Latest science news in Health & Medicine
FDA calls for more money and power to keep imported drugs safe
A congressional panel grills officials and hears from relatives of those who died after using tainted heparin. ...
Cases: A Holiday From Illness, All Too Fleeting
After the kidney transplant, he felt great. A little too great, as it turned out.
Scanner to Find Fatty Deposits in Vessels Is Approved
Federal regulators have approved the sale of a new laser scanning system intended to locate fatty deposits in blood vessel walls that are thought to cause heart attacks.
Vital Signs: Hazards: Gymnastics Grades High in Injuries, Too
Gymnastics, a new study finds, can take a heavy toll on its young practitioners’ bodies.
Better-educated Women Are A Healthier Weight, New Research Reveals
A new comparison of multi-national data reveals that highly-educated women have a healthier average weight than less-educated women. In countries where malnutrition is prevalent, better-educated women weigh more. But in...
Heart Disease Discovery: New Mechanism Links Activation Of Key Heart Enzyme And Oxidative Stress
A study, led by University of Iowa researchers, reveals a new dimension for a key heart enzyme and sheds light on an important biological pathway involved in cell death in...
Vital Signs: Aging: Depression Tied to Alzheimer’s
A history of depression is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, a new study has found.
Life expectancy stagnating, worsening, for large segment of U.S. population
A new, long-term study of mortality trends in U.S. counties from 1960 to 2000 finds that an overall average life expectancy increase of 6.5 years for men and women is...
Nepal on flu alert, tests poultry on India border
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal has issued a bird flu alert and is testing poultry along the border with India, where the virus rages despite the culling of tens of thousands...
Drinking dulls the brain's response to threats
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Drinking alcohol dulls the brain's ability to detect threats, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday in a study that helps explain why people who are drunk cannot tell...
Many Possible Routes to the Goal of 120/80
These are the main categories of medications now used to reduce elevated blood pressure. Two or more types of drugs are typically used in combination to achieve an optimal pressure...
Vital Signs: Nostrums: Testosterone and Sex Drive in Women
Women who spray testosterone on their stomach to raise their sex drive may not see much benefit — unless they also want to grow hair on their belly.
Sexual Advances
Mary Roach investigates — comprehensively — the latest in sex research.
Cases: Am I Looking at a Malignant Melanoma?
For doctors there can be a fine line between good Samaritan and busybody when it comes to offering unsolicited medical advice.
Lives: The Cure
Sometimes it isn’t enough for your own antibodies to stop attacking you.
Really?: The Claim: During a Seizure, You Can Swallow Your Tongue
One problem with medical myths is that they can sometimes lead well-meaning people to do ill-advised things.
Personal Health: Hypertension: In Retreat, but Hardly Vanquished
The concept of a normal blood pressure has fallen strikingly as doctors learn what it takes to preserve good health.
In Federal Suit, 2 Views of Veterans’ Health Care
A lawsuit seeks to force the government to streamline its procedures for treating former soldiers, particularly those suffering from combat trauma and other mental health problems.
House Panel Criticizes F.D.A. Role in Drug Cases
The Food and Drug Administration was criticized for not doing more checks of foreign drug manufacturers in the wake of problems with the blood thinner heparin and other products.
Personal Best: The Flutter Over Heart Rate
For some activities, a monitor may help you reach your goal. Or it may distract you.
Global Update: Donor Attention-Deficit Disorder? Phony Press Release Is Joke, Sort Of
A mock press release elicits rueful laughter from the global health community.
Glaxo Says Compound in Wine May Fight Aging
The British drug maker said it would acquire a biotechnology company that is pursuing the notion that a compound found in red wine might retard aging.
F.D.A. Takes Closer Look at Lasik Complaints
The F.D.A. is taking a new look at whether warnings about the risks of Lasik surgery are appropriate.
M. Lois Murphy, 91, Dies; Leader in Cancer Research
Dr. Murphy’s leadership advanced early work on chemotherapy, especially for childhood cancer, and led to markedly higher survival rates
Counting Birthdays: The Short End of the Longer Life
Ever rising longevity is not a given for all Americans anymore, especially women.
Doctors accused of doing illegal stem-cell trials
Patients in Austria may have been misled.
Exposure to daycares in early childhood could protect against leukemia
Kids who go to daycare or attend playgroups are 30 per cent less likely to develop the most common form of childhood leukemia than those who do not, finds a...
Radiology errors could aggravate backlog
Errors discovered in the work of a P.E.I. radiologist will add significantly to the workload of a department that's already swamped, says the provincial medical director of diagnostic imaging.