Brain sensor offers Alzheimer’s answers
Scientists have found an explanation for why Alzheimer’s drugs have limited effectiveness and why patients get much worse after going off of them.
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Medical Research
Diversity Among Study Participants Credited with Identifying Gene Linked to Asthma
Researchers at Henry Ford Health System, as part of a national asthma collaborative, have identified a gene variant associated with childhood asthma that underscores the importance of including diverse patient populations in research studies.
The study is published in the print version of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
World-Renowned Interventional Cardiologist Establishes Structural Heart Disease Research Fund in Honor of Late Wife
William O’Neill, M.D., director of the Center for Structural Heart Disease at Henry Ford Health System, has donated $1 million to establish the Carol S. O’Neill Structural Heart Disease Research Fund at Henry Ford Health System in honor of his late wife, Carol, who passed away in 2019.
Read moreCase Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Announce 10-Year Affiliation Extension
Announcement of an extended affiliation agreement between Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals. The affiliation, through 2031, is an amendment that expands opportunities for collaboration between the two organizations.
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“This is how we can help” – Couple shares their story as COVID-19 clinical trial participants
“I don’t feel so great,” my husband, Brandon, said to me one Saturday afternoon – the last thing I wanted to hear after spending the last seven months tuned into COVID-19 media coverage. Knowing a few of his co-workers had recently tested positive for the virus, we didn’t wait to secure an appointment for a rapid test. When he called me an hour later to tell me he has tested positive, my heart sank.
Read moreUltrasound Technique Offers More Precise, Quantified Assessments of Lung Health
Researchers have developed a technique that uses ultrasound to provide non-invasive assessments of pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary edema. The technique has been shown to both quantify lung scarring and detect lung fluid in rats. A study on pulmonary edema in humans is under way.
Read moreHarrington Discovery Institute Announces Award Recipients in New UK Rare Disease Program
Announcement of the 2021 Harrington UK Rare Disease Scholar Award recipients, their organizations and fields of research:
Pietro Fratta, MD, PhD – University College London
Gene Therapy for Kennedy’s Disease, a rare neuromuscular disease
Angela Russell, DPhil – University of Oxford
New Drugs for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Helen Waller-Evans, DPhil – Cardiff University
Novel Inhibitors to Treat Multiple Lysomal Storage Disorders, causes of widespread organ damage
Wyatt Yue, PhD – University of Oxford
Inhibitors of Primary Hyperoxaluria, a cause of kidney failure
Haiyan Zhou, MD, PhD – University College London
Novel Therapy for SPTLC1-Related Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy, a cause of shooting pain
Ohio State Study Shows Cardiac MRI Effective in Identifying Myocarditis in Athletes
A cardiac MRI is effective in identifying inflammation of the heart muscle in athletes and can help determine when those who have recovered from COVID-19 can safely return to play in competitive sports, according to a new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Read moreUChicago Medicine joins BOOST-3 national trial to investigate treatments for traumatic brain injuries
As part of nationwide study to improve trauma care for severe brain injuries, researchers at UChicago Medicine are working to engage South Side residents and ensure representation among underrepresented communities.
Read moreClinical trials for potential COVID-19 vaccines need to include a more diverse roster of participants
Those who lead clinical trials for potential COVID-19 vaccines need to include more minorities. According to Marjorie A. Speers, executive
Read moreThe Eye, The Brain & The Auto: Call for Research Abstracts from Healthcare and Automotive Experts
The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology, the research arm of the Henry Ford Health System Department of Ophthalmology, is accepting abstracts for The Eye, The Brain & The Auto 9th World Research Congress on Health and Modern Mobility: Autonomous Vehicles, Driver’s Fitness to Function, and Naturalistic Driving Methods to be held Dec. 7-8, 2020. This will be a virtual event.
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Focused ultrasound shows promise against deadliest brain tumor
An innovative use of focused ultrasound is showing promise against glioblastoma, the deadliest brain tumor, and could prove useful against other difficult-to-treat cancers.
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Essential key to hearing sensitivity discovered in inner ear
New research is shedding light on the biological architecture that lets us hear – and on a genetic disorder that causes both deafness and blindness.
Read moreThe critical role clinical research professionals can play in FDA’s #expandedaccess program.
The Association for Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) published in their May journal an essay written by Clinical Research Pathways Executive
Read moreCoronavirus knowledge needs to be shared freely, not kept secret by governments, corporations
Government agencies and medical institutions have been hit hard recently by hackers attempting to steal coronavirus research. The US and
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Spinal cord injuries: Scientists probe individual cells to find better treatments
Two top scientists are seeking answers to questions about spinal cord injuries that have long frustrated the development of effective treatments.
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Soup to Nuts
The COVID-19 pandemic demands action on many fronts, from prevention to testing to treatment. Not content to focus its research efforts on just one, the laboratory of George Church in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University is tackling the problem from seven different angles.
Read moreEpidemiology expert: Strive for diversity in COVID-19 vaccine/drug clinical trials
As clinical trials on potential vaccines and treatment drugs for the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus get underway,
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Genetics Researchers Find Easy Way to Improve Cancer Outcomes
By mining a vast trove of genetic data,researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine are enhancing doctors’ ability to treat cancer, predict patient outcomes and determine which treatments will work best for individual patients. The researchers have identified inherited variations in our genes that affect how well a patient will do after diagnosis and during treatment.
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Understanding How COVID-19 Affects Children Vital to Slowing Pandemic, Doctors Say
Though COVID-19 so far appears to be largely sparing children, researchers are cautioning that it is critical to understand how the virus affects kids to model the pandemic accurately, limit the disease’s spread and ensure the youngest patients get the care they need.
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Discovered: Why obesity causes high blood pressure — and potential ways to fix it
The researchers have already confirmed their discovery in human tissue samples and used it to reverse high blood pressure in lab mice.
Read moreHarrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals Opens Call for 2021 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award
An announcement that the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals is accepting letters of intent for the 2021 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award. The award offers inventive physician-scientists resources and expertise to advance their discoveries into medicines.
Read moreThe potentially deadly paradox of diabetes management
Diabetes affects nearly 1 in 10 adults in the U.S., of these millions, more than 90% have Type 2 diabetes. Controlling blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin levels ― or HbA1c, which is sometimes referred to as A1C ― is key to diabetes management and necessary to prevent its immediate and long-term complications. However, new Mayo Clinic research shows that diabetes management may be dangerously misaligned.
Read moreExpert on #FDA’s #Expanded Access program: Cost can be a barrier to critically ill patients, healthcare providers, and others seeking to try experimental treatments as a last resort. Dr. Marjorie A. Speers available to comment or participate in inter
Costs related to the expanded access procedure under which critically ill patients can try experimental drugs, biologics, and medical devices are
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Major Asian Gene Study to Help Doctors Battle Disease
“Under-representation of Asian populations in genetic studies has meant that medical relevance for more than half of the human population is reduced,” one researcher said.
Read moreIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Announces Recipients of Nation’s First Gender Equity Grants
Annual Distinguished Scholar Award Aims to Break Down Barriers to Equity in Medical Research
Potential Way to Halt Blinding Macular Degeneration Identified
It would be the first treatment for “dry” age-related macular degeneration and could significantly improve treatment for wet AMD.
Read moreExpert in #expandedaccess to experimental drugs and diversity in clinical trials to speak at D.C. conf., and is available for interviews
An international expert in expanded access to experimental drugs, Marjorie A. Speers, Ph.D., will speak at the third annual Expanded
Read moreMany younger patients with stomach cancer have a distinct disease, Mayo research discovers
Many people under 60 who develop stomach cancer have a “genetically and clinically distinct” disease, new Mayo Clinic research has discovered. Compared to stomach cancer in older adults, this new, early onset form often grows and spreads more quickly, has a worse prognosis, and is more resistant to traditional chemotherapy treatments.
Read moreClinical Research Pathways Partners with WellStar Health System to Increase Diversity in Clinical Trials
Clinical Research Pathways, an Atlanta-based non-profit, announces a grant to Wellstar Health System designed to increase diversity in oncology-related clinical trials
Read moreNew Mayo Clinic studies to be presented at American Society of Hematology meeting
Mayo Clinic researchers will present findings at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting Dec. 7–10 in Orlando.
New Mayo Clinic studies to be presented include:
DNA analysis identifies elevated risk factor for myeloma in individuals of African ancestry
Study identifies more precise assessment measures for patients newly diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Researchers develop method to assess cancer-fighting cell therapy’s effectiveness
Researchers identify ‘Achilles’ heel’ of drug-resistant superbug
Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have identified a protein that allows vancomycin-resistant enterococci to defy antibiotic treatment and immune system attacks. Their discovery opens the door for future treatment options in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
Read moreRutgers-led Team Launches Science and Medicine Research Initiative to Transform Health Care in New Jersey
At an event Thursday at Rutgers, thought leaders from academia, health care, government and the pharmaceutical industry discussed the future of scientific and clinical trial innovation in the state, as a result of an innovative consortium between Rutgers University, Princeton University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Read moreStudy finds associations between rheumatoid arthritis, other diseases before and after diagnosis
A Mayo Clinic-led study involving 3,276 patients has found that people with inflammatory bowel disease, Type 1 diabetes or blood clots may be at increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, also found that people who have rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk of developing heart disease, blood clots and sleep apnea.
Read moreExperimental cholesterol-lowering drug effective at lowering bad cholesterol, study shows
Twice-yearly injections of an experimental cholesterol-lowering drug, inclisiran, were effective at reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, often called bad cholesterol, in patients already taking the maximum dose of statin drugs, according to data of the ORION-10 trial presented Saturday, Nov. 16, at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2019.
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Dr. Shravani Mikkilineni Earns Top Honors in Ophthalmology Times® Research Scholar Program
Shravani Mikkilineni, M.D., MBA, resident physician in Henry Ford Health System’s Department of Ophthalmology, was recognized among the top five honorees in the third-annual Ophthalmology Times® Research Scholar Honoree Program, earning first place for her presented research, “T2 Magnetic Resonance Assay for Detection of Ocular Candidiasis.”
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“Nudging” Heart Patients to Take Their Statins Leads to Better Medication Adherence and Better Patient Outcomes
In a new study presented to heart specialists from around the world, researchers at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City found that simple “nudges” in the form of texts, emails and phone calls, not only help patients fill that first statin prescription, but also continue to help them take their medications over the long term.
Read moreMayo Clinic study finds differences in how men and women perceive their own health
A Mayo Clinic study published in the American Journal of Health Behavior investigates differences in how men and women perceive their own health. The study finds that confidence in maintaining good health habits can be influenced by gender.
Read moreCommon early sign of cardiovascular disease also may indicate cancer risk, study finds
A Mayo Clinic-led study involving 488 cardiac patients whose cases were followed for up to 12 years finds that microvascular endothelial dysfunction, a common early sign of cardiovascular disease, is associated with a greater than twofold risk of cancer.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, finds that microvascular endothelial dysfunction may be a useful marker for predicting risk of solid-tumor cancer, in addition to its known ability to predict more advanced cardiovascular disease, says Amir Lerman, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and the study’s senior author.
Alzheimer’s subtypes could affect future treatments, Mayo Clinic researchers find
Despite decades of scientific scrutiny, Alzheimer’s disease researchers have yet to work out its cause or treatment. Understanding what underlies its three distinct subtypes is thought to be a promising new research avenue.
In a new study in JAMA Neurology, a team of neuroscientists at Mayo Clinic in Florida led by Melissa Murray, Ph.D., examined a key region of the brain and found that patterns of Alzheimer’s-related damage differed by subtype and age of onset.
Read moreMayo Clinic researchers to present study findings at American College of Gastroenterologists Annual Scientific Meeting
Mayo Clinic physicians will present findings at the American College of Gastroenterologists Annual Scientific Meeting, Oct. 25–30 in San Antonio.
Read moreMayo Clinic studies patient privacy in MRI research
Though identifying data typically are removed from medical image files before they are shared for research, a Mayo Clinic study finds that this may not be enough to protect patient privacy.
Read moreChronic kidney disease patients at increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, Mayo Clinic study finds
Chronic kidney disease, which afflicts an estimated 6.4% of U.S. adults 45 and older, is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes, according to new research from Mayo Clinic.
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Society is Rejecting Facts; Medical Researchers Can Help
Anecdotes, fake news and social media have created a skeptical and misinformed public who is rejecting the facts. A commentary says that medical researchers must help the public understand the rigorous process of science and help them to discern an anecdote from peer-reviewed scientific results. The best way to do this? By continuing to ensure integrity, rigor, reproducibility and replication of their science and to earn the public’s trust by being morally responsible and completely free of any influences.
Read moreVaping-associated lung injury may be caused by toxic chemical fumes, study finds
Research into the pathology of vaping-associated lung injury is in its early stages, but a Mayo Clinic study published in The New England Journal of Medicine finds that lung injuries from vaping most likely are caused by direct toxicity or tissue damage from noxious chemical fumes.
Read moreCNS Publishes Guidelines for Pediatric Myelomeningocele
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) has developed an evidence-based guideline for the treatment of patients with myelomeningocele. Executive summaries of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Pediatric Myelomeningocele were published today in Neurosurgery. Full text of the guidelines can also be found on cns.org.
Read moreMayo Clinic No. 1 in Phoenix and Arizona on U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best Hospitals’ rankings
Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona is again ranked No. 1 in Arizona and the Phoenix metro area, and No. 18 nationally, by U.S. News & World Report. This marks the third time that Mayo Clinic has been recognized with two hospitals on U.S. News & World Report’s”Best Hospitals Honor Roll,” which includes the top 20 hospitals in the nation. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked No. 1 nationally. The results were published July 30 on the U.S. News & World Report website.
Read moreMayo Clinic ranked No. 1 hospital nationwide by U.S. News & World Report
Mayo Clinic in Rochester again has been ranked the nation’s best hospital in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019–2020 “Best Hospitals” rankings.
Read moreMayo Clinic, Boston Scientific launch effort to accelerate new medical technology that addresses unmet medical needs
Mayo Clinic and Boston Scientific Corp. have launched a new venture to accelerate the development of medical technology and new minimally invasive treatments for many health conditions that impede quality and longevity of life.
Read moreThe Congress of Neurological Surgeons Approves $1 Million Gift to the CNS Foundation
The Executive Committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) voted unanimously during its winter Executive Committee meeting to approve a $1 million gift to the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Foundation (CNS Foundation). The CNS Foundation’s mission is to improve worldwide patient health by supporting innovative programs that allow neurosurgeons to collaborate globally as researchers, learners, educators and caregivers.
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