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Editor's Pick
Alarming finds from AMR study of hospital surfaces in six countries
Antimicrobial resistance – when bacteria and other microbes that can cause infections gain the ability to resist treatment by antibiotics or other antimicrobial medicines...
Pumps help human hearts to self-repair at higher rate – Swedish study
After severe heart failure, the ability of the heart to heal by forming new cells is very low. However, according to a recent study,...
Fluctuating cholesterol may be warning sign for dementia – Monash-US study
A large study of nearly 10 000 adults in their 70s reveals that unexplained year-to-year changes in cholesterol levels might serve as an early...
Colonoscopies detect more colorectal cancer than blood tests, study finds
Although people might prefer to get screened for colorectal cancer with a blood test rather than a colonoscopy, the latter stool-based procedure can prevent...
World first stem cell transplant improves vision in patients
A radical stem cell transplant has significantly improved the blurry vision of three people with severe damage to their corneas, the clinical trial in...
Analysis projects global cancer deaths will double by 2050
Experts have predicted that cancer cases around the world was going to skyrocket, resulting in millions more fatalities by 2050. This will be largely...
Babies' reduced sugar intake leads to lower later chronic disease risk – UK study
Children whose sugar consumption was restricted during their first 1 000 days after conception had up to 35% less chance of developing type 2...
Major UK trial to see if red wine chemical stops bowel cancer
British scientists are launching a large trial to determine if a chemical found in wine, red grapes, as well as blueberries, raspberries and peanuts,...
Large study identifies new kidney transplant rejection indicators
Medical scientists involved in a large international study have identified new signs of kidney transplant rejection that could lead to more precise diagnosis and...
SA women could have three-monthly anti-HIV ring by 2026
A flexible silicone ring that slowly releases antiretrovirals is one of just two long-acting HIV prevention products registered for use in South Africa, but...
Autism diagnosis rates triple in past decade – US cross-sectional study
Autism diagnosis rates are skyrocketing in the US, say experts, having nearly tripled between 2011 and 2022 during which time it climbed by a...
‘Almost untreatable’ superbug tied to common antibiotic – Australian study
After an eight-year study, scientists recently made a surprising finding in the first recorded instance of one antibiotic causing resistance to another in a...
‘Deep brain’ genes tied to Parkinson’s, ADHD – large global study
A massive team of international scientists has shed light on how 254 genetic variants can affect the development of particular subcortical structures, potentially influencing...
Radioactive treatment shrinks brain tumour by 50% in UK trial
A new radioactive therapy offers hope to people with hard-to-treat brain cancer, with the first patient signed up to the British clinical trial having...
Global review identifies drug with best outcomes for stroke recovery
A recent study to find which medications work best in improving overall outcomes for ischaemic stroke patients saw European researchers comparing the effectiveness of...
Men and women process pain differently – US study
Recent research suggests that men and women rely on different biological systems for pain relief, which could explain why the most powerful medications are...
US study finds immunotherapy boosts Hodgkin’s survival chances
An immunotherapy approach to treating advanced Hodgkin lymphoma may drastically increase patients’ chances of survival, including in those as young as 12, according to...
Risk of heart attacks, deaths, for three years after Covid – US study
A large study has suggested that Covid-19 could be a powerful risk factor for heart attacks and strokes for as long as three years...
Never too late to quit smoking – and live longer, US study finds
A team of researchers has said that smokers who give up cigarettes, even at 75, could be boosting their life expectancy, and that it’s...
Combination treatment slashes cervical cancer deaths by 40%
British researchers are hailing a new cervical cancer treatment as the biggest improvement in 20 years, cutting the risk of death by 40% and...
Omega-3 cuts aggression by nearly 30% – US meta-analysis
A recent meta-analysis suggests that omega-3, available as dietary supplements via fish oil capsules and thought to help with mental and physical well-being, could...
Longer sleep, early breakfast, affects BMI – Spanish study
A recent study suggests that there are patterns in the relationship between meal times and body weight, with the scientists saying that to keep...
Impact of severe Covid on brain’s ‘control centre’ – UK study
British researchers have suggested that severe Covid infections may drive inflammation in the brain’s “control centre”, causing damage that could explain the long-term breathlessness,...
The cost of lockdown on children’s eyesight – Chinese study
One in every three children is now short-sighted as a result of Covid lockdowns, suggest researchers, who found not only that myopia tripled between...
Muscle relaxants not as effective for chronic pain – Yale review
The long-term use of muscle relaxants may benefit patients with painful spasms or cramps and neck pain, according to a systematic review of clinical...
More risk of lupus, diabetes if periods stop early – Finnish study
Women with premature ovarian insufficiency, whose periods stop before 40, have a much greater risk of severe autoimmune diseases like diabetes and lupus, according...
Alcohol consumption linked to rising cancer cases – US study
Adults under 50 have been developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer at increasingly higher rates over the past few decades, and alcohol use may...
Prescription amphetamine tied to higher psychosis risk – US study
Amphetamine use has risen steadily in the US over the past few years – up 70% between 2011 and 2021 – with a recent...
MIND diet slows cognitive decline for women, black people – US study
Sticking to the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems,...
Scientists hope metabolic data may ultimately predict SIDS – US study
Metabolic data from babies who died of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDs, could help predict the devastating condition, research has revealed, with scientists hoping...
mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise in trial
Scientists say they are pleased with the interim data from the phase I dose escalation part of the mRNA cancer jab (mRNA-4359) trial, which,...
One dose of smallpox jab cuts mpox risk – Canadian study
Recent research suggests that receiving a single dose of one type of smallpox vaccine could reduce the risk of catching mpox by around 60%,...
Pregnancy rates after ‘tubes tied’ higher than thought – US study
American researchers have found that rates of pregnancy after tubal sterilisation may be higher than previously expected, according to their analysis of national survey...
Novel Duchenne therapy shows promise – US trial
Recently released data from a phase 1/2 clinical trial show that combination therapy led to significant dystrophin expression and functional improvement in patients with...
Simple saline remedy reduces colds duration – UK study
British scientists have revealed an easy DIY treatment that they say reduces the duration of a child’s cold, and its spread among a household.
The...
Drug may stop migraine before headache starts – US study
In encouraging news for sufferers, recent research suggests that when taken at the first signs of a migraine, before headache pain begins, a drug...
Weekend sleep ‘catch-up’ may lower heart disease risk – Chinese study
Modern lifestyles mean many people are sleep-deprived on work or school days, and try to “catch-up” with compensatory sleep on weekends – which, shows...
What time is best to take daily BP pills?
Based on data from five trials and nearly 50 000 patients, researchers have found “conclusive evidence” that taking medicine for blood pressure (BP) in...
Questions remain on weight loss drugs' suicide risk – US study
A recent study of an international drug safety database – suggesting people taking semaglutide are likelier to think about suicide than those taking other...
Pacemaker for Parkinson’s gives new hope – US study
A recent small study in the US represents the strides being made in using brain implants and artificial intelligence to personalise treatment for neurological...