Methamphetamine—more commonly known as meth, crystal or ice—is a highly addictive, stimulant drug.

A novel, minimally invasive method of determining whether fatty deposits in a coronary artery are restricting blood flow to a patient's heart performed similarly to the standard, more-invasive procedure in a large multicountry European randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The study was simultaneously published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers at City St George's, University of London have found that psychological interventions for self-harm appear to be more effective for females than males, raising concerns about how well current treatments meet the needs of men at high risk of suicide. In a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe, the team analyzed 46 randomized controlled trials involving over 15,000 participants. The study is the first to specifically compare the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions (PSIs) for self-harm in males and females across both clinical and non-clinical settings. Psychosocial interventions mostly involve talking therapies (such as cognitive behavior therapy) or presenting information and support.

A research team led by the Fisabio Foundation has demonstrated that dermcidin, an antimicrobial peptide produced constitutively by the human body, also exhibits antiviral activity against the influenza virus. The study also shows that people who do not develop flu-like symptoms have higher baseline levels of this molecule, which could be associated with lower susceptibility to infection. The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

As we move into spring, it's common for people to increase their daily movement with activities like outdoor walks, yard work, pickleball and race training. Soreness is a normal result, but sometimes lingering pain can be a sign something else is going on. It's important to be able to identify what is a normal ache and what could need further medical attention.

Growing older has plenty of upsides—but achy joints is not one of them.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes tremors, body stiffness and other difficulties with movement and balance, which progressively worsen over time. While there is currently no cure for PD, one treatment that has proved promising for alleviating symptoms of the disorder is deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Our hearts beat around 100,000 times a day—and do so throughout our entire lives. They draw the energy for this from the mitochondria. As the "powerhouses of the cells," mitochondria produce 95% of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's most important energy currency. If the mitochondria are impaired and cannot function properly, the heart muscle cells lack the strength to pump sufficient blood, oxygen, and nutrients into the body.

Using a microaxial flow pump prior to and during cardiac stenting procedures for patients with severe heart attacks who don't have cardiogenic shock does not significantly reduce heart damage. That is the major finding from the first clinical trial of its kind to analyze the effect of resting the heart in high-risk heart attack patients to see if it reduces the size of the heart attack.

Results of a new study conclude that a pathology tool powered by artificial intelligence can predict whether a patient with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer will respond to platinum-based chemotherapy—before treatment has begun, and without additional biopsies. That means patients can avoid treatments that are unlikely to help them, have a chance to enroll earlier in clinical trials of newer drugs, and may get a clearer picture of their prognosis.