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A single molecule in the intestinal wall, activated by the waste products from gut bacteria, plays a large role in controlling whether the host animals are lean or fatty, a research team has found in a mouse study.

A new analysis finds considerable disparities in survival related to race and socio-economic status among patients with head and neck cancer. Published in the November 15, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that earlier diagnosis and greater access to treatment could improve outcomes for these cancers among African Americans and the poor. A number of studies have examined disparities in cancer survival among different groups to help identify interventions to improve patient outcomes.

A study released at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Orlando found that a new therapeutic treatment, when delivered endoscopically and used in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, improved survival rates in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Cancer of the esophagus often has a poor survival rate. Dr.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of plasma cells that affects approximately 3 in 100,000 people each year. Although there is no cure for this disease, researchers have developed treatments that help relieve pain, control complications, and slow the progress of MM in many patients. Unfortunately, some of the most effective therapies also have toxic side effects that can pose serious health risks and reduce quality of life.

Scientists have found that complete or partial removal of an enzyme that regulates fatty acid levels improves cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. A large-scale analysis of brain lipids identifies a potential therapeutic strategy.

In a disease like ALS -- one that's always fatal and that has a long history of research-resistant biology -- finding a proof of principle in animal models is significant.

More than four in 10 parents with underweight and overweight children mistakenly believe their children are in the average weight range, according to University of Melbourne research.

Researchers have, for the first time, found a mechanism for the rapid growth of the benign blood vessel tumor known as infantile hemangiomas, the most common tumor found in children. The findings implicate gene mutations that facilitate the abnormal activity of a hormone called VEGF, and suggest that anti-VEGF therapies -- already approved for other conditions -- may be an effective treatment.

Tiny polymer beads embedded with anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce damage to the heart when injected into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack. The beads (average size: 1/50 of a millimeter wide) are made of a "polyketal" material that breaks down over a few weeks in the body. Because polyketals are less inherently inflammatory than other biodegradable polymers, they could be used to treat several inflammatory diseases.

Children living in the vicinity of powerful radio and television transmitters are not significantly more at risk of leukemia than others, according to a new German study.