Traffic noise disrupts recognised benefits of bird song and other sounds from nature, a new study from the University of Surrey reports.

Experts at the University of Sydney have found that a gene involved in regulating the body’s response to stress switches on more easily in the brains of people who live with schizophrenia. Research could lead to new psychiatric treatments targeting the "stress gene". 

Nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective in helping people quit smoking than many conventional methods such as nicotine gums and patches and quitting with behavioral support or no support at all, an updated Cochrane review finds.

Until recently, the thymus was thought to be of little use beyond puberty, but new research has shown that radiation to the organ is associated with worse outcomes in patients being treated for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In a study published today in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology, researchers analyzed 1,107 patients with NSCLC and found that patients whose thymus was exposed to radiation during cancer treatment had an increased risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body (metastasizing) and of dying from their disease. This association was seen only in patients whose thymus was still relatively healthy before treatment.

Critical Path Institute today announced the publication of “Regulatory endorsement for the application of alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (αSyn-SAA) as a susceptibility and risk biomarker for clinical trials targeting synucleinopathies” in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, marking a significant milestone for its Critical Path for Parkinson’s consortium. Published findings detail scientific, regulatory, and collaborative efforts culminating in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) biomarker Letter of Support for this work.