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University of Delaware researchers identify prime suspects in cataract formation

When cataracts encroach on the eyes, the only effective remedy is to surgically replace the eyes' lenses with synthetic substitutes. But what if scientists found a way to delay or prevent cataracts from forming in the first place? Researchers at the University of Delaware may have found such an opportunity by identifying the prime suspects in the formation of cataracts - deficiency of two genes that encode regulatory proteins.

19 Jun 2015

Researchers explore the science of exosomes in heart repair

A little more than a decade ago, researchers discovered that all cells secrete tiny communications modules jammed with an entire work crew of messages for other cells. Today, a team of researchers, led by stem cell researcher Raj Kishore, PhD, Director of the Stem Cell Therapy Program at the Center for Translational Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, is harnessing the communications vesicles excreted by stem cells and using them to induce the damaged heart to repair itself.

19 Jun 2015

HUJI professor honored with Helmholtz International Fellow Award for epigenetics research

The Israeli immunologist and cancer researcher Professor Yehudit Bergman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, has been honored with the Helmholtz International Fellow Award for her excellent research. In a prize ceremony at the MDC Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association in Berlin, Germany, MDC's interim director Professor Thomas Sommer presented the certificate to her on Thursday, June 18th, 2015.

19 Jun 2015

Improved clinical management results in higher quality of life for patients with neurofibromatosis

A genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis (NF) causes benign tumors to grow on the brain, spinal cord, and other parts of the nervous system.

18 Jun 2015

MGH researchers develop new approach to skin rejuvenation

A new approach to skin rejuvenation developed at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) may be less likely to have unintended side effects such as scarring and altered pigmentation.

18 Jun 2015

Findings could lead to treatments for chronic pain caused by nerve damage

Non-narcotic treatments for chronic pain that work well in people, not just mice, are sorely needed. Drawing from human pain genetics, an international team led by Boston Children's Hospital demonstrates a way to break the cycle of pain hypersensitivity without the development of addiction, tolerance or side effects.

18 Jun 2015

Two MGH physicians describe their experiences in Nepal earthquake relief efforts

Two Massachusetts General Hospital physicians who participated in the international response to the major earthquakes that hit Nepal in April and May each describe their experiences in Perspectives articles receiving Online First publication today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Jun 2015

Melanoma patients with high levels of H2A.Z.2 protein less likely to survive

Melanoma patients with high levels of a protein that controls the expression of pro-growth genes are less likely to survive, according to a study led by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published online in the journal Molecular Cell.

18 Jun 2015

Identifying obstructive coronary artery disease in women: an interview with Dr. Ladapo, NYU School of Medicine

A recent study presented at the American College of Cardiology 64th Annual Scientific Meeting evaluated the impact of an age, sex, and gene expression score on clinical decision-making and the rate of further cardiac evaluation in symptomatic female patients suggestive of CAD in the outpatient setting.

17 Jun 2015

Selecting health insurance plan on HealthCare.gov particularly challenging for young adults

When trying to enroll in a health insurance plan through HealthCare.gov during the first open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) health insurance marketplaces, young adults were confused by unfamiliar health insurance terms, concerned about the affordability of plan options, and unsure how to seek good primary care.

17 Jun 2015

MGH-CEM researchers develop novel approach to evaluate the liver's drug-metabolizing activity

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) has developed a novel approach that dramatically simplifies the evaluation of the liver's drug-metabolizing activity and the potential toxic effects of the products of that activity on other organs.

17 Jun 2015

New DARPA grant supports Wyss Institute project that aims to fight gastrointestinal illness

For decades, American travelers to international destinations have been plagued by acute gastrointestinal illnesses that can arise from travel to other countries. The Center for Disease Control warns that depending on the destination, between 30 to 70 percent of travelers can expect to experience gastrointestinal distress from ingesting foreign or pathogenic bacteria that can be present in poorly sanitized water or food.

17 Jun 2015

Researchers create cell lines to study gene expression in precursor brown fat and white fat cells

Since the 2009 discovery that energy-burning brown fat can be active in adults, research has raced ahead to understand this tissue and exploit it to treat the epidemic of obesity. Active brown fat also may assist in directly easing the burden of diabetes and related metabolic diseases by lowering the levels of glucose and fatty acids in the bloodstream. But progress in studying human brown fat often has been slowed by difficulties in obtaining and studying samples of the human cells that develop into brown fat.

17 Jun 2015

Restrictions on night driving among teens could significantly reduce crashes

Restricting teenagers from driving unsupervised at night, and introducing strict penalties and other licensing requirements, could reduce crashes significantly, according to research.

17 Jun 2015

Scientists identify two new key players involved in development of prostate cancer

Understanding how a normal healthy cell turns into a cancerous one is our best bet yet for beating the disease. It will help better diagnose the cancer type, and enable the development of more effective, and less toxic therapies. But cells have evolved all sorts of sophisticated ways to become cancerous, and identifying the molecules involved and how they function in each type of cancer is a major undertaking.

16 Jun 2015

TUSM researchers reveal how scratching evokes pleasurable sensation in chronic itch patients

It's long been known that scratching evokes a rewarding and pleasurable sensation in patients with chronic itch. Now, researchers in the Department of Dermatology and Temple Itch Center at Temple University School of Medicine may be closer to understanding why.

16 Jun 2015

Researchers suggest link between solar storms and incidences of RA and GCA

What began as a chat between husband and wife has evolved into an intriguing scientific discovery. The results, published in May in BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal) Open, show a "highly significant" correlation between periodic solar storms and incidences of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and giant cell arteritis (GCA), two potentially debilitating autoimmune diseases.

16 Jun 2015

Study highlights discovery of genetic variants linked to mucinous ovarian carcinomas

New research by an international team including Keck Medicine of USC scientists is bringing the origins of ovarian cancer into sharper focus.

16 Jun 2015

Scientists develop new technique to analyze bacterial populations

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a new technique to more precisely analyze bacterial populations, to reveal epigenetic mechanisms that can drive virulence. The new methods hold the promise of a potent new tool to offset the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance by bacterial pathogens.

16 Jun 2015

Scientists find way to accelerate wound healing in diabetic mice

One of the body's own tools for preventing wound infections may actually interfere with wound healing, according to new research from Boston Children's Hospital. In a study published online in Nature Medicine, scientists from the hospital's Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine found they could speed up wound healing in diabetic mice by keeping immune cells called neutrophils from producing bacteria-trapping neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

15 Jun 2015

Medical School News and Research

University of Delaware researchers identify prime suspects in cataract formation

Researchers explore the science of exosomes in heart repair

HUJI professor honored with Helmholtz International Fellow Award for epigenetics research

Improved clinical management results in higher quality of life for patients with neurofibromatosis

MGH researchers develop new approach to skin rejuvenation

Findings could lead to treatments for chronic pain caused by nerve damage

Two MGH physicians describe their experiences in Nepal earthquake relief efforts

Melanoma patients with high levels of H2A.Z.2 protein less likely to survive

Identifying obstructive coronary artery disease in women: an interview with Dr. Ladapo, NYU School of Medicine

Selecting health insurance plan on HealthCare.gov particularly challenging for young adults

MGH-CEM researchers develop novel approach to evaluate the liver's drug-metabolizing activity

New DARPA grant supports Wyss Institute project that aims to fight gastrointestinal illness

Researchers create cell lines to study gene expression in precursor brown fat and white fat cells

Restrictions on night driving among teens could significantly reduce crashes

Scientists identify two new key players involved in development of prostate cancer

TUSM researchers reveal how scratching evokes pleasurable sensation in chronic itch patients

Researchers suggest link between solar storms and incidences of RA and GCA

Study highlights discovery of genetic variants linked to mucinous ovarian carcinomas

Scientists develop new technique to analyze bacterial populations

Scientists find way to accelerate wound healing in diabetic mice

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

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