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Boosting an exercise related gene in the brain functions as a powerful anti-depressant, at least in mice. The researchers said it is known that exercise improves brain function and mental health, and provides protective benefits in the event of a brain injury or disease, but how this all happens in the brain is not well understood. He said the fact that existing medications take so long to work indicates that some neuronal adaptation or plasticity is needed.

A new study confirms the success of a newer minimally invasive technique that uses heat to destroy kidney tumors. After reviewing the outcomes of 143 solid kidney masses treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) over a nine-year period at Rhode Island Hospital, researchers report that 137 of 143 tumors (96%) were successfully treated.

We've all seen the term "super food" used to describe those nutrition-loaded edibles that promote health and discourage disease. Powerhouse foods high in antioxidants and phytochemicals that block the development of cancer cells have been touted as nature's way to fight off the potentially devastating disease.

Although mood disorders and depression may occur at any age during a woman's life, women seem to more vulnerable during times of hormonal fluctuations such as the menstrual period, pregnancy and perimenopause, according to a new report. During times of hormonal flux, many women are able to emerge relatively unscathed. But for others, a normal hormonal transition can trigger mild to severe mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder.

Wellcome Trust researchers have identified a key gene involved in the disease lupus, which affects around 50,000 people in the UK, mostly women. The lead researcher behind the study has called for more patients to volunteer DNA samples to enable them to further study the underlying causes of the disease.

Some rearrangements of the human genome occur more frequently than previously thought. The work is likely to lead to new identification of genes involved in disease and to improve diagnosis of genomic disease. Researchers looked at four regions in the genome where rearrangements cause so-called "genomic disorders," and found that some rearrangements were found in sperm much more frequently than expected.

Researchers have reversed the effects of aging on the skin of mice, at least for a short period, by blocking the action of a single critical protein. The work could one day be useful in helping older people heal from an injury as quickly as they did when they were younger.

Toddlers who persistently wake up one or more times a night, at least once a week are at a greater risk for accidental injuries severe enough to require medical attention, according to new research. Injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Risk of developing colorectal cancer is known to differ across ethnic and racial groups, and now an analysis of 26 studies, involving over 25,000 participants shows that some of these disparities might be explained by distinct patterns of genetic inheritance.

Pursuing our own short term interests by cheating on the rest of the population is not the preserve of the human race. It seems bacteria can operate in just the same way. Scientists say bacteria have another trait that might be familiar to us -- cooperating for the good of their own family.