The story

Concerns about health care, food and vaccine safety added to the anxieties Americans felt this year. But it wasn't all doom and gloom -- medical advances in stem cell research have scientists hoping for better transplant surgeries in the future. Here are the top health stories of the year:

Stem cell advances

This year's advances in stem cell research could revolutionize organ transplants.

A Colombian woman received a trachea transplant using her own stem cells so her body would not reject the transplant. The trachea is an airway essential for breathing.

Doctors in a Barcelona, Spain, hospital planted stem cells from Claudia Castillo, 30, into a trachea taken from a cadaver. Doctors said the new windpipe was "almost indistinguishable" from the patient's normal bronchi. Learn more about the top health stories Read full article »

All About Surgery • Autism • Stem Cell Research • Health Care Policy • Food Safety