A specific enzyme can be detected in large quantities in lung cancers even when the cancer has not yet developed. Thus this molecule would serve as a good marker in the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. The research is of great interest for potential future therapeutic applications as well.

Black patients are significantly less likely than their white counterparts to receive therapy for various kinds of cancer, despite recent efforts to close gaps in treatment. The findings suggest that there has been little improvement in the overall proportion of Medicare beneficiaries receiving cancer care. They also reveal that racial disparities have not lessened.

Some secrets of the beauty of a diamond can be uncovered by a mathematical analysis of its microscopic crystal structure. This structure has some very special, and especially symmetric, properties. Out of an infinite universe of mathematical crystals, only one other, the "K4 crystal", shares these properties with the diamond. It is not known whether the K4 crystal exists in nature or could be synthesized.

A new comparison of normal stem cells and cancer stem cells reveals that the cancer stem cells are abnormally trapped at an early stage of development. The research significantly advances the understanding of glioma pathophysiology and provides new directions for design of therapeutic strategies that are targeted to specific types of tumors.

New research links depression to loss of the sense of smell, suggesting that the blues may have biological roots. "Our scientific findings suggest that women who are depressed are also losing their sense of smell, and may overcompensate by using more perfume," according to one of the researchers.

A mysterious and unpredictable group of side effects from modern medications called idiosyncratic drug reactions likely will persist as a major health care problem unless there is a dramatic increase in research funding, according to a 20-year review of research in the field.

Experts are warning policy makers that allergic disease might replace infectious disease as a major. New research tracking the number of cases of childhood eczema across the globe has revealed big changes in the prevalence of the condition over the last five to ten years and suggests that environmental factors could be having a significant impact.

Teen girls who perceive themselves as being lower on the social ladder appear more likely to gain weight over the subsequent two years, according to a new report. Between 1999 and 2004, the percentage of American teen girls classified as overweight increased from 14 percent to 16 percent, according to background information in the article.

This year's muddied Oscar race may have just gotten a little clearer...and artsier.Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood), Sean Penn (Into the Wild) and Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) topped the ballot Tuesday for the Directors Guild of America's Best Director award, considered one of the most accurate Academy Award predictors of the pre-Oscar season.

Jessica Sierra may not be the best endorsement of efficacy for the upcoming reality series Celebrity Detox with Dr. Drew, but the girl who's already the program's most infamous patient is getting one final go at a model recovery.The trouble-plagued American Idol alum was sentenced Tuesday to a yearlong stint in an in-house California drug treatment facility, to be followed by three years' probation.

Eminem is getting some R&R after a rough patch over the holidays.Instead of spending time under the tree, the 35-year-old rapper logged some days in sick bay.

It seems Victoria Beckham and Mr. Blackwell have opposing definitions of posh.The fashion maven's 48th Annual Worst Dressed Women List, released Tuesday, placed the Spice Girl at number one, a dishonor that was accompanied by this biting remark: "In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty Posh can really wreck-em."

Private clinics in Spain, which perform most of the country’s abortions, began a five-day strike on Tuesday to protest what they said was persecution by anti-choice activists and government inspectors.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders authorized the start of negotiations on the sensitive core issues of the conflict between the two sides, officials said.

Four years ago, NASA's Stardust spacecraft chased down a comet and collected grains of dust blowing off its nucleus. When the spacecraft Comet Wild-2 returned, comet dust was shipped to scientists all over the world, including University of Minnesota physics professor Bob Pepin. After testing helium and neon trapped in the dust specks, Pepin and his colleagues report that while the comet formed in the icy fringes of the solar system, the dust appears to have been born close to the infant sun.