Health & Medicine
- Health & Medicine
Team locates anthrax-receptor protein
Scientists have identified the protein that enables the anthrax toxin to attach to cells and trigger disease, while another team has mapped the molecular structure of the toxin component that does most of the damage to cells.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Pregnancy spurs a tumor suppressor
Pregnancy hormones may prime breast cells to maintain a supply of p53, a cancer suppressor protein, thus accounting for why women who have undergone pregnancy generally have a lower breast cancer risk than do others.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Hormone wards off immune cells in womb
A hormone known for its involvement in the brain's response to stress also plays a key role in shielding the developing embryo from its mother's immune system.
By Ben Harder - Health & Medicine
AMA: Drugs are for anthrax, not fear
Doctors should not use antibiotics prophylactically against anthrax unless there is good reason to believe the individual had encountered the germs directly, the American Medical Association advises.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Retail meats host drug-resistant bacteria
Three studies appear to tie livestock growth promoters to risk of serious human disease.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Nobel prize: Physiology or medicine
The 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to three researchers who pioneered work in cell division.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Sperm Protein May Lead to Male Pill
A protein that helps sperm move their tails may be a perfect target for a male contraceptive.
By John Travis - Health & Medicine
Mushrooming Concerns
For chefs who savor the flavor of fresh, organic ingredients, what could be better than cooking just-picked mushrooms for dinner? Tricholoma flavovirens–sometimes known in the United States and elsewhere as Tricholoma equestre. Its common name: Man on Horseback. Fred Steven That attitude appears to have gotten a few French gourmands in trouble–big trouble, according to […]
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Vitamin relative may aid stroke repair
Dehydroascorbic acid, a precursor of vitamin C, may help stroke patients retain use of parts of their brain at risk from the blood shut-off caused by strokes.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Detecting cancer risk with a chip
Researchers can use microcantilevers studded with antibodies that react to prostate specific antigen, or PSA, to analyze blood samples for signs of prostate cancer.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
EMFs in home may limit night hormone
A pair of studies suggests a link, at least in some women, between elevated residential exposure to electromagnetic fields and reduced production of the hormone melatonin.
By Ben Harder - Health & Medicine
Aging cells may promote tumors nearby
Cells that enter a state called senescence in older individuals may stimulate nearby cells to become tumors.
By John Travis