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A new study has an important message for the elderly: It's not too late to improve your health through diet and exercise, even if you've had an unhealthy lifestyle in the past! The report surveyed scientific literature and found that adults, 65 and older, can have significant health improvements with simple and realistic lifestyle changes. It found that risk can be reduced for many diseases--including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

The skin is the largest human sensory organ. What is not fully understood is how the skin responds to stimuli, especially to pain. Research has now demonstrated that Stem Cell Factor and its receptor, c-Kit, play a central role in tuning the responsiveness of sensory neurons to heat stimuli. "As yet, c-Kit is the first example of a single gene being required for normal noxious heat sensitivity of C-fibers," according to the neurobiologists.

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating of the major psychiatric disorders, and is also one of the most difficult to treat. Although numerous antipsychotic treatments are available, they can cause significant side effects and many patients experience only a partial relief of their symptoms and up to 30 percent no relief at all.

At a time when doctors reach for drugs as a first line of treatment for psychological disorders, a review of the reported research indicates that behavioral programs and procedures can reduce the symptoms of tic disorders.

Two new mouse studies have provided insight into the role of the death-inducing protein TRAIL and its receptors in tumor development and metastasis. Binding of TRAIL to its receptors induces the cells expressing the receptors to undergo a form of cell death known as apoptosis. Scientists found that if lymphoma-prone mice were deficient in the TRAIL receptor they developed lymphoma more frequently than TRAIL receptor--sufficient lymphoma-prone mice.

Researchers recently examined the safety and quality of "wash techniques" used in the production of packaged produce. The study simulated washing techniques to learn more about how industry practices affect quality and safety of pre-cut lettuce.

Levels of cholesterol in the membranes of hair cells in the inner ear can affect your hearing according to an article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. There are two types of sensory hair cells in the inner ear called the inner and outer hair cells. It is the outer hair cells that are affected by cholesterol levels and produce the inaudible sounds in the ear canal.

SAN ANTONIO -- Denosumab is a new drug being studied to prevent fractures in breast cancer patients receiving hormonal therapy. Results of a phase 3 clinical trial using denosumab were presented Friday evening at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium by Georgiana Ellis, MD, from the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Denosumab is a highly specific antibody that interrupts the development of osteoclasts -- specialized cells that break down bone. Because it is highly specific, the chance of systemic effects in other parts of the body is low, so patients do not need routine laboratory monitoring.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Women who get lumpectomies for breast cancer may one day have a simple option involving stem cells for reconstructing the affected breast, researchers reported Saturday. Doctors in Japan used stem cells derived from liposuctioned fat to repair the craters left in 21 women's breasts when cancerous lumps were cut out. The lead investigator, Dr. Keizo Sugimachi, reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium that the procedure was safe and well tolerated in all 21 subjects, with no signs of rejection.

SAN ANTONIO -- Interim results of the Phase II XeNA (Xeloda in NeoAdjuvant) trial suggest that the combination of oral Xeloda(R) (capecitabine) and Taxotere(R) (docetaxel), with the addition of Herceptin(R) (trastuzumab) in HER2-positive patients, may be an active and well-tolerated neoadjuvant (pre-surgical) treatment option for women with invasive breast cancer. These data were presented today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).