Edition: U.S. / Global

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Health

Matter

Unraveling the Key to a Cold Virus’s Effectiveness

New research suggests that lower temperatures help rhinoviruses get past the immune system.

Well

To Treat Depression, Drugs or Therapy?

Stuart Bradford

One day soon, we may be able to quickly scan a patient’s brain, check his brain activity “fingerprint” and select an antidepressant or psychotherapy accordingly.

The iChip is used to find teixobactin.
Slava Epstein/Northeastern University

The iChip is used to find teixobactin.

Researchers reported that a new drug, extracted from a soil sample, easily cured infections in mice, with no side effects.

The Upshot

Study Finds More Reasons to Get and Stay Married

Even as fewer people are marrying, the disadvantages of remaining single have broad implications.

The Upshot

The Drugs That Companies Promote to Doctors Are Rarely Breakthroughs

The money spent to influence doctors tends to be in the service of newer drugs that are “fairly redundant.”

The Upshot

Methodology of Calculating Company Payments to Doctors

The pharmaceutical and medical device industries have not made it easy to track their expenditures on doctors and teaching hospitals.

Health Premiums Rise More Slowly, but Workers Shoulder More of Cost

In part because of wage stagnation, even smaller rises in health care costs are less affordable, a study by the Commonwealth Fund said.

The Upshot

A Rhode Island Rule on Health Enrollment Offers a Consumer Experiment

The federal government opted to automatically re-enroll health insurance customers at the end of 2014; Rhode Island decided to make them shop again.

For First Time, F.D.A. Panel Approves Generic Copy of Costly Biologic Drug

The group of experts endorsed a close version of the cancer drug Neupogen, which could open the door to more such biosimilar medicines.

A Race to the Front Row

Like fashion shows, gyms have their status-symbol front rows, too, and the scramble is on for those coveted spots.

Texas Abortion Clinic Rules Tested in Appeals Court

The rules could force more than half the remaining abortion providers in Texas to close.

New York Vaccine Requirement Is Lawful, a 2nd Court Says

An appeals panel ruled on Wednesday that requiring children to be vaccinated before attending public school does not violate their constitutional rights.

Phys Ed

How Exercise Keeps Us Young

Getty Images

Active older people resemble much younger people physiologically, according to a new study of the effects of exercise on aging.

Recipes for Health
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

A dark and golden cake that has a wonderful moist texture, with a slight crunch.

The Weekly Health Quiz
Columns
Personal Health

Keeping Older Pedestrians Safe

Older adults account for a disproportionate number of pedestrian deaths, so they need to make sure they have enough time to cross a street.

Ask Well

Blockages in the Heart and Brain

A reader asks: Why do people get blockages in the arteries of the heart and brain, but rarely in other organs?

The Ebola Outbreak
How Ebola Roared Back

For a fleeting moment last spring, the epidemic sweeping West Africa might have been stopped. But the opportunity to control the virus, which has now caused more than 7,800 deaths, was lost.

Effort on Ebola Hurt W.H.O. Chief

Critics of Margaret Chan have said she lets governments around the world steer the W.H.O. to fit their own needs, instead of firmly taking the helm as the world’s doctor in chief.

U.S. Health Worker Exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone Arrives in Nebraska

The patient, who an official said was not showing symptoms, arrived in Omaha on Sunday to be monitored at the same hospital that previously treated three patients who contracted Ebola overseas.

Well
For a 7-Minute Workout, Try Our New App

The New York Times is offering a free mobile app for the popular Scientific 7-Minute Workout and the new Advanced 7-minute Workout.

Picture Your Life
Faces of Breast Cancer

If you live with breast cancer, love someone with breast cancer or worry about your risk for breast cancer, you are part of a global community of women and men whose lives have been touched by the disease.

Patient Voices

What is it like to live with a chronic disease, mental illness or confusing condition? In Patient Voices, we feature first person accounts of the challenges patients face as they cope with various health issues.

More than 3,000 topics described, illustrated and investigated