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Editor's Pick
Poor academic performance a predictor of suicide risk
A Swedish study has shown that poor academic performance, measured as grade point average (GPA) at age 16, was a robust and strong predictor...
Preventing malaria infections the old-fashioned way
Seasonal malaria chemo-prevention is saving thousands of children in West Africa, according to studies presented this week at the American Society of Tropical Medicine...
Groundbreaking operation on spina bifida foetus
Doctors in the US have pioneered an anew treatment for spina bifida in which the baby is operated on before birth.
Spina bifida occurs when...
Forest and crop fires destroy DNA in lungs cells
When exposed in a laboratory to pollution levels comparable to those found in the atmosphere of the Amazon region during the forest and crop...
Marijuana use increases libido and doesn't impair performance
Marijuana use is independently associated with increased sexual desire and frequency, and does not impair performance, found a large Stanford University study.
A study by...
Aerobics and yoga combo significantly reduces coronary and diabetes risk
Heart disease patients who practice yoga in addition to aerobic exercise saw twice the reduction in blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels...
If the cap fits: Study into effectiveness of OR headgear
One of the first studies testing the effectiveness of different operating room (OR) head coverings in preventing airborne contamination has found that surgeon's caps...
Concern as social media promotes 'bonespiration'
‘Bonespiration’ — the celebration of skeletal images of bodies featuring protruding bones and pencil-thin limbs — is being promoted on social media, University of...
Techniques shown to increase chances of having lucid dreams
Research at the University of Adelaide has found that a specific combination of techniques will increase people's chances of having lucid dreams, in which...
Facial contrast causes women to look younger
Observers perceive women with increased facial contrast - how much the eyes, lips and eyebrows stand out in the face in terms of how...
Healthy gut is a biomarker for healthy ageing
In one of the largest microbiota studies conducted in humans, researchers at Western University, Lawson Health Research Institute and Tianyi Health Science Institute in...
Brain stimulation boosts cyclists' endurance
Brain stimulation has been demonstrated to be an effective way to improve endurance in cyclists, in a small placebo-controlled study from the University of Kent....
Men finding 'bromances' more emotionally satisfying than romances
Young men's 'bromances,' close friendships with other men, are more emotionally satisfying than their romantic relationships with women, finds a small University of Winchester...
Sounding a warning over new heat-not-burn tobacco devices
One of the newest tobacco products heats leaf tobacco to approximately 260 degrees Fahrenheit, to produce an inhalable tobacco aerosol and is poised for...
Simple oral swab test could revolutionise TB detection in children
At the 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health, a diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) has been presented that is simple, potentially ground-breaking, yet...
People reluctant to use public access defibrillators
A study led by researchers at the University of Warwick suggests that people are reluctant to use public access defibrillators to treat cardiac arrests....
Genetic factors may explain most autism risk
Re-analysis of data from a previous study on the familial risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) estimates the heritability to be 83%, suggesting that...
The role of temperature and atmospheric pressure in heart failure deaths
Exposure to cold or high-pressure weather could trigger events leading to hospitalisation or death in heart failure patients, found a Canadian study. The authors...
Safety and effectiveness of 4 Alzheimer's drugs ranked
A study ranking the safety and effectiveness of four drugs taken to enhance concentration, memory, alertness and moods, found that donepezil was most likely...
Boys with psychopathic potential don't have contagious laughter urge
Boys who showed disruptive behaviour coupled with high levels of callous-unemotional traits reported less desire to join in with laughter than did normally behaved...
When surgical infection control practices work best
Infection control practices that focus on perioperative patient skin and wound hygiene, as well as transparent display of data, not operating room attire policies,...
In middle-age maintenance of BMI linked to increased step count
Finnish data suggests that increasing steps, rather than maintaining step count, in middle age is associated with maintaining BMI at the same level.
The faculty...
Giving up daily aspIrin may increase heart attack and stroke risk by 37%
In long-term users - heart attack survivors and people at high risk for one - discontinuation of low-dose aspirin in the absence of major...
Cardiovascular Tx link to 50% reduction in lung cancer mortality risk
In most clinical trials for cancer therapy, investigators test treatments in patients with advanced disease. But a recent cardiovascular secondary prevention study has given...
Implanted cardiac monitors successful with undiagnosed AF
The use of implanted cardiac monitors researchers detected a substantial incidence (nearly 30%) of previously undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) after 18 months, in patients...
Smokers with HIV 10x more likely to die from lung cancer
People living with HIV who adhere to antiretroviral therapy but smoke cigarettes are around 10 times more likely to die from lung cancer than...
Ibuprofen links to increased CVD risk in arthritis patients
Ibuprofen is associated with increased blood pressure and hypertension compared to celecoxib in patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis and increased risk of cardiovascular...
Different meats have different diabetes risk
While a plant-based diet is generally considered healthier than a meat-based diet in preventing the risk of diabetes, not all meats affect the risk...
Closure of left atrial appendage should be regular part of heart surgery
Closure of the left atrial appendage during heart surgery protects the brain, according to research presented in a Hot Line LBCT Session at the...
Emoji fans take heart: Scientists pinpoint 27 states of emotion
A University of California Berkeley study challenges a long-held assumption in psychology that most human emotions fall within the universal categories of happiness, sadness,...
Children showing early signs of heart disease 16 years after 9/11
Sixteen years after the collapse of the World Trade Centre towers sent a cloud of toxic debris across Lower Manhattan, children living nearby who...
Stroke survivors should be checked for cancer development
Some stroke survivors may have 50% higher risk of underlying cancer, according to an observational study presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid.
“Post-mortem...
AEDs saves lives at sports and fitness centres
Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) save lives in amateur sports and fitness centres, according to research presented at ESC Congress. The 18-year study found that...
All clear for a trial of Ecstasy drug in PTSD patients
According to a Science Magazine report, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated 3.4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), better known as the illegal drug ecstasy,...
High-salt intake may double the risk of heart failure
High salt intake is associated with a doubled risk of heart failure, according to a 12-year study in more than 4,000 people presented today...
Military-issue footwear causing musculoskeletal injuries
Drilling in the wrong footwear is causing musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries, resulting in troops being invalided out, according to a small UK study.
Marching around a...
Digit length may link to muscular strength in adolescent boys
The ratio of the length of the second (pointer) finger and the length of the fourth (ring) finger – is favourably related to muscular...
Less REM sleep may increase dementia risk
People who get less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep may have a greater risk of developing dementia, according to an Australian study.
REM sleep is...
EU-blocked drug found to improve quality of life in MS
A drug that is blocked by the EU regulatory system has now been found to improve the quality of life of people with multiple...
Probiotic mixture reduces sepsis by 40% in infants
A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that sepsis and deaths in the first two months of infancy were reduced by 40%, following the administration...