Nathan Seppa

Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)

All Stories by Nathan Seppa

  1. Health & Medicine

    Diabetes drug might fight cancer

    A widely prescribed medication with few side effects shows promise in both mice and humans.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

    BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those who forgo the operation, a new study shows.

  3. Health & Medicine

    New drug fights metastatic melanoma

    A novel compound joins two other promising therapies to offer hope for patients with the advanced form of the skin cancer, who currently have poor treatment options.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

    The odds of sustaining aorta damage are more than tripled in people who abuse or are dependent on amphetamines, a review of hospital records finds.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Teen hearing loss rate worsens

    The percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since the 1990s, a study shows.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Separating wheat from chaff in celiac disease

    Three partial proteins may trigger the T cell immune reactions that cause the symptoms of this intestinal ailment, new research shows.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Taking some of the doubt out of IVF

    Testing shows that a complex array of factors can be used to calculate the probability of in vitro fertilization success better than just using woman’s age as a guidepost.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Genetics may underlie some kidney failure in blacks

    Gene variants that offer protection against African sleeping sickness may also put carriers at renal risk, a new study finds.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Newly discovered antibodies may boost AIDS vaccine research

    Inducing production of these potent HIV neutralizers will pose a challenge.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Fish oil may fight breast cancer

    Other popular dietary supplements fail to show protection, a large study shows.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine for Marburg virus passes monkey test

    Tests suggest that the lethal hemorrhagic virus can be stopped if countered soon after exposure.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Controlling blood sugar may prevent eye problems in diabetes patients

    Careful monitoring of glucose levels and taking drugs to control blood lipids and cholesterol can pay dividends, a large trial finds.