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A variation in the way a gene is processed may explain varied individual responses to cholesterol-lowering drugs. This is the first study to show that a biological process substantially influences the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins. The discovery could lead to better treatment for high cholesterol and other ailments.

The olfactory bulb in the brain appears to change in size in a way that corresponds to individual alterations in sense of smell, according to a report in the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.

The wait to see a doctor could get a lot longer if the current number of students training to be primary care physicians doesn't increase soon, according to a new study. The U.S. could face a shortage of up to 44,000 family physicians and general internists in less than 20 years.

There is a real possibility for treating the most challenging cancer cases, say researchers. A gene radiotherapy system that detects and treats cancer cells that are resistant to traditional forms of chemotherapy and radiation showed success in the laboratory and could eventually prove beneficial for cancer patients. The new system targets oxygen-deficient hypoxic cancer cells that have activated a gene known as HIF-1, which ensures the cells' survival and makes them unresponsive to most current treatments.

In an approach that could become a new treatment for the 10 to 20 percent of people whose broken bones fail to heal, researchers have shown that transplantation of adult stem cells can improve healing of fractures.

The transition in Iraq from maneuver warfare to insurgency warfare is associated with changes in the type and severity of injuries treated by surgical units of the U.S. Marine Corps, according to a new report. In the second, insurgent phase of the war, injuries have been more severe, transport times longer, more injuries have occurred per individual and more soldiers have been killed in action or died of their wounds.

Three months of aerobic exercise decreased body fat and calorie intake in overweight and obese people, according to a new study, and the researchers believe that changes to a central nervous system factor are responsible.

As summer comes and people across America get ready to start slathering on the sunscreen, a note of caution is in order -- a little sunshine is good for you. Studies increasingly are suggesting the value of vitamin D -- often known as the sunshine vitamin, because that's one way you can obtain it -- in everything from bone metabolism to maintaining muscle strength, immune function, reducing hypertension and possibly even playing a role in prevention of cancer and autoimmune disease.

Scientists suggests that the immunosuppressive effect of the drug misoprostol, if given vaginally rather than orally along with RU-486 to terminate a pregnancy, is likely the reason a small number of women taking the two-drug combination have contracted a rare, fatal bacterial infection.

If athletes believe they are using a performing-enhancing drug, they may think their athletic performance improves, and in some men it can, even if they are actually taking a dummy drug, a new study has found.