Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a molecule that can make brain cells resistant to programmed cell death or apoptosis.
Dr. Anand V. Germanwala and Dr. Adam M. Zanation, have published a paper describing a surgery they performed that is believed to be the first reported clipping of a ruptured brain aneurysm through a patient's nose.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have launched a new clinical trial to determine if estrogen replacement therapy may help prevent depression and cardiovascular illness in women between the ages of 45 and 55.
These results show that basal-like breast cancer is equally aggressive in African American and white women, and that African American women had worse outcomes no matter what kind of breast cancer they developed.
In the editorial, the UNC researchers explain the excitement about this new class of drugs and the importance of this trial. They also highlight the reasons that caution as well as enthusiasm is warranted.
An evaluation by UNC researchers concluded that fewer N.C. youths are taking up smoking, more public places have become smoke-free and more adults that smoke are quitting, thanks to tobacco prevention programs funded by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund.
A new study finds that combining the newer diabetes drug exenatide with insulin provides better blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes than insulin alone and helps promote weight loss.
On Nov. 16, 2010, at the annual AHA meeting in Chicago, Arjun Deb, MD, was awarded the Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Science Research Prize for Young Investigators. Deb is an assistant professor of medicine and of cell and molecular physiology, and a member of the McAllister Heart Institute and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
New research led by scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the University of California, Santa Barbara, describes new complexities in the close chemical combat waged among bacteria. The findings may have implications for human health and survival.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have demonstrated that the gene mutated in cystic fibrosis not only controls traffic on the chloride highway, but also keeps the sodium highway from being overused.
Kelly Bruno, a second-year medical student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is also an amputee who has completed three Ironman triathlons. But she is perhaps better known to many as "Kelly B.," one of the castaways on "Survivor: Nicaragua."
Common foot disorders such as flat feet, corns and bunions are more prevalent among African Americans than in whites, a new study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers has found.
The study found that there are significant benefits of Tai Chi for individuals with all types of arthritis, including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
A new study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Norwegian researchers has found that women with anorexia nervosa are much more likely to have both unplanned pregnancies and induced abortions than women who don’t have the serious eating disorder.
The method used to assess infertility in at-home tests might not be the best for identifying which women will have trouble getting pregnant, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have reported the exact molecular structure and mechanisms of a major cell signaling pathway that serves a broad range of functions in humans.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have discovered a gene variant that may protect against alcoholism.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine today announced the expansion of its medical school to two regional campuses in Asheville and Charlotte, continuing to fulfill its mission to care for the people of North Carolina.
A new study led by UNC's Dr. Margaret L. Gourlay finds that women aged 67 years and older with normal bone mineral density scores may not need screening again for 10 years. She presented these results on Sunday, Oct. 17, at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone Mineral Research (ASBMR) in Toronto.
An economic analysis led by Canadian researchers, in collaboration with UNC's Michael J. Steiner, MD, concludes that routinely giving ondansetron to children with gastroenteritis-induced vomiting would prevent thousands of hospitalizations and save millions of dollars each year.
North Carolina Children’s Hospital is one of 27 sites across the nation developing a disease registry for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The research collaborative is part of a $12-million grant to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, enabling the creation of this first-of-its-kind registry system providing real time information on thousands of IBD cases across the country and, eventually, around the world.
A clinical trial designed to replace the genetic defect causing the most common form of muscular dystrophy has uncovered an unexpected aspect of the disease. The trial, based on therapy designed by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, showed that some patients mount an immune response to the dystrophin protein even before they have received the gene therapy.
Ben Major, PhD, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been awarded one of 33 National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Awards, one of the NIH’s most prestigious grants.
Investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comprise one of 12 scientific teams in more than a dozen states that will receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to study effective ways to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS among people in the criminal justice system.
An international team of researchers, including a number from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of medicine and public health, have discovered hundreds of genes that influence human height. Their findings confirm that the combination of a large number of genes in any given individual, rather than a simple “tall” gene or “short” gene, helps to determine a person’s stature. It also points the way to future studies exploring how these genes combine into biological pathways to impact human growth.
A team of UNC scientists has received a five-year $2,308,800 grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnerships to address the critical need for early diagnosis of and more effective treatments for pancreatic cancer.
The National Cancer Institute has awarded a five-year, $13.6 million grant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (C-CCNE) based at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, for research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer through applying/using advances in nanotechnology.
The program has been accredited as a Level 1b facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). In addition, the program was named a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
The study, which was part of the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, showed patients with X-ray evidence of knee osteoarthritis who inherited a specific pattern of genetic variations in the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene were almost twice as likely to progress to severe disease as other patients.
UNC Hospitals is one of only 26 hospitals nationwide to receive this award, which recognizes our commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients.
The flu kills more than 35,000 people in the United States in an average year—and most of those deaths could be prevented with a simple vaccine. After last year’s H1N1 outbreak, the government says everyone over the age of 6 months needs a flu shot this year.
The virus that causes AIDS may undergo changes in the genital tract that make HIV-1 in semen different than what it is in the blood, according to a study led by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have uncovered the genetic architecture controlling the growth of the collateral circulation – the “back-up” blood vessels that can provide oxygen to starved tissues in the event of a heart attack or stroke.
In a perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine, UNC medical geneticist James P. Evans, MD, PhD and co-authors write that medical professionals “must ensure that rapidly evolving and multiplying genomic technologies are responsibly harnessed and that their promise is not oversold to the public.”
Purchasing a laptop computer has become a ritual for many new college students. But using a laptop often leads to posture problems, which can have serious long-term health consequences. UNC expert Dr. Kevin Carneiro explains how students can guard themselves from “laptop-itis” from orientation to final exams.
Three studies led by UNC researchers find that spanking and other forms of corporal punishment of children are still common in the U.S. and worldwide, despite bans in 24 countries.
First-year college students are at risk for gaining weight and developing eating disorders. Two University of North Carolina Health Care experts weigh in on how to develop healthy eating habits on campus.
UNC researchers have identified an enzyme that blocks chronic pain by robbing a major pain pathway of a key ingredient. The enzyme could prevent lasting pain after surgery.
Russell Harris, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at UNC and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, wrote an editorial in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute about a study concluding that CTC or “virtual” colonoscopy is not cost effective compared with colonoscopy if reimbursed at the same rate as colonoscopy.
This study suggests that the use of experts who are blinded to both the medical outcome and the litigation in malpractice cases may be a more objective way of determining whether or not the standard of care has been met.
Two UNC School of Medicine faculty authored an editorial in the July 15, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine commenting on results from two clinical trials using the drug Rituximab to treat small-vessel vasculitis, a rare autoimmune disease.
New results and next steps are the focus of the year’s most important HIV/AIDS research gathering. UNC researchers present findings on antiretroviral drugs, prevention approaches and community interventions.
According to a study performed in the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, researchers confirmed previous reports that parents of overweight or obese children do not recognize their child’s weight problem. But this time, by arming pediatricians with a “toolkit,” an easily used chart and a series of questions and suggestions, the researchers addressed several problems.
A new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine suggests that a shift in the balance between the “good” bacteria and the “bad” bacteria that populate our gut could be a harbinger of colon cancer.
UNC researchers are the first to identify brain abnormalities in children at high risk for schizophrenia shortly after birth. The finding could lead to earlier detection of schizophrenia and enable better prevention and treatment.
The largest study to date to examine methods to prevent HIV infection among breastfeeding infants concludes that giving antiretroviral drugs to HIV-infected breastfeeding mothers in sub-Saharan Africa or giving an HIV-fighting syrup to their babies are both effective.
A new study led by UNC researchers that looks at newly diagnosed lung cancer patients and follows them from diagnosis forward is one of the first to give reasons why patients don’t go to lung surgery and why surgery happens less often in blacks.