On my last day of radiation, I drove up to the NYU Women’s Cancer Center and saw a man leaning against the front door, smoking. more

Kennedy High School senior Darwin Shen spent last summer staring into a microscope at the New York University School of Medicine, counting hundreds of neurons encased in 20 slides of mouse brain tissue. His objective: Figure out whether immunogens injected into the mice before they died were able to stop the neural loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease. more

The symbol for love, and especially for Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, is the heart -- big, red, beating and healthy. But for some babies born with a congenital heart defect, the organ doesn’t work like it’s supposed to, and can mean pain and anguish for their families and loved ones. more

“The Twilight Saga” and “True Blood” vampires aren’t the only bloodsuckers making a comeback lately. These culprits are much smaller, and instead of fangs, they have special two-tube mouth … more

"I haven't thought about a bagel in so long," one customer beamed as he recently examined the menu at Bare Naked Bakery and Cafe in Bellmore on Merrick Road. The excitement of being able to eat breads and cakes for the first time in possibly years is not uncommon here. more

A mosquito pool in Merrick tested positive last week for the West Nile virus, according to the Nassau County Health Department. more

In the winter of 2006, former Kennedy High School health teacher Christina Henry took it upon herself to incorporate the "Pennies for Patients" fundraiser in her health classes. She alerted the students about the fights against leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. more

Thalia Piacquadio of Merrick recently rallied friends and relatives in support of her 4-year-old daughter, Gabriella, who was diagnosed last year with osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease that causes brittle and easily broken bones. More than 200 people showed up for the second annual Making Stride for Better Bones: Long Island walk at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford on Oct. 24, raising $20,000 for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people affected by the disease through research to find treatments and a cure, education, awareness, and mutual support. "Team Piacquadio" raised nearly $8,000. more