Home »
Deciding when to start or grow a family is deeply personal and complex. When someone begins using a contraceptive, it may seem obvious they are not planning to get pregnant anytime soon. But a study recently published in PLOS ONE found that pregnancy intentions often change over as short as a 12-month time period, and that they specifically vary with […]
Read more
New data collected by University of Minnesota Medical School researchers demonstrate a clear connection between nicotine withdrawal and poor eating habits. Their findings point to the opioid system, the brain functions responsible for addiction and appetite regulation, as a possible cause for smoker preference of energy-dense, high-calorie food during nicotine withdrawal. This can lead to weight gain, for those who […]
Read more
Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints and affects over 300 million individuals worldwide. It is characterized by a gradually increasing degeneration of the cartilage on the joint surface. This results in chronic pain and stiffness in the joints and is a leading cause of disability. Until today, no curative treatments have been available. An improved understanding of what causes […]
Read more
Groups who suffer the highest burden of type 2 diabetes have the lowest level of adherence to effective medication to control it, a University of Otago study has found. Lead author Dr. Simon Horsburgh, of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, says about 6 percent of adult New Zealanders have type 2 diabetes, with the figure much higher for […]
Read more
After a controversial federal order suspending travel to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries was signed in 2017, the number of visits to emergency departments by Minneapolis-St. Paul area residents from those nations increased significantly. And that development followed an already marked increase in primary care visits by members of the same population, which began in November 2016 following an […]
Read more
Even before the pandemic made Zoom ubiquitous, Washington State University researchers were using the video conferencing app to research a type of cannabis that is understudied: the kind people actually use. For the study, published in Scientific Reports, researchers observed cannabis users over Zoom as they smoked high-potency cannabis flower or vaped concentrates they purchased themselves from cannabis dispensaries in […]
Read more
Combining structural biology and computation, a Duke-led team of researchers has identified how multiple mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein independently create variants that are more transmissible and potentially resistant to antibodies. By acquiring mutations on the spike protein, one such variant gained the ability to leap from humans to minks and back to humans. Other variants—including Alpha, which first […]
Read more
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have observed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can infect the testes of infected hamsters. The findings, published in the journal Microorganisms, could help explain symptoms some men with COVID-19 have reported and have important implications for men’s health. As the pandemic goes on, clinicians continue to report their findings that […]
Read more
An in-depth analysis of more than 20,000 health related mobile applications (mHealth apps) published by The BMJ today finds “serious problems with privacy and inconsistent privacy practices.” The researchers say the collection of personal user information is “a pervasive practice” and that patients “should be informed on the privacy practices of these apps and the associated privacy risks before installation […]
Read more
Oxygen therapy can save the lives of children with pneumonia, but careful monitoring is needed to reduce harm, avoid over-reliance and protect supply. These are among some of the key findings to emerge from a four-year-long study of children hospitalized with severe pneumonia in East Africa. Led by researchers at Imperial College London, the Children’s Oxygen Administration Strategies Trial (COAST) […]
Read more