Medical School News and Research

RSS

Researchers develop HTGTS to map translocatome in the genome

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the Immune Disease Institute (IDI) have created a method for mapping "hot spots" in the genome where chromosomes are most likely to break and recombine, knowledge that helps define the rules that govern when and where breaks occur.

30 Sep 2011

Researchers determine structure of RIG-I protein linked with viral infections

Researchers at Rutgers and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have determined the structure of a protein that is the first line of defense in fighting viral infections including influenza, hepatitis C, West Nile, rabies, and measles.

30 Sep 2011

Two UTA scientists win 2011 PECASE award for innovative research

Two scientists from The University of Texas at Austin are among the 2011 recipients of Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

30 Sep 2011

Medicaid payments in N.Y., Kentucky questioned

New York auditors says nursing homes were overpaid, while a Kentucky state senator says doctors at the University of Louisville misused Medicaid funds.

30 Sep 2011

Lin28/let-7 pathway plays an unexpected key role in type 2 diabetes

A pathway activated in cancer plays an unexpected key role in metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, according to a study by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Evidence that the Lin28/let-7 pathway influences the cellular response to glucose provides a unifying theme to perplexing data that associates human genetic variation with diabetes risk.

30 Sep 2011

MU's program provides solutions for states with physician shortage

An innovative program at the University of Missouri School of Medicine could help states deal with a dilemma in Washington, D.C. If deficit-reduction measures cut billions of dollars for training physicians who are already in short supply, who will care for the more than 30 million newly insured patients entering the health care system?

29 Sep 2011

Three papers reveal structure and workings of G protein-coupled receptors

Three international teams of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California San Diego, University of Michigan and Stanford University, have published a trio of papers describing in unprecedented detail the structure and workings of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of human proteins that are the target of one-third to one-half of modern drugs.

29 Sep 2011

Calif. bill could affect out-patient surgery centers; some Florida public hospitals prosper

Also in news about local hospitals, the Mayo Clinic announces plans to develop a new medical school branch in Arizona and a Minn. hospital is accused of dumping a patient.

29 Sep 2011

High volume liver transplant centers achieve better risk-adjusted survival rates

The shortage of available organs for transplantation has driven up use of high-risk donor livers. New research published in the October issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, reported that high volume transplant centers more frequently utilized livers with a high donor risk index, but achieved better risk-adjusted graft and recipient survival rates compared with lower volume centers.

29 Sep 2011

Long-term morbidity and mortality of NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis

Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis have a lower incidence of liver-related complications and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to the prospective study published in the October issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

28 Sep 2011

Healthcare becoming an overdrive model feel half of the primary physicians

In a new poll of primary care physicians, nearly half of them said their patients received too much medical care and more than a quarter said they were practicing more aggressively than they'd like to. This could mean ordering more tests, prescribing more drugs or diagnosing people with diseases, although they would never have experienced any symptoms. On the other hand, just six percent of doctors believed their patients were getting too little care.

27 Sep 2011

Autism Speaks ATN receives federal grant to continue to serve as AIR-P

The Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN), has received a $12 million federal grant to continue to serve as the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health.

27 Sep 2011

HCRI completes enrollment in dual antiplatelet therapy clinical trial

The Harvard Clinical Research Institute (HCRI) announced today that the enrollment phase of the DAPT Study has been successfully completed. The DAPT Study is a four-year clinical trial investigating the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT, the combination of aspirin and a thienopyridine/antiplatelet medication to reduce the risk of blood clots) following drug-eluting stent implantations.

27 Sep 2011

Subtle and unspoken clues exchanged by patients, doctors exert an influence on medical care

Subtle and unspoken clues exchanged by patients and doctors exert an influence on medical care, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System. Researchers analyzed video recordings of routine checkups and conducted follow-up interviews with participants to help elucidate signals sent and received on both sides of the examination table.

27 Sep 2011

U-M receives $2.2M FDA grant for 40 ongoing pediatric device projects

Adapting adult medical devices to be used for children is a common but often problematic practice across U.S. hospitals. At the University of Michigan and U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, pediatricians and researchers who care for children have been leading the charge to change this. They work to create, engineer and test medical devices and curb problems that come from using tools, implants, gadgets and procedures designed for adults.

26 Sep 2011

Research highlights health care disparities in patients with spinal cord injury

Several studies in the current issue of Topics of Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation put a needed spotlight on the health and health care disparities experienced by individuals with spinal cord injury. This research highlights the disparities in access for patients and lack of awareness about SCI by health care providers.

26 Sep 2011

Drug combo for breast cancer in post-menopausal women shows promise

Combining two drugs in post-menopausal women with a certain type of advanced breast cancer more than doubled the time they lived without their disease getting worse, a new study data showed.

26 Sep 2011

Combination of everolimus, exemestane holds promise against post-menopausal breast cancer

Results from a phase III clinical trial have shown that combining two existing cancer drugs to treat post-menopausal women with advanced breast cancer resistant to hormonal therapy significantly improves outcome.

26 Sep 2011

BPA may not affect male testes

Bisphenol A (BPA), a common component of plastic used in many consumer products, has recently become infamous -- and banned in some places -- because it can mimic natural estrogen in the body. A new study by Brown University toxicologists, however, finds that male mice whose mothers were exposed even to high doses of BPA while pregnant developed no signs of harm to their testes as adults.

23 Sep 2011

Poll finds health industry 'not adequately prepared' to protect patients' digital records

Reuters reports on a new poll of health executives that indicates that the industry is not adequately prepared to protect patients' digital health records. Still, according to the Boston Globe, Dr. David Blumenthal, offered a positive view of medical technology in a Wednesday night speech, saying that electronic medical records made him a better doctor.

23 Sep 2011