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Many runners know it's important to drink plenty of water during a marathon to keep their bodies hydrated. However, drinking too much water during the course of a 26-mile race can actually kill them. The abundance of water will cause the cells to swell. Most cells can adapt to change, however, the brain cannot. When this occurs in less than 48 hours, it can be fatal if not treated immediately.

Researchers have discovered a new chromosomal region to be strongly associated with bad cholesterol -- a major cause of coronary heart disease. The finding could pave the way towards new therapies for the disease.

Researchers can identify and quantify specific protein markers in human saliva to provide an early, non-invasive diagnosis of breast cancer, according to a study appearing in the journal Cancer Investigation. The study is being applied to "lab-on-a-chip" technology that may bring this type of diagnostic test -- capable of detecting the presence of cancer before a tumor forms -- into everyday use.

Using a technique called RNA interference to screen thousands of genes, researchers identified 273 human proteins required for HIV propagation. The vast majority had not been connected to the virus by previous studies.

Experts debate whether heroin should be prescribed to addicts who are difficult to treat. Maintenance treatment with heroin is appropriate for heroin misusers under certain circumstances, argue one researcher. But prescribing heroin to heroin addicts is a risky strategy.

For patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, severe and morbid obesity are associated with a lower chance of receiving an organ, reports a new study. Study raises concerns about bias in organ waiting list decisions.

Researchers have identified small pieces of ribonucleic acid that suppress the spread of breast cancer to the lungs and bone. The new research shows that the most invasive and aggressive human breast cancer tumors are missing three critical microRNA molecules. When the researchers put those molecules back into human breast cancer tumors in mice, the tumors lost their ability to spread.

People with dementia survive an average of four and a half years after diagnosis, with age, sex and existing disability all having an influence on life expectancy, finds a new study.

Chemical engineers have now mathematically described precisely how droplets form when liquids are exposed to electric fields, an advance that could have applications in areas ranging from manufacturing to medical diagnostics. The technique of using small droplets created by subjecting liquids to electric fields is vital for a variety of applications, from a type of industrial painting called electrospraying, to a method for analyzing molecules in analytical chemistry, to manufacturing tiny micro- and nanoparticles for research and industry.

Scientists used language onset -- the age when a child speaks his first word -- as a tool for identifying a new gene linked to autism. The team also discovered that the gene is most active in developing brain regions involved with language and thought. Interestingly, evidence for the genetic link came from the DNA of families with autistic boys, not those with autistic girls.