Nathan Seppa
Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)
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All Stories by Nathan Seppa
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Health & Medicine
Bad synergy
Hookworm and other parasite infections work in concert to heighten risk of anemia in children. The problem may be especially bad for school-aged children, whose learning ability is often compromised by anemia.
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Health & Medicine
Gut feeling
A bacterial compound can reverse intestinal disease in a mouse, providing the first example of a microbial product “networking” with the mammalian immune system to quell inflammation.
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Health & Medicine
Stunning reversal
A man’s irregular heartbeat returns to normal after he is shocked with a Taser, the first report of such an effect.
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Health & Medicine
Tracking obesity
New data suggest that childhood obesity in the United States may have leveled off between 1999 and 2006.
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Health & Medicine
Itchy and scratchy
People with a close relative who has had shingles face a heightened risk of getting the skin disease, and should probably be first in line to get the vaccine.
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Health & Medicine
Glucose galore
Pregnant women with elevated blood sugar are more likely to have oversized babies, posing a risk to mother and newborn.
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Health & Medicine
Stub it out
Quitting cigarettes shows health benefits even decades after the last puff.
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Health & Medicine
Potential for protection
A study of U.S. veterans suggests that the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen could have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease. But researchers say more work is needed.
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Health & Medicine
Treat ’em
High blood pressure often goes untreated in people 80 and over, but a new study suggests that treatment extends survival.
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Health & Medicine
New approach might strike at the core of Alzheimer’s disease
By finding a way to stick an enzyme-inhibiting molecule to the membrane of a cell, scientists may have devised the framework for an Alzheimer’s drug.