Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Brain Sabotage: Alzheimer’s protein may spawn miniseizures

    Amyloid-beta, a protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, causes misfiring of neurons and minor brain seizures in mice.

    By Nathan Seppa
  2. Health & Medicine

    Debate Renewed: Diabetes drug ups heart risk

    A popular diabetes drug significantly increases the risk of heart failure and heart attack in those who take it.

    By Brian Vastag
  3. Health & Medicine

    Blood vessel growth factor also does housekeeping

    A growth factor that promotes blood vessel development also maintains normal blood vessel health, perhaps explaining the vascular side effects of some cancer drugs.

    By Sarah Webb
  4. Health & Medicine

    How platelets help cancer spread

    A tumor cell protein influences blood platelets in a way that helps a cancer spread through the body.

    By Sarah Webb
  5. Health & Medicine

    Curry Power

    A component of the spice turmeric, the color-giving ingredient in yellow curries, may help prevent and possibly treat Alzheimer's disease.

    By Patrick Barry
  6. Health & Medicine

    Aura origins show the way in epilepsy surgery

    Epilepsy patients who experience multiple auras before a seizure, usually considered poor candidates for corrective brain surgery, might benefit from by a new brain scan procedure.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    HIV is double trouble for brain

    The virus that causes AIDS can also cause dementia, by both killing mature brain cells and blocking the creation of new ones.

    By Patrick Barry
  8. Health & Medicine

    Bad Bug: Microbe raises stomach cancer risk

    A gene in some strains of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori may greatly increase the risk of stomach cancer.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Health & Medicine

    When antioxidants go bad

    Overproduction of antioxidants, usually thought to be beneficial, is the cause of an inherited heart disease.

    By Patrick Barry
  10. Health & Medicine

    Measuring Soft Drinks’ Jolt

    Researchers report what most soft-drink labels don't: how much caffeine your refreshments contain.

    By Janet Raloff
  11. Health & Medicine

    Infectious Obesity: Adenovirus fattens stem cells

    Some cases of obesity may result from infection by a virus that can transform adult stem cells into fat-storing cells.

    By Brian Vastag
  12. Health & Medicine

    If You Can Stomach It: Obesity surgery extends life span

    Drastic weight loss achieved through gastric bypass and other stomach surgeries improves long-term survival for very obese people.

    By Nathan Seppa