Top medical news headlines for the week 14

What you should know about the new COVID-19 'Cicada' variant

A new COVID-19 variant that some have dubbed the "Cicada" variant is quietly spreading across the globe, carrying an unusually high number of mutations that could help it slip past existing immunity, public health experts ...

Cannabis and tobacco use linked to smaller brain volume

Cannabis and tobacco—whether used on their own or together—can affect the brain's structure. A recent study involving systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 103 studies found that both substances are linked to reduced ...

Mirror fragments intercept Alzheimer's-causing protein

Understanding how proteins interact with their own mirror images enabled a Kobe University research team to design a small mirror protein that disables a causal factor of Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta.