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People make the decision to use internet banking either because they recognize the benefits or because of peer pressure but rarely because of perceived prestige or celebrity endorsement, a study published in the International Journal of Banking, Accounting and Finance. The research hints at how banks could improve the spread of internet banking simply by improving the services offered.

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center report initial results from a small sample that inflammation from gum disease and prostate problems just might be linked. They discuss their new evidence in the Journal of Periodontology, the official journal of the American Academy of Periodontology.

ANAHEIM, CA – Genetic mutation can disrupt the way human cells make proteins, which in turn leads to inherited disease. David Bedwell, a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Microbiology, says scientists are closer than ever to producing drugs that fix this disrupted-protein pathway and drastically improving treatment of genetic disease.

Saranac Lake, N.Y. - According to the World Health Organization, two billion people around the globe suffer from chronic parasitic worm infections, which, in addition to causing illness and developmental delay, are also suspected to interfere with the effectiveness of ordinary vaccines, making their victims more vulnerable to life-threatening diseases. A recent discovery by researchers at the Trudeau Institute promises to bypass these obstacles and help deliver more effective vaccines to these people, boosting their protection against common childhood diseases.

BOSTON and CAMBRIDGE (April 26, 2010) — Pericytes, the contractile cells surrounding capillaries, may use mechanical forces to initiate angiogenesis, the "sprouting" of new blood vessels, according to researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The study, published in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, is among the first to examine mechanical signaling by pericytes as a potential driver of angiogenesis, which is crucial in the progression of cancer, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration.

ANAHEIM, CA (April 26, 2010) – Consumption of 100 percent fruit juice is closely linked to improved nutrient intake and overall diet quality in children and teens, according to new research presented yesterday at the Experimental Biology (EB) 2010 meeting.

An injection of botulinum toxin can provide relief for "tennis elbow" but needs to be injected properly to avoid potential paralysis, states a research article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj090906.pdf.

Every year, millions of patients worldwide participate in randomized clinical trials hoping to benefit from an experimental treatment or potentially help someone else with the same condition.

However, rules and regulations are becoming a menace to academic clinical trials where resources are limited and risks may be much less than those associated with new experimental drugs.

Distinct populations of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that preferentially generate specific types of blood cells can be identified based on abundance of a single surface protein, according to a study published online on April 26 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org).

New research advances our understanding of the gating mechanism of the CFTR, the chloride channel mutated in cystic fibrosis patients. The study by Tzyh-Chang Hwang and colleagues (University of Missouri), and accompanying Commentary by László Csanády (Semmelweis University) appear in the May issue of the Journal of General Physiology (www.jgp.org).

The urgent need to learn more about the causes of cancer and other chronic diseases is the impetus behind the foundation of a major research platform for the study of disease states an article on the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091540.pdf.

NEW YORK (April 23, 2010) -- Monitoring rejection in heart transplantation patients with a simple blood test co-developed by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center physician-scientist Dr. Mario Deng in 2005 can safely reduce their need for invasive heart-muscle biopsies, a new study has found.

Montreal, April 26, 2010 – Baby boomers are retiring healthy, financially secure and with a desire to travel. According to Université de Montréal demographer Jacques Légaré, baby boomers will remain among the most self-reliant generations to reach their golden years.

"They've been independent their entire lives. They won't stop being self-reliant when they get old and sick," says Légaré, noting he's ready to back his hypothesis as he's done at various national and international conferences.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Disadvantaged urban preschoolers aren't only at risk for failure in the classroom – they are likely to struggle on playgrounds and athletic fields as well, research suggests.

A new study found that more than eight out of every ten disadvantaged preschoolers from two urban areas showed significant developmental delays in basic motor skills such as running, jumping, throwing, and catching.

Laughter is a highly complex process. Joyous or mirthful laughter is considered a positive stress (eustress) that involves complicated brain activities leading to a positive effect on health. Norman Cousins first suggested the idea that humor and the associated laughter can benefit a person's health in the 1970s. His ground-breaking work, as a layperson diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, documented his use of laughter in treating himself—with medical approval and oversight—into remission.