A clinical trial led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa and published in the New England Journal of Medicine illustrates a powerful and efficient approach for comparing different standard treatments. The FLUID trial compared two intravenous fluids that have been commonly used for decades in hospitalized patients: normal saline and Ringer's lactate. Many millions of litres of these fluids are used every year in Canada alone, and there is no strong evidence favouring one over the other across the hospital.

An international study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds light on acute normovolemic hemodilution, also known as ANH, a blood conservation technique. ANH involves removing a patient’s blood before the patient goes on heart-lung bypass, and then reinfusing it toward the end of heart surgery. Long debated for its effectiveness, ANH does not appear to reduce the need for red blood cell transfusion, according to results of the global clinical trial. However, study co-author Kenichi Tanaka, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, said the outcomes necessitate further scrutiny and may not be applicable to U.S. patients.

College students are more likely to vape if their friends frequently talk about electronic cigarettes, according to a new study from The University of Texas at Arlington. The effect is particularly strong in tight-knit friend groups, where regular conversations about vaping are linked to more consistent use.

Dr. Teresa Sanchez, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate professor of neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded the highly competitive Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association.

Chemists at Goethe University Frankfurt have developed a catalyst capable of breaking down per- and polyfluorinated organic substances (PFAS) – also known as “forever chemicals” – in a targeted manner. PFAS are widely used to make surfaces resistant to dirt and water, but their extreme persistence in the environment and potential health risks have made them a growing concern. What sets this new catalyst apart is that it does not rely on costly or toxic heavy metals like platinum, palladium, or iridium. Beyond its ability to degrade PFAS, the catalyst could also be used in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals.

In just over 20 years, the northward shift of the subtropical jet stream — a high-altitude airflow — caused by climate change has reduced primary production in the northwestern Mediterranean by about 40%. This marked reduction — the highest ever described — affects the base of the marine food web and could significantly impact living resources, ecosystem health and marine dynamics in this region of the Mediterranean.

Out-of-body experiences – where people feel disconnected from their physical form – may be a coping mechanism triggered by trauma or other overwhelming stress, new research suggests.