A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has found that caffeine, the world’s most consumed psychoactive substances, may impair the quality of donated blood and reduce the effectiveness of transfusions – especially in recipients whose red blood cell (RBC) metabolism is influenced by a common genetic variant.

About a dozen studies in the past five years have made claims linking nearly every type of human cancer with the presence of microbiomes, “communities” of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in or on peoples’ bodies. Now, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say a study that sequenced human cancers found far less microbial DNA sequences than earlier studies reported in the same cancer tissue samples.

Survivors of sexual assault in largely rural and remote Northwestern Ontario face systemic barriers when seeking forensic care, according to a new study led by McGill University researchers.

Sexual assault evidence kits (SAEKs) are used to collect DNA and document injuries following sexual assault. Outside of large urban centres where specialized facilities exist, SAEKs are usually administered in hospital emergency departments. The study found that in rural hospitals, healthcare providers’ decisions about whether to administer SAEKs were often shaped by stereotypes and credibility judgments, rather than consistent standards.

About The Study: In participants with moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder, a single dose of MM120 (lysergide D-tartrate) produced a dose-dependent reduction in anxiety. Lysergide, or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug. An oral pharmaceutical formulation of LSD is MM120. These results support the dose-dependent efficacy of MM120 and inform the dose selection for phase 3 pivotal trials.

About The Study: In this study of short message service (SMS) vs human phone advising, a customizable SMS system produced significant 12-month walking increases for aging Latino/a adults comparable to the significant improvements attained by participants in the human advisors group. These results provide support for such mobile health platforms, which can expand program choices for broader segments of the population.