Nathan Seppa

Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)

All Stories by Nathan Seppa

  1. Health & Medicine

    Migraines during pregnancy may be linked to stroke

    Pregnant women who have migraines also face a heightened risk of stroke and other vascular diseases, a new study finds.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Blood type could matter in pancreatic cancer

    People with type O blood are less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than are people with type B blood, a study finds.

  3. Health & Medicine

    New drug shows benefits against nasty asthma

    An experimental drug called mepolizumab prevents some emergency asthma attacks in people who no longer benefit from normal doses of steroids.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Popular acid blockers, anticlotting drug don’t mix

    Acid-blocking drugs commonly prescribed to cardiac patients upon hospital discharge seem to interfere with an anticlotting drug.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Stick to a low-cal diet and it will work

    Summary: Overweight people on low-calorie diets lose weight equally well despite differences in how much fat, protein or carbohydrates the diet allows.

  6. Health & Medicine

    B vitamins, folic acid may protect vision

    Vitamin B and folic acid supplements might defend against macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Possible genetic flag for brain cancer

    Mutations in IDH genes show up in many brain cancers, but the genes’ role remains unclear.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Bigger rewards boost tobacco quit rate

    Smokers who are offered several hundred dollars are three times as likely to quit as those offered no reward.

  9. Health & Medicine

    A better test for prostate cancer

    Elevated urine concentrations of a compound called sarcosine in men with prostate cancer may signal an aggressive malignancy.

  10. Health & Medicine

    How the body rubs out West Nile virus

    Tests in mice show how the immune system tracks down cells infected with West Nile virus, findings that might explain why some old people fare worst from the virus.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Needles can stick it to pain

    Acupuncture lessens pain, but so do needles randomly stuck in the skin, a new analysis shows.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Excess blood sugar could harm cognition

    Chronically high blood sugar levels in elderly people with diabetes seem to contribute to worsened cognitive function, a study shows.