Health & Medicine
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LifeTo catch a thief, follow his filthy hands
Bacteria from a person’s hands may provide a new type of fingerprint.
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PsychologySoothing start to childhood weight problems
Pacifying infants with food may raise likelihood of later obesity.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineCats attracted to ADHD drug, a feline poison
Since 2004, drugs designed for use by people have been the leading source of poisonings among companion animals, according to the national Animal Poison Control Center in Urbana, Ill. And among cats, Adderall – a combination of mixed amphetamine salts used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – has quickly risen to become one of the most common and dangerous of these pharmaceutical threats.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineFor a lucky few, ‘dioxins’ might be heart healthy
Dioxins and their kin are notorious poisons. They work by turning on what many biologists had long assumed was a vestigial receptor with no natural beneficial role. But it now appears that in a small proportion of people, this receptor may confer heart benefits.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineTemporary hearing impairment leads to ‘lazy ear’
A rodent study shows that even after ear infections clear up, brain rewiring may cause long-term hearing problems.
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Health & MedicineFirst complete look at families’ genes
Comparing the complete genetic material of family members pinpoints genes involved in three rare inherited diseases.
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Health & MedicineScientists offer compelling images of Gulf War illness
BLOG: Researchers have just rolled out a host of brain images — various types of magnetic resonance scans and brain-wave measurements — that they say graphically and unambiguously depict Gulf War Syndrome.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineCocktails ward off the bulge
A large study has found that middle-aged women who drink moderately gain less weight over the years compared to their teetotaling peers.
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LifeBoys and girls differ in genetic response to what mom eats
Expectant mothers’ diets may influence gene activity differently in the placentas that feed sons and daughters, a new mouse study reveals.
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Health & MedicineGene linked to pain perception
A common genetic variant that appears to increase sensitivity could lead to the development of better medications.
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LifeResearchers distinguish two different types of blood stem cells
Working in mice, scientists find that red and white blood cells arise from different progenitors.
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Health & MedicineOld drug may be first choice for childhood petit mal epilepsy
Three-way trial shows ethosuximide edging out two newer choices.
By Nathan Seppa