Each year, cardiovascular disease kills more Americans than cancer. And while most people are aware that lifestyle choices such as eating right, getting enough exercise and quitting smoking can help prevent cardiovascular disease, they may not know that by just brushing and flossing their teeth each day, they might also be avoiding this potentially lethal condition.

Lack of water causes great distress among the population in large parts of Africa and Asia. Small decentralized water treatment plants with an autonomous power supply can help solve the problem: They transform salty seawater or brackish water into pure drinking water. Large industrial plants for the desalination of seawater deliver 50 million cubic meters of fresh water every day -- particularly in the coastal cities of the Middle East. However, the technology is complex and consumes large amounts of energy.

The fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is an increasingly used tool in the diagnosis and management of asthma in children and adults. However, new research found that what was once defined as the "normal" range of FeNO concentrations in children may not hold true for all children. New research shows that 'normal' levels vary with different racial ancestry.

People who experience brief periods of blocked blood flow may be better conditioned to survive a full-blown heart attack later, according to new research. When the heart experiences short periods of stress, either from reduced blood flow or high blood pressure, it activates a protective molecular pathway that protects the heart muscle.

A disease most Americans have never heard of could soon become more prevalent if dengue, a flu-like illness that can turn deadly, continues to expand into temperate climates and increase in severity, according to a new commentary.

Coral reefs in the Caribbean have suffered significant changes due to the proximal effects of a growing human population. The study showed clearly that the number of people living in close proximity to coral reefs is the main driver of the mortality of corals, loss of fish biomass and increases in macroalgae abundance.

When someone mentions a mobile home or "house trailer," the image usually doesn't make others green with envy. Mobile homes haven't earned recognition for long-term quality, environmental friendliness or return on value. But "green" is exactly what one professor wants mobile homes to be. He hopes to toss traditional thinking about the structures into the recycling bin.

A new study found that specific strength training exercises led to significant prolonged relief of neck muscle pain, while general fitness training resulted in only a small amount of pain reduction.

Infectious disease researchers have shown the effectiveness of a potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine that can replace the current biodefense stockpile for this lethal virus. Scientists applied blood serum samples taken from both humans and animals given the MVA or Dryvax vaccines to “microarray” chips containing more than 200 vaccinia virus proteins, on which they simultaneously studied how the serum antibodies responded to all the vaccinia proteins.

There is a broad variation in the risk of developing breast cancer among people who carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation, according to a new study. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are gene mutations that predispose carriers to breast cancer.

An international study of dialysis patients shows that although US residents have the highest out-of-pocket drug costs, even those who can afford their prescription drugs are far less likely to take them than patients in other countries.

For the first time, magnetism has been used to trigger cellular reactions normally induced by drugs or hormones. The discovery was made possible by getting tiny beads -- 30 nanometers in diameter -- to bind to receptor molecules on the cell surface. When exposed to a magnetic field, the beads become magnets and cluster together through magnetic attraction, pulling receptors along with them mimicking what happens when drugs or other molecules bind to cell receptors.

Different variations in the same gene influence how well different ethnic groups, and people within the same ethnic group, respond to various antipsychotic medications, report NIMH-funded researchers. If confirmed, their findings could one day help clinicians predict which medication is most likely to help a patient, based on his or her genetic makeup. A medication that works well for one person with schizophrenia often doesn’t work well for another.

Cotton growers used to be bedeviled by boll weevils. Now, thanks to a successful large-area eradication program, the weevils are no longer a problem in most U.S. cotton fields. But stink bugs have filled the void boll weevils left in parts of the Southeast. Stink bug infestations cost Georgia farmers about 3 percent of their cotton in 2003.

A new study evaluated the effects of the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, formerly called People with Arthritis Can Exercise to promote managing arthritis through exercise.