Futurity.org » University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Gene warps cells in common heart defect

Leslie Lang-UNC — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:44:11 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Researchers have uncovered how mutations cause the distorted muscle cells behind a common congenital heart disease.

According to the new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, mutations in a gene called SHP-2 distort the shape of cardiac muscle cells so they are unable to form a fully functioning heart.

Is ultrasound the future of male contraception?

Tom Hughes-UNC — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:16:18 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Ultrasound equipment commonly used for physical therapy reduces sperm counts in lab rats to levels that would result in infertility in humans.

Ultrasound’s potential as a male contraceptive was first reported nearly 40 years ago. However, the equipment used at that time is outdated and no longer available.

After 3 days, lung bacteria are unstoppable

Leslie Lang-UNC — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:44:35 +0000

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.

Most other microbes that infect the lungs trigger an antimicrobial response within a few hours after infection. This early inflammatory response is generally sufficient to eliminate microorganisms with no more than mild respiratory symptoms. But the pneumonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, hides out for about 36 hours when the lungs are “quiet,” not inflamed, and symptoms are completely absent.

Fiber may raise risk of intestinal disease

Patric Lane-UNC — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:54:44 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Eating a high fiber diet does not lower the risk of developing a disease of the large intestine, according to a new study that finds the opposite appears to be true.

Diverticulosis—in which pouches develop in the colon wall—affects about one-third of adults over age 60 in the United States. Although most cases are asymptomatic, when complications develop they can be severe, resulting in infections, bleeding, intestinal perforations, and even death. Health care associated with such complications costs an estimated $2.5 billion per year.

Preschool pays off in college and beyond

Patric Lane-UNC — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:02:43 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Adults who participated in a high quality early education program in the 1970s are still reaping benefits from the experience, a new study shows.

The findings, published online in the journal Developmental Psychology, offer new data on people who participated in the Abecedarian Project, a carefully controlled scientific study of the potential benefits of early childhood education for children from low-income families who were at risk of developmental delays or academic failure.

Most women can skip frequent bone tests

Tom Hughes-UNC — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:16:18 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Older women who receive normal bone mineral density scores may not need to be screened again for 10 years, new research shows.

Since 2002, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that women ages 65 and older be routinely screened for osteoporosis and has suggested that a two-year screening interval might be appropriate. However, what length the screening interval should be is a topic that remains undecided.

Mutation tied to cancer risk in young men

Dianne Shaw-UNC — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:52:20 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL / U. MICHIGAN (US) — After a 20-year quest to find a genetic driver for prostate cancer that strikes men at younger ages, researchers have zeroed in on a rare, inherited mutation.

Researchers found that men who inherit this mutation have a 10 to 20 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer. A report on the discovery is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Cholesterol drugs lower stroke risk, too

Leslie Lang-UNC — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:12:56 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Cholesterol-lowering drugs may have a second benefit: lowering the odds of a stroke or heart attack due to blood clots.

People with high cholesterol are at risk of heart attack and stroke because atherosclerotic plaques within their arteries can rupture, triggering the formation of a blood clot called an occlusive thrombus that cuts off the blood supply to their heart or brain.

Doctors need to say ‘Your kid’s overweight’

Tom Hughes-UNC — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:14:29 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Less than one-quarter of parents recall ever being told by a doctor or other health care provider that their child was overweight.

And although that percentage has increased over the last 10 years, more improvement is needed, according to a study published online in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Climate change may drive vacation plans

Patric Lane-UNC — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:24:43 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Peak visitation at US national parks is four days earlier on average than 30 years ago, one example of how global warming may be influencing people’s “weather-related” behavior.

A new study published in the International Journal of Biometeorology finds that of nine parks that experienced significant increases in mean spring temperatures since 1979, seven also saw shifts in the timing of peak attendance.