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A breakthrough in understanding the way atoms move across cell membranes in the human body could pave the way for the development of new treatments for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

High-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, the controversial, arduous, yet once-popular combination treatment that fell out of favor as a therapy for breast cancer, has proven not to be beneficial as an adjuvant therapy for women with node-positive disease, according to an expansive analysis.

Fetal neurons that have low levels of a vital antioxidant, glutathione, are the first to die when exposed to alcohol in cell culture and possibly in the living brain, according to new research. The researchers examined brain tissue from immature rats and neurons from rat fetuses.

People rate their smiles higher than dentists do, according to a new study. Teeth and eyes rated as the most important features of an attractive face, the study also found, and people younger than age 50 were most satisfied with their smiles.

A married couple who sailed from England to America around 1630 may be the ancestors of hundreds of people alive today who are at risk for a hereditary form of colon cancer. Researchers have discovered a mutation that has been traced from many individuals today back to a common ancestor -- which may contribute to a significant percentage of colon cancer cases in the United States.

Therapy that stimulates the hand muscles may help treat the condition called musician's dystonia, a movement disorder that causes muscles spasms in musicians, according to a new study. Musician's dystonia occurs in musicians who have practiced particular complicated movements for years. The muscle spasms are usually painless and generally occur only when playing the instrument.

Scientists have genetically engineered a mosquito to release a sea-cucumber protein into its gut which impairs the development of malaria parasites, according to new research. Researchers say this development is a step towards developing future methods of preventing the transmission of malaria.

Researchers have shown that the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance can be reversed when the naturally occurring brain peptide, orexin-A, is administered in monkeys.

For many older Americans, another candle on their birthday cake means another prescription in their medicine cabinet. In a review article, clinicians offer specific steps that physicians and other healthcare providers can take to avoid overuse, misuse, and underuse of medication in older adults.

A new study presents convincing evidence that intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs) commonly exist in women with bladder infections and may contribute to the recurrence of these infections. In mice it has already been established that Escherichia coli (E coli), a type of bacterium that causes urinary tract infections, can avoid the immune system by invading cells lining the bladder, replicate and ultimately re-infect the urinary tract.