Vice President Dick Cheney's recent problem with a clogged stent didn't surprise doctors who use the devices to reopen arteries of the heart. Many said they wouldn't be surprised if the stent clogs again, sending him back to the hospital for further treatment.

The unusually early flu epidemic, complicated by shortages of an injectible vaccine that is a poor match for the predominant Fujian strain that is circulating this year, has sparked the expected signs of alarm: panicked calls to doctors and hospitals and long lines at the clinics that have not yet run out of flu shots.

STRASBURG, Pa. - Smack dab in the middle of a central Pennsylvanian cornfield, in the heart of an Amish culture that typically shuns technology, sits a marvel of genetic medicine and science.

BALTIMORE - In the palaces of ancient Rome, it would have been the perfect crime: The scheming wife of the emperor slips poisonous mushrooms onto the ruler's plate, causing agonizing pain and ultimately death.