Health & Medicine
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Health & Medicine
SARS virus can spread in lab animals
At least two types of mammals can acquire and transmit the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Chinese animal traders have high rates of past exposure to the virus.
By Ben Harder -
Health & Medicine
Acid blockers stop stomach ulcers, too
People who get ulcers from frequent use of anti-inflammatory painkillers can lessen their risk by simultaneously taking acid-blocking drugs.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & Medicine
Soy compounds thwart estrogen
Soy-stress compound interferes with estrogen activity, possibly pointing the way to a new breast-cancer drug.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & Medicine
Chopsticks and Pain
Chopsticks. In North America, they’re the emblem of an increasingly popular cuisine. However, few of the Westerners patronizing East Asian restaurants have mastered the art of scooping rice or tweezing meat, veggies, and noodles with a pair of bamboo rods. As a result, many people eat Chinese and other Asian entrees using cutlery. If there’s […]
By Janet Raloff -
Health & Medicine
Antiviral Advance: Drug disables enzyme from hepatitis C virus
A new drug prevents the replication of the hepatitis C virus.
By John Travis -
Health & Medicine
Hormones in Your Milk
Four dairies got their proverbial hands slapped by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing what it charges is “misbranded” milk. The regulatory agency recently issued warning letters to the companies–which sell whole milk, reduced-fat milk, and ice cream–saying that their product labels contain false statements about the food’s hormone status. USDA FDA’s Sept. […]
By Janet Raloff -
Health & Medicine
Cancer drug might fight Alzheimer’s
Tests in animals show that the cancer drug imatinib mesylate, also called Gleevec, slows formation of the kinds of plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & Medicine
First Viruses, Now Tumors: AIDS drug shows promise against brain cancers
A potential AIDS drug may also slow the growth of deadly brain tumors.
By John Travis -
Health & Medicine
Treatment helps newborns avoid HIV
Giving healthy newborns whose mothers are infected with HIV a combination of anti-HIV drugs shortly after birth makes the infants less likely to contract the virus through breastfeeding.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & Medicine
Balance benefits from noisy insoles
Sending subliminal vibrations to nerves on the bottoms of feet helps people, especially the elderly, keep their balance.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & Medicine
Cocoa puffs up insulin in blood
Eating foods flavored with cocoa powder as opposed to other flavorings stimulates surplus production of the sugar-processing hormone insulin, but the metabolic implications of the finding aren’t yet known.
By Ben Harder -
Health & Medicine
As If You Needed Another Reason to Eat Strawberries (with recipe)
Whether draped atop shortcake, cooked with rhubarb and slathered over vanilla ice cream, or downed in the garden just after picking, strawberries are one of summer’s delights. Now, scientists at Cornell University find that this fragile fruit not only tastes great and contains vitamins but also may offer surprisingly potent benefits in the body’s fight […]
By Janet Raloff