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Gene may be key to treating pancreatic cancer – UK study
Scientists may have pinpointed a gene they suggest could could be key to taming one of the world’s deadliest cancers – giving fresh hope...
NDoH looks to artificial intelligence in quest to combat TB
The National Department of Health is considering the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite the screening and diagnosis of TB and silicosis, after...
DNA technology may impede MDR-TB progress – SA Health Department
The National Department of Health plans to use DNA technology to test whether the genetic make-up of TB germs has changed in such a...
US launches 30-year study on black women and cancer
A long-term population study – which will track 100 000 women for three decades – has been started by the American Cancer Society (ACS),...
Scientists uncover cause of severe Covid lung disease
A recent study has shed light on the mystery of why, in some severe Covid-19 cases, the lungs undergo extreme damage, resulting in various...
Professor cancer-free after applying own research
An Australian pathologist who was diagnosed with brain cancer a year ago says his latest scans show no sign of his glioblastoma, which he...
Pfizer pauses study after boy’s death in Duchenne trial
A child has died in Pfizer’s phase 2 study of its gene therapy candidate for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the rare genetic disorder that primarily...
New SAMRC chief aims to ‘restore trust in science’
Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, who takes over the hot seat at the South African Medical Research Council in July, may be soft-spoken but he is unafraid...
Personalised mRNA jab a 'game-changer' for cancer patients
The launch of patient trials involving the world’s first personalised mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma has been welcomed by experts for its “game-changing” potential...
Blood test could ID unwitting TB carriers – global study
Scientists say they are close to developing a blood test that could identify millions of people who spread tuberculosis unknowingly, after discovering a group...
Afro-European partnership in quest to tackle AMR
Two major research partnerships convened in Johannesburg this week to present findings of antibiotic research and strengthen the global response to antimicrobial resistance, which...
Clinical trial reveals 'breakthrough' treatment options for MDR-TB
Clinical trial results presented at the Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris last week provided evidence to support the use of four...
Common drug slashes risk of MDR-TB – SA-led study
A cheap, commonly available antibiotic pill halves the risk of people exposed to drug-resistant TB from contracting the particularly deadly strain of the disease,...
Scientists grow human embryo model without sperm or egg
Scientists have grown an entity that closely resembles an early human embryo, without using sperm, eggs or a womb, describing it as the first...
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...