Nathan Seppa
Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)
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All Stories by Nathan Seppa
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Health & Medicine
Donating a kidney doesn’t hurt long-term health
A survey of donors since the 1960s finds survival rates on par with the general population.
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Health & Medicine
Easygoing, social people may get dementia less often
Don’t worry, be happy: People who are largely unstressed by mundane events seem less likely to develop dementia in old age than people who sweat the small stuff.
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Health & Medicine
Using checklist reduces surgery complications
Measure twice, cut once: Going over a checklist of procedures in the operating room before and after surgery lowers the complication rate and, in developing countries, saves lives, a study in eight hospitals shows.
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Health & Medicine
Omega-3 fatty acid is early boost for female preemies
DHA given to newborns in the first weeks following birth improves brain development in girls, but not boys.
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Health & Medicine
Early C-sections pose risks
Babies delivered by elective cesarean section just a week or two before 39 weeks of gestation face increased risk of respiratory and other complications.
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Health & Medicine
Parkinson’s brain surgery works in older patients, too
A surgery in which two tiny electrodes are placed in the brain improves the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease, including older patients, and seems to have only short-term side effects.
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Health & Medicine
Disturbed sleep tied to Parkinson’s risk
People who have a disorder that causes them to thrash and kick during sleep face a high risk of developing Parkinson’s disease or other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Health & Medicine
Experimental drug fends off emphysema in mice
Mice exposed to cigarette smoke and then ed the drug and fended of emphysema, suggesting the edible drug might help ex-smokers.
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Health & Medicine
Enzyme inventory affects ovarian cancer outlook
Levels of two enzymes crucial for shutting down genes might clarify the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients, a new study finds.
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Health & Medicine
Dual therapy best for nasty prostate cancer
Dual therapy that adds radiation to medication for aggressive prostate cancer yields better survival and fewer signs of relapse than drugs alone, a large Scandinavian clinical trial finds.
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Health & Medicine
Breast cancer costs poor people more
Out-of-pocket costs of breast cancer hit poor individuals the hardest.
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Health & Medicine
Soy compound revs up cancer fighter in healthy tissue
A lab study of healthy breast tissue cells shows increases in the tumor suppressor protein PTEN in the presence of soy isoflavone genistein, a compound believed to fight breast cancer.