Preliminary research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health, has found that some smokers with damage to a part of the brain called the insula may have their addiction to nicotine practically eliminated. The study is published in the January 26, 2007 issue of the journal Science.

A tool to detect depression in cancer patients launched by the University of Liverpool will vastly improve patients' ability to come to terms with their disease

Patients with premature ejaculation who used a topical anaesthetic spray were able to delay ejaculation for five times as long, according to a study in the February issue of the urology journal BJU International.

University of California, Riverside Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, Jiayu Liao played a pivotal role in the discovery of a small molecule that has been shown to control diabetes in mice and may pave the way to the development of easier treatment for adult-onset diabetes.

A new study on rats has identified a part of the brain's cortex that controls learned but not innate fear responses.

Leading study author, Dr Jackie Center says: "While women are initially twice as likely as men to have a fracture, once the first break occurs, the risk of a second substantially increases and the protective effects of being male disappear altogether."

Patients with tuberculosis in the West African country of Senegal who participated in an intervention program that included improved communication with health personnel and community involvement had higher cure and treatment completion rates, according to a study in the January 24/31 issue of JAMA.

Acupressure can significantly reduce agitated behaviour in older patients with dementia, according to a study published in the February issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing.

There will soon be no more bitter pills to swallow, thanks to new research by University of Leeds scientists (UK): a spoonful of sugar will be all we need for our bodies to make their own medicine.

The youth in the program showed a 58 percent increase in social stability, compared to only 13 percent for those in the other group. Social stability was measured by the number of days they spent off the street, or in school, or working, or receiving medical care.

Human trypanosomiases are commonly known as sleeping sickness in Africa and Chagas disease in South America. The first case of human trypanosomiasis has now been discovered in India. The specialist investigations conducted, at the request of WHO and the Maharashtra Public Health Department, India, by an IRD scientist (1), has led to the identification of the parasite and the treatment of the patient, a farmer from the State of Maharashtra.

Doctors should encourage patients with sexually transmitted infections to tell their partners to seek treatment and, in some cases, provide home testing kits or drugs to help reduce infection rates, says a new study on bmj.com.