Antipsychotic drugs do most of their work in the brain, but they also leave behind in the bloodstream a trail of hundreds of chemicals that may be used in the future to direct better treatment for schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.

The US health care system ranks last compared with five other nations on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity and outcomes, in the third edition of a Commonwealth Fund report analyzing international health policy surveys. While the US did well on some preventive care measures, the nation ranked at the bottom on measures of safe care and coordinated care.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduce many cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks, but many women have stopped using HRT due to reports that HRT may increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease. In a recent article, scientists examined whether the increased CVD risk from stopping HRT could be minimized by lifestyle change intervention.

Hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia who received treatment regimens against atyical disease-causing pathogens reached clinical stability quicker, had fewer days of hospitalization and had lower mortality rates as a result of their disease, according to a large new study.

By building upon previous studies of bacteria, researchers have created a formula that quantifies bacterial gene transfer under natural conditions. Scientists believe that these findings will help to increase knowledge about the rates of potentially beneficial and harmful bacterial adaptation in the environment.

For years, researchers have debated the birthplace of the European potato. Recent genetic studies revealed that the earliest known landraces of the European potato contain both Andean and Chilean molecular markers. These findings may change current breeding programs which focus solely on the Andean landraces and not the Chilean landraces, according to scientists.

Vertical workstations, incorporating a treadmill, could help obese employees shed up to 30 kg in weight every year, suggests a small new study.

Filed under: Networking

While analysts have long questioned how satellite television providers would answer the challenge of cable companies offering up bundled services with such little hassle, both DirecTV and EchoStar have traditionally partnered with DSL providers to tempt users to the dish, but change may finally be on the way. Reportedly, DirecTV's CEO recently suggested that it "may test delivering high-speed internet service through power lines in a major US city within the next year," meaning that broadband over power lines could be comin' down the pike. Notably, the company fessed up and stated that it "wasn't the only one" in talks to get such a plan in action, and while prospective test areas weren't named, the firm did say that it would probably aim for a "top 50 city where you're covering at least half the city." Of course, the talk of mergers was quickly shot down, but it's hard to think that a partnership isn't at least in the cards.

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