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Scientists have identified a novel gene responsible for a significant fraction of ALS (sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) cases. ALS is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, an incurable neuromuscular disorder that affects motor neurons and leads to paralysis and death within one to five years.

Probiotic bacteria, defined as living microorganisms that have beneficial effects on human health, have been used for the prevention and treatment of a diverse range of disorders. However, the ways in which probiotic bacteria elicit their health effects are not fully understood. One of the action mechanisms could be the ability to induce cytokines that further regulate innate and adaptive immune responses.

Researchers are finding out which bugs grow in intensive care units to develop a novel sampling regime that would indicate the threat of MRSA and other superbugs in the environment.

One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use.

When a couple is dealing with cancer, a partner's psychological distress might drag down the well-being of either person, according to a new study of 168 married couples. The physical health of husbands seemed to be especially vulnerable to the poor emotional well-being of their wives.

Some of the worst threats to farm workers and farm animals such as bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease and other emerging viruses could soon be quickly identified by using a newly developed simple screening chip.

Somalia is again polio-free, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced today, calling it a 'historic achievement' in public health. Somalia has not reported a case since 25 March 2007, a major landmark in the intensified eradication effort launched last year to wipe out the disease in the remaining few strongholds. Against a backdrop of widespread conflict, large population movements and a dearth of functioning government infrastructure, transmission of poliovirus in the country has been successfully stopped.

Researchers have discovered that women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are less likely to ovulate in response to a promising new drug treatment for the condition if they have a variation in a particular gene. The gene, known as STK (serine-threonine kinase) 11 is involved in controlling blood sugar levels. Along with infertility and cyst-like structures in the ovaries, women with PCOS often have insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition in which higher-than-normal amounts of insulin are required to reduce blood sugar levels.

Pairing an interned-based health reporting system with regular clinic visits enabled healthy patients in rural and urban settings at high-risk for heart disease to lower risk factors through frequent communication with their doctor.

As people age, their brains pay the price -- inflammation goes up, levels of certain neurotransmitters go down, and the result is a plethora of ailments ranging from memory impairment and depression to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. But in a long-term study with implications to treat these and other conditions, researchers have found that an experimental drug, taken chronically, has the ability to stem the effects of aging in the rat brain.