In a bit of medical research inspired by strange and remarkable patient accounts, a Michigan State University urologist reported that riding a medium-intensity roller coaster can result in the painless passing of small, and even a few large, kidney stones. For best results ride in the back, where — roller coaster afficionados seem to agree — the thrills are greatest. Independent of kidney stone volume and location, findings reported in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association showed that sitting in the back of the roller coaster resulted in an average passage rate of 63.89 percent.

Testosterone can drive generosity

Testosterone, the big daddy (if you will) of male hormones, has gotten a bit of a bad reputation, what with it being linked to bluster, aggression and violence. But in humans, new research suggests that's not the whole picture. In polite society, the new research suggests, higher levels of testosterone also drive men to do good things: to donate to charities, behave gallantly toward those in need, and share the proceeds of business deals generously with cooperating business partners. Here's the hitch: When driven by testosterone, those good deeds are anything but selfless, the research suggests. Testosterone's kind heart appears to be motivated by the same concerns as testosterone's better-established dark heart: a male's impulse to protect or enhance his status and thereby increase his chances of spreading his sperm far and wide.

Depression harder to treat in top workers

There are certainly many perks that come with a job at the top of the corporate ladder, but this is not one of them: When people with prestigious jobs fall into depression, they are less likely to benefit from treatment than their co-workers several rungs below them. After 654 study subjects got at least two different treatments for depression, 55.9 percent of those in the highest occupational group failed to see their depression lift. In contrast, only 40.2 percent of the middle-level workers and 44.3 percent of those toiling in low-level jobs remained treatment-resistant.

More use painkillers than tobacco in U.S.

More than one in three American adults — 35 percent — were given painkiller prescriptions by medical providers last year. The total rate of painkiller use is even higher — 38 percent — when you factor in the number of adults who obtained painkillers for misuse via other means, from friends or relatives, or via drug dealers. These numbers come from a recent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report that highlights the stunning ubiquity of prescription painkillers in modern American life. The report indicates that in 2015, more American adults used prescription painkillers than used cigarettes, smokeless tobacco or cigars — combined.

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