Articles

A nasal psychedelic, a blood pressure pill and VR before surgery: a roundup

4 stories this week: depression that resists treatment, high blood pressure with kidney disease, blood counts on a common class of diabetes and heart drugs, and anxiety before surgery, each with who it was tested on and what it does not yet show.

Digest · 4 stories

A post-dialysis injection lowered parathyroid hormone, and calcium too

For people on haemodialysis and their families: what lowering one blood hormone can tell about this treatment, and what it cannot yet tell about longer-term health.

Step rhythm on a wristband nearly matched a walking test on death risk

If you wear a fitness tracker or have had your walking pace timed, here is what each number can and cannot tell you about long-term risk, and why the simple clinic test still keeps a small edge.

Bladder cancer, melanoma and eating: 4 stories

4 stories this week: bladder and skin cancer, an inflammatory disease of the oesophagus and diet in severe obesity, each with who it was tested on and what it does not yet show.

Digest · 4 stories

Sickle cell pill lifted haemoglobin; the effect on pain is unproven

For families living with sickle cell disease: what a year-long placebo-controlled trial adds about easing the anaemia, and why it is not yet an answer to pain.

Inflamed fatty liver may weigh on daily life, not just lab results

For anyone told they have fatty liver: what a European trial adds about whether the inflamed form is felt day to day, and why the answer is still tentative.

Hour-long daily naps linked to higher odds of death in older adults

A four-year study of older adults in Vietnam separates short naps from long habitual ones and shows how night sleep changes the picture, drawing a clear line between a warning sign and a proven cause.

Kidney decline nearly halted in a phase 3 trial — plus 2 more stories

3 stories this week: an immune kidney disease, sleep apnoea with excess weight and AI that reads chest scans, each with who was studied and where the evidence stops.

Digest · 3 stories

When kidneys fail in the ICU, the first dialysis method may matter

For families facing a decision in intensive care: what a new French trial can, and cannot, add to a conversation with the care team about supporting failing kidneys.

Antifungal pill held up against IV therapy on survival in phase 3

For people facing invasive aspergillosis when azoles are unsuitable: how to read a "not worse" result, its safety trade-off and the limits of the evidence.

UK clears a rare-disease drug that cut triglycerides by about 80%

A week of results on a rare inherited fat disorder, life after colorectal cancer, AI in mouth-cancer screening and the cost of hot nights, each with its population and where the evidence stops.

Digest · 4 stories

A heart-failure signal in a diabetes trial needs its own test

A closer look inside a large trial suggests where a newer diabetes medicine may matter most, and why the signal is a lead rather than a verdict. Worth reading for people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and for those who care for them.