Clues to why chronic pain can feel icy cold
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Deleting the nerve circuitry for heat and some kinds of itch enhances sensitivity to cold, report researchers whose findings could have implications for people with types of chronic pain. Continue…
Thursday, April 11, 2013 6:23 - 1 Comment
Health & Medicine - Mar 25, 2013 12:59 - 1 Comment
Schizophrenia risk shows up in kids’ brain scans
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Brain scans of children at risk of schizophrenia reveal neural circuitry that’s hyperactivated by tasks that peers with no family history of the illness seem to handle with ease. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Mar 21, 2013 12:45 - 10 Comments
How anxiety and reward interact in the brain
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Researchers have a clearer picture of how two brain areas interact to trigger very different emotional reactions. The findings could lead to new targets for treating anxiety, depression, and addiction. (more…)
Top Stories - Feb 7, 2013 12:51 - 10 Comments
Switch to vegetable fats linked to death risk
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — A new look at data missing from a 1966-73 study casts doubt on current dietary advice about vegetable fats and heart health. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Feb 6, 2013 12:00 - 1 Comment
Steroids cause bone loss, but could fix it, too
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — New research could point the way to treating fractures caused by rapid bone loss, including those suffered by patients with metastatic cancers. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Feb 1, 2013 14:24 - 0 Comments
Gene target could beat all MRSA strains
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — New research may lead to effective treatment for all strains of MRSA, including one that sticks to skin longer and spreads more easily. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 29, 2013 15:02 - 0 Comments
Biobanks worry specimens will go to waste
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — A recent report offers a revealing look inside US biobanks, organizations that collect, store, and share human specimens for research purposes. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 25, 2013 14:47 - 2 Comments
Test may predict eye disease outcome
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — A new study is the foundation for a promising stem cell blood test that may detect the progression of macular degeneration to its more serious form, which can lead to blindness. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 25, 2013 10:50 - 0 Comments
Use cells’ suicide alarm to fight bioterrorism
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — The alarm system that helps immune system cells destroy invading bacteria points to a potentially new way to protect people from biological weapons, researchers report. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 11, 2013 11:10 - 0 Comments
Lower quality livers mean fewer transplants
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Experts predict a decline in liver transplants due to a drop in the quality of donated organs. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 9, 2013 10:44 - 0 Comments
‘Junk’ DNA hides assembly instructions
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Snippets of information contained in dark matter, or “junk DNA,” can alter the way a gene gets put together, according to new research. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 28, 2012 10:42 - 0 Comments
Gene variants influence insulin production
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — A new analytical tool has found three previously unknown gene variants relevant to diabetes, and researchers say it also may be useful in unraveling other complex diseases like obesity and cancer. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 21, 2012 11:21 - 1 Comment
Gene-swap therapy eases rare brain disease
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — A new therapy that uses a virus to switch genes in the brain may help extend the lives of children with a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 12, 2012 15:40 - 0 Comments
Drug design takes aim at multi-gene diseases
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Scientists have created a way to make designer drugs that hit multiple protein targets at once—an advance for treating “complex” diseases with numerous genetic and non-genetic factors.
Health & Medicine - Nov 14, 2012 13:34 - 0 Comments
Broken ‘antenna’ can lead to lost neurons
UNC-CHAPEL HILL / EMORY (US) — A new study with mice shows how nerve cells, called interneurons, use a “sensor” to find the right destination during the cerebral cortex’s development. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jul 3, 2012 8:26 - 3 Comments
Autism and schizophrenia may share root cause
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — The risk of an autism spectrum disorder may be higher among people whose parents or siblings have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Mar 22, 2012 14:45 - 0 Comments
Hallucinogen plant targets pain receptor
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — The discovery of how the hallucinogen Salvia affects the brain could lead to new avenues for treating drug addiction, chronic pain, and depression. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Feb 7, 2012 13:44 - 0 Comments
Gene warps cells in common heart defect
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Researchers have uncovered how mutations cause the distorted muscle cells behind a common congenital heart disease. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 31, 2012 11:44 - 1 Comment
After 3 days, lung bacteria are unstoppable
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — A deadly plague bacterium is able to transform the lungs into a breeding ground for other microbes—often escaping detection until it is too late for medical treatment. (more…)
