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Should we use the C-word for mild prostate cancer?
The discussion over whether to call the mildest form of prostate cancer “cancer” has returned, with a new paper suggesting that patients may benefit from avoiding the term. Prostate cancer is one of...
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Science fiction health technology a step closer
It’s not the famous Star Trek tricorder but it’s close: researchers have developed a hand-held scanner that can generate highly detailed 3D images of body parts in almost real time. The technology can...
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Drug targeting works in mice (and science fiction)
Scientists have developed a way to transport a drug to a specific part of the body, then be excreted out. The method, which has been demonstrated in mice, could one day be a safer way to treat cancer...
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Fluoride in tap water outclassed by toothpaste
Credit: Westend61 / Getty Images Fluoride in drinking water may not have the big impact it used to, according to a Cochrane review. Cochrane reviews, run by the international not-for-profit Cochrane...
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Arm position can cause higher blood pressure readings
Credit: Tom Werner / Getty Images Arm position has an effect on blood pressure readings, according to a new study. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, finds that putting your hand in your...
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Coffee during pregnancy safe for baby brains, says study
Credit: Cavan Images / Getty Images When you’re pregnant, most guidelines recommend keeping caffeine intake to roughly 200mg (or 1 espresso) per day. But the evidence on coffee and pregnancy is still...
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Breakdancer’s “headspin hole” fixed with surgery
Credit: Alberto Menendez / Getty Images A breakdancer who had been headspinning for more than 19 years developed a growth on his scalp that needed surgical removal. The man, who is in his early 30s,...
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Could a gut test diagnose endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a painful and very common condition, but it’s difficult to diagnose, sometimes taking years. A team of US researchers think that it may one day be possible to diagnose endometriosis...
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Bowel cancer linked to metabolic markers
Metabolic factors like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are linked to bowel cancer risk, according to a new review. Researchers, who have published a study in Critical Reviews in...
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Acupuncture helps sciatica in gold-standard clinical trial
Credit: krisanapong detraphiphat / Getty Images A randomised-control trial has found that acupuncture can help reduce leg pain in patients with sciatica. The study is published in JAMA Internal...
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Music listening helps recovery from surgery
Credit: Fly View Productions / Getty Images Listening to music might help patients recover from surgery, according to a new meta-analysis. The study, which is being presented at the American College...
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New step towards personalised cancer therapies
Light micrograph of colon cancer. Credit: Science Photo Library/STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/Getty Images Researchers have detailed the 4 common ways cancers can become less susceptible to the drugs used to...
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There are ethical challenges to integrating AI into healthcare
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have the potential to transform the way healthcare is delivered, but there are also unique challenges to adopting AI technologies ethically and...
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Big project starting to have impact on Indigenous eye health
A long term and well funded project to reduce the incidence of eye disease in Indigenous communities is having significant impact, with a forecast that one devastating illness will soon be all but...
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Healthcare must transform in the face of climate and environmental crises
Credit: Cimmerian/Getty Images A public health physician and planetary health expert says that healthcare workers now have a “duty of care to both their patients and the planet”. “We have to change...
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How healthcare is tackling the problem of fairness in AI data
The risks and ethical considerations associated with the data used to train Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care have been outlined by an international expert at a health conference in...
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Is the Australian CDC getting the start it needs?
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler (left), and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly in February 2023. Kelly, who is head of the interim CDC, has recently announced his retirement. Credit:...
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Population growth, climate change, pandemics – call for health researchers to...
From left to right: Professor John Prins, Professor Steve Wesselingh, Gillian Mason, Professor Michael Kidd, and Professor Jon Karnon at the AAHMS 2024 Annual Meeting. Credit: Imma Perfetto What’s...
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World veering away from limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C with massive...
A woman wading through floodwater in Sylhet, north-eastern Bangladesh, in 2022. Credit: K M Asad/Getty Images A new report in the influential Lancet medical journal finds people around the world are...
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Outstanding Aussie awarded 1.25 million to fight lung cancer
An Australian, Dr Clare Weeden, has been awarded a fellowship and will return to Australia to set up a lab focusing on lung cancer, particularly in non-smokers. Lung cancer is the leading cause of...
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Mini-lungs could help fight flu & colds by tapping immunity
An Australian researcher has been awarded $60,000 to build more complex models of the human lung, with the hope to discover new therapies for respiratory diseases. Dr Rhiannon Werder, team leader at...
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Could Cordyceps fungus slow the growth of cancer cells?
A chemical produced by the fungus Cordyceps militaris has been widely researched as a potential cancer medicine. Commonly known as the caterpillar fungus, C. militaris forms 1-8cm club-shaped fruiting...
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Explainer: the science of uterus transplants
A decade on from the first live birth from a transplanted uterus, the procedures remain complex and difficult with the potential for significant complications for both the recipient and live donor. So...
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Depression may cause period pain, suggests study
Researchers know there’s a connection between menstruation and mental health, but it’s a complicated one – with the cause and effect between various conditions poorly defined. A genetic study has...
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New research builds the case for wearing masks in hospitals
A large study by researchers from Harvard Medical School in the US has identified a strong increase in cases of respiratory infections caught in hospitals after COVID-19 measures such as masks were...
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Single mutation in H5N1 bird flu could enable easier human infection
A study funded by the National Institutes of Health in the US has found the H5N1 bird flu virus could be just one mutation away from being able to spread amongst humans. Although the authors say the...
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Giving E. coli a Superman cape to make greener medicines
A coloured scanning electron microscope image of E. coli. Credit: Clouds Hill Imaging Ltd. / Getty Images We normally think of E. coli as something that makes us sick, but the bacteria also plays a...
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Gene therapy shows promise for reversing heart failure in pigs
A new gene therapy may give hope to the more than 64 million people living with heart failure worldwide. Robin Shaw, director of the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute...
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National breast density policy review closer
BreastScreen Australia is to update its position on breast density reporting early in the new year. Advocates for breast cancer awareness are calling for a change in the National BreastScreen...
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Many women unprepared for the pain of medical abortions
A British survey has found that many women choosing medical abortions at home are unprepared for the severity of the pain, having been told it would be no more painful than period cramps. But the...
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Surgeons show superior coordination – and more cursing
Surgeons are better than other hospital staff when completing a dexterity-based children’s game, according to a new study. But, finds the study, they’re also more likely to swear while completing the...
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Stem cell hope on the horizon for preterm babies
Stem cell researchers have discovered a potential new lifeline for the tiniest and most vulnerable babies. Scientists at Monash Children’s Hospital have successfully collected and reinfused umbilical...
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Iron transfusions to transform care for anaemia in pregnancy
Anaemia in pregnancy is linked to a higher risk of negative outcomes such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, and postpartum depression. To prevent this, the World Health Organization (WHO)...
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Medication-safe grapefruit closer with genetic study
Grapefruit, and some other varieties of citrus fruit, are off the menu for a lot of people using common medications. But a new study might help to develop safe varieties. Grapefruits, as well as...
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New research could allow for more effective cancer radiotherapy
A question that has puzzled oncologists for 30 years has been solved by researchers, who say their findings have implications for increasing the efficacy of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy works...
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Popular weight-loss drugs linked to new health risks and benefits
Credit: Iuliia Burmistrova/Getty Images A large analysis of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has surprised health researchers, who found links to multiple new benefits – and some new side...
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Paralysed person piloted virtual drone using brain implant
Credit: wenjin chen/Getty Images Advances continue to be made in neurobionics – integrating electronics with the nervous system to repair or replace impaired function – with the latest example helping...
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Brain cell transplant as a treatment for some neurological disorders
Astrocytes — named for their star-like shape — are a type of brain cell as abundant as neurons in the central nervous system, but little is known about their role in brain health and disease. Many...
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Antibody treatment prevents severe bird flu in monkeys
Illustration of antibodies surrounding a virus particle. Credit: STEVEN MCDOWELL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images As the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus continues to devastate...
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OCRF: Fostering careers of ovarian cancer researchers
In Australia, one person dies from ovarian cancer every 8 hours. There are no tools for prevention, no early detection or accurate screening tests, and its generally vague symptoms – such as bloating,...
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