Researchers have for the first time been able to show exactly how, when a baby suckles at a mother's breast, it starts a chain of events that leads to surges of the "trust" hormone oxytocin being released in their mothers brains.

Scientists have identified the primary immune sensor that detects the presence of stomach viruses in the body. They show that the sensor -- a protein called MDA-5 -- triggers an immune response that revs up the body's defenses to fight off the infection. This knowledge may help develop a treatment that prevents or reduces infection.

Alzheimer's patients showed rapid improvement in language within minutes of a novel immune-based treatment. A new article provides preliminary evidence that the disrupted neural communication seen in Alzheimer's disease may be reversible.

The first person in the world has been successfully treated with a new device designed to make it safer and easier for heart specialists to create a hole in the cardiac atrial septum. The hole, created by the NRGTM Transseptal Needle, allows cardiac catheters to cross from the right side of the heart to the left side.

Zinc supplementation benefits children suffering from diarrhea in developing countries, but only in infants over six months old, Cochrane researchers have found. Their study supports World Health Organization guidelines for the treatment of diarrhea with zinc, although not in the very young.

A new study by sleep psychologists is shedding light on why some people with life-threatening conditions do not adhere to medical treatment, even when "it's for their own good". Psychological factors had a powerful effect on whether people would accept effective medical treatment.

Every moment we live, cells in our bodies are dying. One type of cell death activates an immune response while another type doesn't. Now researchers have figured out how some dying cells signal the immune system. The finding eventually could have important implications in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer.

There is strong evidence that the high consumption of animal fats increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Many scientists have therefore been surprised that the nomadic Masai of Kenya and Tanzania are seldom afflicted by the disease, despite having a diet that is rich in animal fats and deficient in carbohydrates. Now, a unique study suggests that the reason is more likely to be the Masai's active lifestyle.

A long-time microbial inhabitant of the human stomach may protect children from developing asthma, according to a new study among more than 7,000 subjects. Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that has co-existed with humans for at least 50,000 years, may lead to peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. Yet, kids between the ages of 3 and 13 are nearly 59 percent less likely to have asthma if they carry the bug, the researchers report.

Researchers have identified two potential molecular markers that may predict outcomes for patients with stomach cancer, one of the most common and fatal cancers worldwide.