Farzana Hoque, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine and acting internship co-director at Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine, is the president of SHM’s St. Louis Chapter. The Unsung Hero award is given to a chapter leader who has positively influenced SHM behind the scenes with a positive attitude and a willingness to support other chapter members.
Tag: Internal Medicine
UT Southwestern study shows glucagon is key for kidney health
Glucagon, a hormone best known for promoting blood sugar production in the liver, also appears to play a key role in maintaining kidney health. When UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers removed receptors for this hormone from mouse kidneys, the animals developed symptoms akin to chronic kidney disease (CKD).
AEDs often not used in cardiac arrest, even where they’re mandated
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are underutilized during cardiac arrest episodes despite laws in some states requiring their availability in high-risk areas such as athletic facilities, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found.
Traditional Chinese medicine reduces risk after heart attack
A traditional Chinese medicine whose name means “to open the network of the heart” reduced the risk of heart attacks, deaths, and other major cardiovascular complications for at least a year after a first heart attack, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. The findings, published in JAMA, reveal the promise of this compound, one of the first traditional Chinese medicines tested in a large-scale, Western-style clinical trial.
UTSW researcher receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
Ravikanth Maddipati, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and in Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, has been awarded $1.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research investigating positional heterogeneity in cancer, or how tumors in the same organ can behave differently based on where they form.
Two UT Southwestern researchers awarded HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellowships
Two postdoctoral researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are among 25 early-career scientists nationwide selected as Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Hanna H. Gray Fellows for 2023.
UTSW researchers identify driver of inflammatory bowel disease
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered an intracellular mechanism that converts protective intestinal cells into disease-driving pathogenic cells, a finding that could lead to improved treatments for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Fish oil supplement claims often vague, not supported by data
Your daily dose of omega-3s may not be doing what you think it is. Most fish oil supplements on the market today have labels boasting health benefits that aren’t supported by clinical data, according to a study published in JAMA Cardiology by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
New primary care model created to dispense nutrition advice
Expert advice on nutrition delivered to patients electronically saved physicians time, improved patient satisfaction, and was reimbursable by insurance, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.
College students help aging patients who are hospitalized
Valentina Harmjanz often tapped into music on her smartphone to connect with older patients she visited at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital. The UT Southwestern medical student met with patients as part of the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a joint effort between UTSW and the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Gene that regulates immune activity in the retina identified
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene called Lipe that appears to be pivotal to retinal health, with mutations spurring immune activation and retinal degeneration. This is important because the retina is responsible for detecting the light that is transformed into vision. The findings, published in Communications Biology, provide clues about the mechanisms behind a variety of disorders affecting the retina, including macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Warfarin use should not disqualify stroke patients from lifesaving clot-removing surgery
Most stroke patients taking the anticoagulant warfarin were no more likely than those not on the medication to experience a brain bleed when undergoing a procedure to remove a blood clot, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in a new study. The findings, published in JAMA, could help doctors better gauge the risk of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), potentially expanding the pool of eligible patients for this mainstay stroke treatment.
UTHealth Houston study on repeated radiofrequency ablation in combination with chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer supported with $3.3M HHS grant
A combination strategy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) with chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer will be studied at UTHealth Houston through a $3.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Start screenings at age 45 to prevent colorectal cancer, UT Southwestern experts advise
Colorectal cancer is on the rise among younger adults. According to the American Cancer Society, the proportion of cases among people under 55 increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019, and it is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men younger than 50.
Poor sleep can lead to long-term health problems for older adults, UTSW specialists say
It’s a common misconception that older adults need less sleep than those younger, but many get fewer hours due to insomnia and various health problems, including sleep apnea and heart trouble. In addition to a reduced quality of life, long-term health consequences of poor sleep include high blood pressure, weight gain, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, memory problems, and even increased risk of death, said Deborah Freeland, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and a member of UTSW’s Division of Geriatric Medicine.
Racial disparities exist in use of statins to reduce heart disease risk, UTSW study shows
Black and Hispanic adults at risk of developing cardiovascular disease are less likely to take statin drugs than white adults with the same risk factors, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers reported in JAMA Cardiology.
McMaster researchers find best treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness
McMaster University researchers Dena Zeraatkar and Tyler Pitre have found that the drug solriamfetol is the most effective treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) for people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Carlos Arteaga, M.D., named to Susan G. Komen® research scholar group
Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D., Director of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and Associate Dean of Oncology Programs at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been named a research scholar for Susan G. Komen®, one of the world’s leading breast cancer organizations.
Cardiovascular risk, complications changed as pandemic progressed
The rate of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular complications increased among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between March 2020 and December 2021, according to a new study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers. The rise came even as patients hospitalized with the virus tended to be younger and less likely to have had cardiovascular disease (CVD) as the pandemic wore on.
Skin conditions may indicate more serious rheumatic disease, UT Southwestern physician says
While rheumatic diseases typically affect the joints, muscles, or ligaments, the first signs of a problem may appear on the skin. A UT Southwestern physician who specializes in rheumatology says it’s essential to know what to look for.
UT Southwestern nephrologist addresses National Kidney Foundation
Susan Hedayati, M.D., Director of Clinical and Population Health Research in Nephrology at UT Southwestern, has spent a career investigating the links between kidney disease and depression and developing methods to improve care from a patient-centric perspective for those with chronic kidney disease.
Simmons Cancer Center investigators receive nearly $15 million in CPRIT funding
Ten scientists in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center have been awarded nearly $15 million in grants from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to advance research on a wide range of cancer issues.
Autoantibody linked to rare disorder that destroys fat, UT Southwestern researchers find
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered the first molecular biomarker for acquired generalized lipodystrophy (AGL), a rare disorder in which fat deposits are destroyed, causing patients to have dangerously low body fat, signs of accelerated aging, and severe metabolic diseases including diabetes and fatty liver.
Potential genetic regulators of the heartbeat identified by UT Southwestern researchers
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have mapped gene control elements in specialized cardiac cells responsible for coordinating heartbeats. The findings of the genome exploration study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, provide insight into how heartbeats are regulated and could impact diagnosis and risk prediction for a variety of common arrhythmias.
Liver cancer treatment costly for Medicare patients, UT Southwestern study finds
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, can place a significant financial burden on patients, according to an analysis led by a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
UT Southwestern cardiologist receives NIH Outstanding Investigator Award
UT Southwestern physician-scientist Hesham Sadek, M.D., Ph.D., has received the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Outstanding Investigator Award to support his ongoing research into mechanisms behind heart regeneration that could lead to treatments for heart failure.
Realtime monitoring with a wearable device reveals IBS-related changes
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a difficult disease to treat, characterized by chronic abdominal pain related to bowel movements, of which there are four types: diarrheal, constipation, mixed, and unclassifiable.
UT Southwestern rheumatologist recommends patients receive pneumococcal vaccine
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other rheumatic conditions are more at risk for complications and death from pneumonia, meningitis, and other bacterial infections, yet most have not been vaccinated against infection.
Physicians urged to consider fungal infections as possible cause for lung inflammation
UC Davis Health infectious diseases expert George Thompson warns of the rising threat and apparent spread of disease-causing fungi outside their traditional hot spots. Fungal lung infections are commonly misdiagnosed, leading to delays in treatment and increase in antimicrobial resistance in the community.
Alexandre Shehata, M.D., Internal Medicine, Joins Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Group
Mountainside Medical Group has announced that Alexandre Shehata, M.D., has joined the practice in the field of Internal Medicine.
International experts call for a unified public health response to NAFLD and NASH epidemic
Patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of developing NAFLD and NASH.
Advantages of intranasal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2
Intranasal vaccination is needle-free and elicits immunity at the site of infection, the respiratory tract
MRI, clear cell likelihood score correlate with renal mass growth rate
Standardized non-invasive clear cell likelihood score–derived from MRI–correlates with the growth rate of small renal masses and may help guide personalized management
ASMBS Foundation awards research grants for studies related to COVID-19 & obesity
Newberry, FL – July19, 2021– The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Foundation today announced it has awarded two research grants totaling $50,000 to study the effects of obesity on COVID-19 infections in adolescents and the increasing use…
Less-sensitive COVID-19 tests may still achieve optimal results if enough people tested
Analysis suggests same epidemiological outcomes possible with rapid-antigen versus RT-PCR tests
Pathogens get comfy in designer goo
Rice, Baylor labs use custom hydrogels to mimic insides of intestines, study infectious bacteria
Researchers reverse emphysema in mice by injecting blood vessel wall cells
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian in New York have discovered that injecting mice with pulmonary endothelial cells–the cells that line the walls of blood vessels in the lung–can reverse the symptoms of emphysema. The study, which will be…
Toxicity testing on the placenta and embryo
Drugs must be safe not just for the patients; in the case of pregnant patients, drugs must also be safe for the unborn children still in the womb. Therefore, at an early stage in the development of new medicines, candidate…
Coffee Doesn’t Raise Your Risk for Heart Rhythm Problems
In the largest study of its kind, an investigation by UC San Francisco has found no evidence that moderate coffee consumption can cause cardiac arrhythmia.
Copper transporter potential new treatment target for cardiovascular disease
An internal transporter that enables us to use the copper we consume in foods like shellfish and nuts to enable a host of vital body functions also has the essential role of protecting the receptor that enables us to grow…
Coffee doesn’t raise your risk for heart rhythm problems
UCSF Cardiology researchers report no link between coffee consumption and arrhythmia
Most studies of acute kidney injury are flawed due to non-use of standard definitions
In an article published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD), researchers found that among 176 studies on acute kidney injury, the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) definitions of kidney injury were inconsistently applied and 80% of studies…
Risk score with 6 routinely available lab tests accurately predicts kidney failure
Researchers developed a new risk equation, based on six routinely available patient parameters, that yielded improved performance in estimating the risk of a chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient to progress to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) requiring kidney replacement therapy (KRT).…
Coffee and heart beats
What The Study Did: The association between daily coffee consumption and the risk of cardiac arrhythmias was evaluated in this study. Authors: Gregory M. Marcus, M.D., M.A.S., of the University of California, San Francisco, is the corresponding author. To access…
Disparities in outpatient visit rates
What The Study Did: Researchers examined racial/ethnic disparities in outpatient visit rates to 29 physician specialties in the United States. Authors: Christopher Cai, M.D., of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, is…
Examining association between cycling, risk of death among people with diabetes
What The Study Did: This study investigated the association between time spent cycling and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease or any other cause among people with diabetes. Authors: Mathias Ried-Larsen, Ph.D., of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, is the corresponding…
Novel autoantibody adds fuel to COVID-19 ‘firestorm’ of inflammation, blood clots
The finding will likely help physicians develop targeted therapies for future COVID patients
For concussion patients, CTs offer window into recovery
UCSF-led study matches brain imaging with prognosis, showing lingering impairment for some
A small molecule induces readthrough of cystic fibrosis CFTR nonsense mutations
This research suggests that a path to treat currently untreatable cases of cystic fibrosis is clearly achievable.
Rapid screening, face masks may prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission at indoor mass-gathering events
Embargoed News from Annals of Internal Medicine