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UCT-Swedish study calls for collaborative HIV, mental health care
A collaborative study by researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Linköping University in Sweden has found that people with HIV face...
Alzheimer’s risk may be driven by a single gene – London study
British researchers say their recent study showed the APOE gene was the major link to most cases of Alzheimer’s disease across four cohorts, and...
Life-changing sleep apnoea pill could be available next year
There’s hope on the horizon for the hordes of people worldwide who suffer from sleep apnoea as Apnimed, the $400m company behind the first...
Google removes AI health summaries
A number of artificial intelligence-generated health summaries have been deleted by Google after an international investigation found these could potentially harm readers because of...
Urgent need for new ways to develop medicines
It’s imperative, urges an editorial in The Guardian, that the quest to discover new medicines be accelerated. Our magic bullets are increasingly rare and...
Drinking habits in SA, Botswana, to be probed in long-term study
The University of Cape Town and the SA Medical Research Council have launched a five-year multidisciplinary project to address harmful alcohol use in South...
Carotid artery stenting lowers stroke risk – global Mayo study
A major international study led by Mayo Clinic researchers and funded by the National Institutes of Health found that for people with severe carotid artery narrowing...
Mothball poisoning a significant threat for children – SA study
Childhood poisoning is a significant health concern in South Africa – especially in densely populated informal housing settlements where children are frequently exposed to...
Six standout findings from major TB conference
The recent Union World Conference on Lung Health in Copenhagen, Denmark, showcased a study on preventive therapy pills and a potential new drug, sorfequiline,...
RA begins long before symptoms appear – seven-year US study
Scientists who say dramatic immune changes occur years before rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms appear have now mapped the hidden immune battle that unfolds way...
Monthly jab can control severe asthma – global trial
An international clinical trial has suggested that a monthly injection could allow people with severe asthma to stop taking daily steroid tablets altogether –...
New dementia type changes understanding about cognitive decline
A recently recognised form of dementia is changing the understanding of cognitive decline, improving the ability to diagnose patients and underscoring the need for...
Key stages for brain ageing – Cambridge study
In a fascinating study, British scientists have revealed that there are four pivotal ages for the brain, and that it goes through five distinct...
UK trials to test puberty blockers in children, young people
Two studies will investigate the impact of puberty blockers in young people with gender incongruence after researchers said an expert view had suggested gender...
PARP inhibitors under-used for prostate cancer – Utah study
Experts say it’s concerning that nearly half of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who are eligible for PARP inhibitors – which could improve...
Strong evidence that Epstein-Barr could be the culprit behind lupus
Scientists involved in a new study are convinced that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which has previously been linked to lupus, applies to 100% of...
SA and Indonesia collaborate on asymptomatic TB study
Over the past decade, there’s been growing evidence that people can have TB without any symptoms. But there is still much uncertainty over how...
Rise in CKD linked to other chronic conditions – US study
The number of adults with chronic kidney disease is growing, according to a recent study published in The Lancet, which suggests the statistics might...
Wits team creates inhalable nanosystem to fight TB
A team of researchers at the University of Witwatersrand is developing a system of TB medicine delivery at nano scale – engineering a microscopic...
Regular melatonin use could indicate heart issues – US study
Long-term use of the popular melatonin sleep aid could be a sign of higher risk of heart failure and early death in adults with...
World’s largest-ever Parkinson’s drug clinical trial kicks off in UK
A mammoth £26m project – and the world’s largest-ever clinical trial of treatments to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease – has...
Anti-depressant side effects review prompts call for guidelines update
A major review of the potential side effects of certain anti-depressants has found that some people can gain as much as 2kg in weight...
Nurses' glove-use for IV antibiotics may cause more harm – Australian study
A scoping review reveals that nurses’ routine use of non-sterile gloves during IV antibiotic preparation offers no proven protection, and may actually undermine infection...
Ultrasound holds promise for surgery-free cancer therapy
Ultrasound has long been used for helping doctors see inside the body, but focused high frequency sound waves are offering new ways of targeting...
Puzzle of man with Alzheimer's gene who escaped disease
For 14 years now, American retiree Doug Whitney has been the one-person focus of exceptionally detailed scientific investigation. It is not because he is...
Scientists detect protein clusters tied to Parkinson’s – Canadian-UK study
Marking a significant first, scientists have, for the first time, directly visualised and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson’s disease, signalling a...
Arthritis pill could delay diabetes progression – Australian trial
A two-year Australian trial has found that a daily pill commonly prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia could also slow the progression of type 1 diabetes.
The Independent reports that...
US aid cuts could mean millions of TB deaths – global analysis
Foreign aid cuts by the United States could result in more than 10m additional TB cases and 2.5m more deaths in the next years...
New link flagged between women who have heart attacks – US study
After a 30-year study, American researchers have suggested that inflammation could be a key factor in explaining why some women experience heart attacks and strokes – despite...
Child vapers three times likelier to become smokers – global study
A large global review has suggested links between youth vaping and pneumonia, bronchitis, lower total sperm counts, headaches and migraines, while the researchers also...
Untapped potential of vaginal microbiome – UK review
The microscopic bacteria living in women’s bodies could be a powerful tool for personalised, non-invasive treatment and earlier diagnosis, according to a new review...
North-West biochemist finds Rooibos, broccoli can counter heart damage
Research by an internationally recognised young biochemist from North-West University (NWU) suggests everyday foods like broccoli and rooibos tea could help protect the heart...
Male birth control pill passes first safety test in men
American researchers have announced that an experimental pill for men that works by blocking sperm production has just passed its first safety test in...
Treasury bails out HIV/Aids projects blindsided by Pepfar cuts
While Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s recent tabling of the 2025/26 Health Budget vote and the spending priorities showed efforts to plug some funding...
NIH restores grants to SA scientists
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has – without explanation – lifted a hold on payments for scores of existing grants to South...
EU funding boosts SA’s pandemic readiness with genomic research
South Africa is cementing its leadership role in global pandemic preparedness through a major expansion of its genomic surveillance partnership with Germany and the...
New research unit at Steve Biko Hospital impresses President
The newly-established Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI) facility at Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria has impressed President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the facility this...
How Trump derailed crucial HIV research
Years of work have gone down the tubes with the Trump administration’s cancelling of its financial aid grants, thwarting the Herculean efforts of leading...
New antibiotic heads for final phase testing
The first new antibiotic in 50 years to tackle a common superbug is expected to be tested on patients soon, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche...
SA may have long wait for promising new gonorrhoea drugs
Two new antibiotics offer hope for people with gonorrhoea that is resistant to currently available drugs, yet it might be years before these drugs...