University of Pennsylvania) People who identify as African-American may be as little as 1 percent West African or as much as 99 percent, just one finding of a large-scale, genome-wide study of ancestry released by the Un9iversity of Pennsylvania and

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston) Nearly half of women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, commonly known as the birth control shot, will experience high bone mineral density loss in the hip or lower spine within two years of beginning

JAMA and Archives Journals) The risk of complications and early death after commonly performed abdominal surgical procedures appears to be higher among older adults, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives

JAMA and Archives Journals) Exposing patients with chronic sinus disease to allergens and then obtaining repeated images by X-ray or ultrasound reveals that nasal allergies may be involved in some cases of chronic sinus disease, according to a report in

JAMA and Archives Journals) Team training based on protocols originally developed for aviation crews may change safety-related behaviors and contribute to perceptions of empowerment among nurses and other surgical staff, according to a report in the December issue of Archives

JAMA and Archives Journals) Smoking, being heavier, not using sunscreen and having had skin cancer appear to be associated with sun damage and aging of skin on the face, according to report based on a study of twins in the

National Jewish Medical and Research Center) Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered that a naturally occurring lipid in the lung can prevent RSV infection and inhibit spread of the virus after an infection is established. RSV is the major

Loyola University Health System) A new study is casting doubt on a provocative theory that explains why tuberculosis can lie dormant in some patients for many years.

University of Wisconsin-Madison) A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion.

Georgia Institute of Technology Research News) In a paper published December 21 in the early edition of PNAS, Georgia Tech researchers show that they are able to induce significant functional vasculature growth in areas of damaged tissue through the use

University of California - San Diego) A group of Norwegian and American researchers have shown that common variations in genes associated with microcephaly -- a neuro-developmental disorder in which brain size is dramatically reduced --may explain differences in brain size

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) Identical twins look the same and are nearly genetically identical, but environmental factors and the resulting cellular changes could cause disease in one sibling and not the other. In a study published online in Genome Research,

Boston University Medical Center) Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have discovered a new gene therapy that may prevent the progression of emphysema. The study, which appears on-line in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, describes a method to express

Journal of Clinical Investigation) Antibodies directed against the protein CD20, which is expressed by immune cells known as B cells, are used to treat B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite this, the function of CD20 has not been

Journal of Clinical Investigation) Individuals with single-gene mutations that decrease levels of the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin are highly susceptible to emphysema, a progressive lung disease that causes severe shortness of breath. Previous attempts to correct these mutations by gene transfer

Journal of Clinical Investigation) This release contains summaries, links to PDFs, and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published online, December 21, 2009, in the JCI, including: "What is the function of the protein CD20?" "Gene therapy

JAMA and Archives Journals) Many heart transplant patients develop multiple skin cancers, with increased risk for some skin cancers among patients with other cancers and with increasing age, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology,

JAMA and Archives Journals) White and Hispanic individuals are being diagnosed with melanoma more frequently in recent years, whereas Hispanic and black patients continue to have advanced skin cancer at diagnosis, according to a report in the December issue of

Journal of the National Cancer Institute) Boys with the sexual birth defects known as hypospadias and cryptorchidism are at risk for developing testicular germ cell cancer, but their relatives are not, according to a new study published online Dec. 21

Journal of the National Cancer Institute) The carcinogen aristolochic acid, which was found in many prescribed Chinese herbal products including Guan Mu Tong, is associated with an increased risk of urinary tract cancer, according to a new study published online