Older adults may not be “missing the picture” but interpreting it differently
A professor from Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), Missouri, has looked at the brain activity of older adults through a slightly […]
Pharmaceutical
Israeli clinical trial shows the efficacy of microdosing THC to treat chronic pain
Minute doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – essentially the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis – have been shown to reduce pain sensation in a recent clinical experiment, without inducing psychoactive side effects […]
Wellness and Complementary Therapies
Newly-found hair regrowth molecule could be faster treatment for baldness
There have been many leads looking into regrowing hair with the latest being the finding of a special molecule by North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers that appears […]
Academic performance of schoolchildren improves with regular physical activity
A recent study led by Japanese professors at the University of Tsukuba and Kobe University suggests that physical activity is linked to better cognitive ability in school-age […]
Some new habits from staying at home to avoid coronavirus optimal for putting on weight
The “quarantine weight gain” thanks to the coronavirus-induced sedentary lifestyle and convenient food deliveries is a growing concern for many people. According to Dr. Shim Kyung-won, a family physician at Ewha Women’s University […]
Children develop unique cognitive offloading strategy to simplify thinking
Children as young as 4 years old tend to use various cognitive aids – including notepads and apps – to simplify tasks as necessary, according to a recent study from the […]
US study finds living environment, socioeconomic status greatly impact longevity
A living environment that supports healthy aging is more likely to influence longevity rather than good genes. According to a new study conducted at Washington State University’s (WSU) […]
Community health
South Korea’s COVID-19 response provides valuable insight
South Korea started its control and prevention measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak […]
Japan’s cultural strengths not enough to keep increasing coronavirus infections at bay
Much can be learned from Japan in how it handled the initial coronavirus outbreak in the country, such as the widespread use of face masks and its […]
Aside from explosive devices, trained sniffer dogs can also detect coronavirus
Sniffer dogs, with little training, are capable of identifying positive samples of the novel coronavirus with up to 94% accuracy […]
Older adults show better emotional resilience, coping strategy during pandemic
Older adults were more emotionally resilient while younger adults were at greater risk for loneliness and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic […]
New graphene-modified facemasks to offer more effective protection against coronavirus
A consortium of Spanish scientists and companies are working on the development of new and safer prophylactic facemasks to combat the viral coronavirus. […]
Health alert
Adults with dysfunctional childhoods more at risk of heart disease, health issues
A high level of childhood family environment adversity has been shown to increase a person’s risk of having heart disease in their 50s and 60s. Children who experience […]
S. Koreans on alert over possible rise in coronavirus cases after 2020 general election
Following South Korea’s general election this past week – the world’s first nationwide election held during the COVID-19 pandemic – health authorities are concerned that new infection clusters could pop up and again contribute to […]
Maintaining mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Loneliness and social isolation may increase the risk of premature death by nearly 50%, according to two meta-analyses from Brigham Young University in Utah, US, in 2017. However, as many people’s freedom of movement is now severely limited thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic […]
Understanding how COVID-19 affects children vital to slowing infectious diseases’ spread
A recent commentary reveals a small percentage of children infected with COVID-19 can become seriously ill – researchers thus caution that it is critical to understand how the virus affects children to model the pandemic accurately, limit the disease’s spread, and hopefully treat infected […]
World may face pandemic as epicenters of rapidly spreading coronavirus appear outside China
COVID-19 cases inside China have for the first time been surpassed by fresh cases elsewhere this past week, with Italy and Iran emerging as epicenters of the rapidly spreading illness as well as the first reported infection in Latin America, Pakistan, Sweden, Norway, and Romania […]
Other health News
Sino-US startup develops blood test for early detection of cancers
A new type of blood test has been shown to detect five types of cancer years before standard diagnoses – the test found cancers in 91% of people who initially showed no symptoms but were later diagnosed with stomach, oesophageal, colon, lung or liver cancer. The technique, co-developed by researchers at the University of San Diego (UCSD) and Singlera Genomics, is designed […]
New cell type could forewarn of rheumatoid arthritis flare-upss
Researchers have noticed an accumulation of never-before-seen cells in the blood during the week prior to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) flare-ups. The mysterious cells have an RNA profile which resembles those found in joints and not freely circulating in the bloodstream. The cells would also strangely disappear at the moment of swelling or inflammation typical with RA […]
Nanoparticle-based injection to retina restores vision to blind rats
Many instances of age-related vision loss is related to degradation of the retina – an impressive way to restore retinal function, without using electrodes or implants, is by injecting specifically-engineered nanoparticles to create a working artificial retina. A single injection of nanoparticles by scientists at the University of Granada (UGR), Spain, was able to restore vision to blind rats for at least 8 months without the need […]
US study links air pollution to infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa
Air pollution from traffic and industrial activities has come up again, but a new Stanford-led study highlighted that air pollution, even from natural sources e.g. dust which travels thousands of miles from sub-Saharan Africa, is critical in determining infant mortality and overall child health around the world. The Stanford researchers found that a roughly 25% increase in mean dust particulate concentrations in West Africa caused […]
EXCLUSIVE: Are doctors oblivious to mental health illness?
Depression, a mental health disorder, is a leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a common illness, which has affected millions globally, and the numbers continue to rise. While there have been known and available treatments for mental disorders, access to mental health care is lacking and inadequate training to recognizing signs of underlying signs of mental illness is resulting in inaccurate […]
Moderate drinking also bears severe consequences, more so for men
A new study by researchers at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, showed that limited alcohol consumption did protect women from death from heart attack, but not for men, “who experienced harm at all drinking levels […]
