Study provides new estimates of breast cancer risks associated with HRT

A new study published by The BMJ today provides new estimates of the increased risks of breast cancer associated with use of different hormone replacement therapy (HRT) preparations in the UK.

Health workers and their families account for 1 in 6 hospital COVID-19 cases

Healthcare workers and their families account for a sixth (17%) of hospital admissions for COVID-19 in the working age population (18-65 years), finds a study from Scotland published by The BMJ today.

Machine learning helps hunt for COVID-19 therapies

Michigan State University Foundation Professor Guowei Wei wasn't preparing machine learning techniques for a global health crisis. Still, when one broke out, he and his team were ready to help.

Study helps explain why motivation to learn declines with age

As people age, they often lose their motivation to learn new things or engage in everyday activities. In a study of mice, MIT neuroscientists have now identified a brain circuit that is critical for maintaining this kind of motivation.

Engineered phage endolysin is a potential solution for recurrent bacterial vaginosis

An engineered phage endolysin could offer a highly innovative and precise therapy for recurrent bacterial vaginosis, a disease for which no effective treatment option exists. Data on the novel endolysin targeting Gardnerella, the main pathogen in bacterial vaginosis, has now been published by the Vienna-based biotech company PhagoMed Biopharma GmbH. The data show that the novel drug candidate not only lyses any Gardnerella strain in vitro, but also fully dissolves the Gardnerella-dominated biofilm in vaginal samples of patients who had previously endured years of unsuccessful antibiotic treatment. Furthermore, due to the high specificity of the endolysin, the beneficial microbiome of the vagina remains unharmed by the treatment. This combination of high efficacy and high precision makes the endolysin a highly innovative solution for recurrent bacterial vaginosis, which affects 100 million women every year.

Divided Belgium turns into Europe's worst virus hot spot

Small, yet so divided, Belgium has been hit hard again by the pandemic, and now presents some of the most worrying statistics in a continent reeling under the virus' resurgence.

200 mn Covid vaccine doses pledged for 'equitable' use

Drugmakers Sanofi and GSK said Wednesday they would set aside 200 million doses of a future coronavirus vaccine for a global initiative to ensure equitable distribution, including in poor countries.

Soil-powered fuel cell promises cheap, sustainable water purification

Engineers at the University of Bath have shown that it's possible to capture and use energy created by the natural reactions occurring in microorganisms within soil.

Researchers find confusion over masks for wildfire, COVID-19 crises

To mask or not to mask—and which mask to use? With public health guidance about masks in the United States confused by political hedging, clarity around mask use is increasingly important, especially as the western U.S. battles the twin crises of wildfire smoke and COVID-19.

Smokers, especially those who begin young, are three times more likely to die prematurely

Current smokers faced nearly three times the risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease compared with people who never smoked, with the risk being higher among those who began smoking during childhood, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

Governor bans indoor dining in Chicago as virus cases surge

Surging COVID-19 cases in Chicago prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday to ban indoor dining and bar services and limit the number of people gathering in one place.

Sony first-half net profit doubles, forecast revised up

Japan's Sony on Wednesday reported net profit doubled in the April-September period and revised up its full-year net profit forecast, citing growth in key sectors—including gaming—and financial factors.

Australia cheers end of Melbourne lockdown but virus ravages Europe, US

Champagne corks popped in Australia's second-biggest city as a months-long coronavirus lockdown ended on Wednesday, contrasting with deepening gloom in Europe where France and Germany were set to reintroduce curbs.

US senators to quiz Big Tech CEOs on legal protections

Tech platform CEOs on Tuesday defended a US law making them immune from liability for third-party content ahead of a hearing where senators are expected to rebuke the Silicon Valley firms over their handling of social media.

Here's why Ant Group is about to shatter IPO records

Stella Su, who lives and works in Shanghai, has used an ATM only once in the past year. Instead of cash, in recent years she has done almost all her business using the digital wallet Alipay –- shopping in a mall, buying stuff online or transferring money to friends.

Merkel eyes 'lockdown light' to tame virus

Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to push for a "lockdown light" in crisis talks with Germany's regional leaders Wednesday, as the number of coronavirus cases soars and hospital beds fill up.

Greater prostate cancer incidence; mortality among Black men linked to genetic alterations

Prostate cancer tumors from African American men had higher frequencies of certain genetic alterations that may be associated with aggressive disease, compared with prostate cancer tumors from white men, according to results from a study published in Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Experts outline key challenges for assessing clinical efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines

Collaboration and standardised approaches for assessing different vaccine efficacy endpoints are key for meaningful comparison of different COVID-19 vaccine candidates to ensure that the most effective vaccines are deployed, say authors of an opinion piece based on a review of evidence, and published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

Residential context important factor in risk of COVID-19 mortality among older adults, Stockholm study suggests

Older people living with or in close contact with people of working age may be at higher risk of COVID-19 mortality in Stockholm, Sweden, according to an observational study published today in The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal.

COVID-19: Call for millions spent on failing system to be diverted to local services

A group of doctors is calling on the government to divert the hundreds of millions of pounds being spent on the failing centralised privatised COVID-19 national test and trace service into local primary care, local NHS labs and local public health services. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, the doctors say this would avoid the fragmentation created by private companies, restore and rebuild much needed service capacity and reintegrate management of COVID-19 into health services.