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A simple blood test may indicate whether post-menopausal hormone therapies present an elevated risk of a heart attack. Women with ratios of "bad" cholesterol to "good" cholesterol less than 2.5 did not appear to be at an increased heart disease risk when using hormone therapy.

A number of chronic diseases are in fact caused by one or more infectious agents. For example, stomach ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, chronic lung disease in newborns and chronic asthma in adults are both caused by Mycoplasmas and Chlamydia pneumonia, while some other pathogens have been associated with atherosclerosis. The realization that pathogens can produce slowly progressive chronic diseases has opened new lines of research into Alzheimer's disease.

Efforts to protect the tumor-suppressor p53 could just as easily shelter a mutant version of the protein, causing cancer cells to thrive and spread rather than die, according to new research in Genes and Development.

Researchers have modified a photodynamic therapy treatment that combines a topically applied cream with visible light to destroy cancer cells while leaving surrounding tissue unharmed.

Following the introduction of HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy), the survival and quality of life for people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) have increased in the resource-rich countries. However, with this improved prognosis an increase in long term negative disorders has been observed, namely osteoporosis (the gradual loss of bone mass). Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disease that is characterized by a reduction in bone mass and its mechanical resistance, and leads to an increased propensity to bone fractures.

Maize (corn) seeds are an effective and dependable platform within molecular agriculture in the effort to alleviate diseases. Over the next few years AIDS could be one of the first diseases to benefit from these results, although regulations for this technology are being developed at the same time as research is being undertaken. Maize, the third most important cereal in the world, has a great number of advantages for molecular agriculture.

Pinpointing new targets for cancer treatments is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack, yet a scientists have now discovered an entire novel class of genes they believe will lead to a greater understanding of cancer cell function and the next generation of effective and less harmful therapies for patients.

Doctors now make more informed decisions on how to treat an electrical disorder of the heart -- be it with drugs, an implanted device or nothing -- thanks to a series of decades-long studies. The two latest studies in the series further defined the ideal treatments for the youngest and oldest of patients with Long QT syndrome (LQTS) and concluded that they are not the same.

What common oral condition appears as shallow ulcers of different sizes, affects one in five Americans, can be caused by food allergies and hormonal changes, and also can cause severe mouth pain? Commonly referred to as "canker sores," recurrent aphthous ulcers now can be treated by an extract in licorice root herbal extract, according to a study in General Dentistry.

DHEA supplements are widely-available and touted as a preventive agent for many chronic diseases. A new study however, finds no evidence of a beneficial effect of DHEA supplements on cognitive function in healthy older adults.