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.
University Of Virginia
Cold sores: Discovery reveals how stress, illness and even sunburn trigger flareups
The finding could lead to new ways to prevent cold sores and herpes-related eye disease from reoccurring, the researchers report.
Strange colon discovery explains racial disparities in colorectal cancer
The colons of African-Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals, helping explain racial disparities in colorectal cancer – the cancer that killed beloved “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman.
Cancer’s dangerous renovations to our chromosomes revealed
Cancer remodels the architecture of our chromosomes so the disease can take hold and spread, new research reveals.
New tools to improve care for cancer that has spread to the brain
The tools will help doctors and patients make better-informed treatment decisions, enhance the care of brain metastases, and enable hospitals to improve the coordination and effectiveness of their interdisciplinary treatment programs.
Genetic differences in fat shape men and women’s health risks
New findings about body fat help explain the differing health risks men and women face – and set the stage for better, more targeted treatments.
HIV drugs could prevent diabetes, study suggests
Patients taking drugs called NRTIs to treat HIV and hepatitis B had a 33% lower risk of developing diabetes.
Concussion discovery reveals dire, unknown effects of even mild brain injury
Even mild concussions cause severe and long-lasting impairments in the brain’s ability to clean itself, and this may seed it for Alzheimer’s, dementia and other neurodegenerative problems.
American Heart Association Honors UVA Endocrinologist for Life’s Work on High Blood Pressure
Robert M. Carey, MD, has been named a Distinguished Scientist of the American Heart Association for his “extraordinary contributions” to cardiovascular research.
Strokes in babies are surprisingly common. Here’s how the body rushes to the rescue.
New research is shedding light on the development of the brain’s immune defenses – and how those defenses respond to strokes that strike one in 4,000 babies in the first month of life.
Women surgeons earn their cut of NIH funding – and then some
Women are underrepresented in academic surgery, but women surgeons are earning a disproportionate share of research grants from the National Institutes of Health, a new study has found.
When can kids return to sports after COVID-19? Doctors weigh in
Pediatric cardiologists are offering important advice on if and when it is safe for children and teens to return to playing sports after recovering from COVID-19.
Doctors urge hospitals to become ‘artificial intelligence ready’
Disorganized efforts to implement artificial intelligence in hospitals could undermine the technology’s vast potential to benefit patients, the group warns.
UVA pioneers study of genetic diseases with quantum computers
Scientists are harnessing the mind-bending potential of quantum computers to help us understand genetic diseases – even before quantum computers are a thing. ]
Brain Cancer: UVA IDs Gene Responsible for Deadly Glioblastoma
The discovery of the oncogene responsible for glioblastoma could be the brain tumor’s Achilles’ heel, one researcher says.
Single-Dose Flu Drug Reduces Spread Within Households
Only 1.9% of uninfected household contacts who took a single dose of baloxavir marboxil came down with the flu.
Discovery reveals how plants make cellulose for strength and growth
The new discovery unveils the molecular machinery that plants use to weave cellulose chains into cable-like structures called “microfibrils.”
Lack of lockdown increased COVID-19 deaths in Sweden
Sweden’s controversial decision not to lock down during COVID-19 produced more deaths and greater healthcare demand than seen in countries with earlier, more stringent interventions, a new analysis finds.
Exercise can slow or prevent vision loss, study finds
Exercise can slow or prevent the development of macular degeneration and may benefit other common causes of vision loss, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, new research suggests.
Blood test at COVID-19 diagnosis can predict disease severity
In addition to its predictive value, the discovery could lead to new treatments to prevent deadly cytokine storms. It also may help explain why diabetes contributes to worse outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
Invasive fire ants limiting spread of meat allergy – but pose their own danger
Invasive fire ants common in the Gulf Coast and Texas likely are limiting a tick-acquired meat allergy in these areas, scientists report. But they have a nasty bite of their own.
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.
COVID-19 Collaboration Reducing Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities
A collaborative program developed at UVA Health to work with local long-term care facilities to control COVID-19 is saving lives and offers a model for communities across the country, a new scientific paper reports.
Exercise offers ‘profound’ benefits for Friedreich’s ataxia, research suggests
A top exercise researcher is urging clinical trials of exercise in patients with Friedreich’s ataxia after finding that physical activity has a “profound” protective effect in mouse models of the debilitating genetic disease.
COVID-19: Antibody testing to reveal extent of infections across Va.
UVA Health has partnered with the Virginia Department of Health and other hospitals around the state to determine how many Virginians have been infected with COVID-19 – and how many remain at risk.
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.
iTHRIV seeks to address COVID-19 information gap in Virginia
The Integrated Translational Health Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV) has developed an online tool to collect COVID-19 information from volunteers who live in Virginia.
Heart attacks, heart failure, stroke: COVID-19’s dangerous cardiovascular complications
A new guide from emergency medicine doctors details the potentially deadly cardiovascular complications COVID-19 can cause.
In victory over polio, hope for the battle against COVID-19
Medicine’s great triumph over polio holds out hope we can do the same for COVID-19, two researchers say.
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.
Brain discovery suggests source of lifelong behavioral issues
Improper removal of faulty brain cells during neurodevelopment may cause lifelong behavioral issues, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests. The finding also could have important implications for a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
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.
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.
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.
Breastfeeding Guide Aims to Help Docs Ease Moms Through Tough 1st Week
A new guide seeks to ensure healthcare providers are ready to help new mothers with the challenging first week of breastfeeding – and to address gaps in knowledge and support created in previous decades when breastfeeding was far less common.
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.
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.
Fertilization discovery reveals new role for the egg, could lead to new male contraceptive
An unexpected discovery about fertilization reveals new insights on how sperm and egg fuse and could have major implications for couples battling infertility – and may lead to a future male contraceptive.
From Plants, UVA Extracts a Better Way to Determine What Our Genes Do
The improved technique will help explore genetic diseases and benefit drug development. It could also lead to better, safer weed killers.
Giving Ketamine Repeatedly for Migraine and Pain Not Associated with Increased Adverse Events
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Virginia retrospectively analyzed patient records see if side effects increased after repeated infusions. They actually found a couple of benefits.
Depression, Anxiety Linked to Opioid Use in Women With Breast Cancer
The findings should encourage doctors to better manage mental health in patients with breast cancer and spur care providers to consider alternative pain management such as physical therapy, massage and acupuncture, the researchers say.
Depression, Anxiety Linked to Opioid Use in Women With Breast Cancer
The findings should encourage doctors to better manage mental health in patients with breast cancer and spur care providers to consider alternative pain management such as physical therapy, massage and acupuncture, the researchers say.