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Editor's Pick
Century-old lessons from the Spanish flu
Dr Stefan E Pambuccian, a Loyola Medicine cytologist, surgical pathologist and professor and vice chair of the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at...
New blood test accurately detects more than 50 types of cancer
In a study involving thousands of participants, a new blood test detected more than 50 types of cancer as well as their location within...
Most popular diets deliver weight loss and lower BP, but benefits last only a year
Most diets lead to modest weight loss and lower blood pressure, but effects largely disappear after a year, while the differences between popular diet...
'Sushi parasites' have increased 283-fold in past 40 years
A study led by the University of Washington finds dramatic increases in the abundance of a worm that can be transmitted to humans who...
An aspirin a day does not keep dementia at bay
Aspirin has anti-inflammatory properties and also thins the blood. For years, doctors have been prescribing low-dose aspirin for some people to reduce their risk...
Leaving baby to 'cry it out' has no adverse effects on child development
An infant's development and attachment to their parents is not affected by being left to 'cry it out' and can actually decrease the amount...
Alcoholics Anonymous is most effective path to alcohol abstinence
After evaluating 35 studies – involving the work of 145 scientists and the outcomes of 10,080 participants – Dr Keith Humphreys, Cochrane professor of...
Gratitude interventions don't help with depression, anxiety
A study by researchers at The Ohio State University analysed results from 27 separate studies that examined the effectiveness of gratitude interventions on reducing...
One egg per day does not increase CVD risk — Harvard meta-analysis
Consuming up to one egg per day does not appear to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, according to a new study and...
Decades-old antidepressant may fend off prostate cancer's return
A MAO inhibitor drug called phenelzine represents a potential new treatment direction with fewer side effects for men with recurrent prostate cancer, researchers said....
Neurologic music therapy benefits stroke victims — small, 2-year study
Neurologic music therapy helps stroke patients through mood regulation, improved concentration, and neural re-organisation. Physical benefits include better arm function and gait, found a...
Drug that eases symptoms of chronic cough may become first new therapy in 50 years
Effective treatments for cough are a significant unmet clinical need and the new drug Gefapixant, moving into phase-three trials, has the potential to be...
Starting oestradiol therapy soon after menopause may slow atherosclerosis
Taking oestradiol within six years after the onset of menopause may help prevent atherosclerosis, plaque build-up in artery walls, from progressing; however, starting oestradiol...
Hearing aids improve cognitive function — Australian study
Cognitive decline is associated with hearing loss, which affects about 32% of people aged 55 years, and more than 70% of people aged over...
Prescribing macrolide antibiotics in first trimester increases birth defect risk
Children of mothers prescribed macrolide antibiotics during the first trimester of pregnancy are at an increased risk of major birth defects when compared with...
Studies show little or no benefit from omega-3 supplements and slight risk
Two large, randomised UK studies found that taking daily omega-3 fats in supplement form have no significant overall impact on a person's health, no...
Kids eat more calories in post-game snacks than they burn during the game
A study led by Brigham Young University public health researchers finds the number of calories kids consume from post-game snacks far exceeds the number...
Widowhood accelerates cognitive decline in those at risk for Alzheimer's disease
The death of a spouse often means the loss of intimacy, companionship and everyday support for older adults. A study finds that widowhood can...
Paralympic rule change for 'blade runners' is contradicted by US study
The assumptions behind a recent International Paralympic Committee rule change affecting double, below-the-knee amputees racing in prosthetic legs are contradicted by a small, first-of-its-kind...
Second antibiotic no advantage for treating super-bug Golden Staph
A world-first, three-year multi-centre study involved 352 patients at 27 hospitals in Australia, Singapore, Israel and New Zealand has called into question the effectiveness...
Insufficient evidence backing herbal medicines for weight loss
There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend any of the herbal medicines examined in an Australian systematic review and meta-analysis.
Researchers at the University of...
Brain structure differences link to individuals with lifelong antisocial behaviour
Individuals who exhibit lifelong-persistent antisocial behaviour – for example, stealing, aggression and violence, bullying, lying, or repeated failure to take care of work or...
Improved handwashing at airports could slow spread of viral diseases by 70%
Improving the rate of handwashing at just 10 major airports could significantly slow the spread of a viral disease, researchers estimate, The findings, which...
Strokes: Optimism linked to lower severity, inflammation, and disability
Stroke survivors with high levels of optimism had lower inflammation levels, reduced stroke severity and less physical disability after three months, compared to those...
Cocoa may improve walking in people with peripheral artery disease — small study
In a small study of 44 peripheral artery disease patients over age 60, those who drank a beverage containing flavanol-rich cocoa three times a...
40-nation survey finds that almost three out of four unhappy with breast size
The majority of women worldwide may be dissatisfied with the size of their breasts, found a 40-nation study. The authors note that this has...
Yale study adds to evidence of diabetes drug's link to heart risk
Rosiglitazone was associated with a 33% increased risk of a composite cardiovascular event (heart attack, heart failure, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular related death) compared with...
FDA study finds sunscreen's active ingredients readily absorbed in bloodstream
The active chemicals in sunscreens can readily soak into the bloodstream, found a US Food and Drug Administration pilot study.
Scientists at the US...
Surgical masks, airport screenings and 'involuntary quarantine' – what works and what doesn't
Public use of surgical masks, airport screenings, and so-called "involuntary quarantine” — forced isolation — are all being used to try to contain the...
Late diagnosis by GPs link to lung cancer mortality — UK report
More than half of lung cancer patients in some parts of the UK are only diagnosed when they visit A&E, often because their GPs...
'Robust' study endorses link between red/processed meats and cardiovascular disease
Eating two servings of red meat, processed meat or poultry – but not fish – per week was linked to a 3-7% higher risk...
Hot flashes may impair memory performance
If you're having difficulty identifying the right word to express yourself clearly or remembering a story correctly, you may blame menopause. A study by...
Bonding effect of skin-to-skin contact in preterm infants
Skin-to-skin contact between parent and infant has positive effects for the infant's development, writes MedicalBrief. But for parents who children have had to...
Close to a third of UK doctors may suffer from burnout
Almost a third of UK doctors may be suffering from burnout, stress and “compassion fatigue”. The Guardian reports that according to a survey by...
Scepticism greets China study that links snakes to coronavirus outbreak
As human cases rise in a mysterious viral outbreak that originated in China, scientists are rushing to identify the animals, where they suspect the...
Sepsis associated with 1 in 5 deaths globally, double previous estimate
Twice as many people as previously believed are dying of sepsis worldwide, according to an analysis, published in The Lancet.
Among them are a...
Habitual tea drinking cuts CVD and all-risk mortality — China-PAR study
"Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death," said first author Dr Xinyan Wang, Chinese Academy of Medical...
Blue light may help with mild traumatic brain injury
Relative to placebo, exposure to morning blue light led to improved sleep, reduced daytime sleepiness, and improved executive neural functioning, and was associated with...
New T-cell therapy has potential to kill most human cancer types – animal study
The discovery of a new kind of immune cell receptor could pave the way for a new type of T-cell cancer therapy that can...
Female GPs in UK earn 35% less than male colleagues
Female GPs in the UK earn an average of £40 000 ($52 000) a year less than their male colleagues, an analysis of official National Health...