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Men with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are at greater risk of breast cancer than the general population. Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1 percent of all breast cancers in the U.S., and it is most common in men with a family history of the disease. Previous studies have shown that men who carry mutations in the BRCA2 gene have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than men in the general population. The association between BRCA1 mutations and breast cancer in men was less clear.

In the future, patients who arrive at a hospital emergency department complaining of chest pain may be diagnosed with a sophisticated CT scan. If the diagnosis is negative, the patient can go home -- and the total time at the hospital will be much shorter than it is today.

Scientists have shown that a cocktail containing three compounds normally in the blood stream promotes growth of new brain connections and improves cognitive function in rodents. The treatment is now being tested in Alzheimer's patients and could hold promise for other brain diseases and injuries. The mixture, which includes a type of omega-3 fatty acid, is part of a new approach to attacking Alzheimer's.

Nine out of ten people who donated a kidney to a partner or family member would make the same decision again and would recommend the procedure to others. Researchers in Egypt, where live donations are the only legal option, also found that donor health was good and often better than the general population. The study was carried out between 2002 and 2007 on patients who had donated a kidney five to 30 years ago.

The past decade has seen an unprecedented increase in the use of radiologic exams on pregnant women, according to a new study. The investigators found that from 1997 to 2006, the number of imaging studies performed on pregnant women increased by 121 percent.

Obese patients who suffer complications after gastric bypass surgery may face further health risks because their weight exceeds the limits of diagnostic imaging equipment.

Stem cell therapies for the brain could be much more complicated than previously thought. Scientists report that adult stem cells produced in the brain are pre-programmed to make only certain kinds of connections- - making it impossible for a neural stem cell originating in the brain to be transplanted to the spinal cord, for instance, to take over functions for damaged cells.

Twenty million adults -- and one million children -- may be irradiated unnecessarily each year in the US. Recent growth of CT scan use may lead to a significant public health problem. Scientists argue that the potential carcinogenic effects from using CT scans may be underestimated or overlooked. Japanese atomic bomb survivors who were about two miles away from the explosions, actually received radiation doses quite similar to those from a CT scan.

It's not a cure, but this may be some of the best news patients infected with the hepatitis C virus have heard in a long time: A new drug, eltrombopag, appears to be effective in boosting low platelet counts, one of the major reasons why patients can't endure antiviral treatments. Other drugs that can restore normal platelet functions are infusions or injections; eltrombopag is a pill taken just once a day.

African-American men face an observable disadvantage versus Caucasian men when it comes to prostate cancer survival. Not only is prostate cancer detected later in African Americans, it is often more aggressive and harder to treat.