Category Health/Medical

If you’re looking to reduce your chances of developing lung disease, say experts at UC San Francisco, then it may be smart to avoid inhaling cannabis.

A new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that inhaling marijuana every day is associated with a 44% increased chance of developing asthma. It also increased the odds of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by 27%.

The COPD risk may be understated, since the disease takes decades to develop, and the researchers did not have detailed information on how long people in the study had been using cannabis.

In defining the concept of inhaling, the researchers included smoking, vaping, and so-called “dabbing,” which involves breathing in the vapors of concentrated...

Researchers uncover a key protein and a promising strategy to prevent bone damage from steroids

The rheumatology and orthopedic researchers discovered that a protein called Basigin, which gets activated in stem cells when people take steroids, is a key reason why bones weaken and blood vessels in bone tissue become abnormal. By blocking Basigin, they were able to protect and even restore bone health in mice, suggesting a promising new treatment path.

Their findings were published in Nature Communications.

“This research is a major step forward in understanding how steroid treatments affect bone health,” said Thomas H. Ambrosi, assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and co-corresponding author of the study...

Three-quarters of all people may host newly identified genetic material called Inocles, which could impact research on oral health, immunity, and even cancer risk. Researchers including those at the University of Tokyo have made a surprising discovery hiding in people’s mouths: Inocles, giant DNA elements that had previously escaped detection. These appear to play a central role in helping bacteria adapt to the constantly changing environment of the mouth...

Everybody develops presbyopia as they age—a difficulty in focusing on near objects and text—and often must resort to reading glasses. However, the solution might be as simple as using special eye drops two or three times a day.

A retrospective study of 766 patients presented at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) has found that the majority could read an extra two, three or more lines on the eye chart used for testing near visual acuity (the Jaeger chart) after using specially formulated eye drops. This improvement was sustained for up to two years.

Dr...