Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Study points to way of improving chemotherapy response
Blocking key proteins could improve response to a common chemotherapy drug, suggests a new study which used cancer cells grown in the lab.
Well Blog: Venus Williams and Sjogren's Syndrome
Tennis star Venus Williams's announcement that she is suffering from Sjorgen's syndrome called new attention to a little known autoimmune disorder.
New Genetic Circuit Detects Cancerous Cells and Forces Them To Commit Suicide
A new DNA-based logic circuit can sense the signs of cancer, compute that a cell is cancerous, and then cause it to self-destruct, researchers say. The cell-level diagnostic system could be used for...
Fewer antibiotics prescribed to kids
The push to get pediatricians to stop prescribing antibiotics for the wrong illnesses is paying off a bit, a new U.S. government report found.
New arrests in Anonymous, LulzSec probes
Trans-Atlantic investigation into hack attacks leads to two more arrests by Scotland Yard
World Trade Center-exposed NYC firefighters face increased cancer risk
In the largest cancer study of firefighters ever conducted, research published in this week’s 9/11 Special Issue of The Lancetfound that New York City firefighters exposed to the 9/11 World...
Smoking bans motivate even reluctant women to quit
Many workplaces and households ban smoking and, for some women, the effects extend beyond their office building or family home. A new study finds that women smokers who live and...
Stopping arthritis before it starts
About 27 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and more than three million of those cases result from a joint injury, often in the knee, that provokes slow and steady cartilage...
First long-term study of WTC workers shows widespread health problems
In the first long-term study of the health impacts of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse on September 11, 2001, researchers at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York...
New HIV vaccine approach targets desirable immune cells
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School have demonstrated an approach to HIV vaccine design that uses an altered form of HIV's...
Grady-Fresenius Talks Fail, and Dialysis Patients Go Untreated
An Atlanta public hospital and a dialysis provider have failed to negotiate a contract extension.
Culling bats won’t curb virus
Relocating or culling flying foxes is unlikely to stop Hendra virus outbreaks, researchers warn.
Diabetes linked to bowel cancer
Men with type 2 diabetes double their risk of developing bowel cancer, a new study shows.
Clinical practice guidelines on interpretation of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) levels
The American Thoracic Society has issued the first-ever guidelines on the use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) that address when to use FENO and how to interpret FENO levels...
Medical device software criticized as under-regulated
Software governs everything from digital thermometers to pacemakers. A report recommends that the FDA develop procedures to ensure the safety and effectiveness of products before they go to market.The patient...
Dr. William Wolff, 94, Colonoscopy Co-Developer, Dies
Dr. Wolff and a colleague revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer.
Starving inflammatory immune cells slows damage caused by multiple sclerosis, study finds
Researchers report that inhibiting the ability of immune cells to use fatty acids as fuel measurably slows disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Study finds more gut reaction to arthritis drugs; Stomach acid-suppressing drugs appear to damage small intestine
A research team has found stomach acid-reducing drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors, may actually be aggravating damage in the small intestine caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as...
Cryptococcus infections misdiagnosed in many AIDS patients, study suggests
Most AIDS patients, when diagnosed with a fungal infection known simply as cryptococcosis, are assumed to have an infection with Cryptococcus neoformans, but a new study suggests that a sibling...
New half-match bone marrow transplant procedure yields promising outcomes for cancer patients
Half-matched bone marrow or stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients have typically been associated with disappointing clinical outcomes. However, a clinical trial testing its unique, two-step half-match procedure has...
Dendritic cells in liver protect against acetaminophen toxicity; Possible new therapeutic target for acetaminophen induced acute liver failure
Researchers have discovered that dendritic cells in the liver have a protective role against the toxicity of acetaminophen, the widely used over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer for adults and...
West Virginia United Health System Selects Geisinger Health Plan to Administer Employee Health Benefits in Morgantown
West Virginia United Health System (WVUHS) and Geisinger Health Plan (GHP) have announced the organizations are partnering for the administration of health benefits for Morgantown-based WVU Healthcare employees and their...
Half of US Adults Due for Mental Illness, Study Says
Mental illnesses are associated with numerous other chronic health disorders, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
Signs of aging may be linked to undetected blocked brain blood vessels
Tiny blocked brain vessels may be the cause of many common signs associated with older age, according to new research. Brain autopsies showed more lesions in those with the most...
Breast cancer risk drops when diet includes walnuts, researchers find
The risk of breast cancer dropped significantly in mice when their regular diet included a modest amount of walnut, researchers report in a new study.
Persistent immunity: Researchers find signals that preserve anti-viral antibodies
Our immune system is capable of a remarkable feat: the ability to remember infections for years, even decades, after they have first been encountered and defeated. While the antibodies we...
Iceland Directs Avalanche Funds Into Volcano Risk Studies
Iceland's natural hazards experts can now use part of a special avalanche risk assessment...
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences to Provide 60,000 Meals for Famine-Stricken Families in the Horn of Africa
More than 30,000 children under the age of five have perished in Somalia in the last two months as a result of the famine that has stricken the country. With...