Health & Medicine
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Health & MedicineShields Down: A cancer-fighting gene declines in old age
Decline of an important anti-cancer gene could contribute to increased cancer risk among the elderly.
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Health & MedicineFueling a Flu Debate: Do vaccinations save lives among the elderly?
Flu shots seem to prevent some deaths and limit hospitalizations for pneumonia in elderly people.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineLonely white cells
In chronically lonely people, white blood cells show abnormal gene activity that may affect health through immune responses.
By Brian Vastag -
Health & MedicineLack of Evidence: Vaccine additive not linked to developmental problems
Thimerosal, a mercury-containing vaccine preservative, shows no signs of causing memory, attention or other problems in children.
By Brian Vastag -
Health & MedicineKeep Out: Treated mosquito nets limit child deaths
Mosquito nets treated with insecticides decrease death rates among children in Kenya's malarial zones.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineDistracted? Tea might help your focus
An amino acid in tea combines with the brew's caffeine to enliven brain cells that aid concentration.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineTea compound aids dying brain cells
A constituent of green tea rescues brain cells damaged in a way that mimics the effect of Parkinson's disease.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineMalaria’s sweet spot
The malaria parasite's reliance on a sugar in the gut of mosquitoes may offer a way to block the disease's transmission.
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Health & MedicineExhaust fumes might threaten people’s hearts
Nanoparticles in diesel fumes thwart proteins that dissolve blood clots, perhaps increasing the risk of heart attacks.
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Health & MedicineFattening Carbs—Some Promote Obesity and Worse
Easily digestible carbohydrates induce obesity and liver disease in a test on rodents.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineThe Breast Solution
Reversing earlier advice, health authorities now say that babies of HIV-positive mothers in poor countries have a better chance of avoiding infection if they feed only on breast milk that's not supplemented with other food.
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Health & MedicineWarming to a Cold War Herb
Benefiting from decades of research that took place behind the Iron Curtain, Western physicians are discovering Rhodiola rosea, a cold-weather herb that purportedly fights fatigue and boosts energy.
By Brian Vastag