Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Waiting to exhale

    A breath test that measures the activity of an enzyme involved in breaking down drugs in a person's body may help doctors minimize side effects from potent drugs such as docetaxel.

    By Damaris Christensen
  2. Health & Medicine

    Nervous tics in the heart

    The irregular heartbeats sometimes triggered after a heart attack may be caused by abnormal nerve growth in heart tissue damaged by the attack.

    By Damaris Christensen
  3. Health & Medicine

    New gene-therapy techniques show potential

    Two technologies for transferring genes, one that uses mobile DNA called transposons and another that uses a weak virus, have proved successful in overcoming genetic disorders in mice.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Sweet news about ginseng

    When taken before or with meals, ginseng appears to help people with diabetes control the normal rise in blood sugar that accompanies eating.

    By Janet Raloff
  5. Health & Medicine

    Bats may spread new Malaysian virus

    A Nipah virus outbreak in Malaysia may have started when bats spread disease to pigs.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    A hint at a healthful effect of beer

    Beer consumption seems to boost concentrations of vitamin B6 in blood and coincides with lower concentrations of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Drug Eases Bone Cancer Pain in Mice

    Pain caused by bone cancer in mice can be alleviated somewhat by osteoprotegerin, a drug being tested for osteoporosis, suggesting a possible new treatment for people with this cancer.

    By Nathan Seppa
  8. Health & Medicine

    Berry promising anticancer prospects

    Cranberry products can retard the growth and spread of breast cancer in rodents.

    By Janet Raloff
  9. Health & Medicine

    A different GI link to colon cancers

    Diets rich in sweets and other quickly digested carbohydrates appear to increase an individual's risk of developing colon cancer.

    By Janet Raloff
  10. Health & Medicine

    Calcium may become a dieter’s best friend

    Enriching the diet with calcium, especially from dairy products, can switch the body's fat cells from storing calories to burning them.

    By Janet Raloff
  11. Health & Medicine

    ‘Bubble’ babies thrive on gene therapy

    Gene therapy to repair mutations that thwart development of essential immune cells has helped three babies to overcome severe combined immunodeficiency, in which a child is born without a functional immune system.

    By Nathan Seppa
  12. Health & Medicine

    Loosen Up

    Bacterial toxin may lead to less painful treatments for diabetes and brain cancer.

    By John Travis