Nathan Seppa
Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)
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All Stories by Nathan Seppa
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Health & Medicine
An Exploitable Mutation: Defect might make some lung cancers treatable
Nonsmokers who develop lung cancer are more likely than their smoking counterparts to have a mutation in the gene encoding epidermal growth factor receptor.
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Health & Medicine
Alzheimer’s Advance: Omega-3 fatty acid benefits mice
A diet that includes a key omega-3 fatty acid found in fish prevents some memory loss in mice that develop a disease resembling Alzheimer's.
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Health & Medicine
Mexican Americans face stroke risk
Middle-aged Mexican Americans face twice the stroke risk that non-Hispanic whites do.
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Health & Medicine
Vitamin E may curb colds in old folks
Vitamin E seems to help elderly people fend off colds.
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Health & Medicine
Keeping Cells under Control: Enzyme suppression inhibits cancer spread
Shutting down an enzyme can slow the spread of cancer in mice.
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Health & Medicine
Unorthodox Strategy: New cancer vaccine may thwart melanoma
In experiments on mice, destroying good skin cells can induce the immune system to kill cancerous versions of these cells.
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Health & Medicine
Demanding careers may thwart Alzheimer’s
People who spend many years in mentally taxing jobs are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than are people who do more-routine work.
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Health & Medicine
Curbing Allergy to Insect Venom: Therapy stops reactions to stings years later
Some children don't outgrow an allergy to insect stings, but immunizations against such allergies can protect them into adulthood.
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Health & Medicine
Sputum Test May Predict Lung Cancer
By zeroing in on aberrations in two cancer-fighting genes, researchers have found a marker for cancer risk that could help doctors screen people for signs of lung cancer early enough for treatment to be effective.
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Health & Medicine
HIV drugs may stop cervical disease
A drug combination given to people with HIV, the AIDS virus, helps knock out precancerous cervical lesions in some women.
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Health & Medicine
Stopping Alzheimer’s: Antibody thwarts disease in mice
Antibodies against amyloid protein, which gums up the brains of Alzheimer's patients, reverse a form of the disease in mice.
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Health & Medicine
Prion Proof? Evidence grows for mad cow protein
Misfolded proteins known as prions can cause disease when injected into the brains of genetically engineered mice.