Scientific American

Shooting the Wheeze: Whooping Cough Vaccine Falls Short of Previous Shot s Protection

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:00 EST

Protection against the disease pertussis, or whooping cough , doesn’t appear to be as strong with the currently administered vaccine when compared with the older version administered up until the 1990s, according to a new study in Pediatrics . During a pertussis outbreak in 2010–11 in California teens who had received four doses of the current vaccine were at almost six times more likely to get pertussis as those who had received four doses of the older preparation.

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Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out--and Accidentally Discover LSD [Excerpt]

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EST

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Why You Should Worry about a Case of Polio in Somalia

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:30:00 EST

From Afghanistan to Somalia, the struggle to eradicate polio continues to lurch along in fits and starts. The past few days have brought a modicum of good news and some potentially quite bad news.

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Outdated Policies on Sexual Behavior in U.S. Military Adversely Affecting Women

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:00:00 EST

Barriers to birth control--from policies that portray sex as taboo to restrictions on long-term medical procedures--may be contributing to unintended pregnancies among U.S. servicewomen in combat

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Why Doctors Prescribe Off-Label Drugs

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Every prescription drug available in the U.S. has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration via a lengthy, expensive process of clinical trials. These trials show that the drug is safe and effective at treating a particular condition. But doctors often prescribe drugs off-label, for conditions they are not approved to treat. Here's why.

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White House Limits on Plan B Put Science in Backseat

Mon, 13 May 2013 06:00:00 EST

Responding to an April mandate from a federal district court that would make the emergency contraception drug Plan B available without a prescription to all women regardless of age, the Obama administration reduced current age restrictions on the pill from 17 to 15.

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The Story Behind a Miracle Cancer Drug [Excerpt]

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:05:00 EST

In The Philadelphia Chromosome journalist Jessica Wapner tells the story of the breakthrough cancer drug Gleevec, which has saved the lives of thousands of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and other cancers since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it in 2001. It was the first targeted cancer drug, developed after researchers identified the genetic mutation that gave rise to CML, and it set in motion the race to uncover the genetic roots of a wide range of cancers.

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Liver Hormone Offers Hope for Diabetes Treatment

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST

Biologists have found a hormone in the liver that spurs the growth of insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas, a discovery they hope will lead to new treatments for diabetes.

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Bitter Taste May Battle Asthma

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:05:08 EST

People with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other breathing disorders need fast relief when their airways tighten up. Unfortunately, the most commonly used medication has obnoxious side effects. But scientists recently discovered that a bitter taste can be a more effective treatment--and now they know why. The work is published in PLoS Biology . [Cheng-Hai Zhang et al., The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Bitter Tastant-Induced Bronchodilation ]

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In Second Case of Flawed Drug Research, FDA Response Was Slow and Secretive

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST

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FDA Lets Drugs Approved on Fraudulent Research Stay on the Market

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST

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Home Is Where the Health Is: Obamacare Positions Telehealth Tech as a Remedy for Chronic Hospital Readmissions

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:00:00 EST

Chances are, when patients check out of a hospital for home or another health care facility, they will end up back in the hospital within a month if they have not worked out the details and logistics for ongoing care. Too often such planning falls by the wayside, resulting in frequent hospital readmissions . [More]

Hospitals Fail to Take Simple Measures to Thwart Deadly Infections, Survey Says

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:00:00 EST

Few people check into a hospital expecting to come down with a severe case of diarrhea while undergoing care for an entirely unrelated problem. And even fewer expect to die of the hospital-acquired intestinal infection that causes the watery stools. Yet for approximately 14,000 Americans each year, that is exactly what happens. The culprit is a strain of a spore-forming bacterium known as Clostridium difficile, or C. diff --in particular, a relatively recent strain that has grown more virulent and resistant to drugs.

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Scientists Decipher the Healing Powers of Placebos (preview)

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST

Back in the 18th century, German physician Franz Mesmer peddled a concept called animal magnetism. Creatures contain a universal fluid, he asserted, that when blocked in flow, caused sickness. Mesmer used magnetized objects to redirect that flow in patients, initiating unusual body sensations, fainting, vomiting or violent convulsions that ended in profound salubrious effects.

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India Court Ruling Upholds Access to Cheaper, Generic Drugs

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST

India’s Supreme Court today rejected efforts by the Swiss drug major Novartis to patent the anticancer drug Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), in a ruling that signaled India’s determination to support affordable medicines.

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Serotonin Receptors Offer Clues to New Antidepressants

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:30:00 EST

Researchers have deciphered the molecular structures of two of the brain's crucial lock-and-key mechanisms. The two molecules are receptors for the natural neurotransmitter serotonin -- which regulates activities such as sleep, appetite and mood -- and could provide targets for future drugs to combat depression, migraines or obesity.

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Genetically Engineered Immune Cells Found to Rapidly Clear Leukemia Tumors

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST

Genetically engineered immune cells can drive an aggressive type of leukemia into retreat, a small clinical trial suggests.

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Painkillers Could Prove Helpful in Stem-Cell Transplants

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST

Aspirin-like drugs could improve the success of stem-cell transplants for patients with blood or bone-marrow disorders, a study suggests. The compounds coax stem cells from bone marrow into the bloodstream where they can be harvested for use in transplantation -- and they do so with fewer side effects than drugs now in use.

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Winter Cholesterol Rise May Boost Heart Risk

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:59:08 EST

Winter is high time for heart attacks. And while snow shoveling can pose a danger to your heart , the winter heart attack trend holds true in places that never see snow . [More]

Placebos Work Better for Nice People (preview)

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 06:30:00 EST

Having an agreeable personality might make you popular at work and lucky in love. It may also enhance your brain's built-in painkilling powers, boosting the placebo effect.

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