Medical School News and Research

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Penn research provides unprecedented insight into kidney physiology and disease

The kidney is a highly complex organ – far beyond a simple filter. Its function requires intricate interactions between many highly specialized cell types to extract waste, balances body fluids, form urine, regulate blood pressure, and secrete hormones.

6 Apr 2018

Mice study reveals important role of pTreg cell population in autoimmune diabetes

In autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, some of the immune system's T cells mistakenly attack the body's own cells, while protective T regulatory cells try to defend against that attack.

6 Apr 2018

Scientists develop indices that provide information about prognosis of cancers

Researchers from the School of Medicine in Ribeirão Preto, at the University of São Paulo, in collaboration with international groups, have developed indices that provide information about the prognosis of cancers, aid in the choice of the most appropriate therapy to be used and identify potential targets for the development of new drugs.

6 Apr 2018

Review identifies ethical issues in vitamin D research involving use of placebos

Since World War II, medical ethics in research studies involving human subjects have shifted significantly. Despite this important growth, ethical issues remain. Nutrition supplementation research does not have guidelines around the use of placebo groups in clinical trials, posing ethical issues.

6 Apr 2018

University of Minnesota wins five-year CTSA award to expand effort on scientific health research

The University of Minnesota's Clinical and Translational Science Institute received more than $42 million in renewed National Institutes of Health funding through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences' Clinical and Translational Science Award program.

6 Apr 2018

Researchers find potential remedy that could restore hearing for millions

Researchers at USC and Harvard have developed a new approach to repair cells deep inside the ear -- a potential remedy that could restore hearing for millions of elderly people and others who suffer hearing loss.

5 Apr 2018

Researchers reveal new tactic to fight antibiotic-resistant pneumonia

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat in bacterial pneumonia. While immune-stimulating treatments can help the body kill the bacteria, they can also cause inflammation that damages and weakens lung tissue. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital now describe an approach that offers the best of both worlds: enhanced bacterial killing with reduced lung damage.

4 Apr 2018

Insights into blood cell formation may help break new ground in treatment of anemia

Every day, stem cells in our bone marrow produce billions of new red blood cells. Any disruption in this process can result in serious disease. Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Harvard Medical School have succeeded in furthering our understanding of how blood cells are formed.

4 Apr 2018

Children with autism more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic medication, study finds

A new study by Swansea University has suggested that children with intellectual difficulty or autism are more likely to be given antipsychotic medication from a younger age than those without intellectual disability and have higher rates of hospitalization for depression and for injury and also are at risk of other medical side effects.

4 Apr 2018

New study investigates upstream factors for atrial fibrillation-related dementia and stroke

A new study from Dr. Lin Yee Chen, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division at the University of Minnesota Medical School, could clarify whether it is atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) or a large or abnormally functioning left atrium that is the principal driver of poor health outcomes, such as stroke and cognitive decline in patients with A-Fib.

4 Apr 2018

Obesity may have negative impact on liver health in children as young as 8 years old

A new study published today in The Journal of Pediatrics is the first to show that weight gain may have a negative impact on liver health in children as young as 8 years old. The study found that bigger waist circumference at age 3 raises the likelihood that by age 8, children will have markers for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

4 Apr 2018

FDA-approved drug for chemical abortion shows promise for treatment of vestibular schwannoma

Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers have shown that mifepristone, a drug currently FDA-approved for chemical abortion, prevents the growth of vestibular schwannoma cells. This sometimes-lethal intracranial tumor typically causes hearing loss and tinnitus

3 Apr 2018

Many older adults support marijuana use with doctor’s recommendation, poll finds

Few older adults use medical marijuana, a new national poll finds, but the majority support its use if a doctor recommends it, and might talk to their own doctor about it if they developed a serious health condition.

3 Apr 2018

Gut bacteria may hold clues to predict effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies

The composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract may hold clues to help predict which cancer patients are most apt to benefit from the personalized cellular therapies that have shown unprecedented promise in the fight against hard-to-treat cancers, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Apr 2018

Study uncovers mechanism causing chronic GVHD after bone marrow transplant

Allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) is an essential treatment to cure patients with blood cancers such as leukemia. In patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation, a small number of cancer cells can remain in the bloodstream and allow the malignancy to recur.

3 Apr 2018

Psychiatrist stays close to home and true to her childhood promise

Dr. Yamanda Edwards, the daughter of a truck driver and a stay-at-home mom, grew up just a few miles from Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center, at the time an iconic yet troubled hospital in South Los Angeles.

3 Apr 2018

Combined treatment prolongs survival in mouse models of malignant mesothelioma

Combined treatment with two cancer immunotherapy drugs - one a novel immune modulator and one that focuses and activates the antitumor immune response - significantly prolonged survival in mouse models of the aggressive cancer malignant mesothelioma.

2 Apr 2018

Study reveals how interneurons emerge and diversify in the brain

Modern neuroscience, for all its complexity, can trace its roots directly to a series of pen-and-paper sketches rendered by Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

31 Mar 2018

Plastic surgery done in developing countries can carry substantial risks of complications

Patients traveling to developing countries for plastic surgery procedures may experience severe complications—requiring extensive and costly treatment after they return to the United States, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

30 Mar 2018

Expert group presents framework to address physician burnout

Physician burnout continues to be a pervasive issue, with more than 50 percent of doctors reporting problems such as dissatisfaction, high rates of depression, and increased suicide risk.

29 Mar 2018

Medical School News and Research

Penn research provides unprecedented insight into kidney physiology and disease

Mice study reveals important role of pTreg cell population in autoimmune diabetes

Scientists develop indices that provide information about prognosis of cancers

Review identifies ethical issues in vitamin D research involving use of placebos

University of Minnesota wins five-year CTSA award to expand effort on scientific health research

Researchers find potential remedy that could restore hearing for millions

Researchers reveal new tactic to fight antibiotic-resistant pneumonia

Insights into blood cell formation may help break new ground in treatment of anemia

Children with autism more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic medication, study finds

New study investigates upstream factors for atrial fibrillation-related dementia and stroke

Obesity may have negative impact on liver health in children as young as 8 years old

FDA-approved drug for chemical abortion shows promise for treatment of vestibular schwannoma

Many older adults support marijuana use with doctor’s recommendation, poll finds

Gut bacteria may hold clues to predict effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies

Study uncovers mechanism causing chronic GVHD after bone marrow transplant

Psychiatrist stays close to home and true to her childhood promise

Combined treatment prolongs survival in mouse models of malignant mesothelioma

Study reveals how interneurons emerge and diversify in the brain

Plastic surgery done in developing countries can carry substantial risks of complications

Expert group presents framework to address physician burnout

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

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