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Editor's Pick
Weight loss drug approved for heart disease prevention
Wegovy is the first weight loss drug to be approved for major heart disease prevention, after the US Food & Drug Administration gave the...
Drawbacks to benefits of short fasting, study finds
Researchers have suggested that several possible health benefits of fasting – done properly and under medical supervision – might, in fact, not occur in...
Chemo regimen changes may help older patients – US analysis
Treatment modifications, like dose reductions, schedule changes, or less toxic regimens, can improve how older patients with advanced cancer and ageing-related conditions tolerate chemotherapy...
Ultra-processed foods linked to 32 health problems, large review finds
A recent, large-scale review of 45 meta-analyses of almost 10m people found that eating ultra-processed foods vastly increases the risk of developing or dying...
Sinusitis linked to later autoimmune disease – US study
A history of sinus congestion and drip may precede serious autoimmune disorders, a population-based study has suggested, with researchers finding rates of rheumatologic conditions...
Global study finds new genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes
The risk factors for type 2 diabetes are both environmental and genetic, and while researchers have identified many genetic risk factors thus far, the...
Scientists find possible Covid ‘brain fog’ cause – Irish study
The mystery surrounding the “brain fog” suffered by people with long Covid may finally have been revealed – with researchers saying that leaky blood...
Chronic fatigue condition biological, not psychological – US study
American researchers have found notable differences between the immune systems and other physiological functions of patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and those...
Women need half as much exercise as men for longevity – US study
Women need to exercise only half as much as men to reap the same longevity benefits, suggests a recent study – with the researchers...
Best contender in decades in breast cancer fight – global study
For decades, hormonal treatment of breast cancer has had one aim – blocking oestrogen, but now a global study has discovered there may be...
Heart attack survivors could risk major health issues for years – UK study
A large British population study has suggested that survivors of heart attacks could face a greater risk of developing further serious health conditions for...
Covid jab study of 99m people links shots to rare risk of disorders
Covid vaccines have been linked to small increases in heart, blood and neurological disorders, according to the largest global study of its kind, in...
Positive results for resmetirom as first NASH treatment
Encouraging results from a phase 3 trial have set the stage for resmetirom to become the first drug approved for patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis...
Early death risk for workers who sit all day – Taiwanese study
People who spend most of their work time sitting have 16% more chance of dying earlier than normal, suggest scientists, with their risk of...
Scientists ID proteins that could predict dementia – US-China study
A simple blood test to identify patients at risk of dementia will speed up development of new treatments, say scientists, whose study of frozen...
New non-addictive drug cuts off pain at source, says Vertex
US-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals has developed an experimental drug that relieves pain, blocking pain signals before they get to the brain, but which unlike opioids,...
PCOS tied to cognitive decline, suggests US study
A team of American scientists has suggested that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – could be linked to potential cognitive dysfunction later in life.
PCOS refers...
Being fitter slashes prostate cancer risk – Swedish study
Men could reduce their risk of prostate cancer by more than a third if they improve their fitness levels by just 3% a year,...
Lifelong burden of childhood meningitis – Swedish analysis
Nearly one-third of adults in a Swedish cohort who contracted bacterial meningitis as children have permanent neurologic disabilities as a result, according to a...
One in four Scottish babies died from co-sleeping
Parents are being urged to heed advice on co-sleeping with babies after new infant death figures were released, showing that more than a quarter...
HPV jab highly effective in preventing cervical cancer – Scottish study
The bivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) Cervarix was highly effective in protecting women from cervical cancer when given between the ages of 12 and...
Even after cure, TB slashes lung function in teens
TB infection can interfere with normal lung development during an important stage of growth – with researchers finding that two out of three teenagers...
Global review unpacks Vitamin B12 deficiency diagnosis and treatment
A deficiency of the important vitamin B12 may lead to a variety of symptoms, although diagnosing this can be difficult, suggests a global review in...
Scientists prepare safeguards against possible Arctic zombie viruses
Scientists, who have warned that ancient viruses frozen in the Arctic permafrost could one day be released by earth’s warming climate and unleash a...
Scientists identify 900 chemicals linked to breast cancer
An analysis of official databases containing tens of thousands of common chemicals used daily in food, consumer products and other industries, has identified 900...
Alopecia surge after Covid – large South Korean study
A large study involving more than half a million people in South Korea suggests that the incidence of alopecia areata significantly increased after Covid-19.
In...
Video gamers risk permanent hearing damage – global review
Given the popularity of video gaming, particularly among children and teenagers, more needs to be done to raise awareness of the risks, says a...
Benzodiazepine in pregnancy tied to miscarriage risk – Taiwan study
A nationwide study in Taiwan found that benzodiazepine use during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage – for both long-acting and...
Jab could slash RSV babies’ hospital admissions by 80% – global study
An injection could reduce by 80% the numbers of babies and young children admitted to hospitals with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – which kills...
Hypochondriacs have higher risk of death, suicide – Swedish study
Researchers have linked hypochondria to an 84% higher risk for death, and a four-fold increased risk for suicide, with the findings of their population-based...
Algorithm predicts which organs age faster and will fail first – US study
A recent American study demonstrates a simple way of studying organ ageing by analysing distinct proteins, or sets of them, in blood, enabling the...
Early ovarian cancer detection possible with Pap smears – Milan study
The early detection of ovarian cancer is becoming more feasible than ever, with the results of a recent Italian study suggesting it may be...
Experts urge awareness of heart events tied to breast cancer drugs
Pharmacovigilance is needed to identify, monitor, and prevent cardiovascular adverse events (CV-AEs) associated with new agents for breast cancer and to reduce the risk...
Experts advise monitoring of acne drug’s adverse psychiatric effects
The common skin condition of acne has been associated with considerable morbidity, particularly psychiatric and psychological, but one of the most efficacious treatments, isotretinoin,...
Brain changes from hearing loss linked to dementia – US study
Scientists have suggested that hearing loss causes structural changes in parts of the brain related to symptoms of dementia – regions associated with attention...
Newly-found stem cell could solve cancer mystery
Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the spine that appears crucial to resolving a long-standing mystery: why far more cancer...
Low rate of Down’s syndrome screening in SA , say experts
South African researchers have suggested that the rate of prenatal screening for trisomy 21 (the chromosomal defect that leads to the condition Down’s syndrome)...
CVD risk upped by long-term use of ADHD drugs
A case-control study by Swedish scientists suggests that longer use of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular...
Large study unpacks role of anaesthesia perioperative cardiac arrests
A recent study, possibly the largest of its kind, examining all cardiac arrests occurring during or soon after surgery in more than 300 UK...
Gene-editing cholesterol trial paves way for groundbreaking treatment
The treatment of a handful of patients with severe heart disease, who volunteered for an experimental cholesterol-lowering treatment using gene editing, has paved the...