It’s long been known that certain structural qualities of the human heart — its size, chamber volume — can influence cardiovascular health. British scientists say they’re now discovering that the gene-directed shape of a person’s heart might matter, too. “This study provides new information on how we think about heart disease risk,” said study senior…  read on >  read on >

AI can’t yet help doctors improve their ability to diagnose complex conditions, a sobering new study has found. Doctors had about the same diagnostic accuracy whether or not they were using ChatGPT Plus, according to results published recently in the journal JAMA Network Open. However, the AI outperformed doctors when allowed to diagnose on its…  read on >  read on >

Cases of the autoimmune skin condition eczema appear to rise in areas most plagued by air pollution, new research shows. Since data has long shown that rates of eczema — clinically known as atopic dermatitis — increase along with industrialization, dirty air might be a connecting link, according to the team from Yale University. “Showing…  read on >  read on >

An experimental vaccine has shown promise in protecting against the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, researchers report. Lab mice given the vaccine were able to rapidly clear subsequent chlamydia infections, and were less likely to develop severe infections compared with unvaccinated mice, researchers reported Nov. 11 in the journal npj Vaccines. The vaccine contains chlamydia whole-cell…  read on >  read on >

In a move guaranteed to alarm many, President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal opponent of vaccines and other tenets of mainstream health care, to head the massive U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The department encompasses numerous key agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,…  read on >  read on >

Using abbreviations while texting might save some typing time, but it won’t make a good impression, a new study finds. People who use texting abbreviations like IDK or GOAT are perceived as more insincere and are less likely to receive replies, researchers discovered. “Our findings are especially relevant when we want to appear more sincere…  read on >  read on >

After decades of battling the opioid epidemic, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday that overdose deaths have now declined for the second year in a row. By how much did these deaths of despair drop? There were about 97,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended June 30, according to new provisional data from the U.S.…  read on >  read on >

More than a third of surgical patients develop complications as a result of their procedure, a new study shows. About 38% of adult patients suffer an adverse event during or following their surgery, researchers reported Nov. 13 in the BMJ. Nearly half of these complications result in serious, life-threatening or fatal harm, results showed. What’s…  read on >  read on >