Health & Medicine
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Health & MedicineNew agent to spy clogged arteries
To improve the detection of harmful arterial plaques, researchers have modeled a nanoparticle on a natural material: good cholesterol.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineEven outdoors, generators pose risks
Portable electricity generators are frequently the culprit in domestic carbon monoxide poisonings—even when the devices sit outside the home.
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Health & MedicineAugmenting the good cholesterol
A reconstituted version of good cholesterol may lessen the amount of plaque that accumulates in arteries and render existing plaque less dangerous.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineDrug-Resistant Flu Detected: Japanese strains appear transmissible
For the first time, researchers report drug resistance in type B influenza virus and say the drug-resistant strain may jump from person to person.
By Brian Vastag -
Health & MedicineNot-So-Artful Dodgers: Countering drug tests with niacin proves dangerous
Attempts to cleanse illicit drugs from one's body by taking large doses of niacin can cause life-threatening reactions.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineCrusty Chemistry
Chemists report simple ways to tweak the recipe and make a whole wheat pizza crust potentially healthier.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineMeningitis vaccine stops ear infections
A vaccine for meningitis and pneumonia also prevents many childhood ear infections and the complications that they cause.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicinePatches take sting out of canker sores
Small patches that exude licorice extract can speed healing of canker sores.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineA Gasping Heart
A common imperfection in the structure of the heart may exacerbate obstructive sleep apnea and, in mountaineers, trigger a life-threatening lung condition called high-altitude pulmonary edema.
By Ben Harder -
Health & MedicineAsthma Zap: Heated scope reduces attacks
A new tool cools asthma by heating lung tissue to kill overgrown smooth muscle in airways, a hallmark of the disease.
By Brian Vastag -
Health & MedicineWorking in a cotton mill has bright side
People who work amid bales of raw cotton are less likely to get lung cancer than are people in the general population, a study of Chinese women indicates. While past research has shown that workers in a cotton mill tend to develop shortness of breath, chronic cough, and other health problems, some scientists also noted […]
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineBalancing Act: Excess steroids during pregnancy may pose risks for offspring
Heavy amounts of steroids taken during pregnancy can have long-term deleterious effects on offspring, a study of monkeys shows.
By Nathan Seppa