Health & Medicine
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Health & MedicineAnother Polio? Alarming West Nile fever risks emerge
Medical workers have found poliolike symptoms in a few victims of West Nile fever, and federal officials noted that blood transfusions appear to have infected some people.
By John Pickrell and Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineNew Drugs Beat Old Flu: Antiviral agents counter deadly 1918 influenza
After partially recreating a deadly influenza virus that swept the globe from 1918 to 1919 and killed millions of people, researchers have shown that available flu drugs could probably prevent a new pandemic of the 1918 influenza strain or a similar flu.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineImmune gene linked to prostate cancer
An immune-cell gene plays a role in predisposing men to prostate cancer.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineNew twist on a pet theory
Growing up with cats may reduce a child's risk of developing asthma—unless the child's mother has asthma as well.
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Health & MedicineAcetaminophen in Action: Effect on an enzyme may stop pain, lower fever
The discovery of an enzyme scientists are calling cyclooxygenase-3, which is disabled by acetaminophen, might explain why this drug can stop pain and fever but not inflammation.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineHerbal cancer remedy is chock full of drugs
An herbal remedy that had been popular among prostate cancer patients was tainted with three synthetic drugs.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineRNA interferes with cancer-cell growth
To curb the growth of cancer cells, scientists are silencing genes by introducing small strands of RNA.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineConquering Surgical Pain
Created by the Neurosurgical Service at the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), these fascinating Web pages chronicle the introduction of ether as an anesthetic in 1846 at MGH and subsequent developments in anesthesiology. Go to: http://neurosurgery.mgh.harvard.edu/History/ether1.htm
By Science News -
Health & MedicineChocolate Therapies (with Recipe for Janet’s Chocolate Medicinal Mousse Pie)
Recently harvested cacao pods. Each holds several dozen seeds, from which chocolate and cocoa are made. (Allen M. Young) Copy of 1688 engraving by Phillippe Sylvestre Dufour of South American native with a chocolate pot and drinking cup at his feet and a molinet to stir the medicinal brew in his left hand. In his […]
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineSmoking Gun? Mouse tests link nicotine to crib death
Nicotine may impair a molecule that's necessary for arousing people and other animals from sleep, an effect that could account for the heightened risk of sudden infant death syndrome in babies born to women who smoked during pregnancy.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineTargeted Therapies
Tailoring prescriptions based on a person's genes may help reduce side effects and allow the development of more personalized medicine.
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Health & MedicineProtein flags colon, prostate cancers
A compound first identified as a possible culprit in Huntington's disease may be an indicator of cancers of the prostate gland and colon.
By Nathan Seppa