes sold here are...
Acupuncture relieves chronic headache – Chinese randomised trial
Acupuncture helped reduce the frequency of chronic tension-type headaches (CTTH), a randomised controlled trial in China found.
More than two-thirds (68.2%) of people with CTTH...
Study shows how psychedelics work on the brain to relieve depression
Up to 30% of people with depression don’t respond to treatment with anti-depressants – possibly due to differences in biology between patients and that...
Exposure to light during sleep linked to health risks – Chicago study
Researchers have found that sleeping with any type of light whatsoever, even dim light, can affect your health – and that any light exposure...
Top medications most often linked to headache – FDA database
Monoclonal antibodies, antivirals, immunomodulators and pulmonary arterial vasodilators top the list of drugs most frequently implicated as causes of headaches in a federal side...
Fibre-glass industry workers at high risk of chronic respiratory conditions – KZN study
A study carried out at a factory in Durban found that workers in the fibre-glass reinforcement industry are literally choking on plastic, with their...
Human cells less able to absorb protein from ‘vegan’ meat’ – Ohio study
Proteins in plant-based meat alternatives may not be as accessible to human cells as those from real meat, a study has suggested.
While plants rich...
Inability to balance on one leg linked to higher mortality risk – 12-year international study
If you battle to stand on one leg, it could be a sign of something more serious than you think, with research suggesting that...
Traditional Ayurveda medicines treat type 2 diabetes – UK meta-analysis
A team of medical specialists has suggested that several traditional medicines widely used in South Asia can be effective in helping patients with type...
Optimism link to longer life span of women of all races – Harvard study
Positive thought and optimism really do affect well-being, especially if you’re a woman. According to a recent study, higher levels of optimism were associated...
Milestone delays in babies exposed to COVID in womb – US cohort study
Lags in basic milestones of infancy – rolling over, reaching for objects or babbling – have been observed in babies whose mothers caught COVID-19...
Frozen eggs more efficient than IVF for older women – US study
The largest US report of elective fertility preservation outcomes to date found that 70% of women who froze eggs before they were 38 –...
Social isolation linked to later dementia – collaborative study
People who are socially isolated have lower grey matter volumes of brain regions involved in memory and learning, a team of researchers has discovered.
Their...
US cancer trial’s unexpected result: remission in every patient
It was a small trial, just 18 rectal cancer patients, all of whom took the same drug. But the results were astonishing. The cancer...
Inhaled steroids promote secretions which block treatment in severe asthma patients – US study
Patients with severe asthma produce special substances in their airways when taking medicine during an asthma attack that block the treatment from working.
Two different...
Gradual slower gait a sign of cognitive decline – Australian study
Walking more slowly as you age has always been a warning sign of increasing frailty that could lead to falls and other disabilities, experts...
Breastfeeding duration linked to cognition – Oxford study
Children who were breastfed for longer were linked to higher cognitive scores, right up to the age of 14, than those who were never...
Less TV time could slash coronary heart disease cases – joint study
Watching too much TV is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease regardless of an individual's genetic makeup, say scientists.
The researchers, from the...
Plant-based gels ease swallowing of paediatric pills – MIT collaboration
For most children, and even some adults, swallowing pills or tablets is difficult. To make it easier to give those medicines, researchers have created...
New DoH guidelines for mother, baby care during COVID
The National Department of Health has released new guidelines relating to mother and newborn care. Writing in The Conversation, Jeannette Wessels and Ute Feucht...
Lab study raises intriguing questions about the ‘irreversibility of death’
Retina cells reacted to light and even communicated five hours after death, raising the possibility that other cells within the system could be activated...
Cranberries could improve memory, fight dementia – British collaborative study
Adding cranberries to your diet could help improve memory and brain function, and lower “bad” cholesterol, say researchers, who hope their findings have implications...
To expose a liar, introduce multi-tasking into the equation – UK study
It is well documented that lying during interviews takes up more cognitive energy than telling the truth. Investigators can use this finding to their...
Promising dementia treatment stabilises behaviour – Australian study
Sodium selenate may slow cognitive decline and neurodegenerative damage that is the hallmark of many dementias, including Alzheimer’s Disease, found an Australian clinical trial.
A...
Omicron infection improves immunity more than boosters – 2 US studies
People who are vaccinated and then get infected with Omicron may be primed to overcome a broad range of coronavirus variants, early research, not...
Dementia risk reduced with higher blood levels of two carotenoids – NIH study
Higher serum levels of two kinds of carotenoids were tied to lower risk of developing dementia over time, with dementia risk associated with blood...
Underweight odds likelier with vegetarian diet children – Canadian cohort study
A study of nearly 9,000 children found those who eat a vegetarian diet had similar measures of growth and nutrition as meat-eating kids. However,...
Seven hours is ideal amount of sleep in middle-age and older – UK-China study
Seven hours is the ideal amount of sleep for people in their middle age and upwards, with too little or too much sleep associated...
HRT should be given earlier as menopause ‘reshapes the brainʼ – Nature Scientific Reports
Hormone replacement therapy should be seen as a “protective” measure for peri-menopausal women to halt “rewiring” of the brain and should be prescribed earlier,...
Vegan diet linked to fewer rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women – Small study
A small study of women suggests that adopting a low-fat vegan diet and then eliminating remaining trigger foods may dramatically reduce symptoms of rheumatoid...
Wearing dentures may negatively affect nutritional intake – US study
Dentures may have a significant negative impact on a person’s overall nutrition, according to research from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Dentistry....
US highway death toll messages have opposite effect, cause more crashes
Displaying the highway death toll on USA message boards is a common awareness campaign, but research has shown that this tactic actually leads to...