UNC researchers discovered that one gene-regulating protein called Bre1 must be maintained in the proper amount for other epigenetic players to do their jobs properly. It’s a key coordinator in the sort of cellular scenes that can turn a healthy cell into a cancer cell.
Patrick F. Sullivan, MD, FRANZCP, M. Hayworth & Family Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Genetics and Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, is one of two researchers awarded the 2014 Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research.
A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first large scale effort to longitudinally evaluate health outcomes after sexual assault.
Doctors at three leading research institutions and the American Diabetes Association report that treating patients with prediabetes as if they had diabetes could help prevent or delay the most severe complications associated with this chronic disease.
The majority of athletes included in a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine were able to return to play after having knee surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
The study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers reports preliminary results showing that a blood test, when used in psychiatric patients experiencing symptoms that are considered to be indicators of a high risk for psychosis, identifies those who later went on to develop psychosis.
UNC scientists discover that knocking out the gene NrCAM increases the number of dendritic spines on excitatory pyramidal neurons. Other studies have confirmed that the overabundance of dendritic spines allows for too many synaptic connections – a phenomenon strongly linked to autism.
People living in lower-income neighborhoods have worse musculoskeletal pain outcomes over time after stressful events such as motor vehicle collisions than people from higher-income neighborhoods, a new study finds.
UNC researchers discovered how two genes – Period and Cryptochrome – keep the circadian clocks in cells in proper rhythm with the 24-hour day. The finding has implications for drug development for various diseases including cancer and conditions such as jetlag and season affective disorder.
Human genes are spliced together in different ways to create various kinds of messenger RNA to produce the many proteins we require. UNC researcher Zefeng Wang, PhD, found a protein that controls how genes splice together, and it’s a protein that’s drastically decreased in cancers.
UNC researchers found that DPP-4 inhibitors--drugs to treat diabetes--do not increase the short-term risk of pancreatic cancer.
A new study – the first to be released by UNC researchers in the SUDDEN study – finds the five highest comorbidities of sudden unexpected death in North Carolina are hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, and cardiomyopathy.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have developed a new integrated approach to pinpoint the genetic “drivers” of cancer, uncovering eight genes that could be viable for targeted breast cancer therapy.
More than half of emergency department patients age 65 and older who were seen at UNC Hospitals during an 8-week period were either malnourished or at risk for malnutrition. In addition, more than half of the malnourished patients had not previously been diagnosed, according to a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Researchers with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have completed the largest, most diverse tumor genetic analysis ever conducted, revealing a new approach to classifying cancers. The work, led by researchers at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other TCGA sites, not only revamps traditional ideas of how cancers are diagnosed and treated, but could also have a profound impact on the future landscape of drug development.
Physicians are increasingly discussing and recommending electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as cessation devices for their patients, but more research needs to be done on their efficacy and safety, according to a new survey of North Carolina physicians published in PLOS ONE.
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have found that the protein glycogen synthase kinase-3, or GSK-3, is crucial for proper brain development early in life.
UNC's Henrik Dohlman is like a mechanic for cells. He takes them apart to see how they function. He can tell you what part is like a gas pedal and which part is like the brakes. Now he’s can show us why these brakes don’t work the same even in cells that are genetically identical.
In lab experiments using tissue samples cultured from cystic fibrosis patients, scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and the UNC Marsico Lung Institute have shown that a new CF drug counteracts the intended beneficial molecular effect of another CF drug.
As part of a multinational, collaborative effort, researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and scores of other institutions from all over the world have helped identify over 100 locations in the human genome associated with the risk of developing schizophrenia, in what is the largest genomic study published on any psychiatric disorder to date.
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine show how the protein PARC/CUL9 helps neurons and brain cancer cells override the biochemical mechanisms that lead to cell death in most other cells.
For the first time, scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have shown that eliminating the enzyme factor XIII reduces the number of red blood cells trapped in a clot, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in the size of the clot.
A new kind of imaging technique shows how exercise and diabetes drugs affect the amount of fat inside our bones, which could play roles in the health of our bones.
A new survey of North Carolina doctors finds that many are concerned about the increasing number of requests they are receiving to assess their patients’ competency to carry concealed weapons.
The lab of Brian Strahl, PhD, at the UNC School of Medicine, has found that the enzyme Set2 is a major player in DNA repair, a complicated and crucial process that can lead to the development of cancer cells if the repair goes wrong.
A new brief, 5-question screening tool can help clinicians identify which veterans may be at greater risk of violence, according to a new study.
UNC School of Medicine researchers have provided the first quantitative evidence that mucins – the protein framework of mucus – are significantly increased in cystic fibrosis patients and play a major role in failing lung function.
A team of UNC School of Medicine researchers led by Mark Zylka, PhD found that reducing the enzyme PIP5K1C lessens the level of a crucial lipid called PIP2 in pain-sensing neurons, thus decreasing pain. They also found a compound that could dampen the activity of PIP5K1C and lead to a new treatment for chronic pain.
Researchers at UNC Health Care have found that using a new method for identifying bacteria and fungi in patient specimens led to a 92 percent cost reduction in the reagents needed to run clinical microbiology tests.
Researchers in the UNC School of Medicine found that the protein DAZAP1 plays a key role in the regulation of many genes through a process known as alternative splicing, and when highly expressed in cancer cell line experiments, DAZAP1 was shown to inhibit several types of cancer cells from dividing and moving. The discovery, published in the journal Nature Communications, marks the first time this little-known protein has been characterized in relation to cancer development and tumor growth.
By studying the reproductive cells of nematodes – tiny worms found in soil and compost bins – Shawn Ahmed, PhD, an associate professor of genetics, identified the Piwi/piRNA genome silencing pathway, the loss of which results in infertility after many generations. He also found a signaling pathway – a series of molecular interactions inside cells – that he could tweak to overcome infertility while also causing the worms to live longer adult lives.
Cell movement plays an important role in a host of biological functions from embryonic development to repairing wounded tissue. It also enables cancer cells to break free from their sites of origin and migrate throughout the body.
The push and pull of physical force can cause profound changes in the behavior of a cell. Two studies from researchers working at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center reveal how cells respond to mechanical manipulation
Researchers at UNC School of Medicine have pinpointed a viral protein that plays a major role in making respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) the most common cause of hospitalization in children under one year of age.
A new analysis led by a University of North Carolina School of Medicine researcher finds that all classes of obesity in children have increased over the last 14 years. In addition, there is a troubling upward trend in the more severe forms of childhood obesity.
Physicians have long suspected that chemotherapy can accelerate the aging process in patients treated for cancer. Using a test developed at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to determine molecular aging, UNC oncologists have directly measured the impact of anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs on biological aging.
Neurologists have long debated how to help prevent certain stroke patients from suffering a second stroke. Now research from UNC School of Medicine provides the first evidence for which course of treatment is truly best for patients with poor collateral blood vessel formation near the site of stroke.
Chad Ellis, PhD, has been appointed as associate director of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, effective April 1, 2014.
RNA encodes the proteins that play a key role in cellular reproduction, but the manner in which cells regulate its removal once these proteins are synthesized remains a mystery. One piece of this mystery has been solved as researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who have identified the steps by which a cell removes RNA from the cytoplasm.
A non-invasive test that includes detection of the genetic abnormalities related to cancer could significantly improve the effectiveness of colon cancer screening, according to research published by a team of scientists including David Ransohoff, MD, professor of medicine at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member.
A majority of parents in a new study reported infant feeding and activity behaviors believed to increase the child’s risk for later obesity. In addition, these behaviors varied according to the self-reported race and ethnicity of the parents.
Kinases are proteins that play vital roles in disease, but scientists have struggled to study how they interact in real time. The lab of UNC's Klaus Hahn has developed a new technique to make these interactions occur and then watch them in real time to reveal some underlying causes of metastasis.
UNC researchers showed that a molecular hinge where two regions of a protein connect is where natural human antibodies attach to dengue type-3 to disable it. It’s the first study to demonstrate how these binding sites can be genetically exchanged without disrupting the integrity of the virus.
If you're a doctor, choosing the best drug for a patient with schizophrenia isn't easy. Researchers at UNC School of Medicine are trying to help by better understanding the genetic underpinnings of drug side effects while creating a better way for geneticists to design experiments.
A comprehensive genetic analysis of invasive bladder cancer tumors has found that the disease shares genetic similarities with two forms of breast cancer, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Cancer Center. Bladder cancer, which is the fourth most common malignancy in men and ninth most common in women in the United States, claimed more than 15,000 patients last year.
A survey of young women who use tanning beds found that despite being aware of the health risks associated with indoor tanning, they continue to take part in the activity, according to research conducted by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
While ultrasound provides a less expensive and radiation-free alternative to detecting and monitoring cancer compared to technologies such as X-rays, CT scans and MRIs, the lower clarity and resolution of ultrasound has limited its use in cancer treatment. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have overcome this limitation by combining ultrasound with a contrast agent comprised of micro-sized bubbles that pair with an antibody produced at elevated levels by many cancers.
The UNC School of Medicine has awarded the 14th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize to Marcus Raichle, MD, a neurologist from Washington University in St. Louis who has made remarkable research findings about the persistent brain activity of our at-rest minds.
The response of a patient with metastatic brain tumors to treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery in the first six-to-twelve weeks can indicate whether follow-up treatments and monitoring are necessary, according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
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