Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Fetal Risk: Inflammation in womb tied to cerebral palsy

    For a pregnant woman carrying a baby to term, inflammation in the womb nearly quadruples the chance her baby will be born with cerebral palsy.

    By Nathan Seppa
  2. Health & Medicine

    Cleaning up glutamate slows deadly brain tumors

    Eliminating the glutamate released by brain tumors may slow the cancer's growth.

    By John Travis
  3. Health & Medicine

    Drug cuts recurrence of breast cancer

    Letrozole, which blocks estrogen production, reduces recurrence of breast cancer in women who have exhausted the usefulness of tamoxifen, the frontline cancer drug for this disease.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Testing Times

    Relying in part on a new rapid HIV test, health officials are working to identify and treat more HIV infections earlier in the course of the disease.

    By Ben Harder
  5. Health & Medicine

    A Forget-Me-Not Dietary Supplement?

    By the time most people reach their 40s, the mind has lost some of its youthful nimbleness. They learn a little more slowly. They forget more frequently. Sometimes, they don’t remember where they put the car keys or the name of that popular actor. REMEMBER THIS. Egg yolks are a rich source of choline. National […]

    By Janet Raloff
  6. Health & Medicine

    Rebuilding the Heart: Marrow cells boost cardiac recovery

    Inserting a person's own bone marrow stem cells into an ailing heart via a catheter can improve heart and lung function in such patients.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Protein may predict heart problems

    Low blood concentrations of a protein called adiponectin may signal risk of heart disease.

    By Nathan Seppa
  8. Health & Medicine

    Defibrillator access pays dividends

    Ready access to a heart defibrillator can boost the survival chances of someone who suffers a cardiac arrest.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Health & Medicine

    Weight-loss compound may cause arrhythmia

    The weight-loss supplement Metabolife 356 causes subtle changes in heartbeat in test subjects.

    By Nathan Seppa
  10. Health & Medicine

    Greek diet reduces inflammatory proteins

    People on a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil and fresh fruits have lower blood concentrations of several inflammatory proteins linked to atherosclerosis.

    By Nathan Seppa
  11. Health & Medicine

    SARS virus can spread in lab animals

    At least two types of mammals can acquire and transmit the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Chinese animal traders have high rates of past exposure to the virus.

    By Ben Harder
  12. Health & Medicine

    Acid blockers stop stomach ulcers, too

    People who get ulcers from frequent use of anti-inflammatory painkillers can lessen their risk by simultaneously taking acid-blocking drugs.

    By Nathan Seppa