It was a medical miracle: Surgery that made it possible for babies born with heart defects to live to adulthood. But for some, those mended hearts start to falter decades later.

Sure, she felt sick, but it was probably just stress. She had to make it to the crucial meeting at her son's school and solve the day care problem. But all along her heart was whispering, "enough."

John Rummel, NASA's planetary protection officer, works to protect alien life from us

In the U.S., VapoRub goes on a sick child's chest. In Russia, it might go on the soles of the feet. Cultural norms have a big effect on how we diagnose and treat illnesses, especially at home.

Zachary Briley's family found out that even though he was developmentally disabled, his disappearance was not classified as an emergency. Laws that protect adults' rights can make searches difficult.

Our experience with the rubella virus, which can cause miscarriages or serious birth defects if a woman gets infected while pregnant, may help scientists figure out how to combat Zika virus.

People who are sad have a harder time seeing yellow and blue, an experiment finds, but they can see green and red just fine. It might have something to do with dopamine receptors in the brain.

Statins made her feel wretched, so she took a DNA test to find out why. But even the doctor with the genetic testing company admits that the test doesn't tell you much more than you already know.

Doctors hand out cholesterol-lowering statins like breath mints, but like any drug they come with risks. Less heart disease, sure, a slightly higher risk of diabetes, too. So what's a person to do?

On a Friday afternoon in 2009, Hans Loland was battling his insurance company to get into a phase I trial for ponatinib, an investigational drug for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) developed by Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (http://www.ariad.com). Loland, in his early 40s and an analyst for Microsoft, was to begin preparations for a bone marrow transplant the following Monday. He had failed first-line treatment with imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) and had spent three months on dasatinib (Sprycel), a se

Tobacco has been used for centuries despite its health risks. Cigarettes are hard to quit because they deliver nicotine, a potent and addictive drug, along with “tar.” But now nicotine is angling for redemption in the form of a new class of CNS drugs targeting neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs) also known as neuronal acetylcholine nicotinic receptors (nAChRs), which modulate the flow of neurotransmitters throughout the brain and nervous system.

While our understanding of cancer is becoming increasingly nuanced, we still don't know why some people get certain cancers and others do not, nor why cancers behave differently in some patients. “Virtually every man will get prostate cancer if he lives long enough.” says David Steffen, Ph.D., director, Bioinformatics Research, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor University. “For most it isn't serious. For a few it is.” According to Steffen, even with a careful statistical study

Pain is one of the body's main warning systems, but when nerves malfunction, they may spontaneously amplify benign stimuli such as heat, cold, and light pressure, generating pain signals. This becomes a debilitating condition known as neuropathic pain, usually associated with nerve trauma or diseases such as diabetic neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, viral infections, or the course of cancer chemotherapy. It can also follow injury to the spinal cord or damage from a stroke. Recent studies suggest

Diabetes mellitus is a progressive disorder that prevents the body from effectively regulating blood glucose levels. Patients with Type II diabetes either do not make enough insulin or become resistant to it. In contrast, Type I diabetes, otherwise known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease in which an individual loses the ability to produce insulin.

Autism has received considerable attention in the past few years; some say its incidence is increasing. Upon closer examination, however, the picture blurs. A nascent initiative in Boston, the Boston Autism Consortium, may represent a pragmatic model for dealing with complex diseases, one that involves different institutions collaborating rather than competing and applying research directly to patient care.

Antibodies, the sentinels of the immune system, are “Y” shaped, globular proteins with sites that bind to specific antigens. Antibodies are produced by B lymphocytes in response to stimulation by an antigen. Antibodies are versatile; they can bind to proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids, making them eminently useful in the development of diagnostics and drugs for the treatment of autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases, as well as cancers.

Hypertension gives no warning signs. Left untreated, it can lead to kidney and heart disease, retinal damage, and stroke. Its root causes are mostly unknown. About 190 million people in developed countries suffer from hypertension. The American Heart Association estimates nearly one in three U.S. adults have high blood pressure and that over a third of them do not effectively control it.