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Researchers say they may have figured out why poor sleep does more harm to cardiovascular health in women than in men. Their study, in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, found that poor sleep is associated with greater psychological distress and higher levels of biomarkers associated with elevated risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. They also found that these associations are significantly stronger in women than in men.

Scientists have established a mouse model for human malignant mesothelioma that will provide valuable insight into cancer development and progression along with new directions for design of therapeutic strategies.

New research suggests that residential oil boilers, commonly used for home heating in the northeastern United States, should receive more attention as sources of air pollutants. The study is the first to identify certain specific air pollutants in home heating oil emissions. Homes in the New England and Central Atlantic States consume about 80 percent of the 25 billion gallons of home heating oil burned in the United States. Scientists have been aware of potential public health effects of those emissions.

When injected into aged laboratory animals, human umbilical cord blood cells improved the brain's microenvironment, decreasing inflammation in the brain, increasing neurogenesis, and restoring some lost capacity of stem/progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate into neurons. Researchers found that the number of proliferative cells increased within 24 hours of injection, with proliferation continuing for at least 15 days. Researchers concluded that cell therapy may be an effective way of improving the microenvironment of the hippocampus.

In testing GARDASIL reduced abnormal Pap test results by 43 percent compared to women not given the vaccine, according new research. The findings show the approved anti-HPV agent appears to prevent the development of cell changes that lead to cervical disease, said onne of the researchers.

A widely used synthetic progestin decreased endothelial function in pre-menopausal women in a new study. The finding raises concerns about long-term effects of this chemical and possibly other synthetic hormones on vascular health in young women. It is a component of some injectible long-lasting contraceptive used by many young women. Millions of women use various hormone therapies with a variety of progestin types for contraception. In the U.S. alone, 80 percent of women have used oral contraceptives.

When space shuttle Endeavor blasts off on March 11, some tiny "astronauts" will piggyback onboard an experimental payload of microbes. A new experiment, called "Microbial Drug Resistance Virulence" is part of the STS-123 space shuttle Endeavor mission. The experimental payload aboard space shuttle Endeavor will continue studies on the ability of germs to cause disease.

Cotton fabrics that might save lives on the battlefield --- and make people more comfortable in hospital beds --- are being developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists. They are testing specially-treated cotton fabrics that might someday be made into military uniforms and gauze pads that can stanch bleeding, prevent infections and promote healing. These fabrics can also be made into hospital sheets that are highly absorbent, smooth, soft and antibacterial, to treat or even prevent bed sores.

Adult-age offspring of parents who have both been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease appear to have an increased risk of developing the disease compared with the general population, according to a new report.

A new blood test could enable doctors to rule out tuberculosis infection within days rather than weeks, according to a new study. Doctors can determine that a patient does not have tuberculosis with 99% accuracy when using the new blood test, ELISpot-Plus, in conjunction with a skin test known as tuberculin skin testing, already in use.