Health & Fitness

Investigators have designed a drug-delivery vehicle that consists of six arms joined by an elastic-coated core. The arms were loaded with the oral contraceptive drug levonorgestrel and folded up into a capsule that can be swallowed. Once in the stomach, the arms unfold and have a span that is larger than the opening of the human pylorus, helping the system stay in the stomach where it can release the drug over time.

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A simple health questionnaire could be a highly effective tool to pre-screen people for early signs of esophageal cancer, enabling much earlier diagnosis and treatment, finds a new study.

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Researchers have developed a more accurate method of measuring bispehnol A (BPA) levels in humans and found that exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical is far higher than previously assumed. The study provides the first evidence that the measurements relied upon by regulatory agencies, including the US Food and Drug Administration, are flawed, underestimating exposure levels by as much as 44 times.

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Women who initiate medical abortion but opt to stop in the middle of treatment may be at risk for serious blood loss, a study finds. Researchers found this is true even for women who use an experimental treatment that claims to 'reverse' the effects of the abortion pill. The study provides important insights into the safety of using high doses of progesterone during early pregnancy to try to stop a medical abortion.

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A newly engineered peptide called IBP-CP24 has the potential to be further developed as a long-acting anti-HIV drug that can be used alone or in combination with a broad neutralizing antibody for the treatment and prevention of HIV-1 infection, according to a new study.

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A study in mice shows for the first time that epigenetics -- the molecular mechanisms that determine which genes are turned on or off -- plays a key role in determining an individual's innate drive to exercise.

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Biomedical scientists have found that a drug approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis can repair permeability defects in the gut's epithelium.

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