Should Kratom Use Be Legal?
Thailand is considering legalizing kratom as a safer alternative for meth addicts, and U.S. researchers are studying its potential to help opiate abusers kick the habit without withdrawal side effects. Is that a good thing?
Study Finds Most Drug Commercials Misleading
Ads for over-the-counter drugs are worse than those that require a prescription
Scientists to Bacteria: Resistance Is Futile
By taking advantage of evolutionary principles, researchers may have found a way to outwit some pathogens that ordinarily become resistant to antibiotics. Wayt Gibbs reports.
A To-Do List for Parkinson’s Researchers
Actor Michael J. Fox is in good enough health to return to prime time TV, but neurodegeneration researchers still have more work to do
New Treatment for Gonorrhea Prevents Reinfection
A nanoparticle-based cancer therapy has been found to thwart an antibiotic-resistant, sexually transmitted infection in mice
Foot Cream Kills HIV by Tricking Cells to Commit Suicide
Ciclopirox is currently approved by the FDA as a topical antifungal cream (Credit: Fougera) A common drug that dermatologists turn to treat nail fungus appears to come with a not-so-tiny side effect: eradicating HIV .
Debate Builds over Regulation of Bisphenol A and Other Endocrine Disruptors
Leading toxicologists and endocrinologists are trading barbs over chemicals linked to developmental problems in humans and the best ways to serve public health
Pandemic Flu Plan Predicts 30 Percent of U.S. Could Fall Ill
A newly declassified government plan for a flu pandemic suggests a challenging scenario, as vaccine production could take months and basic services could be disrupted
CDC to Issue Guidance on Controlling Superbugs
Next week the nation’s top public health officials will lay out a plan to help control the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Standard Vaccines Can Offer Protection against H5N1 Pandemic Avian Flu
A test vaccine has been found to be protective against a synthetic version of the H5N1 virus, but the result might not predict performance on real pandemic H5N1
Vaccinated Kids Show No Long-Term Ill Effects
No measurable increase in risk for neurological conditions could be found in a large cohort of pre-adolescent children who had been vaccinated on schedule when infants. Wayt Gibbs reports
Randomized Treatments May Be More Effective at Stopping Disease Outbreaks
Mathematicians have found that by varying the timing of treatments, doctors may be able to increase the odds that a disease outbreak will die off suddenly