THE MEDICAL NEWS

A study examining 9,000 Google search results across 30 European countries found that 36.3% of links to online medicine sellers led to illegal vendors, rising to nearly 77% for controlled substances. Countries that permitted legitimate online medicine sales generally had fewer illegal vendors among highly ranked search results than countries that prohibited such sales, although the observational …

A new protocol detects RNA viruses such as Zika and hepatitis C without traditional medical laboratory equipment.

A prospective observational pilot study of 38 adults without diabetes found that three months of semaglutide or tirzepatide treatment was associated with an average weight loss of 7.2 kg, reduced food cravings, increased satiety, and improved self-reported hunger control. Most participants reported smaller meal portions, while some experienced changes in food preferences, although the study could…

In a study of 6,803 Japanese adults, researchers identified two opposing gut microbiome patterns linking diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption with general health and 15 chronic diseases. Health-oriented microbial patterns were associated with butyrate production and lower inflammation, while disease-oriented patterns were linked to inflammatory processes, with microbiome-base…

A prospective cohort study of 264 pregnant Iranian women found no statistically significant association between maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods or red meat and probable postpartum depression assessed four to six weeks after childbirth. However, the relatively small sample size and imprecise estimates mean that potentially meaningful associations cannot be excluded, highlighting the …

"Every spring, I get sick. Then it happens again in the fall." If you have frequent sinus symptoms that follow a seasonal pattern, allergies may be the root cause. Seasonal allergies can cause congestion, drainage, facial pressure, and fatigue.