Health News

Smokers with BRCA2 gene mutation 'have increased lung cancer risk'

Date: Jun-02-2014
New research from The Institute of Cancer Research in the UK finds that smokers with a BRCA2 gene mutation have a 1 in 4 chance of developing lung cancer in their lifetime.

Scientists inactivate and reactivate memories in rats using light

Date: Jun-02-2014
No, it is not science fiction, but researchers have found a way to remove and then restore memories in rats using optogenetics, a new tool in the field of neuroscience.

Single letter of DNA 'defines hair color'

Date: Jun-02-2014
Changing a single letter of genetic code can define what color a person's hair will be. Interestingly, this discovery was not made in humans initially, but stickleback fish.

Green tea component upsets cancer cell metabolism

Date: Jun-02-2014
New study shows how a major biological active constituent of green tea changes the metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells by suppressing an enzyme associated with cancer.

Chemo first may help men with metastatic prostate cancer live longer

Date: Jun-02-2014
Giving chemo with hormone therapy instead of waiting for tumors to become resistant to hormone-blockers may prolong survival in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Youths who have committed homicide 'show differences in brain structure'

Date: Jun-02-2014
Youths who have committed homicide have less gray matter in their brains than non-homicide offenders - a finding that researchers say could lead to prevention of violent crimes.

Exposure to solvents prior to first childbirth 'linked to breast cancer risk'

Date: Jun-02-2014
Women exposed to solvents in the workplace in the period prior to having their first child may be at increased risk of breast cancer, according to a new study.

Could bilingualism stave off later-life cognitive decline?

Date: Jun-02-2014
New research finds that bilingualism - the ability to speak two or more languages - could slow age-related cognitive decline, even when a second language is learned in adulthood.

Multiple sunburns as an adolescent increases melanoma risk by 80%

Date: Jun-02-2014
A new study published in the journal CEBP reports that experiencing 5 or more blistering sunburns between the ages of 15 and 20 could increase melanoma risk by 80%.

Absence epilepsy treated in mice using transplanted neural cells

Date: Jun-01-2014
Researchers have mapped the areas of the brain affected by absence seizures in mice and found that transplanting embryonic neural cells into these areas improves symptoms.