Health & Medicine
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Health & MedicineOne of H1N1’s mysteries explained
The current H1N1 influenza shares many similarities with the 1918 pandemic influenza.
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Health & MedicineExisting antibiotic might help keep wraps on AIDS virus
The acne drug minocycline inhibits HIV activation in infected immune cells, lab tests show.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineUV radiation, not vitamin D, might limit multiple sclerosis symptoms
The rarity of MS in the tropics may be due to higher ultraviolet light exposure, not necessarily increased vitamin production, new research suggests.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineIngredient of dark roasted coffees may make them easier on the tummy
A compound generated in the roasting process appears to reduce acid production in the stomach.
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Health & MedicineExperimental blood pressure drug takes natural approach
Dual-action compound tests well in large group of people with mild to moderate hypertension
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineVitamin D is a flu fighter
Japanese researchers offer tangible support for that idea that vitamin D deficiency might render people vulnerable to infections. Supplementing school children with the vitamin, they showed, dramatically cut their incidence of seasonal flu.
By Janet Raloff -
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.