UTEP Awarded $1.2 Million by NIH to Advance Research on Diabetes-Related Cardiac Complications

November is National Diabetes Month, a time when the nation comes together to shed light on one of the leading causes of death and disability among U.S. citizens. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is joining the fight against the disease through innovative research made possible through a recent $1.2M grant by the National Institutes of Health to advance understanding of a critical diabetic heart condition.

Astronomers develop model for the distribution of inner planetary systems

Data from the Kepler space telescope, launched more than a decade ago, is still helping astronomers who study planets outside of our own solar system — exoplanets — and unravel the mysteries of planetary systems. Initially, astronomers were surprised that Kepler found so many exoplanets, including hundreds of planetary systems with multiple planets orbiting close to their host star. As astronomers developed models to explain the abundance of inner exoplanets, they encountered a new mystery: “Why did Kepler detect just one planet around so many stars, instead of planetary systems with multiple planets?”

Stimulus Relief Funds Increase Social Distancing to Stop Spread of COVID-19

As case rates of COVID-19 reach new heights across the nation, many states and cities are tightening stay-at-home restrictions to stop the spread. New research suggests that that those suffering from economic hardships are less likely comply with new stay-at-home orders; however these same U.S. residents would be more likely to adhere to the new public health guidelines if their households received stimulus funds.

Webinar: Artificial Intelligence, Firm Growth and Industry Concentration

Research into the positive effects of artificial intelligence on firms will be discussed in a Dec. 2 webinar hosted by the Center for Financial Policy at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Virginia Tech researchers show teens with risk-averse peers make safer choices

In a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Virginia Tech neuroscientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC show that observing peers making sound decisions may help young people play it safe. The discovery may one day inform measures to help teens make healthy decisions.

Holiday Gifts That Give Back to Birds and Nature

There’s been a huge bump in the number of people connecting with birds and nature as people stuck close to home during this past year, and the trend is continuing. The perfect gift for new—and veteran—birdwatchers is the gift of knowledge. There’s so much to learn about birds! Below are holiday gift ideas that are meaningful and environmentally friendly—and your purchase supports the nonprofit conservation work at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

UCI professor’s life skills course is expanded to all 10 UC campuses

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 30, 2020 — Long successful at the University of California, Irvine, Mahtab Jafari’s Life 101 course will be available across the 10 UC campuses during the upcoming winter quarter. The class teaches healthy lifestyle choices, promotes students’ well-being, and helps them to recognize and manage their stress.

NIH Re-Funds ACTG for the Next Seven Years

The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest global HIV research network, has been re-funded for the next seven years by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and collaborating NIH Institutes.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple Performs 1000th HoLEP Procedure That Improves Men’s Quality of Life

In mid-October, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple conducted its 1000th holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), a minimally invasive procedure that can address benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH can prevent the bladder from emptying properly and could lead to kidney damage or failure. It also impacts quality of life in about one third of men older than 50 years old.

Linking medically complex children’s outpatient team with hospitalists improved care

When medically complex children are hospitalized, linking hospitalists to their regular outpatient providers through an inpatient consultation service were more likely to improve outcomes, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

Older Adults with Dementia Exhibit Financial “Symptoms” Up To Six Years Before Diagnosis

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors found that Medicare beneficiaries who go on to be diagnosed with dementia are more likely to miss payments on bills as early as six years before a clinical diagnosis.

Research unlocks new information about reading through visual dictionary in the brain

The uniquely human ability to read is the cornerstone of modern civilization, yet very little is understood about the effortless ability to derive meaning from written words. Scientists at UTHealth have now identified a crucial region in the temporal lobe, know as the mid-fusiform cortex, which appears to act as the brain’s visual dictionary.

Promising lab results in quest to find naturally occurring anti-COVID therapies

So far, 35 of 125 naturally occurring compounds identified computationally at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to have potential against COVID-19 have shown efficacy in ongoing first-batch testing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (UTHSC RBL) that’s the next step in the process to becoming a drug.

Southwest Virginia Residents Leading Region’s Cancer Prevention Efforts

More than 30 Southwest Virginia residents on the University of Virginia Cancer Center Without Walls Community Advisory Board have set four regional priorities for cancer prevention and early detection. Their areas of focus are helping residents quit tobacco use, screenings for lung and colorectal cancer, along with efforts to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes several cancers.

UVA Artificial Intelligence Project Among 7 Finalists for $1 Million Prize

A UVA Health data science team is one of seven finalists in a national competition to improve healthcare with the help of artificial intelligence. UVA’s proposal was selected as a finalist from among more than 300 applicants in the first-ever Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Artificial Intelligence Health Outcomes Challenge.

Yale Cancer Center Study Shows Regional Variation in Genomic Testing for Men with Prostate Cancer

In a new study by Yale Cancer Center, researchers found substantial regional variation in use of genomic testing for prostate cancer, raising questions about access and other factors that might promote rapid adoption of new cancer technologies.