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Editor's Pick
Increase in fatal traffic crashes on annual US cannabis celebration
Drivers in the US are more likely to be in a fatal traffic crash during the annual 20 April cannabis celebration, according to research...
Sibling bullying triples risk of later psychotic disorders
People who were bullied by siblings during childhood are up to three times more likely to develop psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia in early...
A short, sharp, cold-water swim may beat painkillers
A short, sharp, cold-water swim may offer an alternative to strong painkillers and physiotherapy to relieve severe persistent pain after surgery, suggest doctors from...
First diagnostic test for candidemia cleared by FDA
A new blood test seems to perform as well as, if not better than, traditional blood cultures at detecting the candidemia infection that commonly...
New drug combo successfully treats DR-TB
Research by the international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides strong evidence that a combination of two new drugs for...
Even disclosed placebos help cancer patients with fatigue
Long after cancer treatment ends, many continue to deal with one particular symptom that refuses to go away: fatigue. In a study, researchers at...
Apgar scores can predict risk of cerebral palsy and epilepsy
An infant's scores on the so-called Apgar scale can predict the risk of a later diagnosis of cerebral palsy or epilepsy. The risk rises...
Arm exercises improve walking ability after a stroke
A Canadian study shows that arm exercises may improve walking ability months and even years after having a stroke. The study is the first...
Far-UVC light kills airborne flu viruses without human harm
Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, according to a study at the...
More accurate way to assess age of recovered remains
Forensic researchers at North Carolina State University have found a more accurate way to assess an individual's age at death, based on the bone...
Conspiracy theorists more likely to be anti-vaxxers
People who believe Princess Diana was murdered or that John F Kennedy's assassination was an elaborate plot are more likely to think that vaccines...
Clerical burden a huge driver of burnout in medicine
A relentlessly increasing clerical burden is one of the biggest drivers of burnout in medicine, write two practitioners in the New England Journal of...
Many vape-flavouring chemicals trigger inflammation
Exposure to e-cigarette flavouring chemicals and liquids can cause significant inflammation to monocytes, a type of white blood cell – and many flavouring compounds...
One cigarette a day is as bad smoking half the pack
Smoking just one cigarette a day carries a much higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke than expected – about half the...
Tomatoes and apples help lung function in former smokers
A study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found the natural decline in lung function over a 10-year period was slower...
MIND diet slows cognitive decline in stroke survivors
A diet created by researchers at Rush University Medical Centre may help substantially slow cognitive decline in stroke survivors, according to preliminary research presented...
Prevalence of depression 'overestimated'
The common practice of using patient self-report screening questionnaires rather than diagnostic interviews conducted by researchers has resulted in overestimates of the prevalence of...
Open access database documents toxic agents
Millions of pages of internal corporate and trade association documents relating to the introduction of new products and chemicals into the workplace and commerce...
Social spending ‘better' than health spending
Increased social spending was associated with health improvements at the population level, while health spending increases did not have the same effect, according to...
Generic skin cream reduces risk of SCC surgery
A clinical trial involving more than 900 military veterans at high risk for keratinocyte carcinoma skin cancer provides evidence that using the generic skin...
Sauna benefits akin to those of medium-intensity exercise
As well as previously identified benefits, a Finnish study has found that sauna bathing for 30 minutes reduces blood pressure and increases vascular compliance, while...
A romantic partner's scent helps lower stress levels
The scent of a romantic partner can help lower stress levels, research from the University of British Columbia has found. The study found women...
Regular surfers more likely to carry antibiotic resistant E. coli
Regular surfers and bodyboarders are three times more likely to have antibiotic resistant E. coli in their guts than non-surfers. Conducted by the University...
Selfitis — a genuine 'psychological complex'
‘Selfitis’ – the obsessive taking of selfies on mobile phones – appears to be a real psychological condition according to a UK-India study.
Researchers at...
Heavy drinking and smoking linked to visible ageing
Heavy drinking and smoking are linked to four visible signs of physical ageing, and looking older than one's years, found a long-term Danish observational...
Number of young, obese South Africans doubled in 6 years
The number of young South Africans suffering from obesity doubled in six years while this took 13 years to happen in the US, reports...
Ballooning wine glasses may drive growing alcohol consumption
Rising levels of drinking may be partly due to the growing size of wine glasses, particularly over the past two decades, acccording to University...
Cancer survivors age faster and die earlier
People who have had cancer age faster than those who haven’t lived with the disease, found researchers at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic...
PMI strongly associated with death soon after surgery
Surgery that doesn't involve the heart may cause perioperative myocardial injury (PMI) in people with known or at high risk of developing heart disease...
Women have faster oxygen uptake than men
Women can process oxygen 'remarkably faster' than men when they start to exercise, according to a study from the University of Waterloo. Quick oxygen...
Marriage may stave off dementia
Marriage may lower the risk of developing dementia, concludes a synthesis of the available evidence. Lifelong singletons and widowers are at heightened risk of...
Cannabis-like drug effective in treating sleep apnoea
A synthetic cannabis-like drug in a pill was safe and effective in treating obstructive sleep apnoea in the first large multi-site study of a...
Motorcycle accidents more costly and dangerous
Compared with car accidents, motorcycle accidents cause three times the injuries, six times the medical costs and five times the deaths, Canadian research has...
BP in the elderly starts decreasing about 14 years before death
Blood pressure in the elderly gradually begins to decrease about 14 or so years before death, according to a large UK analysis.
Researchers from University...
Drinking tap water: Tooth decay versus lead contamination
US children and adolescents who do not drink tap water, which is typically fluoridated, are much more likely to have tooth decay, according to...
Scarlet fever making an unexpected and puzzling comeback
England is experiencing an unprecedented rise in scarlet fever with the highest incidence for nearly 50 years, according to a study in The Lancet. ...
ECG detects difference between depression and bipolar symptoms
A ground-breaking Loyola Medicine study suggests that a simple 15-minute electrocardiogram could help a physician determine whether a patient has major depression or bipolar...
Heavy Facebook users treat online friends as 'digital objects'
If you're materialistic, you're likely to use Facebook more frequently and intensely. A German study reveals that materialistic people see and treat their Facebook...
The cognitive origins of religious belief
Previous studies have suggested people who hold strong religious beliefs are more intuitive and less analytical, and when they think more analytically their religious...
'Broken heart syndrome' can cause long-term heart damage
A University of Aberdeen study has found that the effects of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy – or “broken heart syndrome - can be permanent, contrary to...