Boston, MA – Two chemicals widely used to flavor electronic cigarettes may be impairing the function of cilia in the human airway, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Cilia are antennae-like protuberances that are present on 50-75% of the cells that line human airways. They play a…
I asked Claire to take the test after our third date. Things had gone well — hands touching, knees skimming, heads close. By the time I flopped into bed, I was flush with possibility. I was also quite drunk. Claire had sounded intrigued by the 16 Personalities test, so I texted her the link. Then…
A member of the Sackler family that owns OxyContin’s maker directed the company to put a premium on selling high dosages of its potentially addicting painkillers, according to new disclosures in a lawsuit. Richard Sackler, a son of a founder of Purdue Pharma and its onetime president, told company officials in 2008 to “measure our…
Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis that commonly develops in people with psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes a rapid buildup of skin cells. These cells form patches of itchy, often irritating skin that doctors call plaques. Changes in the nails are common symptoms of both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. However, psoriatic…
Inside a bitsy fish store in Brooklyn, Lana Condor switched the blowtorch on. “Power!” she said brightly on a cold Friday morning, as a blade of butane flame shot from the canister. “Oh yeah.” Ms. Condor, 21, who wields a sword as a teenage assassin in the new Syfy action series “Deadly Class,” is an…
“Wait —” is a weekly newsletter in which Caity Weaver investigates an unanswered (and possibly unasked) question in the news and pop culture. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox. Cats: Some people mummify them so that they can function as their private secretaries to the gods; some people are afraid they’re going…
Leopard skirts are always on my mind. Every Influencer on Instagram has one, which serves as a constant reminder that I need one too. The skirt makes me believe the whole “dress it up and down” scheme actually exists. It’s wild enough for a night out, but it won’t look out of place at the…
Syphilis, which the bacterium Treponema pallidum causes, is a form of sexually transmitted infection. There are four stages of syphilis. The infection can be serious or cause severe complications without treatment. Primary syphilis includes the first sign of syphilis, which is typically a small and painless sore near the genitals, anus, or mouth, near the…
Does perineal massage work to prevent tearing? I mean both prenatally as “prep” for birth and during the birth itself, or both? — @LaraLeeRasberry via Twitter Short take Perineal massage during pregnancy and during delivery can reduce tearing and the need for an episiotomy (a surgical incision to enlarge the vaginal opening during childbirth). The…
Mom and Dad have been married for 45 years. Their relationship seems O.K. But at my father’s 70th birthday party, I asked him if he had a wish. He said, “I wish I was one of your mother’s old boyfriends. She’s always positive about them, but criticizes and complains about me. She might have been…