medical research

I'm Fasting For Science: Will It Help Tame My Multiple Sclerosis?

6:00am January 08, 2017

by Brandie Jefferson

I like to eat, often and a lot. But when I heard about a medical study looking at whether fasting might tame the painful symptoms of MS, I was all in. Then I ate that 7 a.m. bagel.

In a cluster of glowing human stem cells, one cell divides. The cell membrane is shown in purple, while DNA in the dividing nucleus is blue. The white fibers linking the nucleus are spindles, which aid in cell division.

Glowing Human Cells May Shed Light On Sickness And Health

3:24pm November 30, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers who developed a collection of human stem cells with glowing internal structures have begun sharing them with colleagues. The glow reveals the secret workings of cells.

Medical researchers are including more patient voices in the discussion of how research is carried out.

Patients Increasingly Influence The Direction Of Medical Research

12:13pm November 28, 2016

by Richard Harris

Medical researchers are no longer ignoring the people who have the most to gain — or lose. But as patient advocates become more influential, they risk being co-opted by the biomedical industry.

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Tommy, a repeat patient at the Supportive Place for Observation and Treatment in Boston, says the room has saved lives.

In Boston's 'Safe Space,' Surprising Insights Into Drug Highs

3:39pm August 08, 2016

by Martha Bebinger

As doctors and nurses learn more about what the body goes through during drug use, they are changing the treatment they provide for patients on heroin and other drugs.

Is It Time To Stop Using Race In Medical Research?

1:15pm February 05, 2016

by Angus Chen

Medical researchers often use race to define health risks. But a geneticist and a sociologist say racial categories don't accurately reflect who people are, and that science has to change.

Journal editors want researchers to unlock the data vault.

Journal Editors To Researchers: Show Everyone Your Clinical Data

3:19pm January 26, 2016

by Harlan Krumholz

The world's leading medical journals have a proposal that could transform medical science: Researchers would have to publicly share their clinical data to get their studies published.

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Just because you use insulin doesn't mean you have Type 1 diabetes.

What's Your Type? With Diabetes, It Can Be Unclear

2:48pm January 25, 2016

by Miriam E. Tucker

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are two different conditions, but people can get confused over which is which. Some doctors say it's time to overhaul diabetes definitions.

Is It Safe For Medical Residents To Work 30-Hour Shifts?

4:15pm December 07, 2015

by Rob Stein

Young doctors being trained at dozens of hospitals around the country are being asked to work up to 30 hours straight as part of a study. Critics say the study is risky and unethical.

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Ronald Davis cares for his 31-year-old son, Whitney Dafoe. Dafoe is seriously ill with ME/CFS. His father, a Stanford University professor, is organizing a study of the disorder.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Gains Funding, And Controversy

4:46pm November 04, 2015

by Miriam E. Tucker

The National Institutes of Health has promised to put more money into research on an illness that many people feel has been dissed by the medical establishment.

If A New Cancer Drug Is Hailed As A Breakthrough, Odds Are It's Not

3:23pm October 29, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Untested cancer drugs are often hyped by journalists, doctors and biotech firms, a survey finds. Dressing up unproved medications with shiny words can inspire false optimism among patients.