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A significant clinical trial under the direction of Michael Kappelman, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics at UNC School of Medicine, found that patients receiving the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor adalimumab combined with a low dose of methotrexate, a second immunosuppressant, did better than those treated with infliximab alone. Patients who received infliximab, another tumor necrosis factor inhibitor, had similar outcomes with or without methotrexate.

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The findings, published in Nature Microbiology, are particularly important in understanding how and why bacterial communities defer duties to certain cells – and could lead to new ways to tackle antibiotic tolerance further down the line.

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Research has been underway to assess adoption of warning labels for combustible tobacco products worldwide.

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Bacteria have thousands of genes and functions that we, the human host, do not have. For instance, bacteria can help us digest fiber, provide support to our immune systems, and absorb important nutrients. But reaping the benefits of “good bacteria” is easier said than done.

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Along with UNC colleagues Scott Commins, MD, PhD, and Michael Croglio, MD, McGill was one of the first to describe the condition in gastroenterology patients. McGill has now published a national clinical practice update in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology of the American Gastroenterological Association.

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A four-year phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated that a peanut allergy treatment called sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, is effective and safe, while offering durable desensitization to peanuts in peanut-allergic children.

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Pharmacology graduate student Kaitlan Smith was recently awarded a diversity supplement from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to study the effects of aging and necroptosis. She shares her resilient journey into scientific research while reflecting on her Lumbee roots.

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Vascular malformations (VMs), a group of rare genetic disorders that causes an abnormal formation of veins, arteries, capillaries, or lymphatic vessels at birth, can interfere with the duties of our circulatory system by causing blockages, poor drainage, and the formation of cysts and tangles.

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Brexanolone, an IV infusion comprised of a derivative of progesterone, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PPD in 2019. The fast-acting medication significantly reduces depression symptoms and provides effects for up to 90 days. However, exactly how the drug provides these therapeutic effects has remained a mystery – until now.

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Neuroimaging techniques, like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are not able to directly measure neuronal activity. To address this knowledge gap, a research team led by Ian Shih, PhD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Neurology and associate director of the Biomedical Research Imaging Center, has created a novel experimental platform that is able to optically record local neuronal activity during brain-wide fMRI in rodents.

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Since 2017, the lab of Rahima Benhabbour, PhD, MSc, associate professor in the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been working with a research team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others at UNC to develop an injectable implant that can release HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications into the body for a long period of time. Their latest research, published in Nature Communications, shows that the team’s latest formulation can provide up to six months of full protection.

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This research suggests that BAF and related proteins could be therapeutic targets to prevent these viruses from spreading and leading to cancers, such as Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, multicentric Castleman disease, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and gastric cancer.

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Human brain atlases can be used by medical professionals to track normative trends over time and to pinpoint crucial aspects of early brain development. By using these atlases, they are able to see what typical structural and functional development looks like, making it easier for them to spot the symptoms of abnormal development, such as attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and cerebral palsy.

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On any given Tuesday, you will find Brian C. Jensen, MD, cardiologist and physician-scientist, tending to patients in his cardio-oncology clinic. His schedule is packed to the brim with cancer patients. But not patients with heart cancer. The largest number of patients he sees are cancer patients who have developed, or are at risk of developing, heart damage in response to their chemotherapy regimens.

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Although doctors and researchers sympathize with smokers wanting to quit smoking, scientists are discovering that vaping might not be a healthier alternative to smoking, especially in adolescents. E-cigarette products have recently been linked to a new, serious lung condition known as E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-associated Lung Injury, or EVALI, which primarily affects youth and young adults. In 2019, the illness was declared an epidemic by the CDC.

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Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic condition of the esophagus that is on the rise throughout the United States. Patients with the condition typically have inflammation throughout their esophagus and trouble swallowing food – known as dysphagia.Without proper treatment, the lining of the esophagus becomes fibrous, and the passage becomes so narrowed, or strictured, that food can lodge in the esophagus, requiring medical attention.

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Users of fourth-generation nicotine-salt-containing devices, such as Juul and disposable devices, display a unique mix of cellular biomarkers indicative of immune suppression.

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This fall UNC Health is implementing a new software called Oncology Clinical Pathways that will facilitate a common high quality, evidence-based care standard across the entire UNC Health system of hospitals in North Carolina, ensuring that each patient receives the most up-to-date course of recommended cancer treatment.

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Scientists created a way to identify the best combinations of chemical building blocks to serve as seeds that can grow into a hierarchy of molecules with the best predicted ability to bind to the receptor targets. This allowed them to test 11 billion compounds, the largest drug screen to date.