Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Heart patients gain from steep cholesterol drop

    Heart patients can lessen their risk of a heart attack and increase their odds of survival by aggressively reducing harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in their blood.

    By Nathan Seppa
  2. Health & Medicine

    Drug for migraines helps some patients

    An experimental drug that slows blood flow in the brain knocks out migraine headaches in some people.

    By Nathan Seppa
  3. Health & Medicine

    Formula for Failure

    A bacterium that has been known to cause rare, yet fatal infections in infants appears to be more widespread than scientists have realized.

    By Edna Francisco
  4. Health & Medicine

    Meat of the Matter: Fish, flesh feed gout, but milk counters it

    Nutrition research supports the ancient notion that a diet rich in meat contributes to the development of gout, a form of arthritis common in men.

    By Ben Harder
  5. Health & Medicine

    Shutting Off an On Switch: Novel drugs slow two cancers in mice

    By shutting down a signaling molecule on cancerous cells, scientists have found a way to slow multiple myeloma and fibrosarcoma, tests in animals show.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    Two arthritis drugs work best in tandem

    Two anti-inflammatory drugs for rheumatoid arthritis—methotrexate and etanercept—work better together than either does individually.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Born to Heal

    The controversial strategy of screening embryos to produce donors for siblings raises hopes and presents new ethical dilemmas.

    By Ben Harder
  8. Health & Medicine

    Quantum sentinels

    Quantum physics may soon help physicians track whether a cancer has spread.

    By Erica Klarreich
  9. Health & Medicine

    Gene transfer puts good fats in mammals

    Scientists have used a worm gene to genetically engineer mice whose tissues are unusually rich in the heart-healthy fats found mainly in fish.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Health & Medicine

    Tea for Too Much Bilirubin?

    A special tea may be an alternative to fluorescent lights for treating newborns who suffer from jaundice.

    By John Travis
  11. Health & Medicine

    Averting Pain: Epilepsy drug limits migraine attacks

    A drug normally used against epilepsy can prevent migraine headaches.

    By Nathan Seppa
  12. Health & Medicine

    HIV infects 1 in 100 in New York

    A change in how New York City officials identify and track cases of HIV infection has yielded the clearest picture yet of how deeply rooted that city's epidemic has become.

    By Ben Harder