Rob Stein appears in the following:
News Brief: Primary Results, Facebook In China, '3-Parent Babies'
Wednesday, June 06, 2018
We look at results after eight states had primary elections Tuesday. Also, Facebook gave data access to Chinese companies, and a look inside a controversial Ukrainian clinic making embryos.
Clinic Claims Success In Making Babies With 3 Parents' DNA
Wednesday, June 06, 2018
A clinic in Kiev, Ukraine, stirs controversy by making babies with DNA from three different people to help women who are infertile bear children. It's the only clinic known to be doing this right now.
Therapy Made From Patient's Immune System Shows Promise For Advanced Breast Cancer
Monday, June 04, 2018
An experimental therapy seems to have eradicated cancer in a patient with metastatic breast cancer who had failed every other treatment. The goal is to reliably repeat that success in more people.
FDA Panel Affirms Safety Of Painkiller Celebrex
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Food and Drug Administration advisers found that celecoxib poses no greater risk for heart attacks and strokes than prescription doses of popular pain relievers ibuprofen and naproxen do.
Gene Therapy For Inherited Blood Disorder Reduced Transfusions
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
A small study finds promise for using gene therapy to treat patients with beta-thalassemia, a blood condition that can cause severe anemia. The experimental treatment is in early development.
New York City Mice Carry Bacteria That Can Make People Sick
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
An analysis of mice in the Big Apple finds that many harbor bacteria that can make humans sick if exposed to the animals' droppings. Some of the bacterial strains were resistant to antibiotics.
Financial Ruin Can Be Hazardous To Your Health
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
People who experience a sharp drop in wealth face a much higher risk of dying over the next 20 years, according to a study of more than 8,000 adults in the U.S.
FDA Advances Plan To Slash Nicotine In Cigarettes
Thursday, March 15, 2018
The Food and Drug Administration wants to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to levels so low that millions of smokers will be able to quit and millions more people will never take up the habit.
Test For Breast Cancer Gene Will Be Available In Weeks
Wednesday, March 07, 2018
The FDA approved the first test that people can get without a doctor to see if they carry a genetic mutation that increases their risk for cancer. The test looks for three mutations.
Jump In Overdoses Shows Opioid Epidemic Has Worsened
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2017, with some places showing even more dramatic spikes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Doctors In China Lead Race To Treat Cancer By Editing Genes
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
More than a third of patients with cancer of the esophagus responded to experimental treatment in China with the gene-editing technique CRISPR. Several CRISPR studies are underway there.
FDA Panel Gives Qualified Support To Claims For 'Safer' Smoking Device
Thursday, January 25, 2018
An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration recommends the agency accept Philip Morris' claims that its iQOS device, a cigarette alternative, reduces exposure to harmful chemicals.
Chinese Scientists Clone Monkeys Using Method That Created Dolly The Sheep
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
A team of researchers has produced two macaque monkey clones using a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer. It's a first for primates. The advance could hasten research into human diseases.
Flu Season Is Shaping Up To Be A Nasty One, CDC Says
Friday, January 12, 2018
The flu season started early this year and is already widespread throughout the country and intense in dozens of states. But it's not too late to get that flu shot, officials say.
Flu Sickens Thousands Across The Country
Friday, January 12, 2018
Fears that this winter would bring a nasty flu season appear to be coming true. Health officials say this year's season started early and it's hitting hard.
Life Expectancy Drops Again As Opioid Deaths Surge In U.S.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
The opioid epidemic caused U.S. life expectancy to fall for the second year in a row, marking the first time that has happened since the early 1960s. Death rates also continued to rise.
Scientists Use Gene Editing To Prevent A Form Of Deafness In Mice
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Success with a new gene-editing technique in mice prone to deafness highlights the potential for using it to prevent a form of inherited hearing loss in humans. But it has many hurdles to overcome.
Food And Drug Administration Plans Crackdown On Risky Homeopathic Remedies
Monday, December 18, 2017
FDA says homeopathy has grown into a $3 billion industry with treatments being sold for conditions ranging from the common cold to cancer. The agency will prioritize action against unsafe products.
Could Probiotics Protect Kids From A Downside Of Antibiotics?
Monday, December 11, 2017
Many marketing claims about the potential benefits of probiotics have raced ahead of the science, say researchers who are now trying to catch up. One NIH study is investigating kids' gut microbes.
Gene Therapy Shows Promise For A Growing List Of Diseases
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
After decades of hope and disappointment, doctors have now been able to treat several different types of genetic conditions by giving each patient a healthy version of their defective gene.