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Editor's Pick
NHS pilots simple blood test that screens for 50 types of cancer
A simple blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer in asymptomatic patients is accurate enough to be rolled out as...
COVID-19, not Pfizer vaccine, tied to Bell’s palsy — 2 studies
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has not been linked with a higher risk for the facial nerve paralysis known as Bell's palsy, but COVID-19 itself does...
Bariatric surgery linked to decreased stroke risk – Canadian study
Canadian researchers have found that obese people who had bariatric surgery to reduce their weight appeared to get an added benefit of a markedly...
Diabetes drug shows promise for COVID-19 lung inflammation
Researchers have identified the molecular mechanism for the anti-inflammatory activity of diabetes drug metformin, reports the University of California – San Diego. They say...
England on track to achieve elimination of HIV transmission by 2030
The annual number of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men in England is likely to have fallen dramatically, from 2,770...
‘Laughing gas’ has rapid, lasting antidepressant effect — Phase II trial
The anaesthetic drug nitrous oxide - otherwise known as laughing gas - can significantly improve symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression, found a University...
Regeneron treatment cuts COVID-19 mortality by 20% — RECOVERY trial
The world‘s largest trial of COVID-19 therapeutics has provided the first convincing evidence that a therapy that directly attacks the virus can save hospitalised...
Trials stopped early as benefits shown for olaparib in breast cancer
Women with hereditary breast cancer, triggered by the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, stand a better chance of survival following successful trials of a drug...
Fruit but not fruit juice to lower type 2 diabetes risk — AusDiab study
People who consume two servings of fruit per day have 36% lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consume less than...
Ramadan fasting and cardiovascular disease — Newham University recommendations
Expert consensus says Muslim patients at high cardiovascular risk should not observe strict fasting during Ramadan, writes MedicalBrief.
While recommendations on ‘safeʼ fasting exist for...
Stringent diet puts diabetes into remission and cuts need for BP medication
Achieving and maintaining substantial weight loss allowed 8 out of 10 people remission from type 2 diabetes, as well as lowering blood pressure and...
Overweight substantially worsens liver-damaging effects of excessive alcohol use
People in the overweight or obese range who drink alcohol to levels beyond UK guidelines are at significantly greater risk of liver disease and...
Experts urge action to reduce global burden of cardiovascular disease in women
Urgent action is needed to improve care and prevention, fill knowledge gaps and increase awareness about cardiovascular disease in women, according to a report...
Optogenetics breakthrough restores partial sight in retinitis pigmentosa
A man blind with retinitis pigmentosa has had glimmers of vision restored using a high-tech treatment using optogenetics, which involves genetically altering nerve cells...
Regular milk consumption not associated with increased cholesterol
Regular consumption of milk is not associated with increased levels of cholesterol, according to an almost 2m-person Mendelian analysis, published in the International Journal...
Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios cut mortality risk by up to 11% — Australia study
Research examining the effect of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios has found it reduces the risks of those in care dying by up to 11%. The...
Annual screening for ovarian cancer does not save lives — Large UK trial
Annual screening for ovarian cancer can detect tumours earlier but does not save lives, one of the largest studies ever conducted on the UK...
Dental treatment does not increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk — Small US study
Dental treatment is not a factor in increasing the risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic patients and that standard infection control practices are...
Even obese vegetarians who smoke and drink have healthier biomarkers than meat-eaters
Vegetarians have a healthier biomarker profile than meat-eaters, and this applies to adults of any age and weight, and is also unaffected by smoking...
Psychological distress doubles the risk of subsequent cardiac events
Adults who reported severe psychological distress — such as depression or anxiety — after suffering a heart attack were more than twice as likely...
Stressed CEOs age faster and die sooner — US National Bureau of Economic Research
Stress induced from working long hours and making high-stakes decisions translates to a shorter life and faster aging for CEOs, according to a National...
Breastfeeding link to higher neurocognitive testing scores in offspring
Research finds that children who were breastfed scored higher on neurocognitive tests. Researchers in the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of...
10 scientific reasons supporting airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2
A WHO-funded systematic review that concluded that firm conclusions could not be drawn about the airborne transmission of COVID-19 is “concerning“, according to correspondence...
Malaria vaccine trial demonstrates high-level efficacy
Researchers from the University of Oxford and their partners have reported findings from a Phase IIb trial of a candidate malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, which...
Under 6 hours sleep a night associated with 30% higher dementia risk
Those who persistently slept six hours or less per night were roughly 30% more likely to develop dementia, compared to those with normal sleep...
Supplements reduce COVID risk in women but not men — Large observational study
Research has found that small but significant decreases in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among females – but not males – who took multivitamins,...
Eating fish associated with significant health benefits — Pooled analysis
There is a significant protective benefit of fish consumption in people with cardiovascular disease, as well as with significant improvements in multiple other health...
HIT delivers same cardiometabolic benefits as longer, traditional exercise
High intensity interval training (HIIT) of under 15 minutes – inclusive of warm up and cool down – yields comparable improvements to interventions meeting...
Work and social stress put women at significantly higher heart risk
Psychosocial stress – typically resulting from difficulty coping with challenging environments – may work synergistically to put women at significantly higher risk of developing...
Immunotherapy combination shows early promise in glioblastoma
Immunotherapy together with an experimental cancer drug could offer a new way of treating some patients with aggressive brain cancers, promising early results from...
Coffee a powerful addition to NAFLD treatment arsenal — Meta-analysis
A meta-analysis presented at the IBD Liver Disease Conference found that coffee drinkers had up 47% lower risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and...
Longer working hours tied to doubled risk of recurrent CHD
Over a 6-year period, a Canadian study of 1000 patients younger than 60 years who returned to work after a first myocardial infarction (MI)...
Pandemic linked to substantially worse pregnancy outcomes worldwide
Pregnancy outcomes for mothers and babies have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with stillbirth and maternal mortality rates increasing by approximately one-third during the...
Frequent eating out significantly associated with higher all-risk mortality
Emerging, although still limited, evidence suggests that frequent consumption of meals prepared away from home is significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality,...
Half-cup of daily coffee during pregnancy may lead to smaller birth size
Pregnant women who consumed the caffeine equivalent of as little as half a cup of coffee a day on average had slightly smaller babies...
New drug weekly as safe and efficacious as insulin daily — NRI diabetes trial
A new once-weekly basal insulin injection demonstrated similar efficacy and safety and a lower rate of low blood sugar episodes compared with a daily...
Novel saliva test accurately diagnoses concussion — SCRUM study
A University of Birmingham-led study of top-flight UK rugby players – carried out in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Premiership Rugby, and...
Cancer survivors face elevated risk of cardiovascular disease over 10 years
A study has found that about 35% of Americans with a cancer history had an elevated risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in the...
Meta-analysis: Beta-blockers not linked to depression or adverse mental health events
A meta-analysis of large-scale data from double-blind, randomised controlled trials does not support an association between β-blocker therapy and depression or other adverse mental...
Vital exhaustion almost triples the risk of heart attack in men
Men experiencing vital exhaustion are at substantially higher risk myocardial infarction, according to research presented at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2021, an online scientific...