Health

A new study out of Sweden has found that initiating combination cholesterol-lowering therapy early after a heart attack can significantly reduce the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events and death. The findings, published by researchers at Lund University and based on data from over 36,000 patients, challenge existing global treatment guidelines and could prompt a shift in how post-heart attack care is delivered.

Babies napping in dark, quiet rooms may not be getting the best start for restful nights, according to one of Britain’s leading infant sleep researchers. Instead, Professor Helen Ball, a scientific adviser for The Lullaby Trust, suggests that babies should nap in light-filled rooms with everyday background noises — such as the hum of a washing machine — to foster healthier and more natural sleep patterns.

Australia is facing an unusually early and potentially severe flu season, prompting strong recommendations from healthcare experts for early vaccination. Doctors across the country are warning that the influenza virus is already circulating rapidly, with cases surging significantly higher than this time last year. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian Medical Association are urging the public—especially vulnerable populations—to receive their flu shots now, before the virus reaches its expected peak in the coming winter months.

A groundbreaking doctoral thesis by Andreea Badache at Örebro University has found that good hearing and vision are strongly associated with better cognitive health in older adults. The findings, based on extensive data analysis across Europe, offer significant implications for public health strategies, healthcare policy, and the quality of life in ageing populations.

Health authorities have issued a warning after six people were hospitalised with Legionnaires’ disease following visits to Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD) over the past three weeks. NSW Health is urging anyone who has been in the area within the last 10 days to remain vigilant for symptoms of the potentially life-threatening infection.

In a pioneering study published in Biological Psychiatry by Elsevier, scientists have conducted the first comprehensive single-cell analysis of brain tissue from individuals with Tourette syndrome. The findings offer unprecedented clarity into which specific brain cells are affected by the condition and how they malfunction—offering the most detailed cellular map of the syndrome to date. Conducted by researchers at Yale University, the Mayo Clinic, and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the study could mark a turning point in how Tourette syndrome is understood and treated.

In a breakthrough that reshapes the understanding of immune system dynamics, researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Munich have identified that the human body begins preparing for severe disease scenarios far earlier than previously believed. Even in cases of mild or moderate infections, the body produces a subset of T cells predisposed to exhaustion—a phenomenon previously associated only with chronic infections and tumors.

Lyme disease continues to pose a growing public health concern, infecting an estimated 476,000 people each year in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The tick-borne illness, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, can lead to severe long-term complications, including debilitating fatigue, joint pain, and neurological issues, if left untreated. Despite decades of research and near breakthroughs, no human vaccine has yet proven commercially viable.