key role

The placenta may play a key role in determining the gestation period of humans and other mammals, according to new research.

(MedPage Today) -- The changing pattern of whooping cough has been laid at the door of genetics, waning immunity, and better surveillance.

But it all comes down to a single factor -- kids tend to play with kids.

A type of blood fat different from cholesterol may play a key role in heart disease, a study suggests.

(Virginia Commonwealth University) Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified a new tumor-promoting gene that may play a key role in the development of liver cancer.

Levels of the gene's expression are significantly higher in more than 90 percent of patients with the disease compared to their healthy counterparts.

(Karolinska Institutet) Polyphosphate from blood platelets plays a key role in inflammation and the formation of blood clots, scientists from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown.

The study, which is presented in the prestigious scientific journal Cell, describes how this mechanism can be used in treatment.

(University of California - Davis) A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found.

The work is helping researchers understand how cancer cells can resist radiation and chemotherapy, as well as how cells become cancerous in the first place.

A hospital's ability to rescue patients from postoperative complications may be a key factor in surgical mortality rates, researchers said.

Two new papers published in the journal Nature pinpoint important genetic variations that shed light on the etiology of autism spectrum disorders