A gene with reported links to schizophrenia and other mood disorders plays a broader role in the brain than scientists had previously suspected. The study reveals that the gene, known as Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1, directs the incorporation of new neurons into the adult brain and keeps the process under control. The gene's newly discovered roles might help to explain why schizophrenia's symptoms...

Evil forces thrive in an unstable environment. At least, that's the picture being painted in the first waves of data being reaped from the genome sequence of the fungal plant pathogen, Fusarium graminearum. The sequencing has provided scientists a road map to someday combat a fungus that infects wheat and barley crops, rendering them unusable.

Three related articles provide key new insights into the complexity of HIV/AIDS. The articles show that CD4 T-cell depletion, a critical symptom of AIDS, is likely a part of a multifaceted scenario that triggers disease rather than the only cause.

The pigment melanin, which is responsible for skin and hair color in mammals, is produced in specialized cells called melanocytes and then distributed to other cells. But not every cell in the complex layers of skin becomes pigmented. The question of how melanin is delivered to appropriate locations may have been answered by a new study.

The soy isoflavone genistin -- at concentrations present in soy infant formula -- may reduce a baby's susceptibility to rotavirus infections by as much as 74 percent, according to a new study.

Biologists have published a surprising discovery that NGF and its receptor were aberrantly expressed in the liver of the patients troubled with liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These two molecules are not expressed in the liver of healthy people.

More than 10 percent of women with breast cancer stopped taking a commonly prescribed drug because of joint and muscle pain, according to a new study. The study looked at the first 100 women enrolled in a trial to study how genetics play a role in the way individuals metabolize drugs and experience side effects.

Scientists have found a significant connection between the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in honey bees. The findings, an important step in addressing the disorder that is decimating bee colonies across the country.

Researchers have diagnosed two patients affected with vocal cord dysfunction, which causes coughing and difficulty in breathing due to irritating agents that are breathed in at the workplace. Until now, medical literature had only described two cases of patients with occupational vocal dysfunction.

Beer is the beverage of choice for most adult binge drinkers, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The beverage preferences of excessive drinkers are important to public health because binge drinking is a common problem in the United States and because binge drinkers -- and those around them -- are especially vulnerable to alcohol-related problems, said one...

"Breaking Up is Hard to Do" is advice from a popular 1970s song, but older women going through a relationship breakup may have health problems to go along with their broken hearts, according to researchers. Older women going through a relationship breakup may have health problems to go along with their broken hearts when they return to the dating scene. These singles are also finding a new place...

Scientists have shown that the genetic defect that causes Cockayne Syndrome affects a key function of the cell - the transcription of genes coding for ribosomal RNA. Cockayne Syndrome is a recessively inherited disorder that belongs to a group of diseases in which defects in one of the numerous DNA repair systems lead to non-functioning proteins and, thus, to severe health impairments. These...

Recent reports of patients failing to respond to ivermectin, the standard drug for treating river blindness (onchocerciasis), have suggested the emergence of drug-resistant Onchocerca volvulus (the parasite that causes river blindness). According to a new study Ivermectin is causing genetic changes in the parasite.

The first few days at school can be an anxious time as children face the challenge of a new environment and making new friends but according to new research children show signs of stress three to six months before term even starts. Why a preschool child should be anxious about an event so far in the future is something of a mystery but the scientists speculate that parents were getting stressed...

When powerful magnets line up the body's protons before radiofrequency waves can grab their attention away, it's called spin physics. When signals generated by the movement are mathematically transformed into dramatic images of hearts, lungs and other organs it's called a magnetic resonance image.

Misconceptions around intrauterine contraceptive devices mean that they are underused in developed countries, despite being a safe and effective form of contraception, says a women's health expert. Side effects such as pain and heavy bleeding are common reasons for discontinuing use of an IUD within the first year, but can usually be managed with appropriate pain relief.

Will a bioeconomy that produces fuel and chemicals from biorenewable resources be sustainable? One study found an integrated process for producing ethanol from plant fiber could recycle plant nutrients back to the soil. Another project has developed a Web tool that helps farmers simulate how biomass production could affect their operations.

Researchers have identified a chemical agent that may be a, if not the, culprit in bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), or "popcorn worker's lung," a severe occupational lung disease first noted in 2001 among workers at an American plant that makes microwaveable popcorn. The research examined a population of workers at a chemical plant that produced diacetyl (a key component of butter...

Using restricted-access Census data, a new study examines a quarter-million households on a block-by-block basis to yield new results about the correlation between household attributes and school quality. The researchers find that, conditional on income, households prefer to self-segregate on the basis of both race and education.

Poor indoor air quality can significantly worsen health problems in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, according to a recent article. High concentrations of fine particulate pollution -- the type of pollution associated with secondhand smoke and, in developing countries, indoor cooking and heating fires -- were strongly linked to poorer health status.

As schools reopen around the country, a new study finds that parents and teachers should pay attention to alcohol prevention starting as early as fourth grade. A review of national and statewide surveys conducted over the last 15 years shows that among typical 4th graders, 10 percent have already had more than a sip of alcohol and 7 percent have had a drink in the past year. The surveys also show...

A delegation from New Zealand will arrive in Chicago September 3 to take the human remains of at least 14 Maori individuals back to New Zealand, accompanied by two Field Museum curators and seven representatives of Chicago's American Indian Center. A repatriation ceremony will be held September 10 at the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington, New Zealand. The remains include bones, such as mandibles...

The sort of swelling that occurs when a joint is damaged by injury or degeneration is normally essential to the healing process, but when it comes to the knee, that inflammation can actually interfere with healing. These findings in experiments with pigs may lead to treatments for injuries or osteoarthritis in the knee, according orthopedic researchers. There are drugs that can block the action of...

A new technique could pave the way toward screening people at risk for lung cancer for the genetic changes that may foreshadow malignancies, according to a new article. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., and kills more people than the next three most common cancers--colon, breast and prostate--combined. While it is well-established that smoking is the primary risk...