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Editor's Pick
Regular exercise significantly boosts brain power in the over 50s
A combination of aerobic and resistance exercises can significantly boost the brain power of the over 50s, finds the most comprehensive review of the...
Serum test to identify abusive head trauma in infants
A serum-based test, which needs to be validated in a larger population and receive regulatory approval, has been developed that would be the first...
Close to half GPs in UK plan to quit
About two in five GPs in the south-west of England are planning to quit, exposing a potential doctors’ crisis in the National Health Service...
Weak grip a strong predictor of metabolic disease and disability
A simple test to determine a person's grip strength is a robust predictor of developing metabolic disorders in middle or older age, a cross-continental...
New drug cuts number and severity of hot flushes
An experimental drug has been shown to dramatically cut the number of hot flushes in women with severe menopause symptoms, says a Pharmaceutical Journal...
Asthma drug effective for patients with urticaria
The asthma drug Omalizumab is shown to be effective in treating hives, found two separate German clinical studies.
Patients who develop itchy wheals in response...
Booster vaccine during pregnancy cuts pertussis incidence in infants
Among infants of women who received the Tdap pertussis booster vaccine during pregnancy, the risk of contracting pertussis was reduced by an estimated 91%...
How nature's sounds help us to relax
A Brighton and Sussex Medical School study found that playing 'natural sounds' affected the bodily systems that control the flight-or-fright and rest-digest autonomic...
Blood test helps determine medication to treat depression
Thanks to a blood test, doctors can for the first time determine which medication is more likely to help a patient overcome depression, according...
Low validity of self-reported sexual behaviour bad news for public health
Until there is a decline in 'double standards' about sexual morality, researchers should question the accuracy of sexual behaviour data, which are paramount for effective...
Long-term, weight-bearing exercise promotes bone growth in men
A researcher in the department of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia has published the first study to show that long-term, weight-bearing exercises...
Range of formats may be needed to attract men to test for HIV
Specialised services to attract men to HIV testing and treatment may need to adopt several different formats in order to reach different sub-populations of...
Painkillers associated with increased cardiac arrest risk
Painkillers considered harmless by the general public are associated with increased risk of cardiac arrest, according to research. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among...
World TB Day – Launch of online TB Surveillance Dashboard
South Africa has the highest estimated tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate amongst the 22 high burden countries globally, with 834 new TB cases per 100,000...
At last we know: The Mona Lisa IS happy!
In perhaps the world's most recognised painting, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, her supposedly ambiguous expression - is she happy or sad? - was...
Conflicting guidelines on care for cancer survivors
Treatment guidelines on care for survivors of the most common cancers often lack specifics or offer conflicting advice about when or how often to...
The history of first HIV/Aids drug
Today, if someone is diagnosed with HIV, he or she can choose among 41 drugs that can treat the disease. And there’s a good...
Gene-silencing drug helps to halve cholesterol levels
The first in a new class of gene-silencing drugs, known as inclisiran, has halved cholesterol levels in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. The...
Heart failure risk scale validated for clinical practice
A study has found the Ottawa Heart Failure Risk Scale (OHFRS) tool to be highly sensitive for serious adverse event in acute heart failure...
Testosterone Tx improves bone density and anaemia, but with heart risk
Testosterone treatment improved bone density and anaemia for men over 65 with unequivocally low testosterone, but did not improve cognitive function and did increase...
Assessing effect of exercise and supplements on muscle mass and function
Physical exercise has a positive impact on muscle mass and muscle function in healthy subjects aged 60 and older but the interactive effect of...
Low carb diets should be considered for diabetes management
Following a reduced carbohydrate diet can help to lower blood glucose levels, providing a safe and effective strategy for managing diabetes, a London Metropolitan University systematic...
Secondhand sugar found to pass through breast milk
Fructose, not a natural component of breast milk, is passed from mother to infant through breast milk, found a small proof-of-concept study from the University...
Mediterranean diet may reduce breast cancer risk by 40%
Following a Mediterranean diet could help reduce the risk of contracting one of the worst types of breast cancer by 40%, according to a...
Team finds way to keep lung functioning outside the body
A multidisciplinary team for the first time maintained a fully functional lung outside the body for several days. In a US study, they describe...
The role of running ability and gender in marathon performance decline
In elite male marathon runners, performance starts to decline by about two minutes per year at age 35, while for an average runner the...
Blood test has potential to detect ovarian cancer
A blood test every four months could help women at high-risk of ovarian cancer find tumours early, found a UK study.
There is currently no...
More vigilant monitoring of PPIs by doctors needed
A study evaluating the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in 125,000 patients indicates that more than half of patients who develop chronic kidney...
Institutional time in young adoptees a marker for later mental health problems
Despite living in strong and supportive families for over 20 years, many children exposed to severe early deprivation in Romanian institutions aged 0-3 experience...
Once-off screening test slashes bowel cancer risk
A single flexible sigmoidoscopy provides substantial protection from colorectal cancer diagnosis and death, with protection lasting at least 17 years, found a large UK...
Gluten-free diets increase toxic metal exposure risk
People who eat a gluten-free diet may be at risk for increased exposure to arsenic and mercury – toxic metals that can lead to...
Long-distance running makes muscles work more efficiently
Those who regularly ran 30 miles or more a week showed neuromuscular changes that improved their running efficiency, meaning they needed to do less...
Physical AND mental health problems for low birth-weight babies
Babies born with extremely low birth weight are not only at risk for physical problems but are also more likely to experience mental health...
Swapping out armpit bacteria can end bad body odour
Swapping the underarm microbiome of someone with a body odour problem, with that of a less smelly relative, saw improvements in that in half of...
Digital compulsion not pathology but how mind is wired
The digital compulsion to spend hours each day online is not as a pathology bu sheds light on some of the mind’s most salient, and utterly...
Anti-diarrhoea antibiotics favour particularly resistant super bacteria
Anti-diarrhoea antibiotics, especially in Africa, Asia and South America, not only render the tourist susceptible to an ESBL infection, but also lead to the...
Using Ottawa Rule would free up emergency room beds
A large study validated the Ottawa Chest Pain Cardiac Monitoring Rule that could safely take a third of chest pain patients in the emergency...
Using the same GP over time means fewer avoidable hospital admissions
Older patients who see the same general practitioner over time experience fewer avoidable admissions to hospital for certain conditions, a large study in England...
Slightly better US mortality outcomes for foreign-trained doctors
US patients may have lower mortality rates if their doctors were trained at foreign medical schools rather than at US universities, a Harvard study...
Influence of pets on childhood development
Children get more satisfaction from relationships with their pets than with their brothers or sisters, according to a small study from the University of...