Illnesses and conditions

It's never a good thing when harmful bacteria are present on surfaces in hospitals, as they can cause life-threatening infections in patients. A new paint could help keep that from happening, by quickly killing any microbes that land on it.

Nerve or neuropathic pain has long been a tricky condition to treat effectively. However, a new study has comprehensively evaluated current drug and non-drug therapies to provide up-to-date guidelines to inform treatment options.

This week a study set off alarm bells, estimating that the overuse of computed tomography – or CT – examinations could result in five per cent of new cancers disagnoses annually. Since 2007, the use of the imaging technology has risen 30% in the US.

For the first time, surgeons have successfully performed a heart transplant in which the donor organ never skips a beat, limiting muscle damage and improving acceptance and recovery. It ushers in a new era of our approach to this lifesaving operation.

The world's largest study into the long-term health impact of floods has found that there are surges in hospitalizations for months after an event – and current responses are inadequate when it comes to treating cancer, diabetes, mental health and more.

Looking beyond jabs, sprays or tablets, scientists are thinking outside the box for delivering antiviral medication to prevent the spread of highly transmissible bugs. Their secret weapon? Chewing gum – but one made from a rather fascinating bean.

A three-year study has found robust evidence that one vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus offers older adults long-term protection, even if efficacy wanes. Despite this, just one dose cut serious illness by nearly two thirds across three seasons.

Tiny 3D organs connected themselves in a lab dish, forming a replica of the human pain pathway, in a new study. The discovery allows scientists to better understand chronic pain and offers an animal-free method of testing pain treatments.

A decade-long study of 35 million Americans in 10 states has found that group A streptococcus infections have more than doubled. What's more, "strep" – which can cause a bizarre flesh-eating disease – has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have hit upon new technologies to deliver a double whammy to chronic wounds in diabetics, using tiny needles barely visible to the human eye.

Extracts made from parts of the cashew plant that are usually thrown away when the nuts are processed commercially were found to significantly limit the development of fat cells and the accumulation of fat, according to new research.

It was only a matter of time until the GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy were superseded, and now it looks like we'll have the next generation of these breakthrough weight loss and diabetes medicines on shelves by early next year.

In what's expected to soon be commonplace, artificial intelligence is being harnessed to pick up signs of cancer more accurately than the trained human eye. This latest AI model has a near 100% success rate and serves as a sign of things to come.

COVID antiviral Paxlovid wasn't perfect. Many patients couldn't take it due to extreme side effects but now the second generation of antivirals are on the way and they promise better efficacy and fewer drug complications.

A mainstay of Parkinson's disease treatment, levodopa can cause nasty side-effects with long-term use. A recent human trial found that a new drug significantly reduces these effects, representing a breakthrough milestone in Parkinson’s treatment.