Patients prefer immediate access to medical test results online, even if it’s bad news

Patients overwhelmingly prefer to receive test results as soon as they are available on online medical portals, even if it means viewing the results prior to discussing them with their doctor, a new study co-led by researchers at UT Southwestern and Vanderbilt University medical centers reports.

Nearly 100% of UT Southwestern medical students match to residency programs nationally, across Texas

Nearly 100% of UT Southwestern Medical School students matched to residency programs – well above the national average of 94% – including about half who matched to hospitals affiliated with U.S. News & World Report’s top 25 medical schools, including UT Southwestern. More than 100 matched to Texas programs.

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.

Healthy gut bacteria can help fight cancer in other parts of the body, UTSW researchers find

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how healthy bacteria can escape the intestine, travel to lymph nodes and cancerous tumors elsewhere in the body, and boost the effectiveness of certain immunotherapy drugs. The findings, published in Science Immunology, shed light on why antibiotics can weaken the effect of immunotherapies and could lead to new cancer treatments.

UT Southwestern scientists discover agent that reverses effects of intoxication

A shot of a liver-produced hormone called FGF21 sobered up mice that had passed out from alcohol, allowing them to regain consciousness and coordination much faster than those that didn’t receive this treatment, UT Southwestern researchers report in a new study. The findings, published in Cell Metabolism, could lead to effective treatments for acute alcohol intoxication, which is responsible for about 1 million emergency room visits in the U.S. each year.

Response to hormone therapy predicts radiation resistance in ER+ breast cancer

How estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer responds to hormone therapy may hold keys to understanding how it will respond to radiation therapy, and an experimental drug that increases the effectiveness of hormone therapy also overcomes radiation resistance in breast cancer, a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows.

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.

Young pregnant adolescents at increased risk of preeclampsia, C-section, UTSW study shows

Young adolescents face different challenges in pregnancy compared with their older teenage peers and adults that are sometimes exacerbated by high rates of obesity, a new study by UT Southwestern researchers suggests. The findings, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM, could highlight at-risk populations for targeted prevention efforts.

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.

Screening teens for vaping history key to diagnosing lung disease during pandemic

The severity of a lung disease associated with e-cigarettes in teens decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but hospitalizations from the disease continued to mount, according to a study of more than three dozen patients by UT Southwestern researchers published in Pediatric Pulmonology.

UT Southwestern researchers discover gene regulation mechanism

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have discovered a method cells use to turn genes on and off that involves portions of proteins whose function has long been a mystery. The findings, reported in Cell, could lead to new ways of controlling gene regulation and may one day lead to new treatments for a broad array of diseases.

Head trauma doesn’t predict memory problems in NFL retirees, UT Southwestern study shows

A study of retired professional football players by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found that their cognitive abilities did not differ significantly from a control group of similarly aged men who did not play football, nor did those abilities show significant change over one to five years. The findings were published in Brain Injury.

UT Southwestern researchers identify risk factors for unsuccessful bunion surgery

A study by UT Southwestern researchers has identified three factors that increase the risk that bunion surgery will fail to fix this painful foot condition. The findings, published in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, provide information that surgeons can use to counsel patients considering this elective procedure.

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.

UT Southwestern biochemist, molecular biologist to receive HHMI Emerging Pathogens awards

Two of UT Southwestern’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers in biochemistry and molecular biology will lead separate teams as part of HHMI’s Emerging Pathogens Initiative (EPI) targeting infectious diseases that pose a threat to human health.