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Even mild Covid reduces sperm counts – Spanish study
Men recently infected with Covid-19 have decreased sperm counts for more than three months after even mild infections, and the sperm they that do produce is...
Race versus skin tone debate in resolving pulse oximeters' false readings
Physicians and government regulators are increasingly aware that pulse oximeters measure oxygen levels less accurately in patients with darker skin. But the issue with...
Mental health illness toll on life expectancy – South African study
Almost one-third of South Africans receive a mental health diagnosis at some point in their lives, placing a high toll on life expectancy, a...
Parenting styles linked to children's weight – UK study
Children whose parents lack warmth are likelier to grow up overweight or obese, according to the first study of its kind, which investigated the...
Minimum of five hours’ sleep for good health and longevity – UK study
Researchers say chances of multiple chronic health problems in people older than 50, could be reduced if they have a minimum of five hours...
US study shows how fat can actually be healthy
Recent research has found that being physically active alters fat at a molecular level in ways that improve the fat’s health.
The findings have broad...
How you sleep could be ‘strongest predictor’ of when you will die – US study
Increased sleep fragmentation, when people briefly wake up several times at night without remembering it, is the “strongest predictor of mortality,” according to a...
Phase two clinical trials for promising lupus treatment
The results of promising research from a drug company will provide hope to the more than 5m people worldwide (90% of whom are women)...
Device to ID Kaposi sarcoma escalates treatment for sub-Saharan patients
A hand-held portable diagnostic device has been deployed in clinical tests in Uganda to identify cases of Kaposi sarcoma, a common yet difficult-to-detect cancer...
More chance of hip fracture for vegetarian women – large-scale British study
A study has found that vegetarian women have 33% more chance of breaking a hip later in life than those who eat meat, possibly...
One single chemical could be cure for baldness – US study
A single chemical could be responsible for whether people go bald or not, a recent study has found, the discovery of which could not...
Dunedin Study turns 50: Landmark experiment tracked 1,000 people from birth
In 1972, a researcher in a small city in New Zealand set out to track the development of more than 1,000 new-born babies and...
My cup runneth over: Is coffee becoming the beverage equivalent of daily aspirin?
A brace of new studies — involving, among others, the US National Institutes of Health —has indicated beneficial effects to coffee and/or tea consumption...
Invitation to participate in Stellenbosch’s online COVID-19 vaccine implementation study
Researchers from the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL) at Stellenbosch University are exploring the acceptability and robustness of the electronic consent process...
Invitation to participate in Stellenbosch’s online COVID-19 vaccine implementation study
Researchers from the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL) at Stellenbosch University are exploring the acceptability and robustness of the electronic consent process...
Noakes: Iconic study hid findings, reached unjustifiable and possibly unethical conclusions
Emeritus Professor Tim Noakes, in a study published in the journal Open Heart, has criticised the authors of one of the most influential studies...
Fear of side-effects the greatest barrier to long-acting injectable PrEP
Fear of potential severe side effects may be the greatest barrier to long-acting injectable HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM),...
Invitation to participate in Stellenbosch’s online COVID-19 vaccine implementation study
Researchers from the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL) at Stellenbosch University are exploring the acceptability and robustness of the electronic consent process...
Predatory medical journals: Finding nuggets among dross
Increasing numbers of studies published by predatory journals are appearing in leading biomedical databases. The challenge in meta-analyses and systematic reviews is to efficiently...
COVID-19 Wuhan lab escape theory gets a second look
Initially dismissed as conspiracy theory, the possibility that the COVID-19 is the consequence of a Chinese laboratory accident is suddenly getting a second look,...
Retraction of study on China's controversial anal-swab COVID-19 test
An article claiming that anal swabs can be used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in patients cured of COVID-19 has been retracted after the journal found...
Brain imaging study paused over LGBTQ+ advocates' concerns
Criticism from LGBTQ+ organisations has put a halt, at least temporarily, to a US National Institute of Health-backed imaging study amid “grave concerns” about what...
SA should have better leveraged its participation in vaccine trials
South African authorities should have in advance leveraged participation in vaccine clinical trials to ensure better post-trial benefits, write Prof Keymanthri Moodley and Prof...
Protecting Africa from becoming a vaccine test lab for the world
Despite the lack of clinical trial and public data on the safety and efficacy of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, several African countries, including Egypt and...
The challenge of trialling Africa's traditional medicines
As South Africa battled COVID-19 and deaths rose, many turned to traditional herbs for treatment, writes Medscape. The problem is how to bring scientific...
COVID vaccine race dilemma — Ethical or inequitable access?
Some things are bigger than money, and one of them is health, says the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation. In a statement it...
Convalescent plasma flops for severe COVID-19
Researchers in Argentina have found that neither clinical status nor overall mortality was improved in COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia treated with convalescent plasma...
COVID toll turns spotlight on Europe's taboo on data by race
Many European countries avoid breaking down data along racial or ethnic lines out of concern over privacy or discrimination, but COVID-19ʼs outsized impact on Black...
Women more likely to follow guidelines to prevent spread of COVID-19 — NYU & Yale
Women are more likely than are men to follow guidelines outlined by medical experts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, research finds. New York...
WHO's Ghebreyesus warns on BCG vaccine as global trial starts
The BCG vaccine might result in less severe COVID-19 and more rapid recovery, writes World Health Organisation Director General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus. But it...
Research imperialism shows need for functioning SA research ethics oversight body
Africa is known for its excellent safaris, with tourists flying from around the world, only to leave ‘with barely a hint’ of having been...
Lack of consideration of sex and gender in clinical trials for COVID-19
An international analysis warns that in the race to develop medical interventions for the coronavirus, scientists have paid scant attention to gender when recruiting...
Black distrust leads to task force to vet US health agencies' decisions
In response to a withering of trust in US health agencies, a group of Black physicians has created their won task force to independently...
British COVID-19 test gives results in 90 minutes with 94% accuracy — Lancet
A 90-minute COVID-19 test has been shown to have over 94% sensitivity, and 100% specificity in a new study. The work was led by...
COVID-19 challenges and strategies — SA academic hospital
Six months after South Africa’s first confirmed case of the deadly COVID-19 virus – which spread across the country and has so far infected...
COVID-19 may damage immune cells in the bone marrow — UK study
Even bone marrow may not be a safe harbour from the ravages of COVID-19, according to a study that found previously unrecognised changes in...
COVID19’s catastrophic effect on drug and treatment clinical trials
More than 1,500 clinical trials of new drugs and treatments for cancers, heart disease and other serious illnesses have been permanently closed down in...
'Heart-breaking' study of endometriosis retracted after 7 years
A widely criticised peer-reviewed study that measured the attractiveness of women with endometriosis has been retracted from the medical journal Fertility and Sterility. The...
A 'glaring' lack of darker skin in textbooks and journals
There has for decades been a glaring lack of representation of black and brown skin in dermatology journals and textbooks, writes STAT News. The...
Assessing antiviral activity of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — 2 studies in Nature
Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine show no notable antiviral effect against infections with SARS-CoV-2 in macaques or human lung cells according to two studies. Hydroxychloroquine and...