Nathan Seppa

Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)

All Stories by Nathan Seppa

  1. Health & Medicine

    HIV drugs may stop cervical disease

    A drug combination given to people with HIV, the AIDS virus, helps knock out precancerous cervical lesions in some women.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Stopping Alzheimer’s: Antibody thwarts disease in mice

    Antibodies against amyloid protein, which gums up the brains of Alzheimer's patients, reverse a form of the disease in mice.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Prion Proof? Evidence grows for mad cow protein

    Misfolded proteins known as prions can cause disease when injected into the brains of genetically engineered mice.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Dentists: Eschew chewing aspirin

    Chewing aspirin or just letting the tablets dissolve in the mouth can seriously damage teeth.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Birthing age and ovarian cancer risk

    Giving birth confers on women some protection against ovarian cancer, and the later in life the last pregnancy happens, the better the protection.

  6. Parasite Pursuit: Sand fly coughs up leishmania protozoan’s secrets of proliferation

    A parasite spread by the sand fly secretes gel into the throat of the fly, which then regurgitates it when it bites a person, spreading the infection.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Leukemia Fighter: Drug could combat resistant cases

    A new drug for treating chronic myeloid leukemia that is resistant to the frontline drug imatinib shows promise in mouse tests.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Cancer with a Twist: Protein instrumental in breast-cancer metastasis

    A protein called Twist, which orchestrates gene activity in cells, facilitates the spread of some breast cancers.

  9. Chemistry

    Connection blocker may stop viruses

    Using compounds that disrupt the interface of two viral proteins might present a novel strategy for combating viruses, a study of herpes suggests.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Fish toxin stops cancer pain

    An experimental drug fashioned from the toxin of the puffer fish can suppress pain in cancer patients.

  11. Health & Medicine

    New diabetes drug passes early tests

    The drug exenatide stabilizes and can reduce blood sugar in diabetes patients.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Better Form, Same Function: Liposuction doesn’t lessen health risks

    Liposuction doesn't improve the long-term health prospects of very obese people.