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Researchers have teased out two distinct sets of risk factors for head and neck cancers, suggesting that there are two completely different kinds of the disease. Sex practices and lifestyle are culprits. Head and neck tumors caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted virus, were most often linked to certain sexual behaviors and marijuana use, rather than tobacco and alcohol.

Patients given a clot-busting drug following stroke appear to have better outcomes if they were already taking anti-platelet medications, despite an apparent increased risk for bleeding in the brain, according to a new article.

Radiation exposure before birth or during early childhood increased the risk of adult solid cancers, according to a study of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. It is known that radiation exposure during fetal development increases the risk of childhood cancers and that exposure during early childhood increases the risk of adult-onset cancers. However it was not known if radiation exposure to the fetus increases the risk of adult cancers.

The machinery responsible for energy production in fat cells is working poorly as a result of obesity. This may aggravate and work to maintain the obese state in humans, suggests the recent Finnish study. Studying rare cases of young identical twins with large differences in bodyweight a research group has shown that already in the very early stages of obesity, clear changes in the function of the cellular mitochondria can be observed.

A new study shows that exposure to a chemical called diacetyl, a component of artificial butter flavoring, can be harmful to the nose and airways of mice. Scientists conducted the study because diacetyl has been implicated in causing obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) in humans. OB is a debilitating but rare lung disease, which has been detected recently in workers who inhale significant concentrations of the flavoring in microwave popcorn packaging plants.

The first comprehensive analysis of the clinical effects of genetic mutations involved in Rett syndrome will enable affected families to receive a more accurate indication of their child's prognosis.

Myostatin, a protein that blocks muscle growth, has shown promising results as a potential therapeutic target for treating muscular dystrophy in animal studies, where its inhibition led to increased muscle mass and strength. A new study, the first to evaluate a myostatin inhibitor in patients, assessed its safety in adults with muscular dystrophy and found that it was well-tolerated.

If the smell of diesel exhaust isn't enough to make you avoid getting a lungful, new research now shows that even a short exposure to the fumes can affect your brain. Even an hour of sniffing exhaust induces a stress response in the brain's activity.

Male smokers who consume more magnesium appear to have a lower risk for cerebral infarction, a type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, according to a new report.

Bipolar Disorder (BPD or manic-depressive illness) is one of the most serious of all mental disorders, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Affected individuals alternate between states of deep depression and mania. Now, a mouse model of the disease has been developed. Researchers found that the glutamate receptor 6 (GluR6) gene is associated with bipolar disorder. Mice that were missing the GluR6 gene underwent a series of tests designed to approximate the symptoms of mania.