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A new laboratory aims to answer questions in voice research, such as why one schoolteacher wears out his or her voice faster than another teacher.

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University of Iowa law professor Lea VanderVelde knows about many of the great anti-slavery leaders of the past as part of her research of labor laws and slavery. Recently, she worked with one of the present.

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Researchers have taken another step toward a potential treatment for Huntington's disease. A technique called RNA interference was used to reduce levels of the disease-causing HD protein in mice, significantly improving the movement and neurological abnormalities normally associated with the disease.

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Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan has made a $1 million gift to the University of Iowa's Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development to develop programs and scholarships to help students, teachers and parents across the country identify, nurture and develop artistic talents.

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Asthma is the most common cause of exercise-induced shortness of breath in children and adolescents. While a diagnosis of asthma is often correct, pediatric pulmonary physicians caution that other unrelated conditions also can cause shortness of breath during exercise.

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A small percentage of college students across the country continue to seriously contemplate, attempt or commit suicide, but a new study suggests the numbers may be inching up.

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Researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the Technical University of Aachen, Germany used functional magnetic resonance imaging to find out if hypnosis alters brain activity in a way that might explain hypnosis-induced pain reduction.

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Two University of Iowa researchers were part of a large multi-center study that provides compelling direct evidence of an association between prolonged residential radon exposure and lung cancer risk.

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Surgeons recently repaired a potentially lethal disorder in a six-day-old Iowa girl, making her the first neonate to have this type of defect corrected with a robotic surgical system, and the smallest person to ever receive robotic surgery of any kind anywhere in the world.

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Thanks to an eBay-shopping English professor, the University of Iowa has acquired more than 250,000 science fiction fanzines and almost overnight has increased its stature as a prominent science fiction research center.

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One thing medical students paradoxically learn about ethical decision-making in patient care is that an "ethical" problem often isn't one. A medical ethicist identifies approaches physicians use to reason about ethical problems and communicate with patients about decisions and rationales.

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A group of University of Iowa MBA students will be looking for the best and the worst TV commercials aired during the Super Bowl Feb. 6. The students will watch the game and rate the ads, saying which rank as the best and worst from both entertainment and business standpoints.

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A new report on health insurance coverage of Iowa children indicates that nearly 90,000 children in the state are uninsured at some point in the year. Some programs, however, are available to help families, and more could be done to expand, as well as educate people about, options.

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Most people have a collection of some kind at some point in their lives, but very little is known about what drives humans to collect. By studying patients who developed abnormal hoarding behavior following brain injury, researchers have identified an area in the prefrontal cortex that appears to control collecting behavior.

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Doctors appear willing to use intensive treatment to lessen otherwise untreatable pain or other severe symptoms in dying patients even if the treatment, at least in theory, risks hastening the dying process, according to two studies on end-of-life care.

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Diversification strengthens forests and stock market portfolios. A study shows bacteria also use this strategy. When disease-causing bacteria assemble into biofilms, which can cause chronic human infections, the individual bacteria diversify and develop capabilities that make the group resistant.

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A study conducted by the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee finds that an NCAA rule change, instituted in 1998, limiting the number and type of spring football practices did not have the desired effect of reducing the spring injury rates to levels equal to or lower than those of fall practices.

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Having trouble finding quality health information on the Web? You might ask your doctor to write you an "information prescription." A University of Iowa study shows the nearly no-cost, quick effort is an effective way to put people in touch with quality health information on the Internet.

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Epstein-Barr is a common virus that is often harmless but likely contributes to malignancies and autoimmnune disease in people with compromised immunity. A team has engineered a mouse that provides new insights into the virus.

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You may not be familiar with the term, but you might find yourself being treated by a "hospitalist" -- a physician who devotes all or most clinical time to the care of certain hospitalized patients. Researchers have identified some factors associated with efficiency of care by hospitalists.

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University of Iowa researchers have shown for the first time that gene therapy delivered to the brains of living mice can prevent the physical symptoms and neurological damage caused by an inherited neurodegenerative disease that is similar to Huntington's disease.

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Expressing high levels of a sugar-adding protein called LARGE in mice that lack the protein can prevent muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, LARGE protein also restores function to a critical muscle protein disrupted by glycosylation defects in several different human muscular dystrophies.

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Multiple births -- twins or more babies in one pregnancy -- have more risks of infant death and long-term disabilities than births of single babies do. However, many couples seeking infertility treatments desire multiples and have poor knowledge particularly about the risks for twins.

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After the delivery of a newborn, snipping the umbilical cord and then discarding the cord and placenta is the typical procedure. However, some new mothers at UI Hospitals and Clinics are accepting the invitation to donate their baby's umbilical cord blood to a new research bank.

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That good vision is necessary for safe driving is just common sense, but scientists are looking beyond the standard vision tests in the hope of developing better tools to detect visually impaired drivers at greatest risk for a crash.

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Nearly 2 percent of Caucasians have a gene polymorphism that causes a form of schizophrenia in a minority of carriers. A study reveals a good prognosis for this schizophrenia. The polymorphism also is associated with human survival, and the initial mutation occurred in a common ancestor.

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Viral infections can exacerbate asthma and, in turn, make people with the condition more sensitive to environmental exposures such as endotoxin. But how viral infections contribute to this sensitivity in airway cells has not been clear. A study reveals some possible answers.

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Increasingly, older adults take cognitive tests to assess possible problems with their abilities to pay attention, learn, remember, and solve problems. Some are apprehensive about taking the tests or learning the results, but knowing more about the process may help alleviate worries.

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A new study suggests that inhibiting a certain protein involved in inflammation might be of therapeutic benefit in organ transplantation, heart attacks, and possibly stroke. The study found that blocking this protein's action prevents the tissue damage caused by ischemia/reperfusion injury.

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The images typically elicit a gasp or "ugh" from young people. Yet they can't help looking more closely at the "Iowa Smoking Teens," altered images of two teens that show the effects of smoking -- from blackened lungs to a 20 percent increase in the risk of cataracts to "dead toes."

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First used to treat breast cancer more than 30 years ago, tamoxifen now is one of the most widely used breast cancer therapies. Researchers have discovered a new mode of action for tamoxifen, which could lead to better targeting of the therapy and possibly the development of new anti-cancer drugs.

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Even well-studied proteins can reveal surprises. University of Iowa scientists have discovered a new enzyme activity for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). The discovery helps solve a long-standing puzzle about how this important protein works.

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You bring questions to your physician, but if your doctor has questions about how to best provide care for you, where does he or she go for answers? Docs still use paper-based resources, however, a new study shows it takes less than one-third of the time to use the computer to find an answer.

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People usually know how to care for dry skin, but they may be unsure how to treat dry eyes, which can be equally or even more uncomfortable. An ophthalmologist explains causes and management of dry eyes.

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College students' drinking behaviors are influenced more by their perceptions of their friends' drinking behaviors than by social norms marketing campaigns that encourage students to "go along with the crowd," according to a University of Iowa researcher who studies college students and alcohol use.

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Valid concerns have been raised whether research should be allowed in prison settings. However, a study indicates that even prisoners with mental illness, compared to non-prisoners without mental illness, generally are competent to decide to be in a study and do not feel coerced.

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A team of researchers has sequenced the genome of a highly versatile and potentially useful bacterium -- Rhodopseudomonas palustris. This bacterium may be useful for cleaning up toxic industrial waste or as a biocatalyst producing hydrogen as a bio-fuel.

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Research suggests that trades by registered "insiders" of a corporation are less likely to be anonymous when the stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) than on NASDAQ.

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How domestic elder abuse cases are detected and handled differs widely across states because the relevant state laws and regulations vary greatly. The study is believed to be the first to comprehensively relate domestic elder abuse rates to laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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A genetically engineered mouse initially designed to explore muscle repair mechanisms instead helped scientists understand how a certain type of calcium channel helps coronary arteries relax.

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Although no major electrical problems have yet resulted from the current series of solar flares bombarding the Earth, a professor recently used NASA's Cassini spacecraft to record the sound of one of the largest solar flares seen in decades as it moved outward from the sun.

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Fewer than one in five existing substance abuse programs in the United States offers services specifically designed for older adults, according to an investigation. The study suggests substance abuse in the older population is a particularly serious health concern.

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Teachers are 32 times more likely than people in other professions to have voice disorders. A Web site recently launched will help teachers prevent and treat voice problems: www.voiceacademy.org.

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Antidepressant treatment for people who have had stroke -- whether the patients are depressed or not -- appears to increase their chances of living longer.

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You've probably heard it by now: avoid trans fatty acids -- which are in fried foods, margarine and the "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" ingredient you see on the label of that tempting package of cookies or donuts. But what's all the fuss? Experts explain.

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Researchers evaluated the value of installing automated external defibrillators in various public locations. The team found that a defibrillator was a good investment if the specific location was expected to have at least one cardiac arrest every seven years.

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Using a driving simulator, researchers attempt to answer questions such as when and how do age-related deficits make a person an unsafe driver?

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People who use or abuse methamphetamine, or meth, do not necessarily need specialized treatment but do need more time in intensive outpatient or residential drug treatment than currently occurs.

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Kids don't give up only naps after kindergarten. Moving on to first grade often means less access to go to the bathroom -- which can lead to unnecessary accidents or other urination problems. However, better training for teachers about children's bathroom needs could help.

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Nearly 500,000 people annually are released from prison in the United States. Faith-based groups play an informal but significant role in helping ex-offenders rebuild their lives.