As the number of known coronavirus cases worldwide hit 500 million on Tuesday, health experts called for increased testing, vaccination and contact tracing. There’s been a sharp rise in known cases so far this year, from 300 million in early January to 400 million in early February and half a billion now, The New York… read on > read on >
The more orgasms you have, the more you come to expect. And the reverse is also true, according to a new study of the so-called orgasm gap — in which men climax far more often than their female partners. “Our expectations are shaped by our experiences, so when women orgasm less, they will desire and… read on > read on >
Strong natural protection against cancer-causing mutations may explain why some longtime smokers don’t develop lung cancer, according to a new study. Researchers compared mutations in cells lining the lungs from 14 never-smokers, ages 11 to 86, and 19 smokers, ages 44 to 81. The smokers had used tobacco up to 116 pack years. One pack… read on > read on >
You’ve battled and beaten back a bout of cancer, so now you can take comfort in your victory, right? Wrong, claims new research that found most cancer patients and survivors fear their disease will return once treatment ends, a new analysis shows. Researchers reviewed 46 studies from 13 countries and found that 59% of cancer… read on > read on >
Black Americans are far less likely to be included in clinical trials of pancreatic cancer drugs than white Americans, and eligibility criteria are a significant factor in that gap, according to a new study. “The standard of care in cancer treatment is informed by studies conducted with predominantly non-Hispanic white patients,” said study author Dr.… read on > read on >
Immune system-triggered inflammation is the likely reason for the loss of smell reported by many COVID-19 patients, a new study finds. “As a neuropathologist, I wondered why smell loss is a very common symptom with COVID-19 but not with other respiratory diseases,” said lead study author Dr. Cheng-Ying Ho. She is an associate professor of… read on > read on >
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic kept people isolated at home, sexually transmitted disease (STDs) cases increased across the United States. Although cases fell in the pandemic’s early months, infections rose again by the end of 2020, with gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis surpassing 2019 levels, according to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and… read on > read on >
Drug overdose deaths among America’s teens have skyrocketed during the pandemic, and not because drug use is more common, researchers report. In 2020, overdose deaths among adolescents nearly doubled, compared with 10 years before the pandemic. They rose another 20% in the first six months of 2021, a new study finds. “Teen drug use rates… read on > read on >
Certain personality traits may make older adults more or less vulnerable to waning memory and thinking skills, a new study suggests. The study, of nearly 2,000 older adults, found that those high on the “conscientious” scale — organized, self-disciplined and productive — were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. That refers to subtler problems… read on > read on >
Psilocybin — the active component in “magic mushrooms” — may help rewire the brains of people with depression. Psychedelics including psilocybin have shown promise in treating many mental health disorders in recent years, and a new study is among the first to begin to unravel precisely how they work. “The brain becomes more open and… read on > read on >
