Nathan Seppa
Biomedical Writer (retired September 2015)
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All Stories by Nathan Seppa
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Health & Medicine
Clever Combo: Hybrid vaccine prevents West Nile virus in mice
A vaccine fashioned from pieces of dengue virus and West Nile virus protects mice against West Nile fever, suggesting it might work in people.
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Health & Medicine
Eight hours of sleep may not be so great
Sleeping 8 to 9 hours a night doesn't necessarily translate into a longer life.
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Health & Medicine
Genetic Culprit: Mutation increases risk for uterine fibroids
Analysis of DNA from families whose women have been beset by uterine growths reveals a mutation that can predispose women to these so-called fibroids.
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Health & Medicine
Protein Repair: New compounds may help cells fight off cancer
Researchers have identified a compound that enables even defective p53 proteins to initiate anticancer chain reactions.
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Health & Medicine
High homocysteine tied to Alzheimer’s
Research has linked the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia to elevated blood concentrations of the amino acid homocysteine.
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Health & Medicine
Chill Out: Mild hypothermia aids heart attack recovery
Icing down patients who have just had a heart stoppage may boost their survival chances and prevent brain damage in those who pull through.
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Health & Medicine
Antibody Warfare: Vaccine halts microbes in dialysis patients
A vaccine protects many kidney-dialysis patients from blood infection caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium.
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Health & Medicine
Low birth weight matters later, too
Premature babies weighing less than 1.5 kilograms at birth grow up to have lower achievement scores on standard tests and are less likely to go to college than are full-term babies weighing more than twice as much.
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Health & Medicine
Slowing lupus: Stifled inflammation limits kidney damage
A new therapy for the autoimmune disease lupus works in mice by thwarting activation of immune-system proteins called complement.
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Health & Medicine
Heart recipients add their own cells
Transplanted hearts incorporate muscle and blood-vessel cells from their new host, suggesting that the heart may regenerate its own tissue.
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Health & Medicine
Ominous signals: Genes may identify the worst breast cancers
By using a technology that reveals patterns of gene activity in tumor cells, researchers can detect breast cancers that are likely to spread and become deadly.
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Health & Medicine
Anthrax-toxin component deciphered
Scientists have figured out the molecular structure of edema factor, a component of the anthrax toxin.