Focus: Hidden - North Carolina

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Duke Health researchers have previously shown that introducing bone marrow stem cells to a bone injury can expedite healing, but the exact process was unclear. Now, the same Duke-led team believes it has pinpointed the “youth factor” inside bone marrow stem cells -- it’s the macrophage, a type of white blood cell, and the proteins it secretes that can have a rejuvenating effect on tissue. Nature Communications will publish the findings online on Dec. 5.

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Umbilical cord blood stem cells that are cultured and expanded outside the body before being used for bone marrow transplant in adult blood cancer patients appear safe and restore blood count recovery faster than standard cord blood. The findings, led by a Duke Cancer Institute researcher, advance efforts to improve cord blood use among adults who have been diagnosed with blood cancers.

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At the 60th Annual American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in San Diego on Monday, UNC Lineberger researchers revealed preliminary results from a clinical study of an investigational cellular immunotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma expressing the CD30 protein marker.

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The University is transitioning its undergraduate athletic training program to a Master of Science in Athletic Training program in the spring, providing students like Adam Jordan with advanced educational opportunities.

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Women tend to be more conservative than men on political questions related to marijuana. A recent study finds that this gender gap appears to be driven by religion and the fact that men are more likely to have used marijuana.

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A study including health data for more than 500,000 children in the U.S. suggests obesity might be to blame for about a quarter (23 to 27 percent) of asthma in children who are obese. This could mean about 10 percent of all kids ages 2 to 17 with asthma -- almost 1 million children in the U.S. -- might have avoided the illness by maintaining a healthy weight, according to researchers at Duke University and collaborators with the National Pediatric Learning Health System (PEDSnet).

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“The increase in diabetes in our society is almost certainly driven by the increase in obesity,” says Alain Bertoni, M.D., of Wake Forest School of Medicine. “But not everybody who has diabetes is obese and not everybody who is obese has diabetes. There are definitely other factors at work.”

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In a study published in the journal NPJ Breast Cancer, researchers reported they used a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning, or deep learning, to train a computer to identify certain features of breast cancer tumors from images.

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A new study finds that bias-based bullying does more harm to students than generalized bullying, particularly for students who are targeted because of multiple identities, such as race and gender.

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Enjoying good times around the holiday table can sometimes be difficult for people with food allergies.

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A recent study finds that young people with good family relationships are more likely to intervene when they witness bullying or other aggressive behavior at school – and to step in if they see victims planning to retaliate.

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New research suggests that infant girls fed soy formula are more likely to develop severe menstrual pain as young adults. The finding adds to the growing body of literature that suggests exposure to soy formula during early life may have detrimental effects on the reproductive system. The study appears online in the journal Human Reproduction.

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RTI International announced today its participation in a 2-1/2 year collaborative project to advance its non-aqueous solvent (NAS)-based CO2 capture technology for post-combustion CO2 capture at coal-fired power plants

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Researchers at Duke Health, publishing in the Nov. 9 issue of the journal Science, used mouse models to track how immune cells are triggered during anaphylactic shock. They describe a previously unknown mechanism in which a newly identified immune cell basically mines the blood vessels for allergens and then utilizes an unusual mechanism for rapidly delivering the blood-borne allergens to mast cells

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Small-scale gold mining has destroyed more than 170,000 acres of primary rainforest in the Peruvian Amazon in the past five years, according to a new analysis by scientists at Wake Forest University’s Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation (CINCIA). That’s an area larger than San Francisco and 30 percent more than previously reported.

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In the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers published the results of mailing at-home, HPV self-collection kits to 193 low-income women in North Carolina who were overdue for screening according to national guidelines.

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People younger than age 40 who have high blood pressure are at increased risk of heart failure, strokes and blood vessel blockages as they age, according to a study in JAMA led by Duke Health.

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Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified proteins that may be useful in both earlier diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and in more accurate disease prognosis.

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The National Toxicology Program (NTP) concluded there is clear evidence that male rats exposed to high levels of radio frequency radiation (RFR) like that used in 2G and 3G cell phones developed cancerous heart tumors, according to final reports released today. There was also some evidence of tumors in the brain and adrenal gland of exposed male rats. For female rats, and male and female mice, the evidence was equivocal as to whether cancers observed were associated with exposure to RFR. The final reports represent the consensus of NTP and a panel of external scientific experts who reviewed the studies in March after draft reports were issued in February.

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When the male bearded manakin snaps its wings at lightning speed, it’s more than part of an elaborate, acrobatic mating ritual. The tiny muscle doing the heavy lifting is also the reason this exotic bird has evolved into four distinct species, according to new research published in the journal eLIFE by Wake Forest University biologist Matthew Fuxjager.

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The UNC School of Medicine is one of four clinical sites, funded by a new five-year, $10 million NIH grant, that will identify the most effective treatment options for patients with accidental bowel leakage (ABL), which is also known as fecal incontinence (FI).

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Exposure to wood smoke can have different effects on the respiratory immune systems of men and women – effects that may be obscured when data from men and women are lumped together.

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Analysis of academic and news articles related to mental health issues in higher education finds racism and sexual assault are key contributors to mental health challenges for students. The research highlights the need for mental health services, and ways mobile tech could address these needs.

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Fires in the African savannah – planned by national park staff to regenerate the preferred grasses of grazers such as wildebeests and zebras – are killing the few foods that endangered black rhinos love to eat.

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Researchers will present preliminary findings at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in San Antonio on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from a study evaluated a blood test for HPV-linked oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

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New research from Duke and Yale universities shows flavorings are transforming more than marketing. The chemical additives react to e-liquid, or e-juice, creating new compounds that could trigger irritation and inflammation when inhaled.

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Recent research finds state pension plans would be better off avoiding external asset managers when investing their assets – and would carry substantially smaller unfunded liabilities if they simply invested in a conventional index fund.

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Ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol ablation for thyroid conditions is a minimally invasive procedure that is quick and cost-effective, with side effects about the same as those of a flu shot.

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The Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has been awarded the first grant for a new federal program that will provide $3.75 million over five years to establish UNC as the National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

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or adults over age 65, surgical complications can dampen not only their physical health but also their mental sharpness, with more than half of high-risk cases declining into delirium. In new Duke University research, scientists show in a mouse model that a current treatment for seizures can also reverse brain inflammation, such as inflammation after surgery, and the subsequent confusion or cognitive decline that results.

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A UNC School of Medicine study shows that two cystic fibrosis (CF) drugs aimed at correcting the defected CFTR protein seem to be more effective when a patient’s airway is inflamed. This is the first study to evaluate the efficacy of these drugs under inflammatory conditions relevant to CF airways.

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Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have been awarded a 5-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop next generation, ultra-long-acting antiretroviral formulations for HIV treatment and prevention that have the potential to dramatically improve adherence.

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Emily Francis, the 2016 Cabarrus County (N.C.) Schools Teacher of the Year, looks back at her journey—from a one room shack in Guatemala, to a New York airport facing immigration authorities, to crossing the stage at UNC Charlotte to accept a graduate degree.

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A bacterium known for causing stomach cancer might also increase the risk of certain colorectal cancers, particularly among African Americans, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers.

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A study led by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers investigated the extent and severity of negative financial effects of cancer among women with breast cancer that has spread in the body. The preliminary results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Quality Care Symposium, held Sept. 28-29 in Phoenix.

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Currently, a once-daily pill to prevent HIV infection is available. However, adherence to a once-daily regimen can be difficult for some people. Researchers from the UNC School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study today in Nature Communications that reports a potentially promising remedy for this problem.

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The Gates Foundation has chosen Ross Boyce, M.D., M.Sc., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to receive a Grand Challenges Explorations grant to explore access to childhood vaccines in Uganda.

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The economy of the United States and North Carolina continues to accelerate, yet international trade could be entering a caution zone, UNC Charlotte professor and economist John Connaughton says.

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An international study of small- to medium-sized wineries and vineyards finds that the more sustainability practices a winery has in place, the better its financial performance – and the effect is enhanced when a winery perceives significant pressure from competitors.

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A side effect of opioid use is an infection of the heart valves called drug-associated infective endocarditis. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found a tenfold increase in the number of hospitalizations and surgeries for endocarditis in the past decade.

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Researchers have successfully incorporated “photosensitizers” into a range of polymers, giving those materials the ability to render bacteria and viruses inactive using only ambient oxygen and visible-wavelength light.

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UNC researchers led by Arlene Chung, MD, MHA, reviewed more than 300 apps in the health and fitness categories of app stores for hands-free, voice-activated assistants, including Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant; they found very few had a clear health focus.

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The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have produced an updated consensus statement on how to manage hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

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A UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher and his colleagues have been awarded a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to investigate how to improve radiation treatment for dogs undergoing treatment for sarcoma.

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A new study led by UNC School of Medicine researchers has found that a set of biomolecules known as microRNAs, specifically microRNA-31 (miR-31), can help predict which patients with Crohn’s disease are at higher risk for the development of severe problems that may require surgical removal of the large intestine.