There's been major buzz in recent years over ultra-processed foods and whether they may be harmful to our health. A new study out of Canada has measured what toddlers eat and how much of it is ultra-processed - and then followed up two years later to examine the behavioural outcomes of those same children.

New findings on 'silent' women's health issues and where women would like the focus of healthcare research and spending to be - what the authors are saying is a call to go 'beyond the bikini line.'

It takes days for the results of an STI test to come back, and that can cause all sorts of problems. A new 'point-of-care' test aims to shave that testing window down to less than an hour, with implications for sexual health treatment in regional and remote areas.

Plus, sex differences after a diagnosis of cancer - men and women appear to follow separate trajectories, especially when it comes to their risk of death and adverse outcomes.

References:

• Psilocybin or Nicotine Patch for Smoking Cessation
• Sex-based prognosis in industry-sponsored advanced solid tumour trials: an individual participant data meta-analysis of survival and adverse events
• Thanks to AI, Paul can see the culprit of his dog's cancer
• Meet the man who designed a cancer vaccine for his dog
• Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Behavioral Outcomes in Canadian Children
• Multilevel predictors of ultra-processed food intake in Canadian preschoolers
• ‘Women deserve better’: a national mixed-methods exploration of the ‘silent’ health conditions and social issues affecting women and girls in Australia
• CRISPR-Cas-based diagnostics for point-of-care detection of sexually transmitted infections: a laboratory development and evaluation study

MDMA psychotherapy was approved in Australia three years ago. Who's using it and what do we know about treatment side effects?

Vaccine reminders can help nudge people back on track, but how the message is framed matters.

A new review of screen use and sleep in young people finds no link between the amount of use and sleep quality or duration.

And a different way of looking at mental health outcomes - whether digital tools can help us forecast someone's future needs and provide better, more personalised care.

References:

• Within-Person Association Between Daily Screen Use and Sleep in Youth
• Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) or Opioid Analgesia Added to Ibuprofen for Children’s Musculoskeletal Injury
• Effects of daily multivitamin–multimineral and cocoa extract supplementation on epigenetic aging clocks in the COSMOS randomized clinical trial
• Side-effects of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Experiences of Australian clinicians, researchers, and patients with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: A framework-guided qualitative analysis
• The AuTOMATIC trial: a multicentre digitally-automated, Bayesian, adaptive, parallel, factorial randomised controlled trial of SMS reminders for childhood vaccination
• The necessity of digital measurement-based care for navigating complexity in youth mental health
• Dynamic learning of individual-level suicidal ideation trajectories to enhance mental health care

Are Australian schoolkids eating too much salt? And does it put them at risk of high blood pressure?

A new approach to breast cancer screening based on risk could reduce the number of screens needed for some women.

There's been a lot of hype around brain training to protect against cognitive decline, but the results haven't always measured up. Now a new long-term study has promising results. 

Plus, navigating the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis -- when can the condition be medically managed and when should you consider surgery?

References:

• Impact of cognitive training on claims-based diagnosed dementia over 20 years: evidence from the ACTIVE study
• Efficacy and safety of once-daily oral orforglipron compared with oral semaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes (ACHIEVE-3)
• Risk factors for the development of food allergy in infants and children
• Sodium, potassium and blood pressure in Australian schoolchildren: exploring differences by sex and weight status — a cross-sectional study
• Risk-Based vs Annual Breast Cancer Screening: The WISDOM Randomized Clinical Trial

We know many people are turning to generative AI for health advice, including tips on how to manage stress, anxiety and low mood. 

When is it safe to turn to a chatbot, and when do you need to see a real human being? And what if you can't afford it?

Also, a home review program that aims to get people off drugs they don't need to be on that might be negatively impacting their lives. 

And good news when it comes to Australia's goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035. 

References:

• Uptake and performance of self-collection offered through primary care to all eligible participants in a national cervical screening programme in Australia: a retrospective cohort study
• Extended follow-up of invasive cervical cancer risk after quadrivalent HPV vaccination: nationwide, register based study
• Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Cancer Mortality Among Cancer Survivors
• Informed use of AI technologies for mental health
• AI and mental health in Australia: what needs to happen next - Black Dog Institute
• Pharmacists call for medicine review program to be expanded - ABC News
• The effect of deprescribing interventions on mortality and health outcomes in older people: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

A paper has suggested exercise has minimal, short-term effects on osteoarthritis. But experts are warning people with the condition that they shouldn't stop moving. 

Also, school kids are being called on to help in the fight against superbugs. A new study shoots down low-dose aspirin for older people wanting to prevent cancer. 

And we take a look at another form of arthritis: gout. It's under-recognised and under-treated, but what can be done about it, and why is it such a complicated story?

References:

• Menopausal hormone therapy and long term mortality: nationwide, register based cohort study
• Sixth Australian report on antimicrobial use and resistance in human health (AURA report)
• Education and Behaviour Change - The Fleming Initiative's Stance
• Intermittent fasting for adults with overweight or obesity
• Effectiveness of exercise therapy for osteoarthritis: an overview of systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials
• Cancer Incidence and Mortality With Aspirin in Older Adults: Follow-Up of the ASPREE Trial
• The effects of daily low-dose aspirin on white matter hyperintensity lesions and retinal vascular calibre in healthy older adults: the ENVIS-ion exploratory neuroimaging substudy of the ASPREE randomised clinical trial 
• Treat-to-Target Urate-Lowering Treatment and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Gout
• Arthritis Australia gout resources
• Gout Medcast resources

Researchers have pin-pointed the best exercise routines for depression or anxiety symptoms, and they might be equal to medication and talk therapy.

Also, why states and territories are making changes to their maternity care guidance for doctors. 

An update on Alzheimer's disease off the back of important vaccine discoveries. Why the packaging of statins might need an upgrade.

And some clarity on beta blockers after a heart attack. Does everyone need to be taking them?

References:

• Valacyclovir Treatment of Early Symptomatic Alzheimer Disease: The VALAD Randomized Clinical Trial
• Assessment of adverse effects attributed to statin therapy in product labels: a meta-analysis of double-blind randomised controlled trials
• Nutritional deficiencies and muscle loss in adults with type 2 diabetes using GLP-1 receptor agonists: A retrospective observational study
• Effect of exercise on depression and anxiety symptoms: systematic umbrella review with meta-meta-analysis
• Respectful Maternity and Newborn Care Framework
• β blockers after myocardial infarction with mildly reduced ejection fraction: an individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
• Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction in Patients without Heart Failure
• Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction without Reduced Ejection Fraction

When you pay for private health insurance, you might assume you'll be well covered if you get injured or fall ill. 

But a new report has revealed the huge costs that catch people off guard, and sometimes prevent them from receiving care. 

Also, a study hints that constant colds in childhood might not be business-as-usual and should be taken more seriously. 

And we talk through the Nipah virus outbreak in India, and changes in Victoria to ADHD medication prescribing.

References:

• Nipah and Hendra Viruses: Deadly Zoonotic Paramyxoviruses with the Potential to Cause the Next Pandemic - PMC
• Urgent ADHD Top-Up Prescriptions Even Easier And Cheaper
• Restoring affordable access to specialist care in Australia
• Burden of Infections in Early Life and Risk of Infections and Systemic Antibiotics Use in Childhood

Many people turning to AI for health advice are doing it for valid reasons — it's cheap, fast and isn't bound by a 15-minute timer. 

But the checks and balances companies use to ensure their products are safe, or even accurate, aren't open to public scrutiny.

Also on the show, medical abortion is available up to nine weeks in Australia. There's a push to allow access later. 

And the much-maligned fat cell gets a look-in from a world-leading expert.

References

• First step towards a national medicines record
• National medicines database promised after telehealth 'doctor-shopping' leads to overdose
• Uptake of Shingrix vaccine in its first year on the National Immunisation Program: an analysis of Australian Immunisation Register data
• Cannabis‐based medicines for chronic neuropathic pain in adults
• Safety and efficacy of early medical abortion at home between 10+0 and 11+6 weeks' gestation: a retrospective review

If you're having a month off the beers to kick off the year, do you know what a short stretch of sobriety could achieve?

Some companies in the United States are even pushing people to trade their alcohol for THC, for "high" January. 

Also, there hasn't been a big COVID spike over the holidays, but the flu has been going around. 

People aren't accessing palliative care early enough to reap the benefits, but are there enough services to go around?

And a study finds women notified of their breast density are often confused and anxious about what to do next. 

References:

• NSW respiratory surveillance
• Senior CDC official: Loss of measles elimination status in U.S. would be ‘cost of doing business’
• Prenatal paracetamol exposure and child neurodevelopment: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Alcohol consumption and mortality from four alcohol-related cancers in Australia 1950-2018: a time series analysis
• Early Palliative Care and Quality of End-of-Life Care for People With Terminal Cancer, Victoria, 2018–2023: A Retrospective, Population-Based Cohort Study
• Impact of population based breast density notification: multisite parallel arm randomised controlled trial in BreastScreen

How far would you go to save your dog? One owner has used ChatGPT and other AI models to find a treatment for his pup's cancer. 

Also, we could be missing cases of liver disease because of differences between pathology centres. 

The final instalment of Stroke of Luck, a series on the experience of having a stroke and the recovery process. 

And a look back at the year: does artificial intelligence have a place in your local doctors' office?

References

• What AI scribes can (and can't) do for healthcare - the Health Report
• Paul is using AI to fight his dog's incurable cancer - UNSW