Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine Stretch: Smaller dose packs punch against flu

    A fraction of the standard dose of flu vaccine appears to grant people immunity to influenza if injected into the skin rather than in the muscle of the upper arm.

    By David Shiga
  2. Health & Medicine

    Uranium, the newest ‘hormone’

    Animal experiments indicate that waterborne uranium can mimic the activity of estrogen, a female sex hormone.

    By Janet Raloff
  3. Health & Medicine

    Heavy traffic may trigger heart attacks

    Exposure to traffic can dramatically increase a person's risk of having a heart attack soon afterward.

    By Diana Parsell
  4. Health & Medicine

    Vegetable Soup Fights Cell Damage

    A study in which volunteers ate vegetable soup every day for two weeks points to benefits of vitamin C beyond its role as an antioxidant.

    By Diana Parsell
  5. Health & Medicine

    Assault on Autism

    A shift in scientific thinking about what causes autism is prompting a closer look at potential environmental factors.

    By Diana Parsell
  6. Health & Medicine

    Persistent Cough: Pertussis rises in young adults and infants

    Pertussis, or whooping cough, appears to be rebounding in many age groups, causing long-lasting symptoms in adolescents and adults and threatening the lives of unvaccinated infants.

    By Ben Harder
  7. Health & Medicine

    Nicotine’s Good Side: Substance curbs sepsis in mice

    Nicotine halted the progression of severe sepsis in mice, suggesting a new avenue for treating this acute blood infection.

    By Diana Parsell
  8. Health & Medicine

    High-fat diets slim down learning

    High-fat diets decrease the ability of male rats to learn and remember.

    By Christen Brownlee
  9. Health & Medicine

    Drug abuse could be an occupational hazard

    Breathing minuscule amounts of painkillers administered to patients in surgery may increase an anesthesiologist's risk of abusing prescription drugs.

    By Christen Brownlee
  10. Health & Medicine

    Acne drug affects brain function

    The antiacne drug Accutane may decrease activity in a part of the brain that regulates mood.

    By Christen Brownlee
  11. Health & Medicine

    Malaria vaccine shows promise in Mozambique

    An experimental malaria vaccine tested on children in Mozambique provides some protection against the potentially life-threatening disease.

    By Nathan Seppa
  12. Health & Medicine

    Prescription for Trouble: Antidepressants might rewire young brains

    Young mice exposed to a common type of antidepressant, known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), showed symptoms of anxiety and depression in adulthood.

    By Christen Brownlee