Medical – Bianca Nogrady

10-Year data confirm no benefit from arthroscopy for degenerative meniscal tear

May 11, 2026May 11, 2026No Comments

From Medscape, 30 April 2026: Ten-year follow-up data from the FIDELITY study of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) in patients with symptoms of degenerative meniscal tear found the procedure offered no benefits and was even associated with worse outcomes. The FIDELITY study used sham APM as the placebo control. The study involved 146 patients, aged 35-65 … Continue reading 10-Year data confirm no benefit from arthroscopy for degenerative meniscal tear

Tobacco and Vapes Act: What can UK learn from Australia’s nicotine crackdown?

May 11, 2026No Comments

From the BMJ, 8 May 2026 The UK’s landmark Tobacco and Vapes Act, which became law last month, creates a “smoke-free generation” by making it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone in the UK born after 2008.1 It also aims to reduce young people’s use of other products containing nicotine, such as vapes, while … Continue reading Tobacco and Vapes Act: What can UK learn from Australia’s nicotine crackdown?

Why is there still no cure for Alzheimer’s?

April 28, 2026No Comments

From The Saturday Paper, 25 April 2026: Over the past three decades, tens of billions of dollars have been spent on research to identify, develop and test drugs to remove from the brain plaques that are understood to cause Alzheimer’s disease – the neurodegenerative disorder that is now the leading cause of death in Australia. … Continue reading Why is there still no cure for Alzheimer’s?

Australia bans use of genetic testing information by life insurers to deny or restrict coverage

April 13, 2026No Comments

From Medscape, 8 April 2026: Australia has passed a law banning life insurance companies from denying or restricting coverage based on the results of genetic tests or even based on whether an applicant or their genetic relatives have undergone or been recommended for genetic testing. The legislation received support from both major parties and many … Continue reading Australia bans use of genetic testing information by life insurers to deny or restrict coverage

Genetic testing: Australia bans life insurers from discriminating against applicants

April 13, 2026No Comments

From the British Medical Journal, 8 April 2026: Life insurance companies in Australia will no longer be able to use genetic testing to discriminate against potential insurees, with a new law banning the practice. The Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures Bill was passed by both houses of Australia’s federal parliament on 1 … Continue reading Genetic testing: Australia bans life insurers from discriminating against applicants

The ‘astounding’ rise of semaglutide — and what’s next for weight-loss drugs

March 5, 2026No Comments

From Nature, 12 February 2026: What do tennis star Serena Williams, television personality Oprah Winfrey and actors Kathy Bates and Whoopi Goldberg have in common? They are some of the many celebrities who have spoken publicly about using GLP-1 receptor agonists to lose weight. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists — which bind to GLP-1 receptors … Continue reading The ‘astounding’ rise of semaglutide — and what’s next for weight-loss drugs

‘They don’t have a nice socket structure’: how to really look after your knees

February 8, 2026No Comments

From the Guardian, 4 January 2026: Of all the lower body joints, the knee is probably the one most likely to send you to the physiotherapist. “It carries most of the weight of the body, and being a hinge joint, it means that it doesn’t have a nice socket structure,” says physiotherapist Dr Jillian Eyles, … Continue reading ‘They don’t have a nice socket structure’: how to really look after your knees

The rise of the sleep data nerds: ‘The harder you try, the harder it is to sleep’

November 4, 2025No Comments

From The Guardian, 20 October 2025: The first thing Annie and her partner do when they wake up in the morning is ask each other how well they slept. “And I literally say, ‘I’m not sure yet, let me check,’” – and Annie, a chief people and safety officer, reaches for her smartwatch. Annie started … Continue reading The rise of the sleep data nerds: ‘The harder you try, the harder it is to sleep’

Online, Unsupervised Tai Chi Program Achieves Significant Improvements in Pain and Function in Knee Osteoarthritis

November 4, 2025No Comments

From Medscape Medical News, 31 October 2025: People with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who took part in a 12-week online, unsupervised tai chi program showed significant improvements in both knee pain and function compared to controls. Clinical guidelines for knee OA strongly endorse tai chi as a recommended exercise option, and systematic reviews have shown improvements … Continue reading Online, Unsupervised Tai Chi Program Achieves Significant Improvements in Pain and Function in Knee Osteoarthritis

Melatonin gummies: Australia’s drug regulator issues safety warning over popular sleep “supplements”

October 9, 2025No Comments

From BMJ, 7 October 2025: Australia’s drug regulator has issued a safety warning about imported unregistered melatonin gummies, many of which contain far more of the hormone than labelled.1 Testing by the Australian drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), identified eight unregistered brands of melatonin gummies that were advertised as containing 1-10 mg of … Continue reading Melatonin gummies: Australia’s drug regulator issues safety warning over popular sleep “supplements”