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Heart and stroke risks associated with alcohol use differ among Japanese men and women. Women with light alcohol consumption had a small decrease in heart disease death risk; heavy alcohol users had a much greater increase in risk. Men with heavy alcohol use had a 19 percent lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease than non-drinking men. Heavy alcohol use increased the risk of stroke in men and women.

Researchers have presented the most precise map of genetic recombination yet. A new study sheds light on fundamental questions about genetic shuffling and has implications for the tracking of disease genes and their inheritance.

A gene that is overexpressed in 20 percent of breast cancers increases the number of cancer stem cells, the cells that fuel a tumor's growth and spread, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Among patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, the addition of hormone therapy following vaccine treatment improved overall survival compared with either treatment alone or when the vaccine followed hormone treatment, according to recent data published in Clinical Cancer Research.

RNA, the transporter of genetic information within the cell, has emerged from the shadow of DNA to become one of the hottest research areas of molecular biology, with implications for many diseases as well as understanding of evolution. But the field is complex, requiring access to the latest equipment and techniques of imaging, gene expression analysis and bioinformatics, as well as cross-pollination between multiple scientific disciplines.

Scientists are still searching for the cause of many forms of Leukemia, including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Researchers have now discovered that the carcinogenic property of the fusion protein NUP214-ABL1 largely depends on its location in the cell. Casting new light on the biological processes behind T-ALL, this finding is important in the search for new targeted therapies that are less toxic than chemotherapy.

Inhibiting a growth factor that keeps muscles from getting too big may optimize recovery of injured soldiers, researchers say. Bone biologists are studying two myostatin inhibitors in mice with limb injuries, first to see which works best and then to identify the best delivery mechanism.

Scientists have identified about two dozen genes that control embryonic stem cell fate. The genes may either prod or restrain stem cells from drifting into a kind of limbo, they suspect. The limbo lies between the embryonic stage and fully differentiated, or specialized, cells, such as bone, muscle or fat.

Scientists have for the first time pieced together the three-dimensional structure of one of nature's most exquisite pieces of machinery, a gossamer-like filament of proteins in the inner ear that enables the sense of hearing and balance.

Cool, dry air flowing between the athlete and their football pads reduces core body temperature and heart rate dramatically, thereby reducing the likelihood of heat-related illness, a new study shows. The study found that air forced under the uniform, rather than misted, cool air blown on to the uniform, could be a helpful measure to avoid heat-related illness in football players.