Health & Medicine
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Health & MedicineFolic Acid Dilemma: One vitamin may impair cognition if another is lacking
The nutrient folic acid is generally good for brain health, but research now suggests that too much of it might harm people who get too little vitamin B12.
By Ben Harder -
Health & MedicinePutting the kibosh on black cohosh
The herbal supplement black cohosh is no more effective than a placebo in reducing the number of daily hot flashes in menopausal women.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineGood news for people with clotting disorder
Several experimental drugs show promise against the bleeding disorder known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineBetter Blood: New tool removes agent of brain disease
Scientists have developed a device that filters from blood the mutant proteins that cause the human form of mad cow disease, an advance that may hold promise for increasing the safety of donated blood.
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Health & MedicineBad to the Bone: Acid stoppers appear to have a downside
Popular acid-reducing drugs called proton-pump inhibitors may increase the risk of hip fractures in people over 50.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineDrinking During Pregnancy Emerges As a Possible Male-Infertility Factor
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the risk of undescended testicles in boy babies, and it may contribute to later fertility problems even in boys born without the defect.
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Health & MedicineNow This Is Depressing . . .
People who increased their fish consumption to shed a brooding disposition may want to consider alternative strategies.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineAIDS Avoidance: More studies find that circumcision deters HIV
Two large trials in Africa find that male circumcision limits HIV infection, which could prompt governments on that continent to promote or subsidize the operation.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineTransplant reaction reversed in patients
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Patients with leukemia get a fighting chance when they receive a transplant of bone marrow cells from a healthy donor. Unfortunately, immune cells from these new arrivals can run amok in the recipient, creating a life-threatening complication called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Last year, […]
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineExperimental clot inhibitors match conventional drugs
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Two new drugs—one in pill form and another requiring only a single weekly injection—prevent dangerous blood clots in leg veins just as well as do standard treatments that require daily shots, two European research teams report. In one study, scientists in Sweden focused […]
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineDrug takes a shot at leukemia cells
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology A drug that targets solid tumors such as those of lung cancer might also fight blood cancers, a lab study shows. Erlotinib (Tarceva) attacks cells by blocking a receptor protein that’s abundant on the surface of some cancer cells (SN: 8/27/05, p. 139: […]
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineTrans Fats Are Bad, Aren’t They?
As New York moves to ban trans fats from fried and baked restaurant fare, little attention has been given to the potentially beneficial trans fats in dairy products and meats.
By Janet Raloff