Medical Treatments

Bacteriophages, in red, look like tiny aliens, with big heads and skinny bodies. They use their "legs" to stick to and infect a bacterial cell, in blue.

Your Gut's Gone Viral, And That Might Be Good For Your Health

8:23pm August 29, 2016

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Think of it as a gift within a gift. Some beneficial gut bacteria contain viruses called "bacteriophages." And some of these phages now have been associated with good intestinal health in humans.

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Many people get antidepressants when they might not need them.

Depression Treatment Often Doesn't Go To Those Most In Need

3:52pm August 29, 2016

by Zhai Yun Tan

Most people with depression aren't getting treatment, a study finds, while people who aren't depressed are prescribed antidepressants they don't need. Ethnicity and income have a lot to do with that.

The amoebas that can cause rare brain infections resemble white blood cells under the microscope.

A Young Woman Dies, A Teen Is Saved After Amoebas Infect The Brain

2:00pm August 28, 2016

In Florida, perfect timing and alert medical staff saved a teen from almost certain death. But in North Carolina, one young woman died of an amoeba infection after rafting at a popular tourist site.

Mother Calls EpiPen Price Hike 'A Matter Of Life And Death'

5:15pm August 27, 2016

Lawmakers are demanding answers after the maker of an allergy treatment raised the price from about $100 per pack to about $600 per pack in seven years. Parents say they can't afford it.

All U.S. Blood Donations Should Be Screened For Zika, FDA Says

4:29pm August 26, 2016

by Joe Neel

The recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration represent a major expansion in testing blood for Zika. The agency had earlier advised testing only in areas with an active outbreak.

Lenroy Watt talks with residents of Miami's Little Haiti about Zika, leaving brochures in Creole about how to prevent the illness, as well as phone numbers for local mosquito control agencies and the county health department.

Planned Parenthood Joins Campaign To Rid Miami Neighborhoods Of Zika

5:04am August 26, 2016

by Greg Allen

The organization is going door to door in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods. The goal: Reach 25,000 households in six weeks with information about Zika prevention and family planning services.

The cost of an EpiPen two-pack has risen more than 400 percent in recent years. The drug is used to halt severe allergic reactions.

Discounts Aren't Enough to Halt Outrage At High EpiPen Prices

6:28pm August 25, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

EpiPen, the new poster child for prescription drug price gouging, may find that offering discount coupons isn't enough to mollify its critics in Congress and online.

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These pills were made to look like Oxycodone, but they're actually an illicit form of the potent painkiller fentanyl. A surge in police seizures of illicit fentanyl parallels a rise in overdose deaths.

Illegally Made Fentanyl Seems To Be Fueling A Spike In Overdoses

3:23pm August 25, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Fentanyl is showing up in heroin and counterfeit pain pills, and users may not even know they're taking the extremely potent drug.

By testing tumors, researchers hoped to identify women who could avoid chemotherapy without increasing their risk of a cancer recurrence.

Study Of Breast Cancer Treatment Reveals Paradox Of Precision Medicine

1:30pm August 25, 2016

by Richard Harris

A genetic test of breast cancer tumors helped identify women whose survival odds would not be greatly improved by chemotherapy. But that test isn't as precise as women and doctors might like.

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Scopes used to diagnose gastrointestinal problems are typically cleaned and reused.

Gas Relief Drops May Raise Risk Of Contaminated Medical Scopes

5:00am August 25, 2016

by Chad Terhune

A common over-the-counter medication used during procedures might make scopes harder to clean and increase the risk of contamination. It could put people at risk of infection, a small study finds.