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Researchers report that just four months of hormonal therapy before and with standard external beam radiation therapy slowed cancer growth by as much as eight years -- especially the development of bone metastases -- and increased survival in older men with potentially aggressive prostate cancer. This "neoadjuvant" hormonal therapy may allow men most at risk of developing bone metastases avoid long-term hormonal therapy later on.

A new study finds that a chemical found in the body is capable of promoting weight loss, improving insulin resistance and reversing diabetes in an animal model. The hormone is gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor blockade.

The brain of individuals who suffer from epilepsy is characterized by pathologic changes to brain cells known as astrocytes. Little is known about how astrogliosis relates to the dysfunction of neurons in individuals with epilepsy, but understanding this could lead to new possibilities for therapeutic intervention. A study using mice has now identified the protein ADK in astrocytes as a molecular link between astrogliosis and neuronal dysfunction in epilepsy.

having uncommonly long ring fingers raises the risk for developing OA of the knee, independent of other risk factors and particularly among women. Index to ring finger length ratio (2D:4D) is a trait known for its sexual differences. Men typically have shorter second than fourth digits; in women, these fingers tend to be about equal in length. Smaller 2D:4D ratios have intriguing hormonal connections, including higher prenatal testosterone levels, lower estrogen concentrations, and higher sperm counts. Reduction in this ratio has also been linked to athletic and sexual prowess.

One piece of advice is to make a resolution to become healthier overall, instead of only focusing on dropping pounds. This will broaden your goals and encourage you to make lifestyle changes rather than temporary adjustments.

New data generated in vitro and in cultured cell lines and mouse neurons has shed light on the mechanisms by which the protein alpha-synuclein is degraded in brain cells known as neurons. This has implications for the development of the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson disease (PD) because altered degradation of alpha-synuclein has been implicated as a key step in the development of the disorder.

Practice makes perfect -- or at least that's what we're told as we struggle through of multiplication tables and piano scales -- and it seems to be true. That's why neuroscientists have been perplexed by data showing that at the level of individual synapses increased, repetitive stimulation reverses gains in synaptic strength. Neuroscientists have now discovered the mechanism that resolves this paradox. The findings are published in Science.

Researchers have uncovered a critical difference between flu viruses that infect birds and humans, a discovery that could help scientists monitor the evolution of avian flu strains and aid in the development of vaccines against a deadly flu pandemic.

MRI imagery is emerging as a noninvasive way to determine the existence and extent of hepatic fibrosis. It could eventually help the development of pharmacologic strategies to combat the condition.

The nervous system can reorganize itself after spinal cord injury and use new pathways to restore the cellular communication required for walking, scientists have shown. The discovery could lead to new therapies for the estimated 250,000 Americans who suffer from paralysis following traumatic spinal cord injuries.