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Fungal infections are a major health problem for people whose immune systems are compromised because of genetic deficiencies, AIDS, or cancer and associated medical treatments like chemotherapy. In those people a deficient immune response can permit fungi to take hold in the body and produce severe infection. In addition, exposure to environmental fungi can exacerbate asthmatic reactions. Dr. Amariliz Rivera and colleagues report new insights into the body's reaction to inhaled fungi.

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At its Third Annual Inter-School Technology Symposium, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) will bring together scientists from throughout the University who are at the forefront of the technology revolution that has accelerated the pace of top research. They will describe how their work, and the technology that propels it, promise to enhance the lives and health of people worldwide.

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The National Medical Fellowships (NMF) has presented its Distinguished Alumni Award to UMDNJ Presidents William F. Owen, Jr, MD. The NMD is dedicated to increasing underrepresented minority physicians and researchers in the US.

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Investigators have attempted to replicate 2009 findings that associated the XMRV retrovirus with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. However those studies have been performed on blood. The current study focuses instead on cerebrospinal fluid, given the syndrome's impact on nervous system function.

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Robert L. Johnson, MD, whose association with New Jersey Medical School began more than 40 years ago when he arrived as a student in the 1960's, has been named the school's eighth Dean.

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The School of Public Health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is honoring people who have performed national service through organizations that include the armed forces, the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, etc., with scholarships that help defray the cost of earning a graduate degree.

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Through analysis of proteins contained in spinal fluid, researchers have discovered unique characteristics that can distinguish patients with persistent Lyme disease from those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and provide evidence that the central nervous system is involved in both conditions.

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New paper outlines ways physicians can examine the effect their own beliefs and practice habits can have on their LGBT patients and offers several minor but effective changes to create comfortable office settings for all patients.

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A new support service is being offered to personnel at Fort Hood in Texas. It is operated by the University Behavioral HealthCare unit of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and patterned after a successful UMDNJ program that has served N.J. veterans for nearly six years.

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Now that increasing numbers of disease-causing bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, a new approach to fighting serious infections might be needed. Microbiologist Daniel Kadouri of UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School has made progress toward finding one.

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A family physician and faculty member at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine offers practical advice for coping with - and avoiding - a virus that is sending a crush of patients to physician offices and hospital ERs.

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The WHO's endorsement of a new DNA-based test for tuberculosis has the potential to help millions of people worldwide. The prime developer of the test is Dr. David Alland of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

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Elvis sang of a blue Christmas, but a 'flu Christmas' would be even worse. The dean of UMDNJ-SOM says there is still time to get a vaccine to make sure you don't give or get the gift of flu this year.

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For media covering the new IOM guidelines on vitamin D, several experts - including researchers, clinicians and nutritionists - at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) are available for comment.

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Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), following 10 years of studying tobacco use among smokers with mental illness, have developed a comprehensive strategy for recovery from smoking addiction that could serve as a nationwide model.

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There can be far more salt in many holiday meals than people realize, and the proof can be found at hospital emergency rooms. Heart problems aggravated or unmasked after ingestion of a significant amount of salt tend to make holidays such as Thanksgiving, Passover and Christmas very busy times for health providers like University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) cardiologist Marc Klapholz, M.D., F.A.C.C. Here, Klapholz and UMDNJ Registered Dietitian Lauren Kolesa share tips for preparing and enjoying the holidays more healthfully.

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The NJ Institute for Successful Aging can provide experts can provide experts to comment on the impact of Alzheimer's, including research, disease diagnosis, clinical care and strategies for caregivers.

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New research shows how a specific protein controls the body's ability to regulate magnesium. Though it is vital to more than 300 biochemical reaction in the body, the molecular mechanism for controlling magnesium were not previously understood.

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Researchers have determined the genetic structures of 13 previously unmapped strains of the bacterium that causes Lyme Disease. These findings may accelerate progress toward vaccines and more effective treatments.

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If your household is like most in America, you could be unwittingly contributing to accidental poisonings, drug overdoses, and drug abuse simply by keeping unused, outdated, or expired pharmaceuticals in your medicine cabinet.

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UMDNJ is providing 1st inpatient program in NJ - and one of the first of its kind in the US - for teens and young adults who experience their first psychotic symptoms (paranoia, delusions, loss of motivation and hallucinations).

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Researchers have determined that some medications commonly used to treat neurologic and psychiatric conditions, increase nicotine metabolism in smokers which could lead to increased cigarette consumption.

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New, automated diagnostic test for TB, developed by a public-private partnership including UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School scientists, showed excellent results in a large-scale field trial. The results appear in the Sept. 1 New England Journal of Medicine.

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Researchers from the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine have identified modifiable factors that could help more people remain healthy and independent as they age. Published results are from surveys of more than 6,500 people aged 50-74.

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UMDNJ researchers have identified a direct link between phthalates and inflammation in newborns. Previous studies have shown that premature babies are exposed to extraordinarily high concentrations of phthalates because of long-term exposure to phthalates in plastic medical equipment used during neonatal intensive care. The UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School research team conducted an in-vitro study examining whether phthalates can induce inflammatory effects in newborns and found that the presence of phthalates prolongs the survival of white blood cells, which supports the idea that they are contributing to damage and to inflammation.

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A UMDNJ environmental and occupational health expert on human exposure to toxic substances has recommended strategic training and monitoring of workers and volunteers exposed to the Gulf oil spill to identify, and possibly mitigate, human health risks.

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With the official beginning of summer, physicians at UMDNJ-SOM who specialize in treating children and the elderly are urging special precautions to protect those who are most vulnerable to the dangers of this season’s heat and humidity.

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Newly published research sharply expands knowledge of the composition of human spinal fluid. This added awareness of proteins found in normal fluid may be a future aid in diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions.

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For media covering the latest study in the Journal of the American Medical Association linking excessive amounts of sugar intake to high cholesterol levels, and the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation for government intervention in reducing salt levels, experts at the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions are available for comment.

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The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health has received a $2.1 million, four-year grant from the National Cancer Institute. The grant will be used to develop and implement an innovative sampling approach designed to improve knowledge about tobacco use by young adults and associated use risk factors. By devising a new sampling method that accesses cell phones, UMDNJ researchers hope to expand and improve the quality of data.

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Parents who talk to their children about sexual abuse incorrectly identify strangers as the most likely source of abuse, report researchers from the CARES Institute at UMDNJ, and this is essentially the same mistakes parents were making 25 years ago.

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Patients treated at UMDNJ-University Hospital for heart failure receive some of the best care in the nation, according to data from the University HealthSystem Consortium, which places the hospital among the country's top 5 academic medical centers.

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UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School received two $15 million NIH grants in March. That funding will advance research in HIV/AIDS vaccine development and address infrastructure improvements.

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It is not too late for those who have not been immunized against the novel H1N1 influenza A virus or seasonal influenza to protect themselves from a potentially serious and possibly fatal illness. “Flu is very unpredictable,” said Dr. Peter Wenger, an associate professor in the departments of Preventive Medicine & Community Health and Pediatrics at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Another wave of widespread flu illness could occur as the winter progresses, possibly even into March or April, he added. “The prudent course is to protect yourself and those around you, and the best way to do that is through vaccination,” he said. National Influenza Vaccination Week , which runs Jan. 10-16, 2010, is a great time to take action.

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The NJ Poison Control Center's Hotline is telling callers there is no danger if their children received the H1N1 vaccine that was recalled by Sanofi Pasteur, according to Bruce Ruck, Pharm.D., UMDNJ Director of Drug Information and Professional Education.

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Determining blood loss at the scene of trauma can be critical to successful patient treatment. Health care workers such as emergency medical technicians have used visual estimation, which can be highly inaccurate, as their only means of determining volumes of blood loss. A new, simple method developed by the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School may drastically improve their accuracy.

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African American and Hispanic adults who smoke menthol cigarettes may be less likely to quit, a new study by UMDNJ researchers has found. The report, in the December issue of Preventive Medicine, is believed to be the first to use national statistics to examine the association between menthol cigarettes and smoking cessation among adults.

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As flu season got underway this fall, Dr. Catherine Monteleone, an allergist, noticed that her office started to receive an unusually high number of calls from people with egg allergy. They previously had avoided flu vaccines because of their sensitivity to eggs. This year, with all the attention being paid to the novel H1N1 influenza, those patients want to be protected against flu, and they contacted her to find out if they are candidates for inoculation.

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With the tragic events at Fort Hood in Texas, the nation’s attention is firmly focused on the physical and psychological well being of America’s armed forces. Since 2005, UMDNJ has operated a New Jersey Veterans’ Helpline, where those in the military - as well as their families - can reach a trained counselor, who also is a military veteran, 24 hours a day.

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UMDNJ medical and mental health professionals can discuss how the movie, Precious, the bleak story of an obese, illiterate 16-year-old girl who is pregnant with her second child (the result both times of sexual assaults by her father) and who suffers daily abuse, tells an accurate tale of the impact that abuse and domestic violence have on children and families.

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Some veterans provided health care on and off the battlefield, treating serious physical injuries or mental trauma. Others served in combat and sustained injury. On Friday, Oct. 23, they come together on one panel to publicly share their stories, as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) presents "The Wounds of War: Healthcare On & Off the Battlefield," the latest event in UMDNJ’s President's Lecture Series. The discussion will focus on meeting the health challenges of the men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Pregnant women in the U.S. infected with the novel H1N1 influenza A virus have died at a rate six times higher than the general population. With flu season upon us, that mortality rate may escalate, so UMDNJ physicians strongly advise expectant mothers to get immunized as soon as the H1N1 vaccine becomes available.

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UMDNJ researchers have identified a protein, vimentin, that normally appears twice in a lifetime - when neurons in the brain are formed and when the brain's neurons are under siege from Alzheimer's, suggesting a promising new pathway for novel therapeutic agents to fight the disease.

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Donna Amundson, L.C.S.W., manager of UMDNJ-University Behavioral HealthCare’s Traumatic Loss Coalitions (TLC) for Youth Program, is available to discuss suicide prevention and intervention, as well as coping strategies for those impacted following death by suicide, during Suicide Prevention Week, Sept. 6-12.

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As flu season gets underway and a second wave of H1N1 looms, UMDNJ is offering clinical, research and public health experts, from all university campuses, who can discuss various aspects of the novel virus.

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UMDNJ Allergist Dr. Catherine Monteleone is available to discuss allergy symptoms and pollens such as ragweed, other weeds, and mold.

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A new analysis of 20 years of data contradicts previously published claims that U.S. pharma companies are better innovators than their European counterparts, and questions whether Americans actually benefit from the higher U.S. prices for many prescription medications.

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Douglas Jackson, M.D., J.D., an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the UMDNJ–New Jersey Medical School, is available to discuss the appropriate uses of propofol, the potent anesthetic linked to the death of pop star Michael Jackson.

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Researchers at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School have found that one FDA-approved multiple sclerosis, medication, Betaseron, is more effective than another medication, Copaxone, in limiting the formation of so-called “chronic black holes” in the brain that are believed to represent irreversible damage in multiple sclerosis.

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An estimated 200 people die each year in the U.S. after being struck by lightning. An extremely brief but intense hit delivers more than 10 million volts and is fatal in about 30 percent of cases. Most survivors have significant complications. Lightning presents a grave risk of death, warns Shreni Zinzuwadia, M.D., an emergency department physician at UMDNJ-The University Hospital and instructor of surgery at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Zinzuwadia tells you how to avoid a lightning strike and what to do if one occurs.