Medical Treatments

Nearly two-thirds of cell mutations that cause cancer are caused by random error, a study found.

Cancer Is Partly Caused By Bad Luck, Study Finds

6:34pm March 23, 2017

by Richard Harris

Researchers have long known behavior, environment and genetics play a role in cancer. A study in Science finds luck is also a major factor. Nearly two-thirds of cancer mutations arise randomly.

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Of the million or so Americans a year who get sepsis, roughly 300,000 die. Unfortunately, many treatments for the condition have looked promising in small, preliminary studies, only to fail in follow-up research.

Doctor Turns Up Possible Treatment For Deadly Sepsis

9:15am March 23, 2017

by Richard Harris

Research hasn't yet confirmed the early hints that a mix of IV vitamins and steroids might stop the fatal organ failure of sepsis. But an effective treatment for sepsis would be a really big deal.

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The Government Accountability Office will investigate potential abuses of the Orphan Drug Act.

GAO Will Investigate Skyrocketing Prices For Orphan Drugs

4:20pm March 22, 2017

by Sarah Jane Tribble

The Orphan Drug Act was created to help patients with rare diseases get life-saving medications. But soaring prices suggest the law is being manipulated to increase profits.

A textured breast implant, left, and a smooth breast implant.

Breast Implants Linked To Rare Blood Cancer In Small Proportion Of Women

2:05pm March 22, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

The FDA says breast implants with textured surfaces are linked to at least 203 cancer cases, and that nine women have died. Nearly 300,000 people get breast implants each year in the U.S.

Scientists have developed a smartphone app to measure sperm count at home.

A Smartphone Can Accurately Test Sperm Count

2:03pm March 22, 2017

by Madeline K. Sofia

Measuring the quality of those little swimmers usually requires a trip to the doctor. Researchers have come up with a smartphone accessory that would let men do that at home in less than five seconds.

Embryoids like this one are created from stem cells and resemble very primitive human embryos. Scientists are studying them in hopes of learning more about basic human biology and development.

Harvard Scientists Call For Better Rules To Guide Research On 'Embryoids'

8:01am March 21, 2017

by Rob Stein

Some recent studies in synthetic biology, they say, raise new questions about the ethical limits of creating entities that might feel pain or resemble human embryos — or mimic humans in other ways.

More doctors are using ketamine to treat severe depression in patients who haven't responded to other treatments.

Ketamine For Severe Depression: 'How Do You Not Offer This Drug to People?'

4:39pm March 20, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

More and more doctors are offering ketamine, an anesthetic and club drug, to severely depressed patients who haven't responded to other treatments.

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A prisoner works on the lawn at the Dade Correctional Institution In 2014, in Florida City, Fla. On Friday, Miami-Dade prosecutor Katherine Fernandez Rundle found no wrongdoing in the death of mentally ill prisoner Darren Rainey, who was locked in a showe

After Schizophrenic Inmate Dies In A Shower, Florida Prosecutor Finds No Wrongdoing

6:44pm March 19, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Four years after Darren Rainey died in a prison shower, the Miami-Dade prosecutor decided against charging any officers. Since the 1960s, the mentally ill have increasingly been housed in prisons.

Gilead Sciences Inc. makes the two leading drugs that can quickly cure hepatitis C infections. But most patients can't afford the expensive drugs, and states restrict their use among Medicaid patients.

Should The U.S. Government Buy A Drug Company To Save Money?

4:31pm March 17, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Most of the millions in the U.S. who are infected with hepatitis C can't afford the cure. Some say the U.S. could save money and cure more people if it bought the drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc.

By combining results of common blood tests, the researchers were able to come up with a way to predict risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Common Blood Tests Can Help Predict Chronic Disease Risk

2:46pm March 17, 2017

by Katherine Hobson

The creators of the risk assessment score say they want to help primary care physicians better identify patients who need extra counseling and follow-up.