Nathan Seppa

Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)

All Stories by Nathan Seppa

  1. Health & Medicine

    Lithium might help bone healing

    In mice, treatment with lithium assists in the production of a bone-repair protein and improves the healing of fractures.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Calming Factor: DNA vaccine for MS passes initial test

    A DNA vaccine against multiple sclerosis passes a safety trial and shows signs of suppressing immune-directed nerve damage.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Anti-inflammatory prevents pancreatic cancer in mice

    An anti-inflammatory drug of the COX-2 inhibitor family blocks precancerous lesions in mice prone to pancreatic cancer.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Nerve Link: Alzheimer’s suspect shows up in glaucoma

    Amyloid-beta, the protein fragment implicated in Alzheimer's disease, may also play a role in glaucoma.

  5. Health & Medicine

    New Clues: Gene variations may contribute to MS risk

    Variants of two genes encoding immune system proteins may confer a higher risk for multiple sclerosis.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Good Light: Sun early in life could protect against MS

    Childhood exposure to direct sunshine may protect people against developing multiple sclerosis later.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Spermicide Flip Side: Compound may promote papillomavirus infection

    The widely used spermicide nonoxynol-9 may boost the infectiousness of human papillomavirus, mouse tests show.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Antibiotics in infancy tied to asthma

    Infants who get several courses of antibiotics before their first birthdays are more likely to develop asthma later.

  9. Enzyme is target in parasite

    The flatworm that causes the tropical disease schistosomiasis may be vulnerable to drugs that neutralize an essential enzyme in the parasite.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Immune Abuse: Methamphetamine is linked to cardiac damage

    The illicit drug methamphetamine alters immune proteins unleashed in the body, possibly explaining why some longtime methamphetamine abusers suffer heart problems.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Warning Sign: River blindness parasite shows resistance

    The parasitic worm that causes river blindness seems to be developing resistance to the only drug that controls it.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Diabetes drug might hike heart risk

    People who take rosiglitazone, a popular diabetes drug marketed as Avandia, may face an increased risk of heart attack.