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New Haven, Conn. —Yale scientists report that genetic traces of extinct species of Galapagos tortoises exist in descendants now living in the wild, a finding that could spur breeding programs to restore the species, The report appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Boston – Men over 70 years of age with early-stage prostate cancer have 20 percent higher mortality if they are treated first with hormone therapy before being treated with radiation seed implants (brachytherapy), compared to men who are treated with brachytherapy alone, according to the largest cohort study of its kind presented September 23, 2008, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.

Boston – Long-term survivors of adult cancers are almost twice as likely to report psychological distress severe enough to cause moderate to serious problems functioning in social, work or school situations, compared to the general population, according to a large, national study presented September 24, 2008, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.

Boston – Doctors have created a free online computer tool, the CaP Calculator, that provides cancer specialists access to the latest prostate cancer research and helps them better individiualize each patient's treatment options, according to a study presented in a scientific session on September, 23, 2008, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.

Exposure to an excess of sexual steroids, like testosterone, during fetal development may be a potential risk factor for low sperm count and motility, according to a new study accepted for publication in Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society.

Chevy Chase, MD—Weight loss surgery may be linked to deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D and bone loss, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

With the growing epidemic of obesity, many people are opting for surgical procedures to help promote weight loss. While these procedures result in significant and sustained weight loss and reverse many of the complications of obesity, this new study shows there may be harmful effects on calcium and bone metabolism.

PHILADELPHIA -- Activation of the Src signaling pathway may cause resistance to standard medical treatment in some patients with breast cancer, and inhibition of this pathway holds the potential to overcome that resistance, according to data presented here at the American Association for Cancer Research Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development meeting.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The popular media in the U.S. have focused too much on moral issues surrounding black bisexual men who do not disclose their same-sex behaviors to female lovers, otherwise known as men "on the Down Low," with this focus creating a stigma that interferes with effective public health strategies, says Indiana University sexual health expert Brian Dodge.

Over half of all supporting trials for FDA-approved drugs remained unpublished 5 years after approval, says new research published in this week's PLoS Medicine. The most important trials determining efficacy, and those with statistically significant results and larger sample sizes, are more likely to be published.

The use of statins is associated with a 28% increased risk of postoperative delirium in elderly patients, found University of Toronto professor Dr. Donald Redelmeier and colleagues in a retrospective cohort analysis involving more than 280 000 patients.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A falling leaf often catches a poet's eye, but scientists also wonder about the phenomenon that causes leaves to fall, or abscission in plants. Abscission is the physiological process plants use to separate entire organs, such as leaves, petals, flowers and fruit, that allow plants to discard non-functional or infected organs.

LOS ANGELES (EMBARGOED UNTIL SEPT. 22, 2008 AT 5 P.M. EDT) – Kidney transplant specialists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have developed innovative laboratory techniques to improve opportunities and success rates for kidney transplant candidates who are at high risk of organ rejection because of previous exposure to donor antigens, according to an article in the Sept. 27 issue of the journal Transplantation.

A new technology which enables scientists to identify proteins by making a map of the energy flow inside the protein is revealed today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

Toronto, ON (September 22, 2008) – Researchers at the University of Calgary have found a new method of fighting severe lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). These findings are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, this week.

Communities of bacteria grow in the lungs of people with CF. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium found in these communities and is often associated with severe lung infections. Pseudomonas represents a constant and ever present threat to the health of people with CF.

Women and South Asian people with typical pain were more likely than those with atypical pain to receive a diagnosis of angina pectoris and to have increased mortality rates or acute coronary complications, a study by UK researchers found. Despite this, in women and South Asians, both those with typical and atypical pain had lower rates of angiography and coronary interventions compared with men and white people respectively.