Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Drug abuse could be an occupational hazard

    Breathing minuscule amounts of painkillers administered to patients in surgery may increase an anesthesiologist's risk of abusing prescription drugs.

    By Christen Brownlee
  2. Health & Medicine

    Acne drug affects brain function

    The antiacne drug Accutane may decrease activity in a part of the brain that regulates mood.

    By Christen Brownlee
  3. Health & Medicine

    Malaria vaccine shows promise in Mozambique

    An experimental malaria vaccine tested on children in Mozambique provides some protection against the potentially life-threatening disease.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Prescription for Trouble: Antidepressants might rewire young brains

    Young mice exposed to a common type of antidepressant, known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), showed symptoms of anxiety and depression in adulthood.

    By Christen Brownlee
  5. Health & Medicine

    Affairs of the Heartburn: Drugs for stomach acid may hike pneumonia risk

    Acid-blocking drugs seem to boost a person's chances of getting pneumonia.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    Double Credit: Iron-fortified salt cuts anemia

    A form of table salt manufactured to contain iron can fight off anemia among children living in rural North Africa and could expand the role of salt fortification around the world.

    By Ben Harder
  7. Health & Medicine

    Drug aids destruction of lymphoma cells

    The drug rituximab, when added to chemotherapy, boosts survival rates in people with diffuse B-cell lymphoma, a kind of cancer.

    By Nathan Seppa
  8. Health & Medicine

    COX-2 inhibitor pulled off market

    Merck's recall of rofecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor drug for arthritis, raises the question of whether similar drugs might also increase the risk of heart attack.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Health & Medicine

    Childhood trauma raises risk of heart disease

    A childhood filled with psychological or physical tribulations contributes to one's risk of developing heart disease as an adult.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Health & Medicine

    A Problem of Adhesion: More evidence of sickle-cell stickiness

    Interrupted blood flow in people with sickle-cell disease might arise from stickiness inherent in the unusual red blood cells these individuals have.

    By Nathan Seppa
  11. Health & Medicine

    Creepy-Crawly Care

    Encouraging results from research on medical uses for maggots and leeches, coupled with recent government approval of both therapies, lend credibility to the idea that some live organisms deserve a place in the medical armamentarium.

    By Ben Harder
  12. Health & Medicine

    Nitric oxide may benefit damaged hearts

    A small study in mice suggests that inhaling nitric oxide may protect against tissue damage after a heart attack.

    By Damaris Christensen