Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Study: Having Medicaid increases emergency room visits
Adults who are covered by Medicaid use emergency rooms 40 percent more than those in similar circumstances who do not have health insurance, according to a unique new study, co-authored by an...
High good, low bad cholesterol levels are healthy for brain, too
High levels of "good" cholesterol and low levels of "bad" cholesterol are correlated with lower levels of the amyloid plaque deposition in the brain that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's...
Slower-paced meal reduces hunger but affects calorie consumption differently
According to a newly published study, eating at a slower rate reduces hunger, but affects calorie consumption differently in normal and overweight/obese people.
Nicotine exploits COPI to foster addiction
Study helps explain how nicotine exploits the body’s cellular machinery to promote addiction. The findings could lead to new therapies to help people quit smoking.
Fetal alcohol syndrome heart defects may be caused by altered function, not structure
Recent data shows that more than 500,000 women in the US report drinking during pregnancy, with about 20 percent of this population admitting to binge drinking. Even one episode of...
Fructose does not impact emerging indicator for cardiovascular disease, research suggests
Fructose, the sugar often blamed for the obesity epidemic, does not itself have any impact on an emerging marker for the risk of cardiovascular disease known as postprandial triglycerides, new...
Sanofi's multiple sclerosis drug fails to win FDA approval
US regulators say clinical trials show that treatment's benefits do not outweigh 'serious adverse effects'
Secret to fewer doctor office visits after 70: Play high school sports
Seventy year olds who don't frequently visit the doctor have something unexpected in common -- most played high school sports. They were active on a team over 50 years ago...
Potential new strategy to improve corneal transplant acceptance
For the estimated 10 percent of patients whose bodies reject a corneal transplant, the odds of a second transplant succeeding are poor. All that could change, however, based on a...
Toward molecular explanation for schizophrenia
Schizophrenia was only recognized as a medical condition in the past few decades, and its exact causes remain unclear. Now a researcher has discovered that an important cell-maintenance process called...
Global Health: $1 Million Prize for Pakistani Pediatrician
Dr. Anita Zaida, who hopes to save hundreds of newborns in a Karachi neighborhood, has won the first Caplow Children’s Prize.
A Fix for Stress-Related Pelvic Pain
A specialized therapy and a hook-shaped wand could help ease a sometimes baffling disorder.
A Resisted Pill to Prevent H.I.V.
Truvada’s use to prevent H.I.V. has been approved by the F.D.A. and hailed by experts. But the pill has been slow to catch on among healthy gay men.
Instagram users more active than Twitter's
Pew Research survey finds 71 percent of adults online use Facebook, while Twitter and Instagram compete for younger users
Imaging Technology Could Unlock Mysteries Of Childhood Respiratory Syncytial Virus
By the time they turn two, most children have had respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and suffered symptoms no worse than a bad cold. Yet for some children, especially premature babies...
Caterpillar's 'Nicotine-Puff' Stops Spider Attack | Video
A Tobacco Hornworm caterpillar that fed on regular tobacco was able to ward off a spider attack with a release of noxious warning that is produced nicotine. Caterpillars fed genetically...
Most clinical studies on vitamins flawed by poor methodology
Most large, clinical trials of vitamin supplements, including some that have concluded they are of no value or even harmful, have a flawed methodology that renders them largely useless in...
Vaccine registry urged for Nova Scotia after botched baby shots administered
The head of infectious diseases at the IWK Health Centre in Nova Scotia is calling for a vaccine registry, saying it’s difficult to reach patients who were improperly vaccinated by...
3D Brain Maps Guide Doctors — via iPhone
Physicians across the globe now use the detailed anatomical images of the brain to train residents, prepare for surgeries and even guide them when performing surgery, all on their smartphones.
The Most Popular Scientific American Stories of 2013
Scientific American 's most popular stories published in 2013 included the following: [More] -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
'Runaway' mechanism spreads intermediate-depth earthquakes
Researchers find immense heating at high pressures helps spread intermediate-depth quakes.
US flu activity keeps climbing
US influenza activity kept climbing last week, as several states outside the South reported widespread cases, and the 2009 H1N1 virus continued to be the predominant strain, according to the...
Dr. C: Cancer has changed me, now what?
Dr. Nikhil Joshi finds one cliche, that cancer changes you, to be true. The question now is, how?
Samba machine a welcome boost for people living with HIV in rural Malawi
A machine that makes viral load testing quicker and easier has improved life for HIV patients in a remote rural area of MalawiMercy Banda looks away as a blood sample is taken...
Bizarre Physics, Exomoons & Humanoids: Science Wishes for 2014
Scientists share their wishes for research in 2014, from dreams of far-flung planets to hopes for new stem-cell treatments for disease and injury.
Well: With A-Fib Rhythms, Higher Odds of Stroke
About three million Americans have atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm abnormality that significantly increases the risk of stroke.
Role of chronic medical conditions in readmissions
In new findings, researchers find that the most frequent reasons for readmission were often related, either directly or indirectly, to patients' underlying chronic medical conditions (comorbidities), providing a new opportunity...
Attacking fungal infection, one of world's major killers
Fungal infections take more than 1.3 million lives each year worldwide, nearly as many as tuberculosis, in addition to contributing to blindness, asthma and other major health problems. A researcher...