Humans

Health & Medicine

Fibroid Maladies

Every year, roughly 200,000 women in the United States get a hysterectomy–surgical removal of the uterus–to alleviate the pain and pressure of uterine fibroids. These noncancerous growths affect millions of women in child-bearing years. A good source of information on symptoms, treatments, surgical options, and possible causes is found at this site, compiled by the […]

Health & Medicine

Two steps forward, one step back

Just a few days after the National Institutes of Health announced it was canceling a large AIDS-vaccine trial, researchers reported preliminary results from a new vaccine that appears safe.

Health & Medicine

New drugs help battle HIV

Three potential drugs in development rely on novel tactics for attacking the virus that causes AIDS.

Health & Medicine

Genes predict allergies to drug

Genetic differences among people infected with HIV might help identify the 5 percent of patients who will suffer allergic reactions when given the antiretroviral drug abacavir.

Health & Medicine

Is HAART hard on the heart?

Two studies came to opposite conclusions on whether multiple-drug regimens known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for people with AIDS also contribute to heart trouble.

Anthropology

DNA Diaspora: Humanity may share tangled genetic roots

A controversial new genetic analysis concludes that Homo sapiens evolved by expanding out of Africa in multiple waves beginning at least 600,000 years ago and then interbreeding, rather than totally replacing close relatives such as the Neandertals.

Health & Medicine

Genetic Culprit: Mutation increases risk for uterine fibroids

Analysis of DNA from families whose women have been beset by uterine growths reveals a mutation that can predispose women to these so-called fibroids.

Health & Medicine

Protein Repair: New compounds may help cells fight off cancer

Researchers have identified a compound that enables even defective p53 proteins to initiate anticancer chain reactions.

Health & Medicine

Broken Weapon: Mutation disarms HIV-fighting gene

A gene that once produced a small protein able to prevent HIV from infecting cells now lies unusable in the human genome.

Health & Medicine

More good news about chocolate

The Kuna people of Central America appear to keep their blood pressure down by drinking cocoa rich in chemicals called flavanols.

Health & Medicine

Coffee beans, cavity-causing germs

Compounds in coffee loosen the grip of bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Health & Medicine

High homocysteine tied to Alzheimer’s

Research has linked the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia to elevated blood concentrations of the amino acid homocysteine.