(January 9, 2011 - Insidermedicine)

From Connecticut - A new report published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases outlines the most effective method at preventing childhood chickenpox.. Comparing 71 childhood cases of chickenpox to over 140 controls, researchers found that children who received two doses of vaccine had 95% lower risk of contracting the disease.

From California - Research published in Cell Stem Cell outlines a discovery that may improve bone marrow transplants. Scientists identified a molecule that prevents stem cells from leaving the bone marrow and entering the blood stream. Developing a drug that stops this molecule could improve the efficiency of bone marrow transplants.

And finally, from Minnesota - Obesity increases death risk in H1N1 patients, according to a report published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Studying 500 H1N1 patients, researchers found extreme obesity raised risk of death from H1N1 by nearly 3x.