A gene in the brain that was not previously linked to mood disorders could have a role in biopolar, depression, and schizophrenic conditions. ...

In a development that could have significant ramifications for the nation`s health care system, Baby Boomers may well be entering their 60s suffering far more disabilities than their counterparts did in previous generations, according to a new UCLA study. The findings, researchers say, may be due in part to changing American demographics. ...

Scientists at a group of 11 research centers in China are reporting for the first time assembly of the largest-ever collection of data about the proteins produced by genes in a single human organ. Their focus was the liver, and their massive database in both protein and transcript levels could become a roadmap for finding possible new biomarkers and treatments for liver disease. Those include hepa...

Damp environments, poorly maintained heating and air-conditioning systems and carpeting may contribute to poor indoor air quality, according to experts at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla. Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, where they are repeatedly exposed to indoor allergens and airborne particles that c...

Cumulative exposure to five common infection-causing pathogens may be associated with an increased risk of stroke, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the January 2010 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and leading cause of serious disability in the United States, according to background info...

Danish nanophysicists have developed a new method for manufacturing the cornerstone of nanotechnology research — nanowires. The discovery has great potential for the development of nanoelectronics and highly efficient solar cells. It is PhD student Peter Krogstrup, Nano-Science Center, the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, who developed the method during his dissertation....

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be responsible for bipolar disorder in children. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry found four versions of the regulatory gene RORB that were associated with pediatric bipolar disorder. Alexander Niculescu from Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, US, worked with a team of researchers at Harvard, UC San Diego, Mass...

In the quest to produce nuclear fusion energy, researchers from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility have recently confirmed long-standing theoretical predictions that performance, efficiency and reliability are simultaneously obtained in tokamaks, the leading magnetic confinement fusion device, operating at their performance limits. Experiments designed to test these predictions have successfully ...

When Europe`s comet chaser Rosetta swings by Earth on Nov. 13 for a critical gravity assist, tracking data will be collected to precisely measure the satellite`s change in orbital energy. The results could help unravel a cosmic mystery that has stumped scientists for two decades. Since 1990, scientists and mission controllers at ESA and NASA have noticed that their spacecraft sometimes experience ...

Simvastatin, a commonly used, cholesterol-lowering drug, may prevent Parkinson`s disease from progressing further. Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center conducted a study examining the use of the FDA-approved medication in mice with Parkinson`s disease and found that the drug successfully reverses the biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes caused by the disease. "St...