Sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection, is a common cause of deaths in hospitals, according to a new report. The study looked at 568 people who had died in hospitals and whose average age was 70. More than half had sepsis, and it was the immediate cause of death for nearly 200 of them; another…
By the 1950s, men had been seeking — and failing to find — a remedy for hair loss since at least 1550 B.C., when doctors in ancient Egypt recommended anointing bald scalps with the fat of a Nubian ibex or a crushed black lizard boiled in oil. Then along came a young dermatologist named Norman…
A member of the family that owns the manufacturer of OxyContin repeatedly gave testimony in a lawsuit that conflicts with details in a report by federal prosecutors, newly disclosed court papers indicate. Dr. Richard Sackler, who was once president of the company, Purdue Pharma, and is the son of one of its founders, said under…
Asthma makes people’s airways hyperreactive, causing them to get smaller and often resulting in difficulty breathing. While it is not always possible to prevent asthma, people can try to avoid risk factors such as smoking, being overweight, and having prolonged exposure to air pollution. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asthma…
BEIJING — The authorities called it a free health check. Tahir Imin had his doubts. They drew blood from the 38-year-old Muslim, scanned his face, recorded his voice and took his fingerprints. They didn’t bother to check his heart or kidneys, and they rebuffed his request to see the results. “They said, ‘You don’t have…
Animation by Millie Georgiadis/Indiana University School of MedicineCredit In 1985, the chemist Steven A. Benner sat down with some colleagues and a notebook and sketched out a way to expand the alphabet of DNA. He has been trying to make those sketches real ever since. On Thursday, Dr. Benner and a team of scientists reported…
The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Johnson & Johnson over concerns about possible asbestos contamination of its popular baby powder and other talc-based products, the company said Wednesday. In a securities filing, Johnson & Johnson said it was “cooperating with these government inquiries and will be producing documents in response” to…
A recent study concludes that just a relatively short course of acupuncture could significantly reduce some of the most unpleasant symptoms of menopause. Researchers put acupuncture to the test once again. Menopause typically begins in the sixth decade of life and continues for an average of 4–5 years. The symptoms of menopause can reduce overall…
Millennials, beware: Your grandparents are about to start calling you for help downloading the new Medicare smartphone app. The iPhone and Android app, which launched Feb. 6, is called “What’s Covered,” and true to its name, it mostly answers one simple, yes-or-no question: Is this medical procedure covered by traditional Medicare? Milt Roney, a 71-year-old…
It sometimes seems baffling to me: I put my life on the line for research to produce a cancer medication that — if and when it is put on the market — I probably could not afford. Its miraculous prolongation of my existence, for which I am ever grateful, deepens my concern about those who…