Life sciences

Researchers at Toho University in Japan have introduced an AI-based model that can evaluate male infertility risk solely through blood tests, eliminating the necessity for semen analysis. It is anticipated that this could become a standard infertility screener in the near future, replacing semen-based assessments. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017 reported that men contribute to roughly 50% of global infertility cases. Although semen analysis is crucial for identifying male

Seize any chance you get to eat quickly. That was the philosophy most medicine students, including Catherine Harmon Toomer, MD, adhered to when it came to meals. "If you lack a solid plan to counteract it," she says, "unhealthy eating habits can spiral, and that's exactly what happened to me." After med school, things took a turn for the worse for Toomer. By her second year of practicing family medicine, she'd experienced significant weight gain and received

— Recombinant Shingles Vaccine Linked to 164 Days Free from Dementia Diagnosis Key Points Those who received the recombinant shingles vaccine (Shingrix) saw a 17% longer duration without a dementia diagnosis compared to patients who got the live vaccine version. This extension translates to 164 more days on average without receiving a dementia diagnosis. The findings add to the growing understanding of a potential link between shingles vaccination and the prevention of dementia. A recent

— Longer initial seizure tied to higher odds of remission Prolonged seizures during the first session of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) were associated with a greater likelihood of remission for patients with major depressive disorder, according to a large cohort study. In an adjusted analysis, individuals with an initial seizure duration of at least 30 seconds had twice the odds of achieving remission compared to those whose seizures lasted less than 20 seconds, a team led by Axel