Researchers have discovered a way to stop rabies from shutting down critical responses in the immune system, a breakthrough that could pave the way for new tools to fight the deadly disease. Rabies kills almost 60,000 people each year, mostly affecting poor and rural communities.

Authorities in China have approved a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, the first new medicine with the potential to treat the cognitive disorder in 17 years. The seaweed-based drug, called Oligomannate, can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's, according to a statement from China's drug safety agency. The approval is conditional however, meaning that while it can go on sale during additional clinical trials, it will be strictly monitored and could be withdrawn should any safety issues arise.

The use of acid reducers among children is on the rise and so are potential side effects, which is sparking concern according to a recent study.

For the first time in 19 years, a team of scientists have detected a new strain of HIV. The strain is a part of the Group M version of HIV-1, the same family of virus subtypes to blame for the global HIV pandemic, according to Abbott Laboratories, which conducted the research along with the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

Despite finding blood when she went to the toilet, Deborah Cameron was told she had nothing 'major' to worry about.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that metabolic and bariatric surgery should be considered as a safe treatment option for children and teens with severe obesity -- something that is normally not covered by insurance for young people.

New research findings from 18 European countries show that the bacterial resistance to antibiotics is increasing and this is causing serious medical issues.

Scientists in the Netherlands say they are within 10 years of developing an artificial womb that could save the lives of premature babies. Premature birth, before 37 weeks, is globally the biggest cause of death among newborns.

Every primary school child in England is to be offered vaccination against winter flu in an attempt to safeguard them and their family from the virus, the health service has announced, promising no shortage of vaccines regardless of the Brexit outcome. This year’s flu vaccination campaign will be the biggest ever, with 25 million people offered vaccines free, including 600,000 school children aged 10-11. Children are considered “super-spreaders”, liable to infect others in their family and a danger to the elderly. All children aged two to 11 will be offered the nasal spray vaccine in the coming weeks.

A new type of drug that blocks one of cancer’s key evolutionary escape routes from chemotherapy could be used to treat aggressive breast cancers, a new study has shown.

There was a time when the diagnosis of H.I.V. was a death sentence, when thousands of New Yorkers, primarily gay men, succumbed to AIDS-related illnesses, and the end of the epidemic seemed both medically and mentally impossible.

Recent media reports describe medical professionals treating patients with MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) to combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This may seem like an unorthodox approach or the musings of a few fringe figures. While unorthodox, neither is the case. The treatment has been rigorously tested, and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the treatment to progress to Phase 3 clinical trials. It has also received Breakthrough Therapy status.

More than half of patients can now survive a deadly skin cancer that was considered untreatable just a decade ago, say UK doctors. Ten years ago only one-in-20 patients would live for five years after being diagnosed with late-stage melanoma. Most would die in months. But drugs to harness the body's immune system mean 52% now live for at least five years, a clinical trial shows.

Artificial intelligence is on a par with human experts when it comes to making medical diagnoses based on images, a review has found. The potential for artificial intelligence in healthcare has caused excitement, with advocates saying it will ease the strain on resources, free up time for doctor-patient interactions and even aid the development of tailored treatment. Last month the government announced £250m of funding for a new NHS artificial intelligence laboratory.

A space-age metal that formed part of the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs could provide a new method of treating cancer tumours selectively using light.

The placebo effect is a curious phenomenon. A wealth of literature has shown that inert treatments can not only produce medical benefits like pain relief, but also have cognitive effects like boosting creativity and learning. And while many of those studies involve misleading people into thinking that they are receiving an effective intervention, a new study in Scientific Reports shows that this deception is not always necessary. Researchers have found that taking a placebo can reduce people’s anxiety before a test — even when they know they are taking an inactive pill.

Insulin imbalance may not be the only cause of the onset of diabetes. Researchers at the University of Geneva have highlighted another mechanism: the liver appears to have the ability to produce a significant amount of glucose outside of any hormonal signal.

The relentless march of time will eventually claim all of our lives — or at least that’s the reality we’ve all come to expect. Short of finding the mythical Fountain of Youth, there’s not much any of us can do about getting older, but new drug trials suggest that might eventually change, and the results have shocked even the scientists who were conducting the experiments.

Human trials of new antimalarial drugs are in the pipeline after Kenyan scientists successfully used bacteria to kill the parasite that causes the disease. The Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and global health partners say the breakthrough could potentially lead to the development of a new class of drugs in less than two years.

Dental fillings may soon be a thing of the past thanks to this latest breakthrough from Chinese scientists. Enamel is the mineralized substance that protects the surface of teeth. Though it is one of the toughest tissues in our bodies, it is prone to degradation over time particularly as a result of consistent exposure to certain acids that are found in food and drinks.