Medicine & Drugs, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 2, 2023

CDC to recommend some people take an antibiotic after sex to prevent sexually transmitted infections

Certain people should consider taking an antibiotic treatment after having unprotected sex to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon recommend. The agency just released a draft of its recommendations for who should use the drug regimen, known as doxy-PEP, and how,...

Oct 3, 2023

Psychedelics rapidly change the brain. Here's how.

The human brain can change — but usually only slowly and with great effort, such as when learning a new sport or foreign language, or recovering from a stroke. Learning new skills correlates with changes in the brain, as evidenced by neuroscience research with animals and functional brain scans in...

Oct 6, 2023

Ozempic-like meds linked to higher risk of pancreatitis, 'stomach paralysis' than other weight-loss drugs

Taking drugs like Ozempic for weight loss may come with a slight risk of severe gastrointestinal (GI) problems, including inflammation of the pancreas and too-slow stomach movements, sometimes called stomach paralysis. That's according to a new study published Thursday (Oct. 5) in the journal JAMA. In the work, scientists compared...

Oct 9, 2023

Cleaning product residues may be driving a deadly superbug's antibiotic resistance

Most microbes perish when exposed to common cleaning products, but the residue from those disinfectants may be driving deadly bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics, a lab study suggests. Biocides, which include disinfectants and antiseptics, are chemicals that are widely used in households, hospitals and manufacturing to kill disease-causing microorganisms...

Oct 20, 2023

Could bacteria-killing viruses ever prevent sexually transmitted infections?

Rates of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are soaring in the U.S. These mounting chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases are treated with antibiotics, but at a price: Antibiotics push bacteria to gain resistance to the drugs. Therefore, it will be key to find new ways to stave off STIs while...

Oct 21, 2023

Will we still have antibiotics in 50 years? 7 experts weigh in

Almost since antibiotics were first discovered, we've been aware bacteria can learn how to overcome these medicines, a phenomenon known as antimicrobial resistance. The World Health Organization says we're currently losing to the bugs, with resistance increasing and too few new antibiotics in the pipeline. We wanted to know whether...

Oct 30, 2023

RSV drug shortage prompts CDC to adjust recommendations

The U.S. has a limited supply of a new drug to protect babies against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to adjust its recommendations for how the treatment should be used in the impending RSV season. RSV, a common respiratory virus that can...

Oct 31, 2023

Do traditional Chinese herbs actually 'heal'? This tool aims to find out.

A lack of scientific evidence has led some to question whether herbs used in traditional Chinese medicines actually relieve people's ailments or if their remedial properties are mostly myth. However, a new study, published Friday (Oct. 27) in the journal Science Advances, might start to challenge that view. Scientists have...

Nov 1, 2023

CBD reportedly discovered in plant that's not cannabis

One of the two main active ingredients in marijuana has been found in a plant other than cannabis, researchers claim. Scientists in Brazil said they've discovered cannabidiol (CBD) in the fruits and flowers of the Jamaican nettletree (Trema micranthum), an evergreen shrub that is native to tropical and subtropical regions...

Nov 3, 2023

Antibiotics growing gravely ineffective for childhood infections

Drugs used to treat serious bacterial infections in children and newborns may be losing their effectiveness in many countries due to alarmingly high rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a new study finds. The new analysis investigated bacterial samples from 11 countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including China and...

Nov 10, 2023

FDA approves world's 1st chikungunya vaccine

The world's first vaccine to protect against chikungunya virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, was just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Infection with chikungunya virus can lead to severe disease and prolonged health problems, particularly for older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions, Dr. Peter...

Nov 16, 2023

CRISPR therapy for high cholesterol shows promise in early trial

A one-time, CRISPR-based gene therapy lowered people's levels of bad cholesterol in a small trial, the treatment's maker announced. While the new therapy shows promise, it still has a long way to go before it can be approved for use in patients. The gene therapy, called VERVE-101, reduced the levels...

Nov 27, 2023

Blood thickening tied to gender-affirming testosterone is rare

People who take testosterone as gender-affirming care face a risk that the hormone will thicken their blood, leading to a side effect that requires bloodletting treatment. But now, the largest study of its kind in the U.S. suggests that this effect is actually far less common than previously thought. In...

Dec 6, 2023

Shroom compound psilocybin shows promise for bipolar disorder in early trial

Psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in magic mushrooms, may help relieve depressive episodes in people with bipolar disorder, without triggering mania or mood swings like some common antidepressants can. That's according to a small clinical trial whose results were published Wednesday (Dec. 6) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The trial included...

Dec 7, 2023

Vaccine for superbugs? New shot shows promise in early tests

Hospitalization is supposed to make people well. But on a given day, an estimated 1 in 31 hospitalized patients contracts an infection from the hospital itself, and tens of thousands die annually. Many of these infections are antibiotic-resistant, and treating them contributes to the evolution of new superbugs. But now,...