Health & Science

Latest Highlights

The Jefferson breach is part of a larger problem. A database has documented 121 such lapses since September 2009.

Computer with patient data stolen from Jefferson

By Josh Goldstein, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted 07/30/2010

A laptop computer with health and personal information on 21,000 patients was stolen from an office at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia in June.

Rescued croc finds new home in Montco
Beach at Jersey Shore closed after shark sighting

Hybrid treatment procedures are gaining ground
Two experts reveal the simple secrets of heart health
Tales from the heart: Locals share stories

Study of virus fossils offers clues to surviving infection - 07/30/2010: By Tom Avril, Inquirer Staff Writer

Most creatures, if they leave behind evidence of their existence, do so in the form of fossils buried in the earth. Viruses, on the other hand, can leave genetic "fossils" woven into the DNA of animals that they have infected - accounting for a surprising 8 percent of the genome in humans, for example.
Patients, hospitals wrestle over tumor tissue - 07/29/2010: By Stacey Burling, Inquirer Staff Writer

All Niki Perry wanted was pieces of her own brain, and she got angrier by the day as she tried to get them.
Pennsylvania towns get more time to develop storm-water plans - 07/28/2010: By Sandy Bauers, Inquirer Staff Writer

After months of trying to impose tough new rules for how towns should manage their storm water, Pennsylvania regulators on Tuesday backed off and granted municipalities a nine-month extension for measures some had termed "draconian."
A step forward after face transplant - 07/27/2010: By Daniel Woolls, Associated Press

MADRID, Spain - A Spanish man who underwent the world's first full face transplant appeared before TV cameras Monday for the first time since his surgery, thanking his doctors and the family of the donor.
Downy mildew threatens New Jersey basil crop again - 07/24/2010: By Edward Colimore, Inquirer Staff Writer

South Jersey farmers in the Vineland area spotted the fungus about two weeks ago. Sweet basil plants were yellowing, and brown spores appeared on the underside of the herb's leaves.
Sweaty misery in Philadelphia - 07/24/2010: By Tom Avril, Inquirer Staff Writer

You want hot? Try standing in front of a furnace at Metlab, a Wyndmoor company where workers use high heat to harden steel. Typical summer temperature on the plant floor: 110 degrees, up to 130 if you stand near a furnace.

Sweaty misery in Philadelphia - 07/24/2010: By Tom Avril, Inquirer Staff Writer

Healthcare debate: Dental care lacking for millions - 07/26/2010: By Brooke Minters, Inquirer Staff Writer

It began with a toothache. Tori Pence, 23, could feel the hole that had suddenly developed on her tooth, and she couldn't stand either hot or cold food. The bespectacled girl with electric-blue hair had worked a string of odd jobs and hadn't seen a dentist for at least five years.
GreenSpace: Concern for the peril of personal-care products - 07/26/2010: By Sandy Bauers, Inquirer GreenSpace Columnist

The wrinkles are here, and more are surely coming. Time for potion intervention. But trying to figure out not only which cosmetics work, but also which ones are good for me and the planet is so complicated that it's just producing more wrinkles.
Gel for women shows promise in preventing AIDS - 07/26/2010: By Faye Flam, Inquirer Staff Writer

Nearly three decades into the AIDS epidemic, scientists may have finally come up with the first product to block HIV infection since the condom.
Ask Dr. H: Pregnancy at age 50-plus - 07/26/2010: By Mitchell Hecht, For The Inquirer

Question: How can a woman in her 50s have a baby when she's no longer menstruating? Answer: The answer is egg donation. Women who are beyond the point of normal conception and pregnancy may participate in assisted reproduction programs using in-vitro fertilization of a donated egg. Besides the egg, these women also must be given supplemental estrogen and progesterone in order to maintain a pregnancy after menopause.
Physicists hunt for a trace of the elusive, invisible geoneutrino - 07/19/2010: By Faye Flam, Inquirer Staff Writer

Princeton University proclaimed this month that some of its physicists had helped discover an invisible particle known as a geoneutrino.
A Mr. Fix-It aims to repair bodies using naturopathy - 07/19/2010: Randy Aiken believes his hands are "gifts." He can turn a wrench with authority. His practical skills are broad. In winter, he delivers fuel oil. He also installs and repairs heating and air-conditioning systems. He is a plumber and electrician. He removes asbestos and inspects buildings for structural soundness.

Scrubbing In: Young ophthalmologist learned from her patients - 07/19/2010: By Rachel K. Sobel, For The Inquirer
We are quick to notice a hottie's gaze - 07/19/2010
Ask Dr. H: The leading cause of fatty liver is obesity - 07/19/2010: By Mitchell Hecht, For The Inquirer

Health & Science Columns and Blogs

BLOGS

GreenSpace

Inquirer environmental reporter Sandy Bauers writes on how to live a more ecologically sensitive life.

CheckUp

Inquirer health & science reporter Josh Goldstein writes on health care quality, patient safety, clinical care and hospitals.

Column

Scrubbing In: Young ophthalmologist learned from her patients

It's hard to conceive that just three years ago, I walked into my residency program at Wills Eye Institute without knowing how to take an eye pressure or examine someone's retina. In medical school, ophthalmology is an elective. So when you show up for residency, you really don't know much about the eye.

Ask Dr. H: Pregnancy at age 50-plus

By Mitchell Hecht, For The Inquirer