Medical School News and Research

RSS

Study: Delay in school start time significantly improves adolescent sleep, mood and behavior

A pilot study conducted in a small private high school confirms what many have been touting for years: the benefits of a delayed school start time. Judy Owens, MD, a sleep expert with Hasbro Children's Hospital, reports that a modest delay in school start time of only 30 minutes was associated with significant improvements in adolescent alertness, mood and health. Her findings are published in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

7 Jul 2010

AUGIB patients more likely to suffer further bleeding with early red blood cell transfusion

Doctors have called for an urgent review of transfusion policies after a UK-wide study of over 200 hospitals found that patients admitted with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) are more than twice as likely to suffer further bleeding if they receive a red blood cell transfusion within 12 hours.

7 Jul 2010

PI3 kinase boosts body heat, helps burn excess calories

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest that an enzyme in the brain known as PI3 kinase might control the increased generation of body heat that helps burn off excess calories after eating a high-fat meal.

7 Jul 2010

POMC neurons suppress appetite, induce weight loss: Research

A protein found in cells throughout the body must be present in a specific set of neurons in the brain to prevent weight gain after chronic feeding on high-calorie meals, new findings from UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest.

7 Jul 2010

Depression increases risk of developing dementia later in life

A new study shows that having depression may nearly double your risk of developing dementia later in life. The research will be published in the July 6, 2010, issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Jul 2010

Depression and dementia may go hand in hand: Study

A new study has found that depressive disorders raise the risk of dementia. The findings of this study were published in the journal Neurology. The study involved nearly 1,000 people who were studied for up to 17 years. Those who were depressed when first examined almost doubled their risk for dementia and also increased their risk for Alzheimer's disease the study authors wrote.

5 Jul 2010

Transplanted beta cells protect themselves by adapting to their new homes

For transplanted beta cells, life is tough. Not only are the insulin-producing cells in a stranger's body, tucked into the liver rather than the pancreas, they are a bit short on oxygen and blood, and they are often exposed to raised levels of glucose.

3 Jul 2010

Psychiatrist shortage may soon reach crisis levels

Demand for psychiatrists is growing faster than for any other medical specialty, according to a new survey by national physician search firm Merritt Hawkins, an AMN Healthcare Company.

3 Jul 2010

First US forum gathers doctors and children who no longer need insulin

Twenty-five families who have overcome diabetes caused by a defect in a single gene will gather at "Celebrating the Miracles," a University of Chicago symposium for patients, parents and physicians. The first Monogenic Diabetes Forum is designed to review scientific studies, celebrate treatment successes, stress the importance of a genetic diagnosis for children diagnosed before age one, and exchange tips on how to make the most of a new concept--life without insulin injections.

3 Jul 2010

Children's Hospital Boston researchers reprogram adult blood cells into iPS cells

In findings likely to make it easier and faster for stem cell biologists to generate patient-specific embryonic-like stem cells, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have reprogrammed adult blood cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

2 Jul 2010

BIDMC calls for new training program for personalized healthcare

The Department of Pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have issued "A Call to Action" for the medical profession to catch up with the technology and business communities in the application of genomics to personalized health care.

2 Jul 2010

Cancer stem cells may vary from tumor to tumor, say researchers

Cancer stem cells have enticed scientists because of the potential to provide more durable and widespread cancer cures by identifying and targeting the tumor's most voracious cells.

2 Jul 2010

New MRI technology may revolutionize diagnosis of medical conditions

The development of a new magnetic resonance imaging technology that could revolutionise the way medical conditions are diagnosed and treated is to take a major step forward as a £7m research centre is established at the University of York.

2 Jul 2010

Blacks often diagnosed with advanced cancer, more likely to have other underlying health problems

Black people with cancer are up to twice as likely as other races to die from their disease. While disparities exist for nearly every common cancer type, the largest differences occur among cancers that benefit most from treatment -- suggesting that black patients are not getting needed lifesaving treatments, according to a review from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Jul 2010

Research shows promising targeted therapies for type 2 diabetes patients

Named for the furballs whose astonishing fecundity made them stars in early Star Trek episodes, the tribbles protein, first identified in fruit flies, aids in regulating many cell processes in humans. Joslin Diabetes Center researchers now have identified mechanisms triggered by a variant of the tribbles gene that cause trouble in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells—and that offer a promising target for therapies for people with type 2 diabetes, even if they don't carry that gene variant.

2 Jul 2010

Medical school association suggests clinical conflict-of-interest policies

The Association of American Medical Colleges has asked academic medical institutions to adopt conflict-of-interest policies for clinical care similar to those they apply to medical research, Modern Healthcare reports.

2 Jul 2010

University College London neurology professor becomes first recipient of Lord Brain Memorial Medal

Andrew Lees, Professor of Neurology at University College London, is to be the first ever recipient of the Lord Brain Memorial Medal - awarded for the scientific contributions he has made to the field of movement disorders within the UK. He will receive the medal following his delivery of the inaugural Lord Brain Memorial Lecture; "Brainwashed by the Black Stuff," at Barts and The London Medical School on June 24, 2010.

1 Jul 2010

Authoritative parenting style associated with frequency of family meals and healthy diet in adolescents

Investigators from the University of Minnesota have found a direct association between parenting style and the frequency of meals eaten together as a family and that an authoritative parenting style was associated with more frequent family meals. Their data further indicated that family meals have a positive influence on adolescents to eat a healthy diet. The results of the study are published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

1 Jul 2010

Twelve residents receive one-year fellowship grant to study medical dermatology

Twelve dermatology residents from leading medical schools around the country each received a $40,000, one-year fellowship grant to study medical dermatology. The fellowships, awarded by the National Psoriasis Foundation, provide support to eligible institutions to develop and enhance opportunities for physicians training for careers in medical dermatology.

1 Jul 2010

BIDMC physician-scientist receives Young Investigator Award to research on prostate cancer

Akash Patnaik, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist in the Hematology/Oncology Divison at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School has received a Young Investigator Award from The Prostate Cancer Foundation. The three-year $225,000 award, one of 21 made to young scientists from across the U.S. and Canada, is designed to encourage the most innovative minds in cancer research to focus their careers on prostate cancer.

1 Jul 2010