Illnesses and conditions

Taking one of the most widely-used painkillers for a prolonged period increases the risk of serious complications in older folks, according to a new study. It may mean rethinking the drug’s use as a first-line treatment for chronic conditions.

A new study has found that eating a better-quality diet was directly associated with a reduction in chronic pain severity, regardless of body fat. The findings suggest that upping diet quality could be an affordable and effective way to manage pain.

Common ivy is better known as a garden invader or a rather attractive indoor plant that's prone to triggering allergies. Now, for the first time, it's been found to be very effective in blocking pain signals – by instead invading a key pain receptor.

If you were given a choice of vaccine delivery method, would you rather a needle or a skin cream? Thought so. Well, the latter might be a viable option soon, as Stanford scientists have used a topical cream to strongly vaccinate mice against tetanus.

A new kind of cancer gene therapy can be remotely activated at a specific part of the body. The team developed a version of CRISPR that responds to ultrasound, and demonstrated how it can be used to clear cancer in mice.

Balloons that trick the stomach into feeling full have long been used for weight loss. But, they become less effective the longer they stay inflated. Engineers have devised a balloon that inflates and deflates on demand – it reduced food intake by 60%.

Researchers have flipped the script on the usual approach to pain relief in a new study, demonstrating that a short course of non-invasive brain stimulation before a painful event such as surgery can prevent the development of chronic pain.

A naturally occurring fat molecule reduced heart inflammation and scarring caused by diabetes, thereby improving cardiac function, according to new research. The findings open the door to developing a new treatment for diabetes-induced heart disease.

Studies presented at a recent American Heart Association conference have confirmed the heart health benefits provided by the new anti-obesity drugs, semaglutide and tirzepatide, and how lifestyle interventions for weight loss affect heart biomarkers in diabetics.

Mosquitoes do a superb job of spreading diseases like malaria – now researchers have shown it's possible to hijack these pests and distribute vaccines via mosquito bite. In human trials, these mozzie-borne vaccines proved around 90% effective.

A peptide hormone produced in the brain that triggers physiological changes in reproduction has been 'hacked' to create an effective, safe and non-invasive way to treat chronic gut pain. Scientists are calling it an entirely new class of painkiller.

The white button mushroom has cancer-fighting abilities, according to the results of a human clinical trial on the use of food as medicine. Not only does it slow tumor growth, but it also allows cancer-fighting immune cells to do their job effectively.

A new study has found a link between the rollout of high-speed internet services and a rise in obesity rates. The researchers who conducted the study attribute the increase to the effect of high-speed internet access on physical activity and eating habits.

Researchers have developed a non-addictive painkiller that remains inactive until it reaches sites of chronic pain. Instead of dulling the nerves that send the pain signals like other analgesics, this new pain pill directly addresses the underlying cause.

Game-changing GLP-1 agonist drugs are a step closer to being available in oral pill form, with AstraZeneca revealing "encouraging data" from the Phase I safety and tolerability trial of its once-daily obesity and diabetes drug AZD5004.