Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    HIV is double trouble for brain

    The virus that causes AIDS can also cause dementia, by both killing mature brain cells and blocking the creation of new ones.

    By Patrick Barry
  2. Health & Medicine

    Bad Bug: Microbe raises stomach cancer risk

    A gene in some strains of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori may greatly increase the risk of stomach cancer.

    By Nathan Seppa
  3. Health & Medicine

    When antioxidants go bad

    Overproduction of antioxidants, usually thought to be beneficial, is the cause of an inherited heart disease.

    By Patrick Barry
  4. Health & Medicine

    Measuring Soft Drinks’ Jolt

    Researchers report what most soft-drink labels don't: how much caffeine your refreshments contain.

    By Janet Raloff
  5. Health & Medicine

    Infectious Obesity: Adenovirus fattens stem cells

    Some cases of obesity may result from infection by a virus that can transform adult stem cells into fat-storing cells.

    By Brian Vastag
  6. Health & Medicine

    If You Can Stomach It: Obesity surgery extends life span

    Drastic weight loss achieved through gastric bypass and other stomach surgeries improves long-term survival for very obese people.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine targets ovarian-cancer cells

    A vaccine for ovarian cancer enables some women who've undergone chemotherapy to stay in remission.

    By Nathan Seppa
  8. Health & Medicine

    Lithium might help bone healing

    In mice, treatment with lithium assists in the production of a bone-repair protein and improves the healing of fractures.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Health & Medicine

    Caffeine Aids Golden Girls’ Mental Health

    Coffee and tea appear to keep aging women sharp. Men, not so much.

    By Janet Raloff
  10. Health & Medicine

    Calming Factor: DNA vaccine for MS passes initial test

    A DNA vaccine against multiple sclerosis passes a safety trial and shows signs of suppressing immune-directed nerve damage.

    By Nathan Seppa
  11. Health & Medicine

    Anti-inflammatory prevents pancreatic cancer in mice

    An anti-inflammatory drug of the COX-2 inhibitor family blocks precancerous lesions in mice prone to pancreatic cancer.

    By Nathan Seppa
  12. Health & Medicine

    Nerve Link: Alzheimer’s suspect shows up in glaucoma

    Amyloid-beta, the protein fragment implicated in Alzheimer's disease, may also play a role in glaucoma.

    By Nathan Seppa