News & Updates

In infants born preterm, the nasal microbiome seems to correlate with the incidence and severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, reports a recent study.

Having a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine (ie, second booster dose) substantially protects against severe illness in face of the Omicron variant, compared with only three doses of vaccine that were given more than 4 months earlier, according to data from the Israeli Ministry of Health database.

A group of Australia-based researchers has developed a novel device that makes intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) a less technically demanding procedure, reducing dependence on the experience level of embryologists and, in turn, dramatically improving fertilization success.

Treatment with a newly developed probiotic blend made up of five strains (Bl-04, Bi-07, HN019, NCFM, and Lpc-37) is safe and leads to better gastrointestinal (GI) well-being as early as day 14, with sustained improvements up to day 30, a recent study has shown. Few adverse events resulting in discontinuation have been reported.

Habitual prolonged nightly fasting does not lead to improvements in certain cardiovascular, renal, inflammation, and nutritional status biomarkers among community-dwelling older adults, a study has found. Instead, it shows modest negative associations suggesting the potential harm of extended periods of time between meals.

Patients undergoing prostate biopsies see fewer urinary infections and septic complications when the procedure is performed through a transperineal (TP) rather than a transrectal (TR) route, according to a recent Singapore study. Both methods achieve comparable levels of diagnostic accuracy.

Increased triglycerides (TG)-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) appears to be associated with a markedly raised risk of stroke only among individuals with healthy body mass index (BMI), according to a study.