Cry me a liver: S bovis creates a diversion by infecting the heart, and then sneaks off to 'take care' of the liver too.

Eat your heart out, Atkins: Flour-based folate-fortified foods proven to dramatically slash neurological birth defects.

Everyone deserves a second chance: For once, viruses aren't the bad guys. Some even fight cancer when injected into the tumour.

Weird science: A hit to the left brain knocks out the immune system while a blow to the right boosts it -- but only for right-handers.

If you got it, drink it: Study in The Lancet shows that mother's milk staves off heart disease when the little ones grow up.

MI at risk?: Discovery of a first-of-its-kind gene linked to heart attack shows that a good diet and exercise just don't cut it anymore.

When I'm good and ready: New incontinence drug that gives patients better control is sure to make a big splash.

Cleaning up another MS: Not just for arteries, simvastatin calms hyper immune systems, and cuts MS lesions.

Put a little zinc in your life: Lancet study shows that zinc popping can reduce recovery time for kids with pneumonia.

Don't take a rain CHEK: New gene indicted in breast cancer. Keep a short leash on CHEK2 it doubles the risk.

Like clockwork: New pacemakers mean a better ticker and could hold the secret to longer life for CHD patients.

Government & Medicine
It ain't for everyone: Family physicians have a tough gig, and not every med student is up to the task.

It's a bird, it's a plane...: No, it's a nurse practitioner. Why can't docs and NPs be friends?

Features
Dystopia, NB: Dr Kendrick Lacey's cautionary flu pandemic tale strikes a fevered chord with readers.

Gone to pot: Health Canada's medical marijuana heads back to the drawing board after complaints that the weed's like totally not dope.

She's not an artist...: But she plays one in her clinic. Dr Krantz feels a Botox sideline is just what a doc should order.

Duck and cover, quacks: Dr Polevoy delivers a veritable haymaker in round two of our Botox boxing match.

Green knights: Two young Canadian docs get political and fly the Green flag in the upcoming federal election.

Homespun wisdom: Rural docs help their Kurdish country cousins with CME and common sense.

Throw me a line: Nunavut's disabled suffer the indignity of poor services. A new task force says it's time for change.

One HAL of a system: Space age hospital communication system could vaporize games of phone and pager tag.

Heartaches and hangovers: When patients would rather not say "ah," it could be more than garlic on their breath.

Ivy, bees and ticks, oh my: WHAT TO TELL YOUR PATIENTS about taking the sting out of summer's bites and itches.

It's gonna cost you: Most docs haven't the foggiest about the cost of what they prescribe. Should they?

Will soaps ever clean up their act?: Sometimes medicine is the severest casualty on hospital-obsessed daytime TV.

Stay out of ozone's lair: Ground level O3 is taking urban Canadians' breath away. It's going to be a cruel summer.

Global Epidemiology
Snuffing out poverty: Ripsnorting-mad economists descend on Copenhagen to look at ways to tackle third-world ills.

Is the truth out there?: Finger-pointing's one thing, but docs and nurses to the firing squad in Libya is a bit OTT.

The sum of all fears: Canadian epidemiologists formulate a math model to predict the next SARS.

Don't catch me if you can: Retro diseases teeter on the edge. A last push will send them the way of the dodo.

Departments
Across Canada: News highlights from coast to coast to coast.

News in Brief: bite-size treats from the international world of medicine

Editorial: Gone hunting for some truth

Editorial: When the privileged are the underdogs

Pursuits: Swing easy: Golf gadgets galore help you get your game up to par.

Classics: A film, CD and books that deserve a second look.

Practice Management
Office feng shui: Tips on sprucing up the upholstery and getting in tune with your Zen side.

"Have a nice day!": A charm offensive on the phone can brighten your practice, and your patients.