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Editor's Pick
Azithromycin in combination may increase risk for cardiac events
While azithromycin by itself is not associated with an increase in cardiac events, if the taken with certain other drugs cardiac events increased, found...
Cash incentives for GPs led to sharp fall in abortion rates
A scheme that gave GP surgeries cash incentives to tell women about long-acting reversible methods of contraception has been linked to a sharp fall...
New CDC guidelines for S aureus prevention and control in NICUs
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new recommendations for the prevention and control of Staphylococcus aureus in neonatal intensive...
Plantar fasciitis and overuse injuries may link to toe spring in shoes — Harvard
Toe springs, a pervasive feature in athletic shoes especially, may contribute to weakening of the foot muscles and possibly to increased susceptibility to common...
Kruger Park study: Human activity promotes disease-spreading mosquitoes
Disease-spreading mosquitoes may be more likely to occupy areas impacted by human activities like pesticide use and habitat destruction, than they are areas less...
Hostility linked with higher risk of death after second heart attack
The personality trait of hostility was an independent predictor of dying from a second heart attack, according to a two-year follow up of 2,321...
Higher BP and diabetes in mid-life alter brain structure to slow cognition
In a large study, neuroscientists at Oxford University have found that raised blood pressure and diabetes in mid-life alter brain structure to slow thinking...
Use of permanent hair dye and cancer risk
Women who use permanent hair dye products to colour their hair at home do not experience greater risk of most cancers or greater cancer...
Impaired sleep linked to accumulation of Alzheimer's marker
A small study from the University of California-Berkeley matched the overnight sleep quality of healthy older adults against the build-up in their brains of...
Depression worsens over time for caregivers of newly diagnosed dementia patients
Caring for a partner or spouse with a new diagnosis of Alzheimer's or related dementia is associated with a 30% increase in depressive symptoms,...
Post-menopausal women at higher risk of NAFLD — research review
A review article authored by a researcher at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggests that following menopause,...
Intense physical activity in adolescence may prevent osteoporosis later
High intensity physical activity in early life might help maximise peak hip strength and prevent osteoporosis in later life, according to a study from...
No safe level of caffeine use for pregnant women and would-be mums
Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should be advised to avoid caffeine because the evidence suggests that maternal caffeine consumption is associated...
Single dose radiotherapy effective in treating breast cancer
A pioneering breast cancer therapy developed by University College London (UCL) clinicians, which requires just one shot of radiotherapy rather than conventional weeks-long treatment,...
Honey superior to usual care for upper respiratory tract infections — Oxford study
Honey was superior to usual care for the improvement of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), a University of Oxford study found.
The Guardian...
Antibiotic use with hormonal contraception linked to 7x higher risk of unwanted pregnancy
The combined use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and hormonal birth control was associated with a higher risk of unintended pregnancy, MedPageToday reports researchers found. Individuals...
Online calculator to predict ischaemic stroke risk
A large, longitudinal US study found that ischaemic stroke risk increased consistently with metabolic syndrome severity even in patients without diabetes, from which they developed...
Canada's 'pioneering' guidelines on adult obesity
Pioneering guidelines on obesity management in Canada are challenging doctors to consider the health problem as a complex chronic illness rather than something a...
Predictors of laser treatment success in patients with glaucoma
More than 70m people worldwide suffer from glaucoma, a condition that causes a build-up of fluid and pressure inside the eye and can eventually...
Asthma drug can boost sprint and strength performance in athletes
A type of asthma drug, known as ß2-agonists, can boost sprint and strength performance in athletes who don't have the respiratory condition, finds a...
Genetic aspects of stroke in people of African descent
African-Americans have up to three times the risk of dying from strokes as people of European descent, yet there has been little investigation of...
Baby boomers show concerning decline in cognitive functioning
In a reversal of trends, American baby boomers scored lower on a test of cognitive functioning than did members of previous generations, according to...
PTSD service dogs: Effective at warning of anxiety and disrupting it
Service dogs assist military veterans in coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by alerting owners to signs of anxiety, awaking them from nightmares, and...
Hedonism as important as self-control for happiness – European study
Relaxing on the sofa or savouring a delicious meal: Enjoying short-term pleasurable activities that don't lead to long-term goals contributes at least as much...
Clinicians ignore international guidelines on minimum effective dose for asthma
A large UK study found that asthma patients were increasingly prescribed higher levels of treatment, often without clear clinical indication for such high doses,...
Gum disease substantially increases oesophageal and gastric cancer risk — 20-year Harvard analysis
A large Harvard University analysis over 20 years found that poor dental hygiene increases the risk of throat and stomach cancer by up to 43% and...
High levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found on communal gym equipment
Research presented at ASM Microbe Online found that 43% of Staphylococcus bacteria found on exercise equipment in university gyms were ampicillin-resistant, with 73% of...
Women who deliver by C-section are less likely to conceive again
Women who deliver their first child by caesarean section (C-section) are less likely to conceive a second child than those who deliver vaginally, despite...
Only 30% of paediatricians fully follow guidelines on peanut allergy prevention
While 93% of US paediatricians surveyed were aware of the national guidelines on peanut allergy prevention in infants, only 30% were fully implementing the...
American Thoracic Society's new guidelines on treatment for tobacco dependence
Quitting tobacco has remained elusive for many smokers, despite smoking cessation initiatives, provocative public health campaigns and clinical guidance. The American Thoracic Society's new...
Overlooked Soviet-era Miramistin has 'enormous potential' as antiseptic
A little-known non-toxic antiseptic developed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War has enormous potential to beat common infections, say University of Manchester...
Apgar effective to assess mortality in prems — large Swedish analysis
The vitality of preterm infants should be assessed with an Apgar score, a tool used to measure the health of newborns immediately after birth....
Injections 2.5x safer when nurses use revamped guidelines
When UK nurses followed modified guidelines that present the same information in a more user-friendly way, nearly two and half times more doses were...
Declining eyesight improved by looking into deep red light
Staring at a deep red light for three minutes a day can significantly improve declining eyesight, finds a new University College London-led study, the...
US long-term use of muscle relaxants has skyrocketed since 2005
US doctor visits for ongoing prescribing of skeletal muscle relaxant drugs tripled from 2005 to 2016, according to a study from researchers in the...
COVID-19 herd immunity may be unachievable — Spanish study of 61,000 people
Spain's large-scale study on the coronavirus indicates just 5% of its population has developed antibodies, strengthening evidence that a so-called herd immunity to COVID-19...
Liver perfusion could save 7 in 10 rejected donor livers
A major study investigating the effectiveness of liver perfusion as a technique to improve the function of donor livers that would have otherwise been...
Disrupted circadian rhythm associated with later Parkinson's
Older men who have a weak or irregular circadian rhythm guiding their daily cycles of rest and activity are more likely to later develop...
Key factors in elite military training are psychological — US Marine study
The biggest determinants of success in elite military training are not physical factors but psychological factors, according a small study conducted among US Marine...
Sedentary behaviour independently predicts cancer mortality
In the first study to look at objective measures of sedentary behaviour and cancer mortality, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer...