Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Better Beta: Cells grown in lab may treat diabetes

    Scientists have developed a technique to mass-produce a type of pancreas cell needed for transplants into people with type 1 diabetes.

    By Katie Greene
  2. Health & Medicine

    Falling Influence: Influenza fighters have limited effects

    The most readily available drugs against influenza have abruptly declined in effectiveness in the past decade.

    By Ben Harder
  3. Health & Medicine

    Acne medicines can be a pain in the throat

    Treatment with antibiotics for acne might predispose an individual to getting severe upper respiratory infections.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Silenced gene may foretell colon cancer

    A cancer-suppressing gene, which is often shut down in colorectal cancer, is sometimes silenced in healthy colorectal tissues as well.

    By Nathan Seppa
  5. Health & Medicine

    The Sweet Benefit of Giving Olives a Hot Bath

    A simple heat treatment can sweeten the strongly flavored olive oils that some gourmands prefer but many people find to be bitter.

    By Janet Raloff
  6. Health & Medicine

    Sharpening the focus of mammograms

    Digital mammography can detect up to one-fourth more cancers than traditional film mammography can in women who are under 50, haven't gone through menopause, or who have dense breast tissue.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Deaths in early 1918 heralded flu pandemic

    An examination of New York City death records from early last century suggests that the world's deadliest flu virus was on the loose in New York several months before it exploded into the 1918-1919 global pandemic.

    By Ben Harder
  8. Health & Medicine

    Head-to-Head Comparison: Coils top clips in brain-aneurysm treatment

    Tiny platinum coils inserted into a ruptured brain aneurysm to seal off the bleeding appear safer in the long run for some patients than traditional brain surgery does.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Health & Medicine

    Lead in spice mixes caused poisonings

    Contaminated spices, purchased from poorly regulated sources, can explain some cases of lead poisoning that involve several members of a family.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Health & Medicine

    Oral Exams

    Scientists are taking advantage of the components in spit to develop new, saliva-based diagnostic tests.

    By Christen Brownlee
  11. Health & Medicine

    Critical for Coating: Protein directs nerve-sheath construction

    A protein produced by nerve cells is essential for the manufacture of myelin, the fatty sheath surrounding nerve fibers.

    By Nathan Seppa
  12. Health & Medicine

    Dieting? Don’t Give Up Protein

    Dieters will get a weight-loss boost if they make sure both exercise and ample protein are part of their calorie-trimming regimen.

    By Janet Raloff