A study of 44,541 women has found that there appears to be no association between type 2 diabetes and developing breast cancer overall. This may be because most women in the study with type 2 diabetes were taking metformin, a medication widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, whose actions may help to reduce the […]
Rich European countries have higher atrial fibrillation death rates than least wealthy
Women who develop the condition are more likely to die than men The wealthiest countries in Europe have higher death rates from atrial fibrillation than the least wealthy and these death rates are increasing more rapidly than incidence rates, according to the first analysis of its kind published in the European Heart Journal [1]. The […]
One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation
A study of nearly 108,000 people has found that people who regularly drink a modest amount of alcohol are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart beats in an abnormal rhythm. The study, published in the European Heart Journal [1], found that, compared to drinking no alcohol at all, just one […]
Socioeconomic background linked to survival after having a cardiac arrest in hospital
Hospital in-patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to receive prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after their hearts stop beating and less likely to survive than patients from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. These are the findings of a new study in over 24,000 patients in Sweden, published in the European Heart Journal [1]. It is the […]
Health of fathers-to-be is linked to risk of pregnancy loss
More than a quarter of pregnancies might be ectopic or end in miscarriage or stillbirth if the father-to-be is unhealthy and has three or more medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. In a retrospective study of nearly a million pregnancies between 2009 and 2016 in the US, published […]
Cancer patients receiving immunotherapy drugs have a higher risk of heart problems
A study of over a thousand cancer patients treated with immunotherapy drugs has found these patients are at greater risk of heart problems, including death from heart attack or stroke. The patients had either lung cancer or malignant melanoma (a type of skin cancer), for which immune checkpoint inhibitors such as a programmed cell death-1 […]
Tanning beds and sunbathing may be associated with an increased risk of endometriosis
Tanning beds and sunbathing not only increase a woman’s chances of developing malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, but may also be linked to a greater risk of developing endometriosis, according to new research. A study of over 116,000 women in the USA, published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s […]
Artificial intelligence solution to a 50-year-old science challenge could ‘revolutionise’ medical research
Inside every cell, thousands of different proteins form the machinery that keeps all living things – from humans and plants to microscopic bacteria – alive and well. Almost all diseases, including cancer, dementia and even infectious diseases such as COVID-19, are related to the way these proteins function. Because each protein’s function is directly related […]
High blood pressure in midlife is linked to increased brain damage in later life
Higher than normal blood pressure is linked to more extensive brain damage in the elderly, according to a new study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. In particular, the study found that there was a strong association between diastolic blood pressure (the blood pressure between heart beats) before the age of 50 and brain […]
Study of COVID-19 levels in oncology staff suggests need for more extensive testing
Second study reveals impact of COVID-19 on oncology staff and their work A study of oncology staff carried out immediately after the spring peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK indicates that many had been infected with the coronavirus as they tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. This included staff who did not show any […]