Doctors-in-training don’t introduce themselves to hospital patients often enough and rarely sit down to talk eye-to-eye, despite research suggesting that courtesy at the bedside improves both medical recovery and patient satisfaction. Researchers call for simple adjustments in interns’ bedside manner that could improve patients’ experience in the hospital. “Many times when I sit down, patients …

Neuroscientists trying to explain cocaine’s effects on the brain have stumbled onto a chemical compound that blocks cravings for the drug in addicted mice. A drug once tested as a possible treatment for Parkinson’s disease appears to reduce cocaine cravings in addicted mice. Researchers are hopeful the drug will become the first approved medication to …