Spontaneous and rare gene mutations are likely the cause of autism in families with no previous history of the disorder, a trio of U.S. studies published on Wednesday suggested.

Two studies published in the journal Neuron describe a series of genetic variants that boost the risk of autism, a developmental disorder which appears by age three and affects about one percent of children in the United States.

People who suffer from Parkinson's disease face up to twice the risk of developing deadly skin cancer, an analysis of 12 studies on the topic showed on Monday.

Previous research has shown mixed results, but the meta-analysis by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and published in the journal Neurology showed a significantly higher risk of melanoma in Parkinson's patients.

Wrinkles on a woman's face may be able to predict how likely she is to suffer from bone fractures, according to a U.S. study released Monday.

That's because the level of proteins in the skin and bones are linked, so if a woman's face and neck are severely wrinkled, she faces a higher risk of bone breakage due to bone density loss, said Yale University researchers.

A brain scan to detect Alzheimer's disease could be available in hospitals worldwide within the next year and could boost efforts to detect the degenerative and fatal condition, experts said on Monday.

The technique, known as a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, can find and analyze a protein known as beta-amyloid, which is linked to Alzheimer's.

A new high-dose chemotherapy regimen has been shown to improve survival of children with high-risk neuroblastoma, a common pediatric cancer, according to a European clinical trial published Sunday.

"The study's results are important for patients with this extremely difficult to treat disease," said lead author Ruth Ladenstein of the University of Vienna and St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute in Vienna, Austria.

Contrary to previous research, a study out Sunday showed that flaxseed is ineffective in reducing hot flashes among menopausal women.

"The results were surprising. Pilot study data suggested that flaxseed use was associated with reduction in hot flashes," wrote study lead author Sandhya Pruthi, associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Seed sprouts are suspected of being at the root of a deadly E. coli outbreak which has killed 22 people, mainly in Germany, a regional agriculture minister said on Sunday.

Gert Lindermann, who represents Lower-Saxony, said there was not yet definite proof but a connection had been made "involving all the main outbreaks" of the disease, which has also left more than 2,000 people ill.

Two new treatments, including therapy blocking a gene mutation occurring in half of melanoma patients, are prolonging lives of people suffering from the deadliest form of skin cancer, clinical trials unveiled Sunday show.

Vemurafenib neutralizes mutation of the key BRAF gene by inhibiting production of a protein which plays a major role in development of melanoma.

About 7,000 people are being infected with AIDS each day and about half of the 34 million people with HIV do not know they have it, according to a U.N. report released to mark the disease's 30th anniversary.

The UNAIDS agency said more money, less waste and smarter programs are urgently needed to consolidate gains made in the war on AIDS and HIV.

Caretaker Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan and Director-General of the Health Ministry Walid Ammar denied on Saturday that there are E. coli cases in Lebanon.

Ammar told Voice of Lebanon radio station that Lebanon has an “active system that detects epidemics, and doctors always report any case they receive.”