Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that the rate of weight loss surgery in the U.S., including lap band and gastric bypass, went up by 700% between 2005 and 2007. But we already knew that the …
Medicine
Did the Rise of Cities Help HIV Take Off?
In this week’s Science, researchers led by Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona and Preston Marx of the Tulane National Primate Research Center looked at the history of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) — the primate …
Whooping Cough Cases May Break Record in California
With nine deaths and 4,017 illnesses reported, California is on track to break a 55-year record in pertussis, or whooping cough, infections — a highly contagious upper respiratory illness that affects children in …
A New Artificial Ovary May Someday Boost Women’s Success with In Vitro
For the first time, human eggs have been matured in a three-dimensional “artificial ovary,” a development that could one day make in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment easier and more effective.
Study: Can We Tell Our Genes to Make Us Fat?
The fight against obesity has engaged many fields of medicine: genetics to predict it; nutrition to prevent it; surgery to manage it; and endocrinology to deal with one of its biggest side effects, diabetes.
Are You a Type D Personality? Your Heart May Be at Risk
Stress is a major contributor to heart disease, so it’s no surprise that researchers have associated anxious Type A personalities with a greater risk of heart attack. Now they’ve connected another personality profile with heart …
All Together Now: Eeeeuuuww!
Here’s a tip: If you ever use a public restroom at New York’s Penn Station, consider buying a hazmat suit first and decontaminating before you rejoin the world. Many commuters passing through the station — and the bathroom — …
The Mysterious Case of Donald T., Autism’s First Child
The Atlantic has an absorbing tale in the current issue about the first person ever diagnosed with autism. The man, now 77, is named Donald Gray Triplett and the story’s authors tracked him down in Mississippi where — 74 years after he was institutionalized for exhibiting introverted behavior — he spends his days playing golf, …
6 Common Sources of Radiation In Your Life
If you watch TV or use a cell phone, you’re getting radiation. If you smoke cigarettes, you’re definitely getting it too.
Are HIV Rates in Gay Men Really ‘Out of Control’?
I was a little surprised by the recent news that HIV transmission “seems to be out of control” among gay men in Europe. That “out of control” quote is what got me — it’s a direct quote from a respected scientific …
Childhood Cancer Has Its Gold-Ribbon Day
Monday was National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, a time set aside by the U.S. Senate to brandish gold ribbons and focus attention on pediatric cancer. It can all seem quite abstract when talking about the thousands of children who receive a cancer diagnosis each year. But break it down to smaller numbers, like the 46 kids who learn …
A Test to Predict High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Is on the Horizon
Preeclampsia is one of those terms you probably wouldn’t hear until your pregnancy test turns up positive. Then, regular prenatal urine and blood pressure screenings alert you to the condition, if they detect something awry.
Study: Cancer Deaths Decline in Europe, but New Cases Rise
As cancer treatment gets more sophisticated, a diagnosis no longer means a death sentence. But while dying of cancer is less likely, a European study finds that the rate of developing cancer is higher than ever.
