Nathan Seppa

Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)

All Stories by Nathan Seppa

  1. Health & Medicine

    Dentists: Eschew chewing aspirin

    Chewing aspirin or just letting the tablets dissolve in the mouth can seriously damage teeth.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Birthing age and ovarian cancer risk

    Giving birth confers on women some protection against ovarian cancer, and the later in life the last pregnancy happens, the better the protection.

  3. Parasite Pursuit: Sand fly coughs up leishmania protozoan’s secrets of proliferation

    A parasite spread by the sand fly secretes gel into the throat of the fly, which then regurgitates it when it bites a person, spreading the infection.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Leukemia Fighter: Drug could combat resistant cases

    A new drug for treating chronic myeloid leukemia that is resistant to the frontline drug imatinib shows promise in mouse tests.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Cancer with a Twist: Protein instrumental in breast-cancer metastasis

    A protein called Twist, which orchestrates gene activity in cells, facilitates the spread of some breast cancers.

  6. Chemistry

    Connection blocker may stop viruses

    Using compounds that disrupt the interface of two viral proteins might present a novel strategy for combating viruses, a study of herpes suggests.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Fish toxin stops cancer pain

    An experimental drug fashioned from the toxin of the puffer fish can suppress pain in cancer patients.

  8. Health & Medicine

    New diabetes drug passes early tests

    The drug exenatide stabilizes and can reduce blood sugar in diabetes patients.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Mutation linked to sinus infections

    People who have frequent sinus infections are more likely on average to carry one copy of the same genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis, even though they don't have that disease.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Colonoscopy screening would avert cancer

    Increased use of colonoscopy could significantly reduce the number of colon cancer deaths and wouldn't cost much more overall than other tests.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Malaria vaccine waylays parasite in liver

    A new malaria vaccine tested in chimpanzees spurs an immune response against the parasite as it passes through the liver, halting it in most cases before it can get into the bloodstream and cause symptoms of the disease.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Better Form, Same Function: Liposuction doesn’t lessen health risks

    Liposuction doesn't improve the long-term health prospects of very obese people.