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Tumor imaging with positron emission tomography may improve the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of lung cancer patients, according to a new article. Tumor imaging is frequently used in the diagnosis of lung cancer and is important for making treatment decisions.

Fear of looking unattractive can be a stronger motivation for keeping people going to the gym than the hope of looking good, a study says. Researchers found that those who had been asked to think about a dramatic failure to keep up their exercise program were motivated to keep on training because they were fearful of not looking good. Those who were asked to imagine they were succeeding in getting fit became less motivated to continue at the gym because they no longer had this fear of not looking good.

A diet high in refined carbohydrates, like white rice or white bread, is associated with increased prostate tumor growth in mice. Having too much insulin in the blood, a condition called hyperinsulinemia, is associated with poorer outcomes in patients with prostate cancer. Scientists investigated whether high insulin levels caused by eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates would lead to more rapid growth of prostate tumors in mice.

Joe Camel may be long gone, but that doesn't mean tobacco marketers have abandoned their efforts to get young people hooked on smoking. A new Canadian study reports that tobacco marketers have found a way around tobacco advertising restrictions, reaching teens by marketing in retail shops located near high schools. The findings, published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, suggest the strategy is working.

A new, high-tech identification system developed in Japan will improve accuracy and significantly reduce the time it takes to identify victims of mass disasters, according to a new study.

The cellular mechanism that turns DNA into all of the thousands of proteins that make up a human body is itself both intricate and interesting. A key player in the process -- called transcription -- is the enzyme RNA polymerase III. A new study reports that a mutation of this enzyme prevents cell division, but surprisingly, only affects the development of specific organs. It may also have a therapeutic application against cancer.

Injections of a protein normally found in human cells can increase lifespan and delay the onset of symptoms in mice with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. The researchers said treatments of recombinant heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) increased total lifespan by 10 percent -- significantly more than Riluzole®, the only ALS treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The morbidity of ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon with unclear etiology and pathogenesis, is a common disease in Europe and has been increasing in China. A research team has found that ulcerative colitis is closely related to the over expression of matrix metolloproteinas-1 (MMP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). This finding may bring about new ways to deal with this difficult-to-treat disease.

Scientists have found that red blood cell transfusions given to people having heart surgery could increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. The study looked at the association between red blood cell transfusion and adverse outcomes in over 8,500 cardiac surgery patients over eight years.

There is a close relationship between infection outbreaks on teeth and the presence of one type of hair loss. It starts with bald patches on the scalp, and sometimes elsewhere on the body. Researchers advise to going to the dentist when patients notice localized hair loss in order to have their oral health carefully examined.