Success in cellular fusion -- as occurs at the moment of conception and when nerve cells exchange neurotransmitters -- requires that a membrane be bent before the merging process can begin, researchers have shown.

Scientists have found that a common treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver disease, is not helpful for patients.

The Ethics Committee recommends development of evidence-based policies that are patient centered for each IVF center. In most cases, the provision of futile therapies is not ethically justifiable. For those treatments with very poor success rates, clinicians must be vigilant in their presentation of risks, benefits, and alternatives. This document was reviewed in June 2009. This version replaces the previous version of this document, published in October 2004.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are distinguishable from those with 21-hydroxylase–deficient nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia on the basis of having polycystic ovaries and metabolic dysfunction.Design: Prospective observational.Setting: Tertiary care center.Patient(s): Fifty-two lean and 54 obese women with PCOS according to the 1990 National Institutes of Health criteria, 23 women with nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia, and 27 controls.Intervention(s): History and physical examination, blood sampling, ovarian sonography, oral glucose tolerance, and acute adrenocorticotropin stimulation testing.Main Outcome Measure(s): The frequency of clinical, biochemical, and metabolic features.Result(s): Women with PCOS had a higher frequency of oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea than those with nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia. Mean androstenedione and DHEAS levels were highest in nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia. The degree of metabolic dysfunction was greatest in obese women with PCOS; women with nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia and lean women with PCOS did not differ in degree of metabolic dysfunction. Women with nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia had a lower prevalence of polycystic ovaries than those with PCOS. The proportion of patients with an LH/FSH ratio >2 was greater in women with PCOS, compared with those with nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia. Basal 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels >2 ng/mL were found in 87%, 25%, 20%, and 7% of women with nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia, lean women with PCOS, obese women with PCOS, and controls, respectively.Conclusion(s): Nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia should be excluded in all women presenting with hirsutism, with use of a basal follicular phase 17-hydroxyprogesterone level, regardless of the presence of polycystic ovaries or metabolic dysfunction; however, women with nonclassic adrenal ...

Paradoxically, mortality rates during economic recessions in developed countries decline rather than increase, according to a new analysis.

Scientists have identified a gene in cowpea (black-eyed pea) that confers resistance to attack from witchweed, a parasitic plant. This discovery will help researchers better understand how some plants can resist Striga, while others, such as corn and sorghum, are susceptible.

A pilot study of a system for harvesting kidneys from non-heart-beating donors where attempts of resuscitation after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have failed (uncontrolled NHBDs) resulted in 21 successful kidney transplants -- a 10 percent increase in the transplantation rate -- over 17 months. Researchers have shown that retrieval from uncontrolled NHBDs may provide a valuable source of organs and could help counter the shortage of kidney grafts in France.

Scientists have discovered what may be an important clue to the cause of type 1 diabetes. Scientists tested 42 people with type 1 diabetes and found that nearly half had an abnormal immune response to wheat proteins.

Rome - The European Commission and the European cosmetic industry have presented a joint financial effort for research into reducing the need of animal testing. Up to EUR50m will...

Weighty. Heavy. What do these words have to do with seriousness and importance? Why do we weigh our options, and why does your opinion carry more weight than mine?