Medical Treatments

A doctor uses a microscrope to view a human egg during in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is used to fertilize eggs that have been frozen.

Women Can Freeze Their Eggs For The Future, But At A Cost

6:35pm October 16, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

Until recently, freezing human eggs was reserved for young women at risk of infertility due to cancer treatments. But some companies now pay for it for healthy women who want to delay motherhood.

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Fecal transplant pills help patients avoid invasive procedures while restoring healthy gut bacteria.

Frozen Poop Pills Fight Life-Threatening Infections

11:46am October 15, 2014

by Nancy Shute

The antibiotic-resistant bacteria C. difficile can be deadly. Fecal transplants often can cure infections but have a major ick factor. Capsules of fecal matter deliver the cure more politely.

Study Finds Human Stem Cells May Help To Treat Patients

6:37am October 15, 2014

by Rob Stein

For the first time, scientists are reporting that human embryonic stem cells may be helping treat patients — in one instance, the cells seem to been enabling some blind people to see better.

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A scene from the Ivy and Bean poster on vaccinating against measles.

A Polar Bear Might Keep The Measles Away, But Shots Work Better

4:32pm October 14, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Sophie Blackall, illustrator of the best-selling Ivy and Bean books, has enlisted her heroines in the effort to eradicate measles. They decide that a shot is more practical than moving to the moon.

Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., was the first to report a surge of children with serious respiratory illness in August.

4 Things We've Learned About Enterovirus D68, And 1 Mystery

8:15am October 13, 2014

by Nancy Shute

The outbreak of serious respiratory illness in children was a big surprise; it was caused by an obscure virus rarely seen in the U.S. Two doctors on the front lines explain what they've learned.

Health & Safety

32 Myths About The Flu Vaccine You Don't Need To Fear

8:14am October 13, 2014

by Tara Haelle

Vaccination isn't a perfect defense against flu. But vaccines remain the most reliable way to reduce the risk from an illness that causes thousands of deaths in the U.S. during a typical flu season.

The slide on the right has been treated with a coating that repels blood.

Slippery When Coated: Helping Medical Devices Prevent Blood Clots

8:13am October 13, 2014

by Joe Palca

When blood flows over an artificial surface, whether it's an implanted pacemaker or tubing for a dialysis machine, there's an increased risk that a dangerous clot will form.

Icon Genetics' Dr. Frank Thieme selects samples of Nicotiana benthamiana, a relative of tobacco, growing in a company greenhouse in Halle, Germany. The company uses the plants to produce antibodies that could be helpful for increasing supplies of ZMapp.

Answering Your Questions About Ebola Treatments And Vaccines

6:43pm October 10, 2014

We answer listeners' questions about treatments and possible vaccines for Ebola.

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A helmet and pads won't prevent every fracture — but they help.

Sloppy Splinting Can Make A Child's Broken Arm Much Worse

6:17pm October 10, 2014

by Deborah Franklin

A pediatrician who specializes in fixing broken bones in kids and teens says about 90 percent of the fractures he treats have been splinted improperly in a community ER or urgent care center first.

Insulin is produced by the green cells that are in clusters about the same size as the islets in the human pancreas. The red cells are producing another metabolic hormone, glucagon, that prevents low blood sugar.

Scientists Coax Human Embryonic Stem Cells Into Making Insulin

6:28pm October 09, 2014

by Rob Stein

Researchers have found a way to mass- produce the pancreatic cells that are insulin factories inside the body. The findings could eventually lead to treatments that would transform diabetes care.

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