Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    COX-2 inhibitor pulled off market

    Merck's recall of rofecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor drug for arthritis, raises the question of whether similar drugs might also increase the risk of heart attack.

    By Nathan Seppa
  2. Health & Medicine

    Childhood trauma raises risk of heart disease

    A childhood filled with psychological or physical tribulations contributes to one's risk of developing heart disease as an adult.

    By Ben Harder
  3. Health & Medicine

    A Problem of Adhesion: More evidence of sickle-cell stickiness

    Interrupted blood flow in people with sickle-cell disease might arise from stickiness inherent in the unusual red blood cells these individuals have.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Creepy-Crawly Care

    Encouraging results from research on medical uses for maggots and leeches, coupled with recent government approval of both therapies, lend credibility to the idea that some live organisms deserve a place in the medical armamentarium.

    By Ben Harder
  5. Health & Medicine

    Is Vitamin D Fattening?

    People who don't consume enough calcium may find vitamin D sabotages their weight-control efforts by promoting fat gain.

    By Janet Raloff
  6. Health & Medicine

    Dormant Cancer: Lack of a protein sends tumor cells to bed

    Excess amounts of a protein called Myc triggers cancer in mice, but ratcheting back this supply sends the malignant cells into dormancy.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Fat Fuels PCB Damage: Diet influences toxic effects leading to heart disease

    Certain types of dietary fats can magnify PCB damage to artery cells in a way that sets the stage for cardiovascular disease.

    By Diana Parsell
  8. Health & Medicine

    Drug-resistant staph causes more pneumonia

    A recently discovered variant of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to some antibiotics became a major cause of severe pneumonia among people who caught the flu last winter.

    By Ben Harder
  9. Health & Medicine

    Kids’ vaccine guards adults too, for now

    Serious infections caused by pneumococcus have decreased in both children and adults since the introduction of a childhood vaccine against seven strains of the bacterium, but other pneumococcus strains are now becoming more prevalent among adults with HIV.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Health & Medicine

    Human antibody halts SARS in hamsters

    Human-derived antibodies can not only prevent infections when given in advance of SARS exposure but also mitigate the symptoms of an infection already in progress.

    By Ben Harder
  11. Health & Medicine

    Vitamin D: What’s Enough?

    Most researchers studying vitamin D agree that many people would benefit from more of the vitamin, but they haven't yet decided just how much.

    By Janet Raloff
  12. Health & Medicine

    Carotid Overhaul: Stents and surgery go neck and neck

    Mesh cylinders called stents work as well as or slightly better than surgery in opening blocked carotid arteries in high-risk patients.

    By Nathan Seppa