Nathan Seppa

Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)

All Stories by Nathan Seppa

  1. Health & Medicine

    Bone marrow transplant could reverse sickle cell in adults

    A relatively mild treatment involving radiation and chemo followed by a bone marrow transplant may treat sickle cell disease in adults.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Hidden heart rhythm problem may underlie some strokes

    In two clinical studies, people who had had strokes with no trigger sometimes also had undiagnosed atrial fibrillation.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Junk food ahead of pregnancy may harm baby-to-be

    Women who have poor diets in the year before conception might have a higher risk of delivering a baby preterm than do women who eat healthful foods

  4. Health & Medicine

    Simple blood test detects heart transplant rejection

    Heart transplant recipients whose bodies are starting to reject the new organ might carry genetic warning signs.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Ulcer microbe changes quickly to avoid immune attack

    During the initial weeks of infection, Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, mutates at a high rate, apparently to evade the body’s defenses.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Number of skin moles tied to breast cancer risk

    Women who have many moles also have increased disease risk, which may reflect higher estrogen levels.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Early malnutrition may impair infants’ mix of gut microbes

    Babies’ gut microbiomes fail to fully recover even after fending off bouts with malnutrition.

  8. Humans

    Big babies: High birthweight may signal later health risks

    A high birthweight might signal health risks later in life.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Blood test predicts if false labor is headed for delivery room

    A test for white blood cells and specific genetic markers may offer insights into whether preterm contractions are false labor or the real thing.

  10. Neuroscience

    Playing football linked to brain changes

    Division I college football players have smaller hippocampi, especially if they’ve had concussions.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Poor ventilation in schools may spur TB spread

    Researchers found high carbon dioxide levels in South African classrooms, suggesting that poor ventilation may contribute to tuberculosis transmission.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Massachusetts insurance mandate lowers death rate

    Since “Romneycare” was phased in, mortality fell by 2.9 percent.