Nathan Seppa

Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)

All Stories by Nathan Seppa

  1. Health & Medicine

    Bioengineering better blood vessels

    Durable conduits made with a tough protein produced by living cells might improve options for some patients who need heart bypass surgery or kidney dialysis, a new study finds.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Mass vaccination could slow cholera

    Immunizing people at the outset of an outbreak would limit the number of cases and deaths, an analysis finds.

  3. Health & Medicine

    U.S. lags in life expectancy gains

    Among developed countries, Americans spend the most on health care even as they fall behind in extending longevity, a new study finds.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine against cocaine makes headway

    Injections gin up antibodies in mice that limit the drug's effects, a new study shows.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Tongue piercings worse with metal

    Stainless steel or titanium studs collect bacteria more readily than do studs made of plastic or Teflon, a study finds.

  6. Worming Your Way to Better Health

    To battle autoimmune disease and allergy, scientists tune in to the tricks of parasites.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Shingles vaccine linked to lower disease risk

    People 60 and over who get the shot are 55 percent less likely to develop the ailment, a large survey shows.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Possible relief for irritable bowel

    Those taking an antibiotic whose effects are localized to the intestines fared better than patients getting a placebo pill, two trials find.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Second chicken pox shot boosts coverage

    Giving a follow-up vaccination increases coverage to more than 98 percent of kids who receive it, a study finds.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Giant rats detect tuberculosis

    Animals can be trained to sniff out TB in sputum samples, adding to accuracy of microscope test, a study from Tanzania shows.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Childhood epilepsy that lasts into adulthood triples mortality

    The added risk occurs in patients whose seizures persist, a 40-year study in Finland shows.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Gene linked to some smokers’ lung cancer

    FGFR1 is amped up in a subset of cancers; inhibiting its proteins can shrink tumors in mice.