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Editor's Pick
Midday naps: Happier children with higher IQs — cohort study
Ask just about any parent whether napping has benefits and you'll likely hear a resounding "yes," particularly for the child's mood, energy levels, and...
Inability to act when experiencing heart attack symptoms
Some patients experiencing a heart attack have a paralysing inability to act on the symptoms, putting them in a life-threatening situation, according to Swedish...
Respiratory distress trial settles issue of paralysing and sedating
A National Institutes of Health trial — stopped early due to futility — settles a long-standing debate in critical care medicine about whether it...
Protocol sends 92% of cancer surgery patients home without opioids
A specialised pain management programme for patients who underwent robotic surgery for urologic cancers resulted in just 8% going home with narcotics after discharge,...
Meta-analysis isolates job advantages enjoyed by extroverts
Extroversion in the workplace was found to be linked with a few key advantages, found a University of Toronto study.
"There's been much debate in...
Aspirin okay for brain bleed stroke patients – RESTART clinical trial
People who suffer a brain haemorrhage can take common medicines like aspirin and clopidogrel without raising their risk of another stroke, a major clinical...
Older fathers increase pregnancy risk — Rutgers research review
Men who delay starting a family have a ticking “biological clock” – just like women – that may affect the health of their partners...
Loss of heart function in type 2 diabetes reduced by high-intensity exercise
University of Otago researchers have discovered that high-intensity exercise can reduce or reverse the loss in heart function caused by type 2 diabetes. The...
Largest FMT study in children to date identifies predictors of success
Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT), or the transfer of stool from a healthy donor to a patient, has been found highly effective in reversing severe...
Eating ultra-processed food increases risk of weight gain
People eating ultra-processed foods ate more calories and gained more weight than when they ate a minimally processed diet, according to results from a...
Walking and strength training may decrease cirrhosis mortality risk
Physical activity, including walking and muscle-strengthening activities, were associated with significantly reduced risk of cirrhosis-related death, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week®...
Alternative treatment for epileptic seizures in children
The anti-convulsant drug levetiracetam could be considered as a first-choice second-line treatment for the management of paediatricc onvulsive status epilepticus (CSE), found a three-year randomised clinical...
Appendix removal associated with development of Parkinson’s disease
Patients who had their appendix removed were more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those whose appendix remained in place, according to the largest...
Upper limit put on safe consumption of coffee
Latte, cappuccino or short black, a morning coffee is an essential for many people looking to kick start their day. But while the humble...
WHO issues its first guidelines on reducing dementia risk
The World Health Organisation has launched its first ever guidelines on how people can help avoid getting dementia.
People can reduce their risk of dementia...
Poor sense of smell in older adults linked to 50% increased mortality risk
A new Michigan State University study suggests that older adults with poor sense of smell may see an almost 50% increase in their risk...
Perseverance to fend off depression, anxiety and panic —18-year study
"Perseverance cultivates a sense of purposefulness that can create resilience against or decrease current levels of major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and panic...
Late dinner and not eating breakfast raises heart attack risk
People who skip breakfast and eat dinner near bedtime have a four to five times higher likelihood of death, another heart attack, or angina...
Walnuts may help lower blood pressure for those at risk of heart disease
In a randomised, controlled trial, researchers examined the effects of replacing some of the saturated fats in participants' diets with walnuts. They found that...
Meat eating even at guideline levels linked to 20% higher cancer risk
People who eat red and processed meat within department of health guidelines are still at increased risk of bowel cancer, according to a study...
A better way to treat prolonged epileptic seizures in children
A New Zealand-Australian study has delivered "robust" evidence for emergency medicine doctors to manage children with prolonged seizures without reverting to intubation and intensive...
Critical errors in inhaler technique in almost 50% of children with asthma
In the first study to evaluate inhaler technique in children hospitalised for asthma – the group at highest risk for complications and death from...
Now a reference library of DNA mutation 'fingerprints'
Scientists from King College London and Cambridge University have developed a comprehensive catalogue of DNA mutation ‘fingerprints’ that could help doctors pinpoint the environmental...
South Africa's black population also faces significant melanoma risk
Melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer previously thought to affect mainly white people, has been found to pose a significant threat also to...
Replacing red meat with plant proteins protects against CVD — first meta-analysis
Diets that replaced red meat with healthy plant proteins led to decreases in risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study from...
Restaurant claims of 'gluten-free' are often incorrect — US study
Even tiny amounts of gluten in foods are troublesome for people with coeliac disease, and restaurants may be the hardest places to avoid the...
Dogs detect malignant lung cancer with 97% accuracy
A study has shown that dogs can use their highly evolved sense of smell to pick out blood samples from people with cancer with...
Diet rich in red meat link to 23% greater risk of death in Finnish men
A diet rich in animal protein and meat in particular is not good for the health, a study from the University of Eastern Finland...
Pregnant women not sleeping on their backs lowers stillbirth risk — NHS
Pregnant women can lower the risk of stillbirth by sleeping on their side and NOT on their back, according to an international meta-analysis. The...
Large 10-year genetic study finds no protective benefits to light drinking
Even light-to-moderate drinking increases blood pressure and the chances of having a stroke, according to a large genetic study of half a million people...
The 'sugar rush' myth: It actually lowers alertness and increases fatigue
Sugar does not improve mood and it can make people less alert and more tired after its consumption, according to a meta-analysis by the...
Microbiome patterns predict colorectal cancer occurrence
Gut microbiota can be used to predict the occurrence of colorectal cancer, the second most common type of cancer in women and the third...
HPV vaccination dramatically reduces risk of cervical disease
Routine vaccination of girls aged 12 or 13 years with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Scotland has led to a dramatic reduction in...
Clear link between anxiety and depression in 20s to memory loss in 50s
A large longitudinal study carried out by the University of Sussex found a clear link between episodes of depression and anxiety experienced by adults...
Presence of coronary calcium predicts heart attack risk
Identifying the presence or absence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) in a patients' arteries can help determine their future risk of a cardiac event, reports...
60-year-old weight-loss drug now also shown safe to use in the long-term
An inexpensive weight-loss drug approved 60 years ago for only short-term use also may be safe and effective for longer-term treatment, according to a...
Inflammation — the possible link between heart disease and depression
People with heart disease are more likely to suffer from depression, and the opposite is also true. Now, scientists at the University of Cambridge...
The health benefits of democracy — 170-country study
Life expectancy improved more quickly in countries that switched to democracy over the past 50 years and there were fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease,...
Just a cigarette a day in pregnancy doubles Sudden Infant Death risk
Smoking any cigarettes – even only one a day – during pregnancy more than doubles the risk of unexpected sudden infant death (SUID). Quitting...
Persons with Alzheimer's disease have a higher risk of head injuries
Persons with Alzheimer’s disease have approximately 30% higher risk of head injuries, and 50% higher risk of traumatic brain injuries than persons without Alzheimer’s...